shearwater Perdix or h3 for occ rec overkill?

[dmaziuk]

I just looked at the TX1 manual. I am surprised to note that if you omit deco, resulting in a GF or 90 or higher, it will lock you out of Dive mode for 24 hours. That seems like a rather unfortunate decision on the part of the engineers who designed the TX1.

I wonder if it was the engineering or their legal dept. who came up with that. Or they just reused bits of code from other pelagics that come with that "feature". Certainly a dumb thing to have in a tech. DC. OTGH if the computer thinks you're bent, diving more will only make you more bent as far as it is concerned, so...

 

[NAM001]

I'm a rec diver only and purchased a perdix for a few reasons.

• Menu system, do not need a manual to learn it, I have a Geo 2.0 as well and still have to resort to the manual to figure out the setting
• Display - old eyes, I need reading glasses and I dive with contacts, if I was to lose one I can still read the display, you can now put a custom logo on the start screen! That should be enough j/k
• Battery - I don't dive as much as I would like, being able to take out the battery so it doesn't leak and ruin the computer is a big plus. AA size are easy to find anywhere.
• If it's good enough for a majority of tech divers on here, then rec mode would certainly good enough for me
• If I ever get more technical I won't have to upgrade

If you have the funds, it's a great computer. Many other will do the same in rec mode, but those are the reason I bought it.

Certainly no better endorsement than this.

 

[stuartv]

• If it's good enough for a majority of tech divers on here, then rec mode would certainly good enough for me

Certainly no better endorsement than this.

It's good enough for tech divers because they have training for deco diving. I wonder if he'll still endorse it so strongly when he finds that using a Perdix in OC Rec mode and adhering to his Recreational training means that he's getting shorter bottom times (i.e. shorter NDLs) than people with regular old Recreational computers running the DSAT algorithm. My Oceanic Atom definitely gives longer NDLs than a Petrel 2 in OC Rec mode.

 

[sheeper]

I use the Petrel/Perdix in OC/Rec mode for rec nitrox diving and then in OC/Tec mode for tec/deco stuff. Either way, it is a great computer.
here's why.
1) it is crazy easy to use and set. the menu system is intuitive.
2) it is easy and clear to read with my old, over 50 eyes!
3) it is versatile. I can "tune" it to match how i dive with appropriate conservative settings. I can get accurate bottom times and NDLs based on real diving.
4) Shearwater has amazing customer service and support. seriously amazing
5) having one makes you one of the cool kids!

 

[Trivan]

I wonder if he'll still endorse it so strongly when he finds that using a Perdix in OC Rec mode and adhering to his Recreational training means that he's getting shorter bottom times (i.e. shorter NDLs) than people with regular old Recreational computers running the DSAT algorithm.

Respectfully, I do know this and my answer is yes i still do. As mentioned I have a Geo 2.0 (its DSAT/pz+) and the difference is within 2 mins if the Conservation Factor on the Geo is set On and a CF on Med on the Perdix. Granted if I turn CF off on the Geo, it a diff of 9 mins. I'm a very technical person outside of diving, I split hairs on everything. Before I purchased the Perdix, i charted out the bottom times for Air/Nx32, DSAT, PZ+, CF on/off, High,med,low. Again as a rec diver, the difference wasn't a factor to me. If I was doing a $/minute valuation, then maybe, but i'm not.

When I dive, I don't split hairs if I'm out of the water in 40 mins or 50 mins. I group dive if is available and I enjoy it. With all my dives, my insta -buddy is out of the water due to low air before I get close to the amount of time left. Now I'm blessed, with my 12yr old getting her c-card recently, so I have no desire to push the limits and suspect that our first dives will be very short Bottom time was the last factor for me on the purchase.

For full disclosure this was my order of prioritization for the purchase:

1. Can i see the screen w/o my contacts
2. Can I figure out the menu system w/o referring to the manual. Thought process here is if something happens in the water, and I'm confused, nervous, what have you, the last thing I want is to worry about how to find something on the computer.
3. User replaceable battery
4. Proven in the field
5. On going support and online community to help with questions
6. Bottom time
7. AI

There is a computer for everyone, there is no one size fits all, just different priorities.

 

[stuartv]

Respectfully, I do know this and my answer is yes i still do.

Cool. You know exactly what you've got and what the pros and cons are. And you are happy with it. And that's all that matters!

 

[Kristi@CCDS]

4) Shearwater has amazing customer service and support. seriously amazing

This is one of the biggest selling points IMO. Being a dealer and an end user of Shearwater products, you have NO idea how big a deal great customer service is in this industry. Shearwater is one of the best! They take care of their customers, believe in their products, and have one of the most user friendly dive computers on the market to date that literally does EVERYTHING. I dive a Shearwater powered rebreather with a Perdix as my backup. The few times my husband and I have had an issue with personal computers (Two times I have shipped a personal computer back in the 3 +years I have owned their products ) they have been fixed in a week tops and back in my hands, and no repair bill since they were under warranty. I shipped from the states in Florida via priority mail, to Washington and had it back in a hurry good as new. Costing me a grand total of $6 and change. I'm pretty pleased with that. Being a CCR cave diver, I need gear that is rugged and that I can count on. Shearwater delivers.

 

[stuartv]

This is one of the biggest selling points IMO. Being a dealer and an end user of Shearwater products, you have NO idea how big a deal great customer service is in this industry. Shearwater is one of the best! They take care of their customers, believe in their products, and have one of the most user friendly dive computers on the market to date that literally does EVERYTHING. I dive a Shearwater powered rebreather with a Perdix as my backup. The few times my husband and I have had an issue with personal computers (Two times I have shipped a personal computer back in the 3 +years I have owned their products ) they have been fixed in a week tops and back in my hands, and no repair bill since they were under warranty. I shipped from the states in Florida via priority mail, to Washington and had it back in a hurry good as new. Costing me a grand total of $6 and change. I'm pretty pleased with that. Being a CCR cave diver, I need gear that is rugged and that I can count on. Shearwater delivers.

I like Shearwater. Their customer service was great to me, too.

But, the reason you are able to praise their service is because you shipped computers back twice in 3 years.

I have no idea about Oceanic customer service because I've had my Atom for over 1.5 years and never had any reason to need customer service. It just works.

I think it's kind of funny, actually, that you would post that you're a CCR cave diver and need gear that is rugged and that you can count on, and then in the same paragraph praise a computer that you've had to send in twice in 3 years for warranty repairs. I suspect that if your computer didn't say Shearwater on it, you and a bunch of other people would be blasting the manufacturer for putting out a computer marketed to serious tech divers that demonstrates such a poor record of reliability.

Let me be clear: I'm not saying SW computers are not reliable. I'm just pointing out the irony of your particular words and experiences.

 

[Kristi@CCDS]

Actually once upon a time, I was an Oceanic dealer. My shop was also until recently a Hollis dealer. I found their customer service is very poor comparatively.

Unlike other shop owners I'm not going to lie and say I've never had an issue with a product, but Shearwater took care of me without exorbitant cost to me, having to ship back to Europe, or waiting EXTREME lengths of time to have an issue fixed which I and many others have dealt with from other companies in the past. The computers were two different units by the way, one simply required an upgraded battery cap. We own 5 units from Shearwater between the two of us, two handsets for a JJ and Optima, two Perdix and an Ext Petrel.

Everyone has an opinion, I won't try to invalidate yours. I'm simply sharing my opinion and experience so another member can have some feedback to make a purchase decision.

 

[C Dub]

It's amazing how great the ignore feature is. Thank you NetDoc!