Abyss not a popular "tech" reg...why?

[JKSteger]

I was doing some searches on Google and targeting some of the bigger "Tech" discussion boards and it seems that the Mares Abyss is almost non-existent on thoes boards. All I ever see is either Scubapro, Apeks, and to a lesser extent, Aqualung. This got me thinking, why isn't the Mares Abyss discussed more as being a good Tech regulator. I know of several people that are deep tech and they seem to love them.

So, if anyone cares to speculate, why isn't the Abyss more popular in "tech" circles? Doesn't it perform as well as the others? There must be something I'm missing here.

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[DCBC]

I don't know, my son uses one and loves it. Other diver's who I know use it as well. It held the deep solo dive depth record at 313m (1027'), so I'd be hard pressed to say it wasn't a good regulator.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I'm not a tech diver, but I'll take a stab:

Apeks and Scubapro are great regs, and have a loyal, strong following in the tech community. I think the natural trend is for divers to adopt the equipment their instructors / mentors are using. And there is a strong trend towards equipment "uniformity" among tech divers.

Another factor may be that Mares follows a different design philosophy to achieve the same performance results, namely, unbalanced "classic downstream" 2nds instead of balanced adjustable 2nds used by most other brands. Many look at a Mares Abyss 2nd, see the lack of any external adjustment, and assume inferior performance. There are advantages to having an external adjuster, but increased performance usually is not the main reason... the external adjuster allows you to detune the regulator in strong currents.

I think it is mainly a "familiarity" thing. Scubapro and Apeks are proven entities in the tech community.

Best wishes.

Edit: I fogot to add, I use a MR-22 Abyss, and love it

 

[TechBlue]

I was doing some searches on Google and targeting some of the bigger "Tech" discussion boards and it seems that the Mares Abyss is almost non-existent on thoes boards. All I ever see is either Scubapro, Apeks, and to a lesser extent, Aqualung. This got me thinking, why isn't the Mares Abyss discussed more as being a good Tech regulator. I know of several people that are deep tech and they seem to love them.

So, if anyone cares to speculate, why isn't the Abyss more popular in "tech" circles? Doesn't it perform as well as the others? There must be something I'm missing here.

Thanks,
Jeremy

It has been a while since I looked at one but as I recall you need tools to remove the diaphragm cover which you don't with SP or Apeks so a reg problem cannot be solved in water.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

It has been a while since I looked at one but as I recall you need tools to remove the diaphragm cover which you don't with SP or Apeks so a reg problem cannot be solved in water.

Yes.

At least up through the Abyss 2nd I have, you need a screwdriver to remove the clamp ring on the 2nd stage cover. It is actually a bit of a "pain" on the surface, and personally I would not attempt it underwater with silt and sand blowing around. You'd have a hard time getting it back together, lose the screw, etc.

So for sure not as easy to take off/on as a 2nd that has a screw-on 2nd stage cover.

In conditions that I'd think would cause a 2nd stage problem that is actually "fixable" underwater (exhaust valve and/or demand lever "fouled" by silt or sand), I wonder if I'd even want to pull off the 2nd stage cover on ANY 2nd stage... this is more typical a problem for a stage / or deco 2nd stage, that might have been dragged, right? But if that is the only option, yeah, I'd want a 2nd I'd at least have a shot at reassembling correctly underwater.

I'm not a tech diver, but I wonder if it would just be better to carry a spare 2nd if the risk of silt/sand fouling a deco or stage 2nd was high?

Not something I've ever give any thought to for the "mellow" dives I do That's why I'm curious.

If it is a common problem in some environments, and the common "fix" is to remove the 2nd stage cover to clean out the gunk, yes, I could see the design of the Abyss as a problem.

Best wishes.

 

[Greg Barlow]

As some of you may know, I am a big fan of Mares regs. The Abyss is a robust design that is about as fool-proof as it gets. The latest design with the access port is even better, as it allows fine tuning without the removal of the front cover and retaining ring.

That said, I use Proton Metal second stages on my cave/tech regs. I can disassemble them underwater without any tools, and they have a performance level that is just a bit short of the larger models. The larger diaphragm in the Abyss gives a bit more mechanical advantage to the demand valve.

I've been in the tech diving circle for some time, and can attest to "brand loyalty". Many divers use a certain brand because Joe X uses it. Truth be told, if you get a time proven design from any of the major manufacturers, you would be hard pressed to go wrong. For my dives, I choose diaphragm first stages due to water temp issues. I also like unbalanced second stages for their simplicity, but can fully appreciate the cracking effort adjustment offered on most of the balanced models.

One powerful testimony to the Mares Abyss is a story about one of my favorite dive buddies. The guy owns two Abyss regs, and unless he is diving in salt water, they don't even get rinsed. Every six months or so, I check them for proper function/adjustment. They will usually get serviced every other year or so, but are typically within specs prior to such work. I have found all sorts of "goo", and other signs of use from use. When I say use, they are also used in police S&R dives. Even without basic care, they just keep on working and functioning normally. Now that they have been fitted with tri-material HP valves, they are even better.

Greg Barlow

 

[ptyx]

I can't speak for tech diving, however:

• Lack of detuning (dive/pre-dive) might be a problem for scootering
• Facade isn't removable easily, and it's possible for sand to get in between the purge button and the second stage body. Once the sand is in there, purging the reg will cause it to stick and waste a lot of gas until forceful shaking fixes the problem.
• LP hose is non standard, there is some weird tube on the first stage (at least on the model I have).
• Metal second stage is quite heavy, and I'm not sure it would work too well as a necklaced backup stage. Which means you'd need different regs for primary and backup.

All of the above means it's not a regulator I'd buy now. Which is a shame because it breathes beautifully at all depths and is built like a tank.

Edit: the model I have at home is 5+ years old - maybe they improved it since

 

[Kilili]

Beats me, but I've had different Abyss regs over last 17 years, 1,200+ dives. Would not use anything else, simply because I've never had any problems.

 

[knowone]

Is it because they rubbed noses the wrong way by releasing their products to some sports and internet stores permitting them individual price setting to the detriment of slugger the dive shop.

 

[JKSteger]

I hear that whole "can't disassemble the reg underwater" talk a lot. How often does this actually happen?

...I know, I going to post it in another thread.

Jeremy