Some time ago, we had a discussion on the relative merits of the O2 Stick
and Handi Oxygen analyzers.  During his trip to S. Florida, Joe Childs and I
had a chance to compare readings between my O2 stick and his Handi (sp?).

With the ability of the displays of the two units, mine to the nearest 10th,
his to the nearest whole percentage, the two units read the same gas with
the same results and both matched readings taken with the analyzer provided
by the shop that did the fills.  It would seem that they are both
sufficiently accurate for normal diving needs.  At present, the Handi
analyzer would seem to have the edge since 1. It's less expensive, 2. It's
smaller and therefore more easily stored in a dry box or other protection
and 3. Because it works off of the low pressure hose fed through a flow
restrictor, it is less dependent on user skill to ensure an accurate
reading.  In other words, the flow rate which can affect the accuracy of the
O2 stick if not manually controlled properly is controlled by the stable
intermediate pressure and flow restrictor.

The only thing that might change my mind about the relative merits of the
two units is how well it withstands the rigors of use by divers.  Neither
Joe nor I cares enough to put our lower cost, but still expensive analyzers
to a test of abuse until one or the other fails.

Lee