Viso Discontinued

sagan · March 29, 2010

Bought a viso2 to have a dedicated digital visual altimeter now that I'm starting to fly more aggressive landings.

The device works flawless and I like the fact that you can see the time/date and jump numbers for any given day very quickly. The device is loaded with features but unlike my optima which seems easier to use, accessing the features is a little harder.

I still wish the device came in an aluminum frame with a dedicated hard quartz face but aside from that I can't think of too many additional features that would be nice on the device.

EmuuuH · March 15, 2010

I've got my Viso for almost a year now, and I am very happy with it.
It is very small, light weight, and very accurate.

Customer service is also great!
I had a problem with it (after 25 the batteries where dead every time) so I send it back, and they send me a new Viso back!

mcordell · November 18, 2009

I originally bought the Viso a couple years ago. After reading the reviews here I can tell you it DOES come with the hand mount with the finger loop now. The supplied ties seem to be a source of contention for those who have done reviews, but I was able to attach mine with no problems and it has not come off or come loose. I suppose if you are able to tie your shoes you should be able to attach the viso the the hand mount with the tack cord included.

I did have a problem with mine where a crack started to extend up from the plastic seam. It appeared to be a manufacturing issue with the molding process. I sent an e-mail off to L&B to ask if this would affect functionality and they told me to send it back for a free replacement! I sent it back and not only did they replace it, but they replaced it with the new Viso II.

The new Viso II is waterproof (which I saw as a downside above), has several new features, and has a rubberized and ruggedized housing. Can't beat the Viso!

wwelbon · April 28, 2009

I bought a viso because I heard all the negative things about the neptune. I was wrong. My biggest problem with it is the mounting hardware supplied by l and b. It is absolutely terrible. On top of that I bought the protector case to protect my viso and it ended up doing the exact opposite. On a hop n pop I guess my viso bumped the planes strut and it fell right out of the case. I didn't even notice it until I was under canopy. I have talked to a few other people and it turns out this is not the first time it has happened. I emailed L and B about this and have yet to get a reply. My other problem is that it the screen is difficult to read in freefall. I ended up having to use my analog altimeter in freefall and the viso under canopy. I do like how you can replay your jump and watch the speed or altitude in real time, but it is only for the last jump you made. I also question its accuracy because if you watch it all the way through landing it will usually go down to about -30 to -50 feet below ground level. Also compared to the neptune it lacks many features including audible alarms, waterproofing, and average freefall speed. My next altimeter will be a NEPTUNE!

pete_s · January 24, 2009

I bought the Viso after enjoying the excellent customer service L&B are famed for when my pro-track battery cover broke.

The Viso is a reliable alti and is best used in conjunction with the L&B gloves with the see-through pocket on the top. When used like this it is brilliant for FS as it won't be ripped off or damaged when exits go awry! (5 stars).

It is not really suitable for FF when wrist mounted, as the string provided is not strong enough to withstand the rough and tumble of exits and openings. It can be difficult to see the screen when sit flying (both when wrist and glove mounted) and I far prefer using an analogue Alti-2. (2 Stars)

I also use it for altitude awareness under canopy as the screen is easy to see when glove mounted on 1/2 brakes. (4 Stars)

If the Viso had audible altitude alarms then it would be great for canopy work - L&B take note please!

888seconds · January 19, 2009

had no problems with my Viso. easy to read, easy to use after jump (to get jump info)

there is "string" supplied to mount it to the wrist strap however i thought this was a bit sketchy so i used 2 small computer cable ties, chopped the ends off and moved it around till it fit best.
not worried about losing it in Freefall.

the button combinations required to turn it off take too long for my liking

dandandan · January 10, 2009

it does exactly what the box says. really easy to set up, accurate, lightweight. I would definitely recommend this altimeter to pretty much everyone. However i would recommend getting either instrument gloves or the protektor, having this exposed can easily result in scratches. also it avoids using the included mounting system. the real time jump replay in really cool.

TerminatorSRT4 · October 26, 2008

Well halfway through AFF I realized that I hate the standard mechanical altimeters and decided to get the Viso. I don't have a ton of experience with altimeters, but I think it's a very good product. Very easy to read and accurate as far as altitude goes. The logging is pretty basic, but provides all the info one would usually want.

