New Teric and nitpicking

[Manjula Ellepola]

Hi Stuart it is terrific you like the Terric : can you remember your post below about spending 1K for a computer with navigation and communication?
Merry Xmas and hope you have a great Holiday Manjula

Is that really true? I only have anecdotal evidence, but it doesn't seem especially common to see people who have a working computer that are eager to upgrade to a newer model. The exceptions being for 3 reasons that I feel like are common:

- they want a computer that is more liberal, for increased bottom times
- they have an old computer that only supports air and they want one that is nitrox-capable
- they have a computer that is not air integrated and they want a computer that is air integrated

The normal reason to get the latest seems to me to really be a desire to get a feature they don't have, or an improved feature that directly affects their dive.

Comms and navigation would be "new features". If these features are ones that a person NEEDS, then they either have to buy 2, or they buy 1 and still use a traditional method as backup. And if you have to use the traditional method anyway, why spend $1000? Personally, I classify comms and nav both as needs. The traditional methods are hand signals, slates or wet notes, reels, and compasses.

If I'm diving on a wreck with bad viz and I'm worried about finding my way back to the anchor line, I run a reel. If I had 1 electronic device that would guide me back to the anchor line, I would still run a reel, in case the electronic device failed. So, $1000 for said device would be a waste. If I had 2 of the devices, and I had some confidence that they would not both fail, then I might rely on them instead of running a reel. But, I REALLY can't see myself spending $2000 or more to replace the use of a reel.

If these features are not NEEDED, but merely wanted, well then, how many people are going to pay $1000+ for a dive computer feature they don't need?

Like I said before, I think it won't be too many. Most recreational divers will go for either cheap or wristwatch-sized, possibly with AI. Most tech divers will go for a Shearwater Perdix or OSTC 3 or 4 (if they are in Europe). All of which are well under $1000 (except the OSTC 4).

I got 99 problems on a dive, but comms and navigation ain't 2 of them.

 

[stuartv]

Hi Stuart it is terrific you like the Terric : can you remember your post below about spending 1K for a computer with navigation and communication?
Merry Xmas and hope you have a great Holiday Manjula

Ha ha! Yes, I do remember that.

And I still agree with my own post. I think that what I am doing with purchases of Terics is NOT common at all. I got my first one at a net cost to me of $200, thanks to the way some things worked out with an old computer of mine. And, my second Teric is on order and I'll be the only person that I know that has 2 of them. And it's only happening because I get scuba shop employee pricing. So, even I would not spend $2000 on new computers to replace computers I already had that were working fine.

 

[Jay]

And, my second Teric is on order and I'll be the only person that I know that has 2 of them.

Sounds like a poll might be in order

 

[stuartv]

Sounds like a poll might be in order

Or you could just let me live my delusion... ;-)

 

[Manjula Ellepola]

Thanks for the reply Stuart. Lucky you can get these great discounts since you work in a dive shop. Does this mean with a price tag of 1k+ the Teric is not selling much?

 

[stuartv]

Thanks for the reply Stuart. Lucky you can get these great discounts since you work in a dive shop. Does this mean with a price tag of 1k+ the Teric is not selling much?

I think they are selling so fast Shearwater is really struggling to keep up with orders. My shop was told the Teric is on an 8 week back order.

 

[Manjula Ellepola]

Wow, that is amazing and good news for manufacturers! Why would people with perfectly functioning SW DCs upgrade to the Teric? Is it size or added functionality or looks cool or all of the above?

 

[rongoodman]

Because we can.

 

[hammet]

about 50 dives on my teric... still love it!

 

[stuartv]

Wow, that is amazing and good news for manufacturers! Why would people with perfectly functioning SW DCs upgrade to the Teric? Is it size or added functionality or looks cool or all of the above?

I have no way to know for sure, but my suspicion is that the bulk of the demand is not coming from people who are replacing existing SW computers. The ones my shop has sold have all been to people replacing a low-end computer or buying a second computer, so they can dive with 2 computers. Except for me, of course.