shearwater Perdix or h3 for occ rec overkill?

[quak3r]

I was curious what people thought about the shearwater perdix pr the h3 regarding recreational use. I want to upgrade my current setup i had, hearing the perdix is one of the best on the market. eventually i will get my doubles training done. Ai was kind of a let down for me ,but i guess hooking up the spg back isnt too much of a big deal just wantted to hear peoples thoughts on the matter if its too much for the time being.

 

[NAM001]

You can do what ever you want. In the end the basics are all the same. I got my shearwater for tech and primarily use it for rec diving. There is nothing to adapt to. Some fine points like gradient factors, when you start to play with them are there to play with in the tech mode. As computers for the only difference in tech vs rec is the program it runs that considers He in the mix. The big differences is the nanny stuff is gone. You want to be alarmed at safety stop or not you can pick. if you miss the safety stop or any other stop , you are not shut down for a day. You may say that stops are tech stuff, however I guarantee you, you will cross that line one time or another and dis regard the stop. 99 times of a 100 the missed a 1 min stop is no biggy, had you used a different gradient factor it would not have happened to begin with. You can tune the perdix to your diving and body factors when you finally understand how to do it responsibly. Until then you have 3 levels of conservative settings in rec and unlimited in tech. You will not be hurt with the shearwater in the rec mode. the up side is that should move on to the dark side, you will already be familiar with the shearwater admits navigation of menus which are probably the most intuitive I have sen. The puter will not go out of date cause it is the program that is the heart of the computer and you just update it like you would your cell phone to the latest of programs. You don't need a new one either. Used ones are fine so long as they have been cared for. I AM A SHEARWATER FAN.

 

[Centrals]

I am going to invest US$139.00 for a Deep 6 Fathom when it is available(Aug?) for rec and tec dive(bottom timer).

 

[Trivan]

I'm a rec diver only and purchased a perdix for a few reasons.

• Menu system, do not need a manual to learn it, I have a Geo 2.0 as well and still have to resort to the manual to figure out the setting
• Display - old eyes, I need reading glasses and I dive with contacts, if I was to lose one I can still read the display, you can now put a custom logo on the start screen! That should be enough j/k
• Battery - I don't dive as much as I would like, being able to take out the battery so it doesn't leak and ruin the computer is a big plus. AA size are easy to find anywhere.
• If it's good enough for a majority of tech divers on here, then rec mode would certainly good enough for me
• If I ever get more technical I won't have to upgrade

If you have the funds, it's a great computer. Many other will do the same in rec mode, but those are the reason I bought it.

 

[Oldbear]

I'm a rec diver only and purchased a perdix for a few reasons.

• Menu system, do not need a manual to learn it, I have a Geo 2.0 as well and still have to resort to the manual to figure out the setting
• Display - old eyes, I need reading glasses and I dive with contacts, if I was to lose one I can still read the display, you can now put a custom logo on the start screen! That should be enough j/k
• Battery - I don't dive as much as I would like, being able to take out the battery so it doesn't leak and ruin the computer is a big plus. AA size are easy to find anywhere.
• If it's good enough for a majority of tech divers on here, then rec mode would certainly good enough for me
• If I ever get more technical I won't have to upgrade

If you have the funds, it's a great computer. Many other will do the same in rec mode, but those are the reason I bought it.

+1 what he said...

 

[DevonDiver]

Shearwater computers now have a 'rec' mode that keeps you insulated from making catastophic decisions in the settings etc. Over time, you might need the full functionality of 'tec' mode... and once you get the education to use those options, the computer will grow with you.

For that reason, it's a good long-term investment. Shearwater (and some other good tech computer manufacturers) are constantly updating and refining their firmware... so the issue of the computer getting outdated is much less. Plenty of serious divers are still using their old Predator and Petrel 1 computers...they remain current.

Shearwater isn't expensive either... compared to comparable LED display computers (like the Suunto Eon Steel). But it IS expensive compared to a very basic recreational computer. Look at the prices for a Suunto Zoop or the upcoming Deep 6 Fathom...

You can either get a full function tech computer for the future... or get a basic rec computer that will later function as a gauge for tech.

For that reason, I'd say the main decision is based on whether you want the bright LED screen, the digital compass and the bluetooth PC interface etc etc...

 

[quak3r]

appreciate all the info guys

 

[Oldbear]

Quak3r,

Are you still with the Seabees? If so and you get the opportunity to deploy to Kwajalein look me up and I can show you around. We have over 100 WWII wrecks in our lagoon. I have worked with a few Seabees from the 1st, 13th and 133rd NMCBs.

Michael

 

[RyanT]

Just to add, I find the screen layout on the Perdix, in recreational mode, is superb! It is clean, intuitive, and very easy to see.

 

[stuartv]

I had a Petrel 2 and an H3. After having them both for a bit, I sold the Petrel 2. I like the H3 better.

For me, the H3 size is way better than the Petrel or Perdix. The H3 buttons are easier to operate, especially with gloves on. The display is just as easy to read.

That said, I would like to get a 2nd tech computer to use as a backup on tech dives. Right now, I have an Oceanic Atom 3.0 for recreational diving and I use it as my backup on tech dives. So, I have been looking around, trying to decide what to get. I have determined that I would not buy another tech computer right now unless I had to (i.e. my H3 died). I like the AI on my Atom. I want the option to use AI on whatever tech computer I buy. The ScubaPro version of the H3 is supposed to be released around the beginning of November and have an AI option. So, I am waiting to see what happens there.

If my H3 died and I DID have to get a new tech computer right now, I would work out something with a friend in England or Canada and order a Heinrichs Weikamp OSTC3, to be delivered to my friend who would then ship it over to me. The OSTC3 looks nicer than the Perdix, to me, and is only about USD$700. For you (the OP), if you're not worried about having Trimix capability, the HW OSTC Sport would do everything you would need and it's even cheaper. It is virtually identical to the OSTC3 except for not supporting Trimix and not having a fiber optic cable connector on the outside.

All that said, if I were buying a computer and I had no plans for tech training to start deco diving, then I wouldn't bother with any of those tech computers. An Oceanic computer running the DSAT algorithm will allow you more bottom time. When I had the Petrel 2, I only used it on recreational dives as a backup to my Atom, in case the Atom died (which I've never had a lick of trouble from). Now, for Rec dives, I use the H3 as backup to the Atom. The Atom runs the DSAT algorithm and it consistently allows me longer NDLs than a tech computer does, unless you set the Gradient Factors really high (which you cannot do with a Shearwater in OC Rec mode). And if you haven't gotten training on deco theory and Gradient Factors, then maybe you shouldn't even be messing with those as custom settings anyway.

TL;DR: I don't think the Perdix is the best tech computer on the market, and I'm not sure how many people who say it is have really looked at the OSTC3 or OSTC4 (even better, but too expensive for me!). I don't think the Perdix is BETTER than the H3, either. But, if I weren't getting tech training and doing deco dives, I would stick with a recreational computer.

Just because a F1 car is the best thing for a racetrack doesn't mean it's the best car for commuting to work and weekend road trips.

If you do get a Rec computer and you do eventually exceed the NDL, you can simply do the stops it tells you to on your ascent and it won't lock you out. And a Rec computer running DSAT is liberal enough that if you do exceed the NDL, I would DEFINITELY do all the deco stops it tells you and not skip even one minute. Skipping the deco prescribed by one of those is NOT like skipping 1 minute of deco that is prescribed by a tech computer with GF 30/70...

Just my $0.02...

ps. You said you want to upgrade your setup. What do you have and what is it that you don't like and want to improve on?