Advice on Equipment Purchase

[dmaziuk]

Well if you dive in the dark murk a lot, light-emitting screen is a huge plus and aside from the cosmiq and nitek q I can't think of a computer with that and a price tag much below $1000. And for that money you might as well go perdix.

If you mostly dive in bright tropical sunlight, there oled/backlight tend to be a downside or at least not much of a plus.

 

[Buliwyf]

Yup. I was going to get a $200-ish puck computer, but that's a fairly large chunk of the way to a Perdix AI. A $400 computer is even closer.

I could by a cheap one, and upgrade later, but after watching the Pedix and Petral vids, it's just such a easy to use comp that I'm going to jump straight to it.

 

[turko]

Most of the people I talked that are advanced enough to need a computer like the Perdix have a backup computer too as a safety measure. I suggest you get a cheap one with gauge mode to use as backup in the future in case you get to more advanced dives.

 

[RainPilot]

https://www.amazon.com/Dive-Rite-Ad...?ie=UTF8&qid=1487101209&sr=8-2&keywords=Nitek

Probably the best bang for buck right now. 400$ for damn close to Perdix functionality.

 

[stuartv]

Most of the people I talked that are advanced enough to need a computer like the Perdix have a backup computer too as a safety measure.

I think that "demographic" (if you will) has been slowly changing ever since Shearwater introduced OC Rec mode and then released the Perdix. I think more and more people are diving recreationally with only a Perdix. They may not need trimix or multi-gas support, but the other features still make it a really nice computer, even for recreational vacation divers.

As someone who does need a computer like the Perdix, my opinion is that the best backup is another computer like the Perdix. If I'm doing a deco dive and my Perdix craps out, I would much rather fall back to another tech computer than to written notes and something in Gauge mode. At the point you fall back to Gauge mode, it means all subsequent dives will have to be planned using tables or planned based on square profiles (or "square" multi-level profiles). At least until such time as you stay out of the water long enough for all tissues to completely off-gas. If I'm in the middle of a dive trip, I definitely don't want to have to do that. Certainly not if I'm going to dive with 2 devices anyway.

The point is, if you're buying a computer that you anticipate relegating to backup duty in the future, you may still end up wishing you'd bought a computer "like" a Perdix. If I had bought a Perdix for my 1st computer, I would have since bought a second one and been done - instead of now having gone through 5 computers to end up with a Perdix AI and a SeaBear H3 (another trimix/tech computer).

 

[Patoux01]

The point is, if you're buying a computer that you anticipate relegating to backup duty in the future, you may still end up wishing you'd bought a computer "like" a Perdix.

Or it's simply dead (much like the horse you're beating) because you don't need a trimix backup computer before you're doing some heavy hypoxic trimix dives... Seriously, if you go on a dive trip that requires a trimix computer, you will not be diving many times a day, let alone a week. So yes, those 5 dives are totally doable on a gauge...

 

[turko]

I think that "demographic" (if you will) has been slowly changing ever since Shearwater introduced OC Rec mode and then released the Perdix. I think more and more people are diving recreationally with only a Perdix. They may not need trimix or multi-gas support, but the other features still make it a really nice computer, even for recreational vacation divers.

As someone who does need a computer like the Perdix, my opinion is that the best backup is another computer like the Perdix. If I'm doing a deco dive and my Perdix craps out, I would much rather fall back to another tech computer than to written notes and something in Gauge mode. At the point you fall back to Gauge mode, it means all subsequent dives will have to be planned using tables or planned based on square profiles (or "square" multi-level profiles). At least until such time as you stay out of the water long enough for all tissues to completely off-gas. If I'm in the middle of a dive trip, I definitely don't want to have to do that. Certainly not if I'm going to dive with 2 devices anyway.

The point is, if you're buying a computer that you anticipate relegating to backup duty in the future, you may still end up wishing you'd bought a computer "like" a Perdix. If I had bought a Perdix for my 1st computer, I would have since bought a second one and been done - instead of now having gone through 5 computers to end up with a Perdix AI and a SeaBear H3 (another trimix/tech computer).

If money isn't a problem I couldn't agree with you more. But if it isn't, I don't see the point of spending almost the same as the whole rig in a computer since a cheap one would suit all your needs for a long time.

Of curse that's just my opinion, I'm a beginner diver too and would love to buy the Perdix, but I'm not even sure how long this hobby will last for me, so I prefer to start slow on my spendings and risk to lose some of the investment.

 

[stuartv]

Or it's simply dead (much like the horse you're beating) because you don't need a trimix backup computer before you're doing some heavy hypoxic trimix dives... Seriously, if you go on a dive trip that requires a trimix computer, you will not be diving many times a day, let alone a week. So yes, those 5 dives are totally doable on a gauge...

Why do you feel like you need a trimix backup computer for "heavy hypoxic trimix dives", but not run-of-the-mill normoxic trimix dives?

I drove to Pensacola to dive the Oriskany. I was planning for 2 trimix dives in one day. If my primary computer died during the first dive, I would have been very happy to have an equally capable backup to use for the second dive. I could still have done a second dive on a gauge, but my bottom time ultimately would have been limited for the same reason anyone dives a computer instead of tables and a bottom timer. The only way to prevent that would be to have a backup that was trimix capable and went with me on the first dive, that I could then use on the second dive (along with some other BT and a written plan in wet notes, in case THAT computer died during the dive).

I never said the whole thing wasn't doable on a gauge. I said that IF you buy your first computer, you MIGHT end up wishing you'd bought one that was more capable, even if it ends up being a backup. That's how it worked out for me. I don't actually regret buying my Atom 3.0, because the Perdix AI was not out then. But, if the Perdix AI had been out when I bought my first computer, I would now regret that I didn't just buy it straight off.

If money isn't a problem I couldn't agree with you more. But if it isn't, I don't see the point of spending almost the same as the whole rig in a computer since a cheap one would suit all your needs for a long time.

Of curse that's just my opinion, I'm a beginner diver too and would love to buy the Perdix, but I'm not even sure how long this hobby will last for me, so I prefer to start slow on my spendings and risk to lose some of the investment.

Totally reasonable approach. Everyone has to make their own call on what makes financial sense for them.

One nice thing about the Shearwater computers is how well they hold their value. I saw a Petrel 2 in the Classifieds recently for $500. You could probably buy a used Petrel 2 now and, if you decided to give up diving in 6 months or a year, sell the Petrel 2 for pretty darn close to what you paid for it - unlike just about any other computer on the market.

 

[eelnoraa]

Computer-$300
COSMIQ Plus

Wow, no kidding. I haven't been looking at dive computer for a long time until last night, I found my Tec2G screen is fading out badly. Based on spec, this is a no brainer. It has all the essential: air mode, rec nitrox, gauge mode, good screen, bungee mount, and at $300??? Is there any catch to this? Any review review out there?? I think I am in for one

 

[stuartv]

Wow, no kidding. I haven't been looking at dive computer for a long time until last night, I found my Tec2G screen is fading out badly. Based on spec, this is a no brainer. It has all the essential: air mode, rec nitrox, gauge mode, good screen, bungee mount, and at $300??? Is there any catch to this? Any review review out there?? I think I am in for one

Currently, there is no way to get the dive log out of the Cosmiq and into anything but DeepBlu's proprietary log software (and no export from there). And, there are some settings on the Cosmiq that can only be changed using the companion app on a smartphone. You can't change them directly on the computer itself.

If those things aren't a problem for you, then you're good to go.