Only downsides are the supplied mounting strap is horrible and I had to butcher it just to get it mounted properly and the strap is already coming apart after 15 jumps. Also the speedometer isn't very accurate, but that was to be expected for a hand-mounted altimeter, I don't pay attention to that anyway, but some people might.

meinert · September 22, 2008

This altimeter by L&B works perfectly under the conditions it is made for. Unfortunate it do not cope well with water (not even clouds). Furthermore the mounting system seems a bit cheap (I actually lost my VISO during a 4 RW jump). Besides the altimeter could have contained a few extra functions like audible (both freefall and under canopy). To get this you need to spend money on a extra L&B product. The altimeter logs your jumps but you can not transfer the logbook to a PC. After dropping my VISO and after a malfunction because of moist L&B replaced it - no questions asked.

lomaxp · June 24, 2008

Really like these and have received fantastic customer service when I had issue with screen.
Only downside is I don't like the lace on system and the protector is also not great if you want to attach on multiple bits of kit e.g. helmet to mud flap, etc.

fuzrb14 · September 7, 2007

Aside from loving the performance that this altimeter offers, I am also amazed with the customer service that L&B offers. Recently I realized that I had lost my wrist mount for it. I then sent an e-mail to L&B asking where I would be able to find one. Within the next 24 hours I had a response from them offering to send me one for free! I have enjoyed all of the features of this altimeter and would recommend it to everyone!

Good product and great customer support. What more can you ask for?

brabzzz · May 6, 2007

Does what it says on the tin.

The backlite is cool. Screen is clear when viewed straight on (more or less). At extreme angles it not so great, but LCDs never are. Anyway, i'm practically audible dependent so who cares about the screen! ;-)

The real time jump replay is great. You basically hit play after the jump and you see the seconds tick on the top row and speed (or height) on the bottom row. Means you could try different positions (say for wingsuit) in each quarter of the skydive and be able to compare them without a laptop afterwards. Likewise, speed built up vs. time during a swoop is easy to see. Data logging seems perfectly adequate. Nope, there is no PC link...but it never claimed to have one either.

The supplied wrist strap is sh*te. On the first jump the seam/stitches split 75% across. As in i nearly lost it on its first jump. Two lines of stitches and all's well no - but it's a shame regardless.

If you want/need one, it's a good bit of gear.

franster · May 2, 2007

The Viso works great every time and I've only had it fail on me once when it started beeping at me after I had landed and the display showed a 4 error code. I checked in the manual and it told me to reset the device which I did and it was absolutely fine! It didn't even loose my saved jump data!

Also L&B now include a decent wrist mount strap with finger loop for the original price! I found this out after I had bought one seperately, which I was a bit annoyed about so I wrote to L&B and they sent me a full refund! Definately can't complain about customer service!

The Viso seems to have been designed to include alarms like the Neptune. I can only imagine that they weren't included to get the product on sale asap. It was about 6 months late anyway!

As others have mentioned the menu navigating is awkward and the lack of alarms are a bit of a draw back, but on the up side it's accurate and reliable, plus it's backed up by the great L&B customer service.

genghis · April 24, 2007

After using a Neptune for 100 jumps or so i decided to sell it because of inaccuracy, difficulty reading the screen, and i got tired of having to replace the batteries so often. I went back to my Galaxy until the viso came out then i figured i would give it a try. I trusted the company already from jumping with 2 of their audibles(pro-track and solo)and knew if they put the same precision and care in a visual altimeter it would be great. When i got it and jumped it, i couldnt have been happier. It was dead on every time, The screen was easy to read, and when i knocked something loose in it the first day of jumping it from a hard bump on exit, L&B was great with customer service and replaced the unit at no cost. I bought the protektor after that and havnt had a problem since then.

