Suunto

Suunto EON Steel Black

The EON Steel with a second algorithm option and a lockout-free deco recalculation.

Open BLE sync (libdivecomputer)

Syncs wirelessly with third-party apps (Subsurface, Currents, etc.), not just the manufacturer app.

Suunto EON Steel Black
4.6Comparison Score
$995
Buy on AmazonBuy on Scuba.com
Released2021
Max depth rating150m
AlgorithmSuunto Fused RGBM 2 or Bühlmann 16 GF, selectable
Air integrationwireless
Wirelessbluetooth
DisplayBright color display, reinforced composite housing
Batteryrechargeable
Digital compassYes
Gas typesair, nitrox, trimix
Gas switches20
CCR capableYes

"Gas switches" is how many different mixes this computer can be programmed to switch between mid-dive, mostly relevant for technical/staged-decompression diving. It doesn't tell you which gas types (air, nitrox, trimix) are supported. See Gas types and the product description above for that.

Pros
  • Choice of Suunto Fused RGBM 2 or straight Bühlmann GF, unlike the single-algorithm original EON Steel
  • No more dive-ending algorithm lockout after a missed stop, it recalculates instead
  • Fully customizable display layouts carried over from the EON Steel
Cons
  • Rechargeable-only battery, no field-swappable option
  • Bulkier console-style case than watch-style Suunto models
  • Absent from most major retailers' current catalogs even though Suunto still sells it direct, a sign this is an aging model in the lineup
Diver community sentiment
Mostly positive

On Scubaboard, divers consistently praise the EON Steel's build quality, large customizable color screen, compass performance, and strong battery life (28-40+ hours per charge). Recurring complaints include price relative to competitors, needing a computer for initial setup, and screen glare in bright sun. The most significant gripe from technical divers is that missing a decompression stop by more than 2 feet for over 3 minutes locks the unit into a basic bottom-timer mode instead of recalculating, seen as a design flaw versus rivals. Older r/scuba threads from the original EON Steel era corroborate this history: technical divers frustrated with the lockout behavior and at least one report of two units needing factory replacement after crashing, plus grumbling that Suunto charged existing owners to unlock the Bühlmann algorithm rather than shipping it free. Those specific complaints are what the Black revision (reviewed here) was built to fix, and no comparable Reddit threads about the Black edition specifically turned up reliability complaints.

Scubaboard: EON Steel review, post 30 divesScubaboard: EON Steel algorithm-lock logic debateScubaboard: new EON Steel firmware discussionr/scuba: Bühlmann update for the original EON Steel

Summarized from public forum discussion (Scubaboard, Reddit, and similar), not a survey we ran ourselves. See the linked threads for the original conversations.

The EON Steel Black is an updated EON Steel with a second selectable decompression algorithm (Bühlmann GF alongside Suunto’s own Fused RGBM 2) and the removal of the old lockout behavior after a violated stop, making it more forgiving for technical and CCR divers who miss a deco obligation mid-dive.