Teric AI vs. Perdix AI?

[Randallr]

Hi, all - I'm planning a major dive computer upgrade, and I'd love to get some opinions and facts from the most knowledgeable group out there - actual Shearwater users. Here are the questions I'd love your thoughts on:

1. Other than form factors, is there a material difference between the Perdix and the Teric? Any substantive reason for choosing one over the other?
2. Given the problems with Shearwater Cloud, are there any issues in downloading dives into third-party logs, like MacDive?
3. Is the rechargeable embedded battery in the Teric a plus or a minus? When Perdix came out, people were saying the user-replaceable battery was a net plus, although some said it also increased flooding risk. What are the feelings now? And since I gather the Teric has a special recharging device (instead of using a generic USB-C cable or some such) does that cause worries when you're traveling (i.e., one more thing to break or forget)?

I appreciate any and all guidance.

 

[tbone1004]

1. no
2. never tried
3. it uses QI chargers so if you have something else that does wireless charging, it's less of an issue, but QI charging is much better than a charger port IMO. Internal battery is what it is. It has pros, it has cons. Eventually it will have to be replaced, 4-5 years maybe? It will have to be charged on a regular basis, more frequent than a battery change. It's up to you.

The Perdix may be easier to see depending on how good your eyes are since it has a bigger screen, but they are both high contrast

 

[rsingler]

Bling factor? Teric
Battery life? Perdix AI
User replaceable battery? Perdix AI
Flooding battery cap? Non issue
GF Surf? EDIT: Both platforms have it with the new firmware update. Kudos to Shearwater for their firmware support! A great feature!
Display (apart from size)? An edge to Teric.

I chose the Perdix
Best computer I have ever dived.

If the charging issue is not a problem for you (? boat trip with competition for the few outlets comes to mind) then the Teric runs away with it. But me? I chose 30-60 hours battery life.

 

[DavidFL]

I have both a Teric and Perdix. My view:

1. Not sure what your definition of "material difference" is. The Teric has a floating compass pointer/arrow that can always be visible in dive mode. I really like that feature. It is not available on the Perdix (the Perdix has a fine compass, just not this 'mini - always - on' capability.

2. Subsurface has been updated for the Teric, so that's at least one third-party log that supports Perdix and Teric. I have no experience with MacDive.

3. The Teric uses the same wireless charging technology as my Samsung phone (Qi; as @tbone1004 pointed out). On my LOB trip this year, I just took the inexpensive wireless charging pad I always have in my backpack/briefcase; it worked fine for both.

Even though the Teric's total screen space is smaller, it is easier for me to see and rapidly 'parse'; a lot of really good design work went into the screen.

 

[DavidFL]

@rsingler the Shearwater update for Perdix (and all of their shared firmware devices) is out and working; so GFSurf and lots of other new stuff is now available on the full Shearwater line.

 

[tbone1004]

@rsingler the GF Surf was introduced in the firmware update that came out this week per @Shearwater

 

[rsingler]

@rsingler the GF Surf was introduced in the firmware update that came out this week per @Shearwater

Hooray! I'll download it right now!
Thanks, Tom and David!

 

[Divectionist]

1. The Teric has its additional daily watch faces and features but this is only of interest if you are planning to wear the Teric as a watch when not diving. This was never an option for me as I am one of those mechanical watch people who would not dare walk around with a giant digital watch on my wrist.
2. I also never played around with this, all I do is bluetooth my dives to the Shearwater phone app every so often to look at the graphs and note the dive site.
3. When I had to decide between Perdix and Teric, I opted for the Perdix mainly because I like the idea of long battery life using simple Lithium AA's that I can change quickly whenever required. The way the O rings look on that battery cap, I would not worry about flooding. Because it does not need changing that often, O ring maintenance (or an eventual swap to the supplied replacements) is not a real problem factor either.

The screen on the Teric is of a better technology and offers a brighter and clearer image. The Perdix screen is obviously larger but not as good as the Teric, which sets new standards for dive computers, but in practice, the Perdix screen is absolutely sufficient and a world ahead of most dive computers out there. Makes you wonder how people can live with their tiny unlit 1990 Casio style screens. What I am trying to say is that, with most features being the same, it is probably not worth getting the Teric just for the better screen quality, but rather decide for or against it simply by asking whether you woud want to wear the dive computer as a watch occasionally.

I only wear the Perdix when I am geared up. When I am on a boat or walk to the dive site I usually keep my upper body out of the wetsuit (pretty warm here) with the Perdix on the wrist. Since I am using the surgical tubing instead of the clip straps, I can just pull it off my arm, don the wetsuit, and slide it back on, without worrying about buckles or sizing. Granted, this only saves a few seconds at best, but it is convenient, particularly if wearing gloves.

I think either would be a great purchase.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Teric has vibrating alarms.

 

[Divectionist]

1. Not sure what your definition of "material difference" is. The Teric has a floating compass pointer/arrow that can always be visible in dive mode. I really like that feature. It is not available on the Perdix (the Perdix has a fine compass, just not this 'mini - always - on' capability.

Not quite true, I have configured the mini compass to be in the centre of the home screen, therefore it is always on. It even has the marker displayed as a dot when you navigate to the compass and mark a heading.

For me, with the compass and AI bar reading on the home screen, there is little need to scroll the menu at all, unless for GTR.