When to buy the Teric, and Other Dive Computer Questions

[Esprise Me]

Shearwater computers hold their value pretty well. So if you buy a Teric and decide later you'd rather have a Perdix, you can probably sell it for most of what you paid. I think I saw a gently-used one posted here in the classifieds for $800 that got snapped up within a day or two, just to give you an idea.

As for charging, I took my Teric on a 5-dives-per day LOB, and found that those 5 dives plus keeping it on in watch mode the rest of the day used about half the battery power. I charged it every night to be on the safe side, which wasn't a logistical challenge. I don't wear it as a daily watch normally, but I did on the LOB and enjoyed that feature.

For the first six months it held its charge extremely well when not in use, losing almost no power over the course of a week or more between dives; now the battery seems to be draining more when it's off. I'm sure I could send it in for repair; I'm just not sure I care enough to bother at this point.

 

[scubadada]

If you are going to get a less capable computer than you would need for you tech aspirations, get a SW Peregrine. It would give you valuable experience with Buhlmann. I would skip the other decompression algorithms, except, maybe, DSAT.

 

[loosenit2]

Hello!!

I think I am just going to jump off of the deep end and get a computer that I know works for fundies and T1 now and just get used to that. However, @buddhasummer brings up a very valid point, which is to buy for what I know I need now, and solve for what I need later when I get there. I could just get a zoop novo and deal with the Suunto RGBM algorithm, and as I hear they are very conservative. Conservatism does not necessarily translate to safety in the water as well. I still don't know if I want to take Rec 2, but because I am 16, I could take it this year. If I was to take it this year, then I would only be using the zoop novo for around seven or eight months, and that represents a low return on investment, and especially so if I need to go buy a Shearwater which I could have done from the get go and saved myself the $300.

I'm still really torn between the Teric and Perdix.

From the reading that I have done on the board, it seems like most divers prefer the Perdix to the Teric, with some people saying that the Teric is a "fashion statement". I want my computer to be one where form follows function, and if I was to solely choose a computer on that, it looks like the Perdix would come out on top.

I really like the screen and UI on the Teric, but also hear great things about the Perdix. On the Perdix, I like how the batteries are user replaceable; however, I don't think I would forget to charge the battery on the Teric, but I'm not convinced that it won't happen either. If I was on a LOB, I can't exactly count on having outlets available, and that worries me with regards to the Teric.

On the back burner, I also know that I will be happy with either computer and that I am really splitting hairs here, but it is not a small amount of money, and I want to eliminate the risk of buyers remorse as much as I can. If Shearwater had the Perdix with the AMOLED screen, I'd be all over it.

When I was picking high schools, I made a pros and cons list. I have a feeling I may do a pros and cons list for this too, and then run it over with my instructor. My instructor has a Perdix, but dives with a Suunto D5 as her primary computer. I will be using her Perdix this Sunday in Monterey, so I will see how I like it. I think taking it out to the sea in real conditions would be very helpful in determining what I like and what I do not. I will be in 5mil wet gloves, so it will also be helpful to see how my decreased dexterity has an affect on the usability of the UI. I do not know whether the piezo buttons on the Perdix or the "pressable" buttons would be more efficacious, especially with thick wet gloves or with DUI's Heavy Duty dry gloves, but the real world use will give me some idea as to where we stand on that.

Would it be a bad idea to just get a zoop novo now, and worry about getting a Shearwater later?

Also, if any of you wonderful people have anything to add, please let me know. I want as much feedback as I can get!

Thank you all so much for taking the time out to help me with this.

Respectfully,

OctoHelm

Getting an inexpensive computer now would not be a waste as long as it has a gauge mode, as most do. Many tech agencies require either two computers or a computer and a depth gauge/bottom timer as backup; so the inexpensive computer in gauge mode becomes the backup bottom timer.

 

[stuartv]

Hello!!

I think I am just going to jump off of the deep end and get a computer that I know works for fundies and T1 now and just get used to that. However, @buddhasummer brings up a very valid point, which is to buy for what I know I need now, and solve for what I need later when I get there. I could just get a zoop novo and deal with the Suunto RGBM algorithm, and as I hear they are very conservative. Conservatism does not necessarily translate to safety in the water as well. I still don't know if I want to take Rec 2, but because I am 16, I could take it this year. If I was to take it this year, then I would only be using the zoop novo for around seven or eight months, and that represents a low return on investment, and especially so if I need to go buy a Shearwater which I could have done from the get go and saved myself the $300.

