SAP6 in stock

[furbrain]

Hi folks, just a quick note to let you know the SAP6 is now in stock and available for sale. I have 14 units available currently. You can buy at https://www.shetlandattackpony.co.uk

I can do free delivery to Hidden Earth

Phil

 

[Logismos]

Is there anyone with one already? I'd love to hear some reviews
I'm desperate to get my hands on something to survey with, but as a student I'm not sure if I can throw £300 at one until it's had some good testing.

 

[aricooperdavis]

I've had a good play with the SAP5, and liked it. The accelerometer for moving through the menus was a faff, but that's now been dropped. It's also moved to a much better controller board that'll facilitate development, so hopefully it'll be adopted by the community for software updates.

 

[Badlad]

Before you consider buying SAP I would check on what customer support was available should anything go wrong. When I purchased my SAP (admittedly a long time ago) I was very disappointed not to be able to contact anyone about the problems I was having with calibration. Phil was completely off grid and unresponsive to email, phone and third party contacts. The poor pony just died a death without any help.

 

[tim.rose2]

I did a review for the older model here:

Shetland Attack Pony 5 now available

I have the old Galaxy Tab 8 (code GT-N5110; if you try Googling 'galaxy tab 8' you get something newer now) which has the S-pen although quite old now. I have a (non-waterproof sadly) Otterbox case for it, and then it goes in a Pelicase. Hasn't really been used that much in anger, and as a large...

ukcaving.com

Personally I've been happy with mine, though I must admit there's a few things which could be better (looks like they've been addressed in the recent version). Took a bit of getting used too. Had a couple of minor software issues (windows updates buggering up my computer settings) with mine in the last couple of years and Phil has been very helpful.

 

[MarkS]

I did a review for the older model here:

Shetland Attack Pony 5 now available

I have the old Galaxy Tab 8 (code GT-N5110; if you try Googling 'galaxy tab 8' you get something newer now) which has the S-pen although quite old now. I have a (non-waterproof sadly) Otterbox case for it, and then it goes in a Pelicase. Hasn't really been used that much in anger, and as a large...

ukcaving.com

Personally I've been happy with mine, though I must admit there's a few things which could be better (looks like they've been addressed in the recent version). Took a bit of getting used too. Had a couple of minor software issues (windows updates buggering up my computer settings) with mine in the last couple of years and Phil has been very helpful.

You can also see comments on that topic (some from me) about random device freezing issues that were never resolved. Sadly that was a prohibitive issue for me.

 

[alastairgott]

The sap 6 is a new device. It would be a shame for comments which I would parallel to the introduction of commercial trains to the UK (despite rails bing used in mines etc for years) or perhaps the millennium bug (every year the calendars tick over with no issues!) - we have through these comments been guilty of bias, if there were some reviews of people having used the SAP6, then there would be more balance and less bias.

Whilst I have used the 5, I have not used the SAP 6 and frankly I’m excited to get my hands on one and have a good old play. The features demonstrated at hidden earth (in the BCRA cave surveying group meeting were great) including a magnetic field anomaly detection setting. I believe this one also has shot storage, a beefed up laser and an additional button on it.

From a vague recollection of a third party (Chinese whispers warning) the SAP5 (previous device) was made to a strict budget and some things were ruled out of the design of that device due to cost.
This is not the case for the SAP6 but due to that it comes with a price tag somewhat similar to the disto was (plus inflation) which in this case may put people off the initial wave, but will probably not put them off for long should the device be tested first.

If anyone has one and wouldn’t mind me bobbing along on a trip and having a good nosey, then more than happy to. Or if furbrain has a prototype I could borrow for a week or two to give a review, then I’d be more than happy to do so and me give him some money for borrowing the device.

 

[Badlad]

A SAP 6 was used on our Mulu trip in January. I think overall it performed but with a few issues. If you PM me I'll put you in touch with the person who used it and you can get in touch direct.

I'm not sure I understand your first paragraph, Alastair, but I'll still warn folk about poor after service. It would be great if that were improved now.

 

[alastairgott]

With every new thing introduced there is a worry, but I feel there’s more people saying that they’ve never seen one, or heard of it being used, it’s akin to the Loch Ness monster or a unicorn at the moment.

People will appreciate knowing that one has been used at least in mulu if not for the next 6 months in the uk afterwards.

 

[complex]

Before you consider buying SAP I would check on what customer support was available should anything go wrong. When I purchased my SAP (admittedly a long time ago) I was very disappointed not to be able to contact anyone about the problems I was having with calibration. Phil was completely off grid and unresponsive to email, phone and third party contacts. The poor pony just died a death without any help.

Before you buy anything (particularly anything electronic that you want to use in a fairly hostile environment such as a cave) you should consider what customer support options are available to you if things go wrong or you have questions that aren't answered by a quick read of a webpage, so the SAP isnt unique here. Caving electronics (eg survey devices or lights) tend to be niche products made by an individual (instead of a company of many people) so if that one person becomes ill or otherwise uncontactable then your support options are going to be more limited.

 

[furbrain]

Thanks for all the comments folks. For some reason I've not been notified that there were more responses to this thread and I don't check in on this forum very often.

@Badlad : I'm sorry I was hard to get hold of - possibly this was during covid and I know my responsiveness was rubbish at times. I've dropped a session so the work-life balance might be better and I'm more able to respond. Please e-mail me (bearydoc@gmail.com) and I'll see what I can do.

One of the things I've improved with the next version is the troubleshooting system - it's now much easier to interrogate the device and find out what may have been going wrong - there's a whole section of the manual now devoted to troubleshooting. The physical design is also much more accessible now, so home repairs are easier.

@alastairgott you're right that the SAP5 was made to a strict budget both in size and cost. Having spoken to some active surveyors, I've paid less attention to these issues

@complex Yes! It's just me doing this. However, I have made the whole project open source, so anyone with access to a 3d printer and laser cutter could make their own - I've got a couple of people doing that right now. All hardware and software designs are on the github repo, so in principle if I am incapacitated or otherwise unavailable then someone with the necessary nerdiness may be able to take over...

Phil

 

[Chris Curry]

Morning! Any more reviews/experiences from folk using the SAP6 over the last few months? I have a poorly DistoX and am weighing up options...