Anyone own or familiar with Mares Morphos pro?

[DavidHickey]

I've been thinking of getting a Mares Morphos Pro, and finally got a chance to see and try a new one on. Just not sure what I think after actually seeing it. I did not have a chance to get in water with it. I kinda got the opinion that it was delicate and you have to be real careful with it. Mainly the air trim buttons, and the cocoon wrap that zips up to store or travel with the BCD seemed so tight zipping it that I was a little worried the fabric would rip or the zipper would break. Granted it was brand new and stiff. I'm guessing it will loosen up with use. Also I was a little disapointed in the manual inflator which is basically a round tube that you pull up and blow into, it seemed like if you did not pull it out all the way until the swivel turned the hose pinched and you could not blow air into it. And then trying to get it back in seemed hard. I had to reach in from behind and pull the hose while pushing it back down the hole it comes out of. Granted I can't imagine needing it that much, Anyhow does any one have one or dive with anyone that uses one? Just wanted some opinions from actual users.
Thanks

 

[dacordiver]

I've been thinking of getting a Mares Morphos Pro, and finally got a chance to see and try a new one on. Just not sure what I think after actually seeing it. I did not have a chance to get in water with it. I kinda got the opinion that it was delicate and you have to be real careful with it. Mainly the air trim buttons, and the cocoon wrap that zips up to store or travel with the BCD seemed so tight zipping it that I was a little worried the fabric would rip or the zipper would break. Granted it was brand new and stiff. I'm guessing it will loosen up with use. Also I was a little disapointed in the manual inflator which is basically a round tube that you pull up and blow into, it seemed like if you did not pull it out all the way until the swivel turned the hose pinched and you could not blow air into it. And then trying to get it back in seemed hard. I had to reach in from behind and pull the hose while pushing it back down the hole it comes out of. Granted I can't imagine needing it that much, Anyhow does any one have one or dive with anyone that uses one? Just wanted some opinions from actual users.
Thanks

The morphos pro is certainly a love it or hate it unit. The "armchair technology" of the bladder fits low like a bean bag armchair. I prefer my Falcon with it's back inflation, but that is purely a matter of preference. In regards to the techical strength of the BC, It's not that fragile. The cocoon is designed to be tight, and it will loosen up a bit for you as time passes. My first time I almost couldn't do it at all. There is also a trick to packing it up that will make it a tighter package. The manual inflator is a bit mor than just a tube, as it has a one way valve in it. To avoid having trouble with it kinking, twist it at the base where it threads to the BC so that when the tube is at your mouth, the hose isn't kinked. Pushing it back in is troublesome, but the answer to that is how often will you be pulling it out? The buttons on the airtrim are quite tough, barring having a tank dropped on them. They won't break under normal usage.

I hope that helps you

 

[Mark Goodchild]

Tried one of these on my last trip. Took some getting used too after using conventional BCDs in the past. So forgive the comments about getting used to things....

So in order:

The integrated weight system. Pretty good once you get used to sliding the weights into the runners. A bit of a fiddle but easy once you're used to doing it.

Air trim. Again not that easy to get used to. Found it a little tricky to dump all air when horizontal in the water. Some people just use the dump valves on the back of the BCD I believe. Failing that moving a little more vertical in the water and using the air trim fixes the problem. Also the air trim in my opinion adds air very slowly and dumps it very quickly. I guess this is the most sensible idea though.

The "arm chair" effect on the surface did not work in my opinion very well. I found that unless I stuck my legs right out in front of me, it kept trying to push my face into the water. Again you get used it to but its very different to normal.

In the water I think it really helped me improve my positioning and streamling so from that point of view it was great.

The cocoon is quite tight I agree. However take it slow and it all fits well. It is strong and I don't think it will tear. Certainly makes putting it your dive gear bag easier.

After a few dives I got used to the differences and I began to enjoy this BCD. I think I would recommend it if purchasing a new one. I looked on sportextreme.com the other day and they are selling for a decent price.

I am preparing a full review soon with more detail on my website. So I'll post again when its done.

 

[Paul Evans]

Iv'e got a twin

The Pro has the advantage of having the inflator outside the pocket, trust me, this is a big improvement. Even though mine is inside the pocket and can have the same problem of kinking I have never found it to be a Major problem to deploy.

As mentioned the MRS intergrated weights work very well, but the pocket HAS TO BE in its track or you WILL lose a pocket. It only happens once after that you always double check. I dive my twin with 3kg in each pocket.

The Armchair effect on the surface is great, head well up out of the water, very comfortable, espically in rough sea's. Good weight distrubution is critical if you have a Ali tank put 2kg in both rear trim pockets. I use 1kg in each with a 15l Faber.

I dont use the Cocoon, pointless I dive most weekends, so its normallly hanging up drying inbetween dives, but it works great for Hols, yes it is tight to begin with but it gets easier.

