Shearwater's Perdix AI vs. All Comers

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Do I have the luxury to see how many calories I have burnt during the dive? /QUOTE]

Sorry to butt in, but I'm curious. Is it a desire of yours to burn calories during a dive or do you want that metric to see how much you happen to burn?
 
Sorry to butt in, but I'm curious. Is it a desire of yours to burn calories during a dive or do you want that metric to see how much you happen to burn?
Not that you were directing the question to me...

My Garmin Descent Mk1 will tell me how many calories I burn on a dive but only if I wear it on my bare wrist. I've done that 4 times (by sliding my wrist seal farther up my arm).

I actually burn fewer calories on a dive than I do going for a brisk walk. On a 40 minute walk I burned 219 calories. On a 90 minute dive I burned 208 calories. Of course, that's just for the dive excluding walking between the car and the shore and getting in and out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jay
Is Shearwater the best dive computer? Yes. Would I ever buy another Suunto? Not in this lifetime. If on a budget, get a Deep6.

Does the Deep6 have a better reliability record than Suunto?
 
Does the Deep6 have a better reliability record than Suunto?
I don't know. What I do know however, based on personal experience is that Suunto's customer service is non existent. Deep6 on the other hand has been super responsive. I do prefer the transparency of the deco model that Deep6 DC has over the one that Suunto implemented. Then there is the whole issue that I had getting that Suunto PC software running ...
 
I took a sip of the Shearwater Kool-Aid during my LDS's Boxing Day sale. I picked up my Perdix AI yesterday.

Now I need to find a good home for my Oceanic ProPlus3 and/or my Geo2.
 
@Kevin Floyd since you were recently asking about DIR and are considering going tech, I would strongly recommend to not get the Suunto. The reason is the proprietary RGBM algorithm. For tech diving, imho, you want a computer that runs the same algorithm as the program you use for planning your dives, and the same algorithm that your training agency recommends. That way you get consistent, predictable results. No use in planning the dive and making a deco schedule upfront, and your computer suddenly turns out to have a different opinion (underwater!). Which one will you follow? There were rumors of Suunto enabling Buhlmann on the Eon, but not sure if this ever materialized.

Back to your original question, I think the best out there are the SW Perdix and the HW OSTC 4. In terms of performance it doesn’t really matter much, it’s a question of personal taste for the user interface and available service. If you are in Europe, the OSTC is a serious contender, over in the states it’s likely easier to find service for a SW.

Best bang for the buck imho would be a second hand Perdix (non-AI) that’s being sold because the owner wants to upgrade to a Perdix AI or Teric etc. Alternative could be one of the lower level OSTC but I forgot the name of the model. This is assuming you want a powerful computer that will grow with you, that you will never outgrow.

if you never venture into tech, then a perdix / ostc is likely overkill, although a very nice and shiny overkill ;-)

if you go absolutely hardcore tech to the end of the road, your best bang for the buck ever ever is the good old Scubapro/Uwatec bottom timer. It’s good to 333m at least, battery lasts more than 10 years, it’s unbreakable and costs around $100 give or take. Except... it’s not a computer ;-) but these kind of dives aren’t done “on the fly”.

For what it’s worth, I have a Perdix. My reasons were as follows:
  • I wanted a large, good display so I can read the computer even if I happen to lose a contact lens on the dive
  • I wanted a lit display because it’s really nice in caves and murky water
  • I wanted an algorithm that works with my training
  • I wanted a computer that I won’t outgrow
  • I wanted a nice and new shiny toy to upgrade from my Suunto Vyper Air (AI)
A few words about AI. I used to think it’s super, cool, and thats why I originally bought an AI computer (Suunto Vyper Air, later a Perdix AI). After fundamentals, AI became a lot less important to me. Absolutely not because of some kind of brainwash, I still like the idea of post dive analytics, but after a while you learn to predict your gas very accurately based on time/depth alone. That means you already know how much gas you have before you even look at your SPG. Once you can do that reliably, there isnt too much benefit of having the AI. It’s still nice, yes, but it becomes more of a gimmick than really useful. Anyhow, no matter if you go AI or SPG, it’s super beneficial to know an estimate of how much gas you ought to have, so you can verify vs SPG/AI and thus spot issues before they become a problem.

