Review shearwater perdix ai vs teric vs garmin mk2i

[L13]

As a Mk2i owner (who has used a Teric), here is my opinion:

during the dive the Teric wins slightly or ties on everything except:

• Teric wins big on readability
• Mk2i wins AI ONLY if you want to have AI for your buddies tank or other tanks within 30 feet (otherwise it loses this too).

On the surface the Mk2i wins everything except maybe availability of alternate charging sources.

The Teric is more readable underwater than the Perdix.

The Teric is terrible as an everyday watch, the Mk2i is awesome.

Set to the same GF's they give the same answers.

 

[Salacia2023]

Had a Garmin and sold it to buy a Teric with AI instead. I decided I wanted my dive computer to be just that: a dive computer.

My daily watch is either an Apple Watch or an Omega Seamaster.

 

[seals9121]

I think you misunderstood. I was speaking about the Perdix. Which other like computers did you compare it to?

Sorry, totally my bad. I misread your messages .

I personally prefer Perdix AI over Teric watch, especially when it comes to diving. The reason behind my choice is the bigger screen that Perdix AI offers. Having all the necessary information conveniently displayed on a single page is exactly what I need. It allows me to spend more time immersing myself in the beautiful underwater world rather than constantly scrolling through my watch's screen. With my cameras keeping me occupied, I value the simplicity and ease of use that Perdix AI provides.

 

[seals9121]

The Garmin air integration uses a different mode (RF) in air versus in water (Ultrasonic). That means that when you check your Garmin AI to make sure it's working before you splash, it tells you NOTHING about whether it will still be working once you are underwater. Personally, I want to be able to verify ALL my gear is working BEFORE I splash.

It certainly does not surpass the Teric - or even get close to it - in its ability to help you navigate. The only computer that I know of that gets close is the Shearwater NERD - which is actually the King of Compass Navigation in my book. Apart from the NERD, the Teric compass is the Gold Standard in electronic compasses and I don't think the Garmin even touches it.



The Garmin certainly does a lot more non-diving stuff than the Teric, though. Which I personally could not care less about. I don't wear anything on my wrists when I'm not diving. If I did want a sports watch, I would buy a Fenix or similar and use that for those activities where it IS actually better.

It's nice that the Garmin can last "up to" 5 days of diving without requiring a charge. A Teric with a normal battery can easily go longer than that. Even with my current fairly crippled ones I can do a week of diving and only charge them once - just like I would (apparently) have to do for 7 days of diving with a Garmin...

I do not care one tiny bit about being able to check my buddy's air on my computer. If I'm diving with students, it is MUCH better to ASK them what their tank pressure is than to think I'm going to monitor it remotely. I feel the same way about dive buddies. If I want to know their pressure, asking them means that I learn what it is and *I* know that *they* know what it is and have been reminded to check it periodically. If I were to dive with somebody that I actually needed to constantly monitor their pressure, then that means they suck as a diver and I would not continue to dive with them.

The Garmin definitely does not surpass MY expectations. It doesn't even live up to them. Not being able to verify that my AI is working before I splash is a dealbreaker for me right off the bat. It's also not as readable in some lighting conditions.

The Garmin may be the preferred choice for recreational sport divers who want one "Swiss Army watch", rather than spending what it costs to have 2 separate tools that are each the best tool for the job they are intended for. From my personal experience and opinion and from looking at what all the many serious sport and technical divers wear that I know, I would say that is also simply false that the Garmin is the "preferred choice" for divers who prioritize having the best tool for the job over "simplicity" or "latest shiny gadget" (aka cutting-edge technology). And yes, I do understand that you said "divers looking for simplicity and cutting-edge technology combined." I won't argue if your statement is correct. I'm speaking about what you implied by that statement and your previous statements about your background of doing 60m tech dives.

I see WAY more Shearwaters (including Terics) on divers who, say, do 50+ dives per year than I see Garmins on those divers. And the few I see that have a Garmin usually also have a Shearwater on the other wrist. For OC tech diving, I wear two Terics. I don't recall ever seeing anyone so confident in the Garmin that they were doing accelerated deco dives with 2 Garmins and no other computer.

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my review and sharing your experiences. It's always valuable to have discussions and learn from different perspectives.

To be honest, it can be overwhelming to address all the points raised. However, I'd love to discuss some solutions I've discovered along the way that might make using the product a bit easier. We understand that no product is perfect, as they are designed to leave room for improvement, enticing us to purchase their next iteration. Wouldn't you agree?

Garmin undoubtedly has extensive experience in navigation across a variety of military and marine products. Their product development team's expertise in sonar and marine technology surpasses the smaller team at Shearwater. Therefore, it might not be fair to claim that the Teric has a "gold standard compass" compared to Garmin. In fact, Perdix AI's compass reaction speed is notably slow.

I believe you're referring to Perdix AI with its regular battery. I genuinely appreciate the unbeatable battery life of Perdix AI compared to the Teric, which is just average in this regard.