I'm still really torn between the Teric and Perdix.

From the reading that I have done on the board, it seems like most divers prefer the Perdix to the Teric, with some people saying that the Teric is a "fashion statement". I want my computer to be one where form follows function, and if I was to solely choose a computer on that, it looks like the Perdix would come out on top.

I really like the screen and UI on the Teric, but also hear great things about the Perdix. On the Perdix, I like how the batteries are user replaceable; however, I don't think I would forget to charge the battery on the Teric, but I'm not convinced that it won't happen either. If I was on a LOB, I can't exactly count on having outlets available, and that worries me with regards to the Teric.

On the back burner, I also know that I will be happy with either computer and that I am really splitting hairs here, but it is not a small amount of money, and I want to eliminate the risk of buyers remorse as much as I can. If Shearwater had the Perdix with the AMOLED screen, I'd be all over it.

When I was picking high schools, I made a pros and cons list. I have a feeling I may do a pros and cons list for this too, and then run it over with my instructor. My instructor has a Perdix, but dives with a Suunto D5 as her primary computer. I will be using her Perdix this Sunday in Monterey, so I will see how I like it. I think taking it out to the sea in real conditions would be very helpful in determining what I like and what I do not. I will be in 5mil wet gloves, so it will also be helpful to see how my decreased dexterity has an affect on the usability of the UI. I do not know whether the piezo buttons on the Perdix or the "pressable" buttons would be more efficacious, especially with thick wet gloves or with DUI's Heavy Duty dry gloves, but the real world use will give me some idea as to where we stand on that.

Would it be a bad idea to just get a zoop novo now, and worry about getting a Shearwater later?

Also, if any of you wonderful people have anything to add, please let me know. I want as much feedback as I can get!

Thank you all so much for taking the time out to help me with this.

Respectfully,

OctoHelm

Getting what you need now is a somewhat grey area. Does that mean only buy what you need for your next dive, but ignore what you'll need next week? Or does it mean buy what you'll need in the next 3 years, but ignore what you think you'll need after that? Or somewhere in between? I think somewhere in between those 2 extremes is reasonable.

If you know you're going to take Fundies, well, they're going to teach you to use helium for dives deeper than 100' (if I understand correctly - I have not taken Fundies). If that's the case, then my opinion is that you really should buy a computer that can handle helium. Which takes the cheapies and the Peregrine right off the table.

I took my Terics on a LOB. Getting access to a plug to charge your computer every 2 or 3 days should not be an issue on any LOB. I only charged mine once during a whole week of diving - and that was because I was it looked like it MIGHT not go the whole week without a charge at some point. However, I did not wear it as a watch between dives. That said, the charging cradle for the Teric is a nice place to store it, so if you just adopt the practice of setting up the charging cradle in your berth on the LOB and store your Teric there every night, you will never have to worry about it not being ready to dive. Even if you were to forget one or 2 nights in a row, it should still last PLENTY long enough to handle your dives until you do charge it again.

I had a Perdix AI when I bought my first Teric. I had them both for a while. I like the Teric so much better that I sold the Perdix and bought a 2nd Teric. I only use the Terics for open circuit diving, as I have a Predator controller and a NERD2 on my CCR. But, for open circuit, I do use them for technical diving. I've dived them to 305', so far. I'm not trying to brag - 300 feet is nothing compared to what a lot of folks here on SB have done many times. I'm just saying it to provide some context for when I say that, in just my opinion, the Teric is a great computer for technical diving as well as recreational sport diving. There is nothing I miss about the Perdix AI when I'm diving my Terics.

The Perdix AI is a great computer for any kind of diving. Don't get me wrong about that. I just think the smaller form factor of the Teric is a lot nicer. Less likely to catch on things, or get banged on things. And the screen is nicer. And the compass. And you can set the Teric to vibrate or beep for alarms, if you want. And you CAN wear it as a watch, if you want to. Maybe your LOB puts you ashore on an excursion and you want to have a watch to make sure you come back on time?

 

[NorCalDM]

I'm still really torn between the Teric and Perdix.

I have both and use my Teric as my back up. If I was to only have one it would be the Perdix as for me it is a little easier to read and it fits over my thick wetsuit better. I have no issues with the buttons on the Perdix with thick gloves on.