Airtrim, this for me is the best thing about this BC, the AT unit is solid and reliable, it dumps quickly and is easy to control the inflation of the jacket, short bursts and fine control is easy. As mentioned it can trap a bit of air if dumping in the horizontal. But you easily pick up a techiquie to get round this, either look up abit or roll so the lower AT dump is high. I have said this before on this board, I think this is the future of Rec. diving.

When properly weighted it is comfortable in the water and gives a good horizontal poisition in the water but I have to completely disagree with a previous poster, This is not a streamlined jacket, Big pockets, big aircell if you want streamlined try a Mares Jubilee or even better a BP/W.

I dive in the UK, in a drysuit, in the cold with 10kg in the jacket if diving in salt and the BC is still in excellent condition.

Hope this helps

 

[simonk999]

Not really too much to add over previous posters, but here goes:
1. Definitely a bulky BC, especially with the big pockets
2. I like the airtrim, but find the main disadvantage is not knowing when there's no more air to exhaust -- more difficult to see the bubbles coming out of the valves than from the corrugated hose that you'd be holding in your hand; however, the corrugated hose has its own problems, such as floating away, so it's not necessarily immediately at hand if you need it suddenly.
3. Yes, it's tight to pack into the cocoon, but probably designed like that on purpose so it can pack as small as possible. Actually, I have found that while the bottom of the bc packs tight, there's room at the top to stuff small things in to more efficiently use space.
4. Yes, the manual inflate hose easily kinks itself when you pull it out, but I've only pulled it out on dry land. At least, if you know that propensity beforehand, hopefully when you need it, you'll accomodate for that slight flaw.
5. Very easy to rinse. One of the dump valves unscrews and you can run a hose or directly run a tap into it to rinse out the inside thoroughly.
6. Have never fully inflated the thing on the surface, so can't comment on the armchair effect. If only partially inflated, the air is all in the back, so yes, it'll tip you forward.
7. I have slight misgivings about the MRS system -- it relies on a single lock button to keep everything in. The lock button is released by pushing on a lever that compresses a tab that is used to lock the weight pouch. While it hasn't happened to me, I could envision a situation where the lever got accidently pushed and the button popped out, thereby allowing the weight pouch to freely slide out. Mares' previous velcro-based system had a double point of failure -- 2 separate velcro attachments; this MRS is protected by only one somewhat dicey mechanism.

Well, turned out to be lengthier than anticipated ...

-Simon

 

[hawkman]

:06:

I'm relatively new to diving and the Morphos is the only BCD I've owned. Is it normal to have sea water (about 6-12oz) inside the BCD after a dive?

Hawkman

Iv'e got a twin

The Pro has the advantage of having the inflator outside the pocket, trust me, this is a big improvement. Even though mine is inside the pocket and can have the same problem of kinking I have never found it to be a Major problem to deploy.

As mentioned the MRS intergrated weights work very well, but the pocket HAS TO BE in its track or you WILL lose a pocket. It only happens once after that you always double check. I dive my twin with 3kg in each pocket.

The Armchair effect on the surface is great, head well up out of the water, very comfortable, espically in rough sea's. Good weight distrubution is critical if you have a Ali tank put 2kg in both rear trim pockets. I use 1kg in each with a 15l Faber.

I dont use the Cocoon, pointless I dive most weekends, so its normallly hanging up drying inbetween dives, but it works great for Hols, yes it is tight to begin with but it gets easier.

Airtrim, this for me is the best thing about this BC, the AT unit is solid and reliable, it dumps quickly and is easy to control the inflation of the jacket, short bursts and fine control is easy. As mentioned it can trap a bit of air if dumping in the horizontal. But you easily pick up a techiquie to get round this, either look up abit or roll so the lower AT dump is high. I have said this before on this board, I think this is the future of Rec. diving.

When properly weighted it is comfortable in the water and gives a good horizontal poisition in the water but I have to completely disagree with a previous poster, This is not a streamlined jacket, Big pockets, big aircell if you want streamlined try a Mares Jubilee or even better a BP/W.

I dive in the UK, in a drysuit, in the cold with 10kg in the jacket if diving in salt and the BC is still in excellent condition.

Hope this helps

 

[Mark Goodchild]

When properly weighted it is comfortable in the water and gives a good horizontal poisition in the water but I have to completely disagree with a previous poster, This is not a streamlined jacket, Big pockets, big aircell if you want streamlined try a Mares Jubilee or even better a BP/W.

I dive in the UK, in a drysuit, in the cold with 10kg in the jacket if diving in salt and the BC is still in excellent condition.

I found the horizontal position the BC forces in the water the reason I could streamline better. This was because it was easy to hold my body in good form underwater. I agree that the jacket is large and bulky.

 

[Mark Goodchild]

:06:

I'm relatively new to diving and the Morphos is the only BCD I've owned. Is it normal to have sea water (about 6-12oz) inside the BCD after a dive?

Hawkman

This is normal. Make sure you get it all out before storing though. One good way is to unscrew one of the dump valves and pour it out.