Best diving computer on the Market

[NAM001]

The maker or model is not so important as the features. I have said this many times I based my selection on:
1. ease of opporation
2. intuitive menus system
3. readable display
4. blutooth connection
5. number and size of buttons
6. expandability to further diving endevors (tech)
7. support

My selection ended up shearwater i have a predator,, and petrels 1 and 2

 

[NAM001]

I think @Hatul's point was that a Perdix owner might feel like they need to have a battery with them and ready, after every dive, in case that dive was the one where the Perdix gave the Low Battery warning. So they could swap a new battery in immediately - before the next dive.

However, my experience is that when the Perdix does say Low Battery, it still has enough juice left to last the rest of the day. So, though I do, I don't feel like I NEED to have a spare battery with me on the boat. And, even if I had the spare battery with me, I would not bother to change the battery while out on a boat. I would continue diving the Perdix for the rest of the day (after the Low Battery warning) and then swap it once back on land.

Caveat: I don't normally do more than 2 or 3 dives in a day. I suppose if someone were doing 4 or 5 dives per day and they were doing long (1 hour+?) dives each time, a Low Battery warning during the first dive of the day MIGHT mean it won't last through the entire rest of the day. I simply don't know.

I dont remember for sure but when the low battery alarm comes on can you start a dive with it. You can finish one but will it leave surface mode again, with a low battery???? i did not think it would

 

[stuartv]

The Perdix has a Low Battery warning and a Change Battery message.

I believe you can press a button to dismiss either one. I do not believe there is ever a time when you cannot dive and the Perdix will go into dive mode. There are settings that control the display of the battery icon, which can be normal, yellow, or red. I think when it gets to red (Change Battery message), you cannot dismiss the red battery icon. But, you can still dive, if you want.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

I would recommend something like the Aqualung i300C, It does everything a recretionational diver will need plus it has Bluetooth now and it's a third the cost of what other posters are recommending. I don't understand why everyone here recommends $1K computers for every diver out there. Seeing that the vast majority of divers are running no stop profiles what is the advantage of having the latest and greatest computer? Most divers will never use half the features of a Sheerwater, when and if they ever do get into rebreather/tech diving there will be a newest latest and greatest computer on the market that every SB member is in love with. When diving I need depth, bottom time, no deco time, safety stop timer, water temp is nice but not essential everything else is just extra fluff. What other information does a recreational diver need? Are people going diving to play with a computer or enjoy the underwater environment? I had to drop one of my requirements, availability of bungee mount boot from DSS. I really hope DSS gets back up and running or someone else picks up the slack for these boots.

 

[stuartv]

I would recommend something like the Aqualung i300C, It does everything a recretionational diver will need plus it has Bluetooth now and it's a third the cost of what other posters are recommending. I don't understand why everyone here recommends $1K computers for every diver out there.

Well, in this particular case, it's because the OP specifically asked for the "best diving computer on the market".

Also, even if you never change a Shearwater Teric out of OC Rec mode - so you never use any of the technical capabilities - it is still a high quality, watch-sized computer that offers AI, wireless charging, wireless dive log downloading, a class-leading electronic compass, fantastic readability, top notch reliability, and truly awesome customer service to support it.

In other words, if you forget about the tech features and just compare it to other high end purely recreational computers on the market, it still mostly meets or exceeds them all. And costs less than a number of them as well.

If a diver is only doing recreational sport diving, during the day, in nice, clear water, they definitely do not NEED the readability of a Teric. But, if they are going to do any night diving or diving in places with poor visibility, just the readability alone might be worth the extra money over a cheap puck.

Personally, even when I was only doing those recreational sport dives myself, I was willing to pay extra for a compact watch-style computer with AI over any of the bigger puck or brick styles of computers.

 

[dmaziuk]

... well since that should NEVER even be considered as an option ...

Yep. I would NEVER EVER share my tables either, they're MINE! Get your own.

 

[The Chairman]

Thanks for posting this. I was having difficulty understanding the attraction of a computer you needed to swap AAs after EVERY dive....

I use rechargeable batteries, so I change it at the end of each day, or every other day if I forget.

 

[markmud]

Without reading every post in this thread, I can say there is no such thing as the best computer. If there was there would be very little market for anything else. Each computer has its pros and cons.

For example the Perdix uses the ubiquitous primary AA battery, which many like, but this requires opening the battery compartment with battery change and keeping extra battery ready to change out after every dive. The rechargeable Li-Ion doesn't have these drawbacks but needs to be changed out likely by the dealer every few years.

Hi Hatul,

No, the Perdix uses the cheapo AA, or the copper top (or equal), or the Ultimate lithium (or equal), or rechargeable lithium, or NiMH, or Saft batteries.

Also, the Perdix has a screen that tells you the voltage remaining and assumed full voltage for a brand new battery for the type you have in the computer. Right now, my coppertop is at 1.43 volts, and its full voltage capability was 1.5 volts.
The copper top is supposed to last for 45 hours of diving. The ultimate lithium are supposed to last 60 hours. In my world that is a lot of diving. The Saft batteries are good for about 100 hours.

The ultimate lithium have a shelf life of 20 years.

Touch the right button seven times and the volt meter appears.

Ultimate lithium batteries are about $1.75 each. Well worth the money.

No special tools are required to change the battery.

Markm

 

[NAM001]

The maker or model is not so important as the features. I have said this many times I based my selection on:
1. ease of opporation
2. intuitive menus system
3. readable display
4. blutooth connection
5. number and size of buttons
6. expandability to further diving endevors (tech)
7. support

My selection ended up shearwater i have a predator,, and petrels 1 and 2

I should have added one more thing. Ease and success rate of changing a battery with out leaking.

 

[markmud]

I should have added one more thing. Ease and success rate of changing a battery with out leaking.

Hi KWS,

I agree with you.

The battery compartments for my other computers use a skinny single o-ring to seal the battery compartment. My Perdix uses two O-rings. I like redundancy for everything on the ocean. Two fat size 112 o-rings are better than one skinny one every day of the week in my book.

cheers,
m