Buying guide: Oxsea vs Minidive

Buying guide: Oxsea vs Minidive

The difference between the 2 brands of mini scuba tanks, is on the quality, the possibilities of use and the conformity of the products. Oxsea is a brand whose products are manufactured and assembled in China (ox1000 bottle = smaco 1 l) to Chinese standards but which do not correspond to French and European standards, it is actually a Smaco product but whose label has been changed. MiniDive is a French brand, with products designed and assembled in France and especially certified to European standards.

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What are the differences between Oxea and Minidive ? (materials, design...)

There are many differences between oxsea and minidive, the products proposed by oxsea are simple and limited, that is to say bottles only in aluminum of 2 different sizes: 0,5 l and 1 l. The OX500 bottle offers about 8 minutes of autonomy, the ox10000 bottle offers 15 minutes of autonomy maximum and no adapted refill means for the 1 liter bottle. On the other hand, Mini Dive offers a wide range of bottles from 0.2 to 2 liters in aluminum or carbon, which allows to cover a wide range of needs. The 1 liter carbon bottle offers 12 minutes of autonomy for a beginner (with overconsumption due to stress) and up to 20 minutes / 25 minutes of autonomy for a more experienced person.

The oxsea brand is not a brand in its own right since oxsea does not design, manufacture or assemble any of its products and therefore does not certify its products. Oxsea takes the whole catalog of smaco products but re-badged with its logo the products, for that you just have to look at the smaco products : 

Oxsea

Oxsea offers products that can be found on other markets, minidive offers its products designed and developed internally, the various aspects of safety are the focus of attention of the team minidive, the products are certified.

The reliability of our products is no more to be proven, as a pioneer of the mini diving cylinders we have the feedback on the quality and reliability of our products for more than 6 years and more than 10 000 cylinders sold. Safety is always at the center of our concerns because our customers trust us, minidive is a brand in which both novice and experienced divers have confidence. We are continuously working to improve our product and your safety.

Oxsea offers a bottle to be worn directly in the mouth and a 1l bottle to be worn with a harness. 

MiniDive offers 7 different bottles that can be worn in the mouth or with a harness for autonomies from 3 minutes to 40 minutes underwater.

Regarding the refill means, oxsea and minidive propose a manual pump, oxsea proposes only one compressor (12v), minidive proposes 3 compressors, 2 compressors 12v of which one with integrated converter and a compressor 220 V for the bottles from 1liter. The DIN filling stations or stirrup stations are available on both brands, with a price advantage for minidive on identical products.

Note that the delivery of products is faster with minidive (24h) compared to oxsea which has a delivery time of 2 to 3 days, these are averages.

As for the customer service, you just have to test it by yourself, minidive can be contacted by phone, by what's app, mail or messenger. On the oxsea site, during our test the contact by what's app displays an error page which is a pity for a customer who would like to inquire about a product or who would have a problem on a product.

Which mini bottle is the easiest to handle?

The 2 mini bottles are easy to handle, using these products underwater remains a unique and fun experience regardless of the size of the bottle.

From its past experience, minidive is more able to provide a product that is easy and quick to use, for everyone with a manual available in several languages.

Minidive makes it easier to refill your cylinder with its multiple air cylinder refill solutions

MiniDive keeps an overall advantage of easier to handle products than oxsea when you look at the feedback from users.

What accessories for my mini scuba tank?

The accessories we recommend are: compressor filters to ensure good quality compressed air, a snorkel to breathe on the surface rather than using the air in the tank. A safety buoy is also important, it has a double function, firstly to limit your dive to 3m depth because the cable connecting you to the buoy is 3m, but also to warn you of your presence on the surface thanks to the flash orange color of the buoy.

Mini dive tank at the best price ?

The best quality / price / customer service ratio is in favor of mini dive. Since Minidive offers a more interesting overall experience for a leisure product such as a mini dive tank, it is our mission to offer a better price so that it is accessible to as many people as possible.

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