Shearwater Reliability

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Petrel 1 (2014) 500+ dives. No errors that are not user related. (Ie. forgetting to change battery)
Predator on a 2012 JJ-CCR. Unknown Hrs. As the Petrel.

Dreading the day I need to change...
 
This is very interesting, but I don't think it applies for me.
I dive during the weekends only, and between dives usually there are 5-6 day of SI: during this time, the regs get rinsed, dried up and then carefully stored. Hence, plenty of time to "vent off"...

An example of my situation is this one:
Weekend #1: transmitter works perfectly
Weekend #2: transmitter does not work
Weekend #3 and #4: transmitter works again
Weekend #6: geuss what? Transmitter doesn't work
Etc...
same with me. I would do a heavy purge to blow out residual water form the secondary reg after rinsing and then disconnect and put the dust cap on. the reg wags cold from the purging air flow./ I put the air tight dust cap on and the reg warms up to surrounding temp and causes the ai to turn on from internal pressure. unless you leave the dust cap loose or purge the reg button a few times in the next hour or so the reg may not vent down and for the days between dives the AI xmitter battery goes dead from constant transmission.
 
To be honest, the issue with Shearwater is not if the unit has a problem, but how the company handles it if you do....

Has anyone gotten the runaround from SW? I've never heard of it. Bruce, Richard and Co. are rockstars when it comes to customer service.

Run around, no. But I think Shearwater should be more upfront about the Teric issues, many of the Teric owners I know don't realize that it isn't supposed to run out of battery in a day. That dude in from Divetech Caymen for example mentioned the poor battery life, when it isn't supposed to be like that. Shearwater should put out some notice so they don't get a bad reputation from the Teric.

That being said Dive-tech has been on point with repairs, and being upfront on the issue. And they helped me get full replacement from Shearwater rather than just another battery replacements, after the third incident.
 
I have four Shearwater computers and all have failed.

A Shearwater Pursuit is attached to the head of my rebreather. It is about 12 years old and has done hundreds of dives. Recently one of the buttons failed. Suppose I can't complain after 12 years. I am exploring options to get it fixed or replaced and one problem relates to me living in Australia. The closest service center is in New Zealand and there seems to be import issues when sending things to NZ even if it is only for repairs. The New Zealand repairer is excellent but it would be easier if there was someone in Australia that could repair Shearwater computers.

I also have a Predator which started going through batteries at a rapid rate soon after I got it. Sent it in for assessment/repair. I think there was a problem with the circuit board which was quickly replaced under warranty for free (apart from international shipping costs to get the computer to the service center). Has worked flawlessly ever since.

I got a Petrel very soon after they were released. After a hundred dives or so it started having battery issues. New batteries would last only a few dives before low battery warnings would appear. I believe that the early Petrels had battery contacts that were prone to surface corrosion, and after a period of time this introduced enough resistance into the power circuit to cause the problems I saw. Again, I sent it off and it was quickly repaired for free (apart from shipping) and has since worked perfectly for nearly 600 dives.

I really like my Petrel. It can seem a bit bulky with a thin wetsuit in the tropics but I don't notice the bulk if I am wearing a drysuit or thick wetsuit.

In 2018 I got a more compact Perdix for tropical/less technical diving. After around two years of use and 230 dives fog started to appear inside the screen between dives. No water had entered the battery compartment and I don't change the battery in hot/humid places, so it looks like there is a very slow leak into the case somewhere. Anyway, the Perdix is currently at the repairers and I am waiting to find out what has happened and what the cost will be to get it fixed.

As a comparison I have experience with some other computers, including a couple of Uwatecs, a Cressi and a Suunto Vytec DS.

It became too much of a pain to replace the batteries on the Uwatecs, so they are retired. I keep the Cressi as a spare. Each of these computers would have done several hundred dives with no failures except for the Uwatec batteries.

I have used the Suunto Vytec more than any other computer. It has done over 1600 dives since 2006. Suuntos seem to have a reputation for the depth sensor failing before they make it to 1000 dives. I don't know how true that is but I treat mine like my camera housings and soak and rinse it well after dives and it is still working OK.

Having said that, the Suunto has sort of failed several times over the years. I think there is a pattern. After 2-300 dives it appears that the battery voltage drops enough to cause false depth readings. This occurs even when the battery indicator shows the battery is good (4 out of 4 bars). A new battery fixes the problem. As I dive with at least 2 computers this is just an inconvenience. I guess if I really wanted to avoid this I would follow the manual and change the battery every 2 years or 200 dives, which would solve the problem before it began as long as the new battery was up to spec.

So after all my problems would I recommend a Shearwater? Despite all the failures I really like them. I think I have been a bit unlucky and the reliability issues I have experienced are a bit unusual. The problems with my Shearwters have been dealt with quickly and professionally. This level of customer service is in contrast to some other dive computer manufacturers I have heard about. Shearwaters have great screens and features. Mixed gas and CCR capability in a standard reasonably priced computer is a big plus. The two button menu system is simple and I find it far more intuitive to use than any Suunto. Mine have been very reliable after each initial repair and customer service has been excellent.

The Perdix is excellent to use and, despite my own experience, does not have a reputation for failing. I am not keen on computers with built in rechargeable batteries as I think that is a failure point that could be a problem on a liveaboard trip etc. so Teric is not an option for me.

A bit off topic, but I think that one niche that Shearwater could expand into is the standard puck style computer. It would be great if Shearwater produced something like a Suunto Vytec/Zoop/Vyper with the Shearwater menu system and CCR/mixed gas capability along with a user replaceable button or AAA battery. A mono screen would be fine if needed to extend battery life in the more compact design.
 
I’ve owned 2 Petrels, 1 Perdix AI and 1 Peregrine. 274 dives over the last 8 years most of those with two out of those four computers as I always dive with two computers. Zero failures.
 
I appreciate all of these reviews, my current takeaway is that the newest petrels are the most reliable and when they do have a problem Shearwater is on it.
 
Shearwater aftersales support is remarkable.

I have Shearwater perdix AI that I purchased a year and a half ago and dived about 90 dives with it before it malfunctioned.

Ironically, it malfunctioned a day before my international trip to Indonesia.

Sometimes it wouldn't turn on and sometimes it would. Strange. Tried different batteries.
Looked inside the battery chamber. All looked okay.
I take immense care of my gear.

I emailed shearwater and explained the situation and that I would be in Singapore for two days before flying to Indonesia.

They immediately put me in touch with their Singapore agent who contacted me with two questions.
When and where could they deliver me a replacement computer.

Such great customer service.
 
My Petrel2 ext just died on me this week. It worked at home before leaving for a beach dive. When I turned it on again just before the dive it gave an error:. CRC DO NOT DIVE CONTACT SHEARWATER. I contacted SW and we did a few checks and decided it was a hardware issue. I mailed it off for service the same day. I think it had about 500 dives on it.

I have had 2 Predators, 2 Petrels, a Perdix, and Teric. I have had three issues in 11 or so years with these computers. This issue above, a new Teric with the bad battery, and on of the original Predators needed the buttons replaced after 6-7 years.

Service has always been great, and I remain happy with SW.
 
I have 80 dives on my perdix which is 2 years old and absolutely no problems. I think it's the best of the three computers I've owned.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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