You're correct about certain software logics on Garmin watches. It can be frustrating not being able to unlock the watch after failing a safety stop. For instance, I once hurriedly surfaced to grab a lobster and faced the annoyance of being locked out of the program without any option to unlock it.

It's not true that you can't check tank pressure with Garmin before diving. That feature is indeed available.

I agree with your assessment that Garmin is the golden dive watch for recreational diving, even for simple technical dives. However, if you venture beyond that, Perdix AI becomes your best buddy. It's important to prioritize simplicity and safety to make diving more accessible to a broader audience. Expensive gear with limited features can discourage newcomers from joining the diving community.

I understand that most people may not engage in as many varied sports as I do, and some may not even utilize half of the functionalities or ecosystem that Garmin provides. But when you need those features, they are there and they work.

Regarding screen brightness, as a tech guy, I won't delve into the details of OLED or transflective memory-in-pixel screens. It's important to note that OLED doesn't necessarily mean it's better; each product, including its screen, has its own use case. For example, you wouldn't use an IPS screen on a gaming display before, but technological advancements have made it possible now.

To be honest, there's quite a lot of information to address here, so I'll take a break and return tomorrow. Once again, I genuinely appreciate someone taking the time to read and respond to my post. I honestly thought it might go unnoticed. So, thank you once again.

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[stuartv]

To be honest, it can be overwhelming to address all the points raised. However, I'd love to discuss some solutions I've discovered along the way that might make using the product a bit easier. We understand that no product is perfect, as they are designed to leave room for improvement, enticing us to purchase their next iteration. Wouldn't you agree?

No, I would not agree with that. I think Shearwater designs their products to be the best they can be. They do not leave room for improvement on purpose just so you'll buy their next version.

Garmin undoubtedly has extensive experience in navigation across a variety of military and marine products. Their product development team's expertise in sonar and marine technology surpasses the smaller team at Shearwater. Therefore, it might not be fair to claim that the Teric has a "gold standard compass" compared to Garmin. In fact, Perdix AI's compass reaction speed is notably slow.

I didn't say anything about the Perdix compass. I stand by my statement that the Teric compass is the Gold Standard for electronic dive compasses.

I believe you're referring to Perdix AI with its regular battery. I genuinely appreciate the unbeatable battery life of Perdix AI compared to the Teric, which is just average in this regard.

You said the Descent battey lasts up to 5 days of diving. A normal Teric battery will easily last for 5 days of diving. It seems the Teric may actually have an advantage here.

You also mentioned earlier (erroneously) that a Teric needs a special charger or iPhone charger. You mentioned it in the context of that being a disadvantage of the Teric.

So, how do you charge a Descent? Does it use a standard USB connection of some type to plug directly into the watch? How is it better than a Teric with respect to charging?

It's not true that you can't check tank pressure with Garmin before diving. That feature is indeed available.

That is not what I said. I said that the Garmin AI uses Radio Frequency on the surface and Ultrasonic underwater. So, when you check before you splash, it lets you know that the RF is working, but you do not know if the Ultrasonic is working. So, your AI can appear to be working on the surface and then be found to not work underwater.

I agree with your assessment that Garmin is the golden dive watch for recreational diving, even for simple technical dives. However, if you venture beyond that, Perdix AI becomes your best buddy. It's important to prioritize simplicity and safety to make diving more accessible to a broader audience. Expensive gear with limited features can discourage newcomers from joining the diving community.

I did not say the Garmin is the golden dive watch - for anything. For DIVING, I do not believe it offers ANY advantage over a Teric. On the other hand, the Teric has a better screen and a better compass. And the Teric has better support for use with a better dive log application.

Regarding screen brightness, as a tech guy, I won't delve into the details of OLED or transflective memory-in-pixel screens. It's important to note that OLED doesn't necessarily mean it's better; each product, including its screen, has its own use case. For example, you wouldn't use an IPS screen on a gaming display before, but technological advancements have made it possible now.

Be that as it may, I believe the Teric OLED screen IS better than the Descent's screen.

 

[stuartv]

Sorry, totally my bad. I misread your messages .

I personally prefer Perdix AI over Teric watch, especially when it comes to diving. The reason behind my choice is the bigger screen that Perdix AI offers. Having all the necessary information conveniently displayed on a single page is exactly what I need. It allows me to spend more time immersing myself in the beautiful underwater world rather than constantly scrolling through my watch's screen. With my cameras keeping me occupied, I value the simplicity and ease of use that Perdix AI provides.

The Teric can be configured to display just as much info as the Perdix.

I assume you have dived a Teric. Did you only dive it in OC Rec mode? You have to put it in OC Tec mode to have all the extra info on the screen. A trivial task for anyone who is qualified to do the types of dives where you need that extra info.

Also, in my opinion, the 4 buttons on the Teric make it easier to use than a Perdix, which only has 2 buttons.

Whether I'm diving OC tech with a Teric or CCR with a Petrel, the amount of scrolling I have to do is exactly the same. They both show me all the info I normally need to see, right on the home screen. I only have to push buttons to do gas switches or to scroll over to check things like my DilPO2 or current FO2 when I'm on CCR. For those things, it's the same amount of button pushing on a Petrel or Teric.