March 1, 2007

I jump with a Pro-track as an audible (which I've had for ~1300 jumps) and a Viso as a visual mounted on a small pillow on my chest strap (which I've had for ~100 jumps) I really like the Viso as it provides me with very reliable altitude information when I'm setting up my swoops. It's a good feeling when you lean over on the climb up to altitude and compare with someone else's Viso and they are dead on with each other. (within 10ft) The Viso comes with a hand mount, wrist mount, and a whole bunch of zip ties which allow you to taylor your mounting setup to your liking, which is nice. While the Viso has operated flawlessly and I haven't had to fall back on it, my experience with L&B customer service in the past would be hard to beat, they really stand behind their products. As a logging device, it leaves something to be desired. Navigating menus to retrieve jump info is very awkward, so I leave the logging and jump info duties to my protrack, which is much more friendly. Still, this altimeter provides an excellent day-to-day alternative to the annlog altimeters of old. I would definitely buy a Viso again.

flipper · November 20, 2006

Done several jumps ( Tandems / Freefly / Swoop ) with the VISO, unaffected by very low tempretures or fast rotations

Seems to be very accurate when compared with Pro-track and analogue Alti.

Only gripe is the supplied strap is pretty cheap and nasty.
(Sorted this by making my own)

If you are after a digital Alti then in my opinion this is the one.

bdrake529 · October 4, 2006

The VISO is perfect for anyone desiring a solid digital altimeter. It's cheaper than the Digitude and Suunto Vector and has a better display as well.

Beyond its primary purpose, it comes with some great bonus features. But here is where L&B started to cut corners that keep it from being a true contender to the Neptune or Skytronic GFX.

For example, for the last 200 jumps, the VISO stores exit alt, deploy alt, freefall time, max freefall speed and max canopy descent speed. Would it have been that hard to include avg. speeds (freefall and canopy) or time under canopy? This information can be inferred by the realtime (.25x, 1x, 2x, and 5x) playback feature (very cool) but this only works for the last jump.

The interface is not intuitive but it doesn't take long to get the hang of it. While navigating the interface, the VISO beeps through a speaker that is just as loud as the OPTIMA or SOLO, so why weren't canopy alarms included?

The wrist strap and attachment strategy presented are a joke. I can't imagine a single skydiver taking it seriously. To make this instrument truly usable, you'll have to buy instrument gloves or the additional L&B wrist-strap/finger loop combo. That adds roughly $30 to the price either way.

The other downside is it does not have a computer interface. This means it can't be updated (save perhaps a recall to L&B) and jump data can't be downloaded.

For the average jumper, these complaints may be unwarranted since the VISO works great as a visual digital altimeter. But for the data-hounds among us, the VISO falls short compaired to the Neptune or Skytronic GFX and the extra cost of either may be worth it.

lildemmer · September 20, 2006

The Viso is an amazing altimeter! The electronic log book is great! It's really easy to set up and the numbers are really easy to read. I only have one complaint and it's kind of a big one. The viso comes with a wrist mount that has it mounted in a hard place to see when your hands are in your fron riser loops. Mine actually came missing a piece and I could not hook it up to be used when I got it. I had to order a pair of gloves from another company that had a special pocket to hold it in. So as far as the performance of the VISO I give it a 10 but the equiptment it comes with is sub par. Every add I saw it in had the hand mount in it, I have never seen a single picture of the wrist mount that comes with it. On top of that I have not been able to find a single place that sells a hand mount for the VISO. I talked to one lady from an online retailer and she said that L&B has not sent them any hand mounts to sell even though they have been asking for them. So all in all it's a wonderful piece of equiptment and I hope L&B will get a hand mount on the market soon.

This Site Is For Sale

Sign In

Sign In

Viso Discontinued

Buy from these trusted stores

User's photos

SIGN UP OR LOGIN

User Feedback

Join the conversation

What did you think, Guest? Leave a review and let other users know.

sagan 0

Share this review

Link to review

EmuuuH 0

Share this review

Link to review

mcordell 2

Share this review

Link to review

wwelbon 0

Share this review

Link to review

pete_s 0

Share this review

Link to review

888seconds 0

Share this review

Link to review

dandandan 0

Share this review

Link to review

TerminatorSRT4 0

Share this review

Link to review

meinert 1

Share this review

Link to review

lomaxp 0

Share this review

Link to review

fuzrb14 0

Share this review

Link to review

brabzzz 0

Share this review

Link to review

franster 0

Share this review

Link to review

genghis 0

Share this review

Link to review

champu 1

Share this review

Link to review

flipper 0

Share this review

Link to review

bdrake529 0

Share this review

Link to review

lildemmer 0

Share this review

Link to review

Find us on Social Media

Activity