PERDIX or PERDIX AI?

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I don't like AI because I don't want to fiddle with another battery or worry about the transmitter failing. Although a lot of folks have had good success with them, so I won't really knock that. My bigger dislike with AI is that I already have a lot of info packed onto my Perdix screen. I do't want another piece of information (that I can get so easily by glancing at my gauge) cluttering up my screen.
 
I don't like AI because I don't want to fiddle with another battery or worry about the transmitter failing. Although a lot of folks have had good success with them, so I won't really knock that. My bigger dislike with AI is that I already have a lot of info packed onto my Perdix screen. I do't want another piece of information (that I can get so easily by glancing at my gauge) cluttering up my screen.

Changing a battery once a year as part of annual maintenance doesn't seem like that big a deal, to me. Not that I've done it. My AI transmitter is over 2 years old and the battery still registers as "Good" on my computer. I want to see how long it will go, so I have replacement in hand and am just waiting until the computer no longer says the transmitter battery is good.

Do you leave 1 or more of the center row fields on the Perdix blank? I suppose some people do. But, if you use them all, then having AI would not add any more info to your screen. It would simply replace one of the fields you have now.

Personally, after using an Atom for 2 years, the Perdix AI screen (with all 3 center row fields set to display something) seems almost the opposite of "cluttered". Yes, there's a little more info displayed than what the Atom shows, but it's all so big and easy to read that it still feels less cluttered. The default config, IIRC, is for the center field of the center row to show the ppO2 and the other two fields to be blank. I don't care about seeing my ppO2 on the main dive screen. I'm not diving a CCR. So, if I did not want more info on the screen, I would change the ppO2 field to show tank pressure. But, if you are truly a minimalist and you change the Perdix to show nothing in the center row, well then, I got nothin' for ya'. ;-)
 
It only has 1 O-ring that could cause me to lose gas

Correct, which is equivalent to the o-ring holding the plug in if the port is unused, so this continues to be a moot point..... I don't know why folks continue to use a point of failure analogy......
 
I would buy the al just because I am geeky like that. But I am using the petrel 2 and old school me would not dive without an old school spg. So really the al would just provide a redundant measure of tank pressure. Don't we support redundancy when under water. But the al and keep your spg.
 
@stuartv, yeah, its totally a personal preference thing. On the center row, I do leave the left and right fields blank. I like to have my screen as clean as possible. In particular for pressure info, which I don't need as often as other info on my computer.

Correct, which is equivalent to the o-ring holding the plug in if the port is unused, so this continues to be a moot point..... I don't know why folks continue to use a point of failure analogy......

I agree, considering the transmitter as a gas failure point is silly.
 
Please define HAI and DC
HAI is a greeting, and DC is a place where evil people go to do bad things.


Personally, I'm in the "prefer ai" camp. For recreational dives, anyway.

I had lots of problems with batteries in my transmitter until I replaced it with a slightly better battery. None since then.

I feel compelled to point out something. "Problem" with ai such as a temporary disconnect or a low battery warning... that's not the same thing as a regulator failure or spg failure. Meaning, you can continue your dive just fine. In (literally) 2 seconds, it will reconnect and be fine. So unless you're looking at the pressure reading the whole time you're diving then it's a non issue in my opinion. it doesn't even show up in downloaded logs (I use scubapro wai, not shearwater).
 
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My 2 cents:

-If you are just doing shallow rec dives well within your training level, know your SAC rate, have reliable buddy, then you are managing the most important factors, IMO
-But redundancy is basic to risk management, and if you are deviating from the above, its even more important
-my personal experience is that wireless gas transmitter failure rate is comparable to hose tethered SPG issues. (Just my personal observation, totally unscientific)
-I have Petrel 2 and think its a great product. I would expect Perdix to be as good or better, and I would buy the AI model to maintain future flexibility.
-If you do buy the transmitter, having gas data in the same place on your wrist as other data is very convenient. If you are doing non-deco, single gas dives, the screen is not too busy
-Why not rent or borrow any gas integrated DC first just to see if you like that config?
 
Correct, which is equivalent to the o-ring holding the plug in if the port is unused, so this continues to be a moot point..... I don't know why folks continue to use a point of failure analogy......
The difference is that the plug is a flush fit whereas the transmitter sticks out and could stress the connection if impacted or entangled. I'm not overly concerned about that - but am keeping the SPG in addition to the Perdix AI transmitter. I don't see the big issue with redundancy and extra failure points if the gear is maintained well. Once I get more experience with AI (and more dives/understanding of my SAC/RMV), then I might rethink the extra SPG - but not bothered by it at present! To each his own...
 
THX everybody for all your answers and various opinions. Just FYI, after some thinking i've decided to go for a cheaper un-AI Perdix. The reselling value is not that important for me, coz I do not plan to sell it anytime soon. And I plan to use the difference on unlocking the VPM, plus - possibly - a few bottles of some nice whites for proper post-dive debriefs. :) Happy diving!
 
THX everybody for all your answers and various opinions. Just FYI, after some thinking i've decided to go for a cheaper un-AI Perdix. The reselling value is not that important for me, coz I do not plan to sell it anytime soon. And I plan to use the difference on unlocking the VPM, plus - possibly - a few bottles of some nice whites for proper post-dive debriefs. :) Happy diving!

I would suggest to watch the video in the first post in this thread before you shell out for the VPM upgrade:

Decompression controversies

For that much extra money, I would take the AI capability over VPM any day of the week.

The Shearwater warranty is 2 years and is fully transferable - i.e. it doesn't matter if you are the original owner or if you bought it used.

The non-AI Perdix has only been out a bit over a year, so any Perdix that you could buy used should still have a decent chunk of warranty left. That is why I said before if I were going to buy a non-AI Perdix, I would definitely go used and save some money. There have been quite a few for sale in the Classifieds here from people who want to (or already did) upgrade to the AI version. There was also a Petrel 2 posted the other day for $500. I'm not sure if it's still available. The Petrel 2 does EVERYTHING a non-AI Perdix does. It's just thicker.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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