Weather Station Hardware > What Weather Station Should I Buy?

Are Davis Vantage Pro Weather Stations Still Considered as High Among the Best?

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Bunty:
Are Davis Vantage Pro Weather Stations Still Considered as High Among the Best?

Garth Bock:
Electronic spec-wise it is one of the best. Fast update times, accuracy, range, partially open to third party devices and software plus somewhat decent support from an OEM has been a plus. While the non-color mil-spec looking console has always been a bit of a negative overall the whole station's price/function/accuracy puts it in the professional area right along with Ecowitt, Accurate, Rainwise, Ambient, Kestrel and a couple of other true OEMs.

Even though there are cheaper rebranded Chinese clone knockoffs that call theirs "professional" , spec-wise Davis blows them away. Yeah it's pricey but it's up to the buyer what they want to trade off for what they can afford, support and the accuracy they want.

Ra1nman:
Suspect the short answer to this is yes, I've been following weather stations on and off for many years. Long answer - I regret not buying a VP2 when the prices were more tolerable, having recently picked up an Ecowitt, here is my advice for what it's worth, take it with a pinch of salt. If you are based in the US then I would grab a Davis assuming cost is acceptable to you. From my research it would seem the Davis on the whole will have a longer life than the other brands, luck can play a part of course. If the Davis lasts 15 years and costs $600, it means your three $200 weather stations need to last at least 5 years each, that is my very basic math! - of course things can fail, parts could be replaced on any device.

Maybe also depends if you are interested in temperature more than wind and rain, if this is the case then there are high accuracy sensors available for other brands. I'm greedy and would like solar and sonic anemometer, this makes Davis $1200+ in my region, other brands offer similar for $200-250, you pay your money as they say. With Davis you can be pretty sure accuracy is all good, other brands you may have to tolerate +/- percentage on accuracy, depends on what you've had and where you would like to be in this department.

Chasing accuracy with other brands could easily see you half way towards a Davis in costs, suspect also that the Davis would for the most part still be running sometime after the other brands bit the dust or were replaced. I for one will probably end up with a Davis before too long, at least then I can see how accurate my Ecowitt has been :grin:

I'm not a professional so please know these are just my thoughts from many years researching. Good luck with your new purchase [tup]

ivano:
Davis is an excellent station, I especially appreciate the software, the excellent anemometer, the quality of the construction and the duration, however, there are some flaws, obviously in my opinion, its rain gauge, with rains with high rain/rates, it overwhelms of a good 10% I'm talking about the monobascula, its screen is not a screen up to par, and consequently the temperature detection is affected, a comparison with a wh31/32 ep in a barani or metspec or comet etc etc screen is not feasible, finally the high cost, in any case everything depends on what you are looking for, if one needs something durable and reliable, it is not wrong to take a Davis, but with that money you can make a nice level station, spending even less, in any case opinions ,,,,

vinceskahan:

--- Quote from: ivano on December 25, 2022, 05:04:18 PM ---with that money you can make a nice level station, spending even less

--- End quote ---

I would love to see a detailed parts list and prices for something matching a VP2 at that price that does 'not' require any internet connectivity nor phone home to China as a baseline requirement to function.  It would have to be no-Internet LAN only.   It would also need to be something we could run weewx with in order to process the data.....

So Ecowitt is out, just as one example.

(my almost 14-year old VP2 here still working well !!!)

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