Vigil 1 Control Unit Discontinued

Name: Vigil 1 Control Unit
Brand: advanced aerospace design
Rating: 3.7 (7 reviews)

taurusfall2004 · February 23, 2010

I recently bought a Vigil 2 this past summer and so far it has been GREAT. I personally prefer it of the Cypres because of the user interface. Cypres seems a little crude for my liking. I researched this AAD in and out, and found that each AAD had its own individual problems. This comes with technology people. Cypres claims to have 100% reliability but apon closer review they are wrong. Many feature turned me off about the Cypres and Vigil 2 was just a better option. First, price. The Vigil goes for 1200 installed, when the Cypres goes for 1400 if not more. Also, Vigil backs their products and will replace your cutter for FREE in the event of a save. These cost 200 or more from Cypres. Second, the battery. Its cheaper and easier to replace than the Cypres. Lastly, its long lasting. The Vigil 2 has a life of 20 years while the Cypres has a little more than half of that. So far the Vigil 2 has be AWESOME and the extra money for jumps certainly came in handy this summer. Have fun, be safe, and Blue Skyz!!!

maggott · July 24, 2007

Recently on a camera load my vigil fired. Although I Pulled at 2000' my spectre snivelled...Right after opening I felt my reserve go... so I chopped a good main. With 2 out, I would have landed in the trees. I was in the saddle of my reserve above 1,400ft.

I sent it in to find out what was wrong with the Vigil to make it fire so high.
I was not satisfied with the response I got, so I removed the Argus from my rig.

michaelted57 · November 1, 2005

While I certainly agree with Airtec that an AAD should be 100% reliable, I would remind readers that the Cypres went through some problems in it's earlier stages. Some have faulted the Vigil for the problem they had with static electricity causing a premature activation on the ground (while the reserve was being packed on nylon carpet in cold, dry conditons), it should be noted that the Cypres also had some accidental activations due to radio interference. The Vigils that were affected by this problem were fixed by the factory, and subsequent versions have had no problems to date. I personally like all the things I listed in the "Pros" section at the beginning of this review, but my favorite feature of the vigil is the way it determines if it should activate or not. Unlike the Cypres Expert, which decides at 1000ft to activate at 750ft if the parameters have been met (a person who deploys at a low altitude and snivels through 1000 ft at a speed greater than 78 mph will get a reserve opening at 750ft even if their main canopy is fully deployed at 900ft), the Vigil measures the speed of descent and calculates the estimated time to activation altitude every 8th of a second. The result (as I understand it) is that the situation that would result if a two-canopy-out situation in the example with the Cypres above, would not have the same potentially desaterous consequences with a Vigil. This wold have eliminated at least three two-canopy-out situations that I have witnessed over the years. This feature alone makes the Vigil a better choice in my opinion.

svst · August 2, 2005

This is the best investment you can make for your gear! Unlike the other aad's on the market, this one wont cost you more cash, except when you need batteries!
20 year life span on cutter rather then throwing unit away after 12 years. Plus I can lend my gear out to students to try out with confidence by putting it in student mode, how cool is that!
I love my VIGIL!

Andrewnewell · July 19, 2005

After numerous incidents concerning the Vigil AAD. one of which involved a good friend of mine, I feel its time to move away from the purely commericaly driven product, that requires no updates or servicing??? and back to a more reliable safety orientated unit.

uvao · May 17, 2005

I bought a Vigil mainly because I don't need to do and pay a maintenance every 4 years, and also the price is very competitive when compared with Cypres. Since the last recall nobody reported any issue, so it seems to be perfect now. If it saves your life you can get a free new cutter just filling a form provided in the Advanced Aerospace Design website.

skydiver8282 · May 11, 2005

Relative new item. Have been no issues since the recall last year. I bought mine mainly for the "no" scheduled maintenance and for the fact that I like to go against the "norm". I don't buy something because everybody else does. That is why so many people are still buying Cypress. It offers more for the money, with some the data it tracks. If you are in the market for a AAD, I HIGHLY recommend the Vigil.

This Site Is For Sale

Sign In

Sign In

Vigil 1 Control Unit 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.

taurusfall2004 0

Share this review

Link to review

maggott 0

Share this review

Link to review

michaelted57 1

Share this review

Link to review

svst 0

Share this review

Link to review

Andrewnewell 0

Share this review

Link to review

uvao 0

Share this review

Link to review

skydiver8282 0

Share this review

Link to review

Find us on Social Media

Activity