 

[stuartv]

@seals9121: Do you happen to sell Garmin Descents? Do you work for anyone who sells them? Do you have any connection to Garmin or someone who sells Garmin products?

Just curious.

Still waiting for an answer on this.

And, I guess fair's fair, so I will say that I teach at a shop that is a Shearwater dealer and not a Garmin dealer.

 

[L13]

You said the Descent battey lasts up to 5 days of diving. A normal Teric battery will easily last for 5 days of diving. It seems the Teric may actually have an advantage here.

If you turn of some of the surface features (activity monitoring etc.) the Mk2i will easily last more than 5 days of diving. Advantage Mk2i.

So, how do you charge a Descent? Does it use a standard USB connection of some type to plug directly into the watch? How is it better than a Teric with respect to charging?

The Mk2i needs a special USB cable to charge. Advantage Teric.

That is not what I said. I said that the Garmin AI uses Radio Frequency on the surface and Ultrasonic underwater. So, when you check before you splash, it lets you know that the RF is working, but you do not know if the Ultrasonic is working. So, your AI can appear to be working on the surface and then be found to not work underwater.

True.

I did not say the Garmin is the golden dive watch - for anything. For DIVING, I do not believe it offers ANY advantage over a Teric. On the other hand, the Teric has a better screen and a better compass. And the Teric has better support for use with a better dive log application.

For the dives themselves, the Teric is better, but the difference isn't huge, other than: The Teric screen is much better underwater (and realtively horrible in sunlight).

Be that as it may, I believe the Teric OLED screen IS better than the Descent's screen.

Definitely.

The Teric can be configured to display just as much info as the Perdix.

All on the same screen at the same time, as readably as the Perdix? Not disagreeing, just asking. I dive the Mk2i, it's been a while since I dove borrowed Teric/Perdix's.

I think each persons use case is different. For my use case, I like the Mk2i > Perdix > Teric. For many people the order will be completely different!

In my opinion, the Mk2i only makes sense if it is your everyday watch AND you use its Fenix6 features.

 

[stuartv]

If you turn of some of the surface features (activity monitoring etc.) the Mk2i will easily last more than 5 days of diving. Advantage Mk2i.

I was only parroting the Descent number (5 days) that he said. The Teric spec is 30 hours with AI enabled, in dive mode. If you are doing 2 x 1 hour dives per day, a week to 10 days is doable. Not that I would do that. If I'm on a trip, when my Teric is below 50%-ish, I'll go ahead and charge it that night.

All on the same screen at the same time, as readably as the Perdix? Not disagreeing, just asking. I dive the Mk2i, it's been a while since I dove borrowed Teric/Perdix's.

Basically, yes. Technically speaking, I think I counted one time and determined that the Perdix can display 11 pieces of info on the home screen and the Teric could only display 10. But, I think that may also have been before the firmware update that added widgets that can show 2 or 3 data items in one "field" on the screen.

Bottom line for me: Either one (Teric or Perdix/Petrel) can be setup to show me everything I want to see, all at once. Including 2 cylinder pressures.

As readable? I think that is somewhat subjective. Different people have different issues with their vision. One may have weak eyes. Another may have astigmatism. Maybe one person finds one easier to read and the other person is the opposite.

I am 56 years old. I've needed reading glasses for years now. Without any corrective lenses in the water, I found the Teric to be just as easy to read as the Perdix - when I had both. My eyes are older now. I wear multi-focal contact lenses, including in the water. My eyes are not as good as they were when I was diving with no corrective lenses. So, I cannot say definitively that I could still read them both equally well without corrective lenses. Diving without contacts is a no-go for me anyway. I cannot read the screen on my camera well enough without contacts.

The Teric has better contrast than the Perdix. It also does not waste as much screen real estate as the Perdix does. People who knock the Teric purely because of the physical size of the screen, compared to the Perdix, are leaving out some important points.

I think each persons use case is different. For my use case, I like the Mk2i > Perdix > Teric. For many people the order will be completely different!

In my opinion, the Mk2i only makes sense if it is your everyday watch AND you use its Fenix6 features.

Especially with Garmin now formally announcing that Diving is not one of their mainline "activities" and they are not supporting, for example, SSI integration anymore, I think I would be more inclined to buy a Teric and transmitter AND a Fenix 7, than to buy a Descent.

Teric + Swift bundle = $1500
Fenix 7 Standard = $650

Descent Mk2i = $1850


$300 extra and you have the best respective tools for each job, instead of one do-it-all tool that is not the best at any one thing.

 

[seals9121]

Still waiting for an answer on this.

And, I guess fair's fair, so I will say that I teach at a shop that is a Shearwater dealer and not a Garmin dealer.

I can get you connected with someone who can give you discount on those .I will shoot you pm when I got time this these 2 days. so you want a garmin mk2i or just general garmin products.
I'm not in business in this industry, but I know people hoepfully they can help
as for other post and discussion I really have to come back another day and write it up. I'm out on the trip this week.