Shearwater Petrel vs. xDeep Black

[Father]

I recently bought a Shearwater Petrel. While I'm not necessarily regretting my decision, I feel like I didn't give the xDeep enough consideration.
One of my dive buddies told me about the xDeep Black as an option. When I looked it up the pictures I saw appeared very blocky and taller/bigger than the Petrel. I obviously didn't look at enough pictures because I recently looked again and realized it's actually smaller. (comparison pic 1 2 3)

So, for whatever reason, I've been reading up on the xDeep and it seems like a reasonable competitor to the Petrel. While it doesn't have ALL of the features of the Petrel, it seems to have enough to put it in the same league.

What I haven't been able to find are any good [English] video reviews of the xDeep.
Interesting that this picture is in some ads. Compare it to this picture. The first picture shows set screws that are flush with the faceplate, xDeep logo, and it actually appears a little more low-profile. The buttons also don't seem to extend past the side of the casing. I'm guessing it's either a prototype or a computer generated concept model. Either way, it looks more refined than the actual one.

What xDeep has that the Petrel doesn't:
- Smaller size.
- Single strap. Not sure if this is a perk, since I'm guessing most people ditch the strap in favor of bungee.
- Three-axis compass w/ user-programmable courses
- Rechargeable battery
- Audible alarms. Again, not sure if this is a perk. Given the response from some folks I'm going to say this is pretty undesirable among the tech crowd.

What the Petrel has that the xDeep doesn't:
- 5 open-circuit gas switch presets (xDeep EANx has 3... 10 for Trimix version)
- Multiple decompression algorithms

• xDeep: Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors
• Petrel: Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors; VPM-B

- Rebreather mode
- Models w/ or w/o external Fischer I/O port
- Bluetooth wireless connection
- Replaceable AA battery (if rechargeable isn't somehow appealing)
- Desktop Logbook software that can download multiple dives at once

What they both have
- Large, color, customizable displays
- Air/Nitrox/Trimix capable
- More stuff I either haven't read up on or don't understand enough to comment on.

The price for the xDeep varies but the maxed out Trimix version is about the same price range as the Petrel SA.
Availability seems to be something the xDeep can't stay on top of. Not sure why. I'm no business analyst, but clearly supply can't support demand.

So why did I start this... because I couldn't find a discussion that was dedicated to the comparison of just these two computers.
Not saying I regret my decision on the Petrel, but I'd also love a chance to play with the xDeep.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

So buy one (if you can) and play with it. One point regarding your 'gee, is it the sleeker looking one or the other one that's production?' question. Another thread on SB reported that xDeep chose/had to move from a CNC milled derlin block to less precise but cheaper/faster injection molding...I wouldn't be surprised to find some form factor/minor design differences associated with that shift.

One other thing: even the non-Fischer Petrel works great with CCR, it's just a fixed set point model rather than one that reads your actual pO2 and adjusts accordingly.

 

[Father]

So buy one (if you can) and play with it. One point regarding your 'gee, is it the sleeker looking one or the other one that's production?' question. Another thread on SB reported that xDeep chose/had to move from a CNC milled derlin block to less precise but cheaper/faster injection molding...I wouldn't be surprised to find some form factor/minor design differences associated with that shift.

One other thing: even the non-Fischer Petrel works great with CCR, it's just a fixed set point model rather than one that reads your actual pO2 and adjusts accordingly.

Ha... if I had a more disposable income I'd probably buy one.

I wasn't aware of the production mod. Interesting. Too bad... the CNC milled one looks better. Wonder if, once they've caught up on demand, they'll go back to the original production method.

Wasn't implying the Petrel was any less effective for CCR with or without the port. I edited the original post to hopefully clear that up.

 

[tbone1004]

for me having a digital compass is just a battery suck, and while rechargeable battery is a nice feature, having a plain Jane AA battery slot is superior. Out in the middle of nowhere with minimal access to computers to recharge, or are doing a big dive weekend and you don't have the time to recharge between dives, or more importantly the fact that Li-Po is restricted to so many charge cycles and while it is a very very large number, at some point the battery will stop holding a charge and you have to start recharging between dives. It might be 5 or 8 years down the road, but it is still a factor that deterred me from the Q. Rechargeable is better than the little flat disc batteries used in most recreational computers, but easily replaceable AA batteries trump, especially since it can take basically whatever you put in it as long as it has the right form factor.

Audible alarms are nice for recreational divers, but man are they irritating in tech diving, especially if you have a pair of dive teams in the water and they all have to make a fast ascent rate for whatever reason, or you are pushing PO2 limits, now all of their computers are beeping fiendishly at you, no fun.

For the price, it makes a really expensive bottom timer, but I think that the extra $200 to jump to the petrel is worth it even if you are only using it for nitrox

 

[jarrow]

Not meaning to hijack this thread but why not carry a USB battery pack for in the field recharging of rechargeable batteries. They come in various sizes, shapes, prices.

 

[tbone1004]

still have to recharge the pack and have the time to recharge the device. Takes 90minutes for full recharge using a proprietary USB cable. The computer is rated for minimum 15h of dive time, so it shouldn't be an issue to dive all day and charge at night, but it is still a proprietary cable that you have to make sure you don't lose or break otherwise you are SoL. The Petrel can take any AA form factor battery which most of us have for backup lights anyway, and since sync is done via Bluetooth and most computers these days have it, there is no reason to carry any cables.

Similar issue I had when evaluating the Nitek Q, though that at least uses a standard USB cable, but you still have to make sure you don't forget that. My Petrel lives inside of my reg bag, and my save a dive kit always has extra AA batteries for my backup lights, so it's never an issue.

 

[jarrow]

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Slamfire]

for me having a digital compass is just a battery suck...

I modified my predator to include an integrated compass that is powered only by the planet's magnetic field:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=178237&d=1393087043

I agree with tbone's post and will expand on the significance of the disadvantage of only having 3 gases instead of five. To me that equates to limiting the xdeep to a max practical depth of about 200ft. Yes, I understand that the machine can handle much more pressure. Yes, I understand you can successfully complete 200+ft dives with only 3 gases. BUT 3 OC gases are not optimal for depths beyond 200ft, IMHO. After 200ft I like to add a 4th gas, a trimix deeper deco mix. Thus, as a computer, the xdeep is not optimally suited for dives deeper than 200ft. I would not spend close to $1k on a computer that maxes out at 200ft.

One more factor, Shearwater's service and support is legendary. I doubt xdeep equates it, particularly when you read about all the postponed/late launch dates and the spotty availability of the product. I may be wrong, but that has been my impression.

 

[tbone1004]

my compass lives on a slate that I carry with me, but rarely comes out unless I'm in open water. The little ones like that are good for cardinal navigation, but not anything terrible accurate. I use a land based compass since they're cheap and easy to use and are also preferred for survey work since you can actually get fairly accurate readings off of them and I don't have to hold my wrist at a stupid angle to use it

 

[leviathann]

My Xdeep does not have audible alarms?!