Teric owners, have you required repair or replacement service?

[Joneill]

I'm on Teric battery # 3:

• Original unit bought at launch in 2018
• 1st battery replacement in Dec 2019 after high drain in storage. This was almost a complete rebuild actually - case and bezel were about the only things not replaced.
• 2nd battery replacement in Feb 2022 after high drain in storage - just battery replaced.

After my last trip in September 2023, it seemed to be draining a bit faster in storage than I'd expect so I recently recharged fully and monitored:

• Dec 11 - 100%
• Dec 19 - 74%
• Jan 2 - 42%
• Jan 5 - 36%

So it looks like ~2.6%/day loss on average but it is not completely linear (I have AI and compass turned to OFF in storage, btw).

From my experience, the battery replacement is great at first but, after a dive trip or 2, it heads towards the higher drain again. In practice, it's not a huge issue for me as I can recharge nightly on a trip if needed - but clearly many Terics seem not to have the battery life that was advertised and that may be an issue for some users. - a dent in the Shearwater armor for sure!

I'm not sure that there is much point in sending it back again at this point - hopefully, a Teric 2 is coming that will address the battery and other issues. I also hope the Tern and Tern AI don't have these issues as well but Shearwater's silence on the battery topic would be a bit of a concern to me if buying a new watch style DC from them. Even though the support from them is fantastic, it can still be a hassle to have to send it back to fix.

Meanwhile, I love my Perdix 2 (and Perdix AI before that) - zero issues with those!

I just got off the phone with Shearwater to ask about my Teric battery. I shared results of a discharge test I just did:

• Jan 31 - 100%
• Feb 2 - 92%
• Feb 3 - 88%
• Feb 4 - 84%
• Feb 5 - 80%

So, I'm losing 4% a day which, to me, seems a bit high given that they advise to top off every 6 months in the manual and state that a full discharge can damage the battery.

However, SW rep said that 4% a day is good for a 2 year old battery and there is no need to replace it. He did confirm that the SW charging cradle shuts off when Teric hits 100% so will not overcharge if the computer is left on it. He also said battery tend to be damaged at the extremes - so don't let it drain fully or constantly recharge it to 100% from 70 - 90%.

As I said before, I'm fine with mine at present as it has not been an issue on dive trips but it does require more monitoring in storage than expected (and what SW suggestd in the manual). I only reached out as I am approaching the 2 year mark since last replacement so wanted to contact while still under warranty.

Based on the below snip from a follow-up email , it does seem like they feel that at 2 years old ~13-14% a day is OK? On previous replacements, they said that ~ 4% a day was OK, but I was seeing ~9% a day drain. Interesting...

 

[scubadada]

The previous standard was >92% at 48 hours.

It was always hard to pin SW down regarding degradation after the 48 hour period. With a new battery, it is still at 100% after 2 days,

I now have Teric #8. I just took it on its first dive trip, we'll see.

 

[stuartv]

When they are "bad", they seem to run down more quickly from 100, than from a lower charge.

I.e. it dropped from 100 to 80 in 5 days. But, I would expect it to take longer than 5 days to drop from 80 to 60.

Regardless, the battery warranty is 2 years.

If you are getting close to the end of your 2 year period since it was last replaced, and you think it's running down too quickly, I would not call Shearwater. I would contact Dive-Tronix. Ultimately, since you are in the U.S., Dive-Tronix is who you would send it to and who would decide whether to do a warranty replacement on your battery.

Personally, if either of my batteries goes south again, I will definitely make sure to send it end before my 2 year warranty period runs out. And by "goes south", I mean any major change from how they are working now (since I just got them both replaced). If they are losing 20% a MONTH (much less a week), I would send it in to Dive-Tronix.

 

[Joneill]

When they are "bad", they seem to run down more quickly from 100, than from a lower charge.

I.e. it dropped from 100 to 80 in 5 days. But, I would expect it to take longer than 5 days to drop from 80 to 60.

I’m not diving again for a few weeks so will continue the drain test to see how it goes.

Regardless, the battery warranty is 2 years.

If you are getting close to the end of your 2 year period since it was last replaced, and you think it's running down too quickly, I would not call Shearwater. I would contact Dive-Tronix. Ultimately, since you are in the U.S., Dive-Tronix is who you would send it to and who would decide whether to do a warranty replacement on your battery.

Personally, if either of my batteries goes south again, I will definitely make sure to send it end before my 2 year warranty period runs out. And by "goes south", I mean any major change from how they are working now (since I just got them both replaced). If they are losing 20% a MONTH (much less a week), I would send it in to Dive-Tronix.

My understanding was that Dive-Tronix still needs to get an RMA from Shearwater to do anything (and get paid) so SW would still decide?

 

[stuartv]

My understanding was that Dive-Tronix still needs to get an RMA from Shearwater to do anything (and get paid) so SW would still decide?

Maybe. Or maybe Shearwater lets Dive-Tronix decide what is considered a warranty issue versus not. I don't know.

 

[Dan]

Update:
At 31 days since my 2nd trip my Teric battery is at 84%, or 0.5%/day. So its charge draining rate increases from 0.2%/day back in November 2023 (after 1st trip since its battery replacement) to 0.5%/day now (31 days after the 2nd trip in December 2023).

Update 2:
At 48 days since my second trip my Teric battery is at 72% or 0.58%/day. I'm heading to my 3rd trip tomorrow. So, I'm going to charge it tonight.

 

[mcohen1021]

Update 2:
At 48 days since my second trip my Teric battery is at 72% or 0.58%/day. I'm heading to my 3rd trip tomorrow. So, I'm going to charge it tonight.⁶

Thinking this means I need to send mine in for a new battery

 

[dkr82]

Are new Teric's being sold today still seeing issues with the battery?

Trying to decide between this and a Tern for rec only diving.

 

[scubadada]

I have had Teric #8 since mid-January and took it on its first dive trip down to Florida. It has now been in storage for 31 days since being fully charged. It remained at 100% for 10 days and has gradually decreased to 82% today. So far, so good.

-0.58% over entire 31 days
-0.86% over 21 days since fell below 100%

 

[stuartv]

I charged my two Terics to 100% on March 1 before leaving for Egypt on the 2nd. I did 16 dives (14+ hours).

I have not charged either one yet. I was running Brightness on High, AI on, and compass stayed off on one and was on for maybe 6 dives on the other.

The lower one is now at 30% charge.