Finally, the cave and tech buddies that I dive with, are about
  • 45% Uwatec bottom timer only, no computer
  • 45% Perdix, Petrel, etc
  • 5% OSTC
  • 5% other random computer put into gauge mode
 
@Kevin Floyd since you were recently asking about DIR and are considering going tech, I would strongly recommend to not get the Suunto. The reason is the proprietary RGBM algorithm. For tech diving, imho, you want a computer that runs the same algorithm as the program you use for planning your dives, and the same algorithm that your training agency recommends. That way you get consistent, predictable results. No use in planning the dive and making a deco schedule upfront, and your computer suddenly turns out to have a different opinion (underwater!). Which one will you follow? There were rumors of Suunto enabling Buhlmann on the Eon, but not sure if this ever materialized.

Back to your original question, I think the best out there are the SW Perdix and the HW OSTC 4. In terms of performance it doesn’t really matter much, it’s a question of personal taste for the user interface and available service. If you are in Europe, the OSTC is a serious contender, over in the states it’s likely easier to find service for a SW.

Best bang for the buck imho would be a second hand Perdix (non-AI) that’s being sold because the owner wants to upgrade to a Perdix AI or Teric etc. Alternative could be one of the lower level OSTC but I forgot the name of the model. This is assuming you want a powerful computer that will grow with you, that you will never outgrow.

if you never venture into tech, then a perdix / ostc is likely overkill, although a very nice and shiny overkill ;-)

if you go absolutely hardcore tech to the end of the road, your best bang for the buck ever ever is the good old Scubapro/Uwatec bottom timer. It’s good to 333m at least, battery lasts more than 10 years, it’s unbreakable and costs around $100 give or take. Except... it’s not a computer ;-) but these kind of dives aren’t done “on the fly”.

For what it’s worth, I have a Perdix. My reasons were as follows:
  • I wanted a large, good display so I can read the computer even if I happen to lose a contact lens on the dive
  • I wanted a lit display because it’s really nice in caves and murky water
  • I wanted an algorithm that works with my training
  • I wanted a computer that I won’t outgrow
  • I wanted a nice and new shiny toy to upgrade from my Suunto Vyper Air (AI)
A few words about AI. I used to think it’s super, cool, and thats why I originally bought an AI computer (Suunto Vyper Air, later a Perdix AI). After fundamentals, AI became a lot less important to me. Absolutely not because of some kind of brainwash, I still like the idea of post dive analytics, but after a while you learn to predict your gas very accurately based on time/depth alone. That means you already know how much gas you have before you even look at your SPG. Once you can do that reliably, there isnt too much benefit of having the AI. It’s still nice, yes, but it becomes more of a gimmick than really useful. Anyhow, no matter if you go AI or SPG, it’s super beneficial to know an estimate of how much gas you ought to have, so you can verify vs SPG/AI and thus spot issues before they become a problem.

Finally, the cave and tech buddies that I dive with, are about
  • 45% Uwatec bottom timer only, no computer
  • 45% Perdix, Petrel, etc
  • 5% OSTC
  • 5% other random computer put into gauge mode

@1atm wins for “best response to my OP”

thanks, that’s a ton of great insight.
 
So real question: is the shearwater perdix AI (or earlier perdix) the best dive computer ever?

Shearwater gets a lot of fanboi love, and I’m sure it’s well deserved but is it the best?

Parameters:
Bang for the buck: is it worth the money or could you spend slightly more and get much better or slightly less and get almost the same?

Grow with you: if you are already diving at the top end of dive planing and task loading or just a vacation diver your needs are fairly clear cut. The challenge comes when you are early in your dive career and have hopes (pipe dreams?) to get into more complicated diving and want to make an investment that makes sense.

User friendly: customer service, user friendly interface? Do others do it better?

Performance: does it do what it’s says it can do?

Im very generally considering getting one. I can totally way for a while but it got me to thinking.

KF...

The best computer is no different than ''the best'' of any piece of dive gear...component/sub-component you want to name...

The best is what works ''best'' for the individual...serves the intended purpose...is dependable...and functions as intended...

I've used the same ''brand'' of computer since 2006...not Shearwater...100% flawless...almost 1000 dives logged...

''Bang for the buck''...solely depending on your ''bang''...

W.W...
 
I took a sip of the Shearwater Kool-Aid during my LDS's Boxing Day sale. I picked up my Perdix AI yesterday.

Now I need to find a good home for my Oceanic ProPlus3 and/or my Geo2.
What are you going to dive for a backup? The Geo2, running DSAT, would be a fine match for your Perdix up to 45/95. PZ+ would probably be close to 40/85
 
I took a sip of the Shearwater Kool-Aid during my LDS's Boxing Day sale. I picked up my Perdix AI yesterday.

Now I need to find a good home for my Oceanic ProPlus3 and/or my Geo2.

Keep the Geo. I use mine as a backup for my Perdix.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom