MARES Abyss 22 - 1/2 inch LP Port Plug

[NW Dive Dawg]

So I am looking for a 1/2 in LP port plug for my Mares 22T Abyss. I am planning to use the Abyss on my 19ft Pony and will be basically abandoning the 1/2 in LP port and using the adjacent 3/8 in port. Reason is that I will be using a Zeagle F8 2nd stage with adjustable inhalation resistance and venturi free flow control lever and it is 3/8. I know that I can use an adaptor and then just plug the adaptor........but I would really prefer to have a single port plug with a single o-ring.

Problem is that on the Abyss, the intake (see pic below) will not accommodate any normal 1/2 port plug that is flush on the port end.

 

[lowwall]

Have you checked with a Mares dealer? The part is still in production. If your local guys don't have one and won't order it, then I'd try one of the Mares shops with a big online presence like Lake Hickory Scuba or Scubatoys.

Or of you are really desperate you can always order from Europe: Mares Screw 1/2" UNF

 

[Shabaday]

Don't they make a regulator hose that is 1/2" male but 9/16" female for the second stage for the Zeagle second stage? I thought I saw those recently?? I had this with an older Apex

 

[lowwall]

You can get standard length LP hoses with the 1/2" end. Piranha will even have one made up for you in any length, but you'll need to wait for it until their next regular shipment of hoses from Taiwan (IIRC, maybe Japan).

The problem is that your lose the option to swap hoses if you want to change lengths or something goes wrong with your custom hose.

I use the adapter on my 22 and 32 for this reason.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Hey thanks for the responses folks..... sincerely appreciated! I use an APEKS ATX200 as my primary and I do have a port plug for that 1/2 port........ but the APEKS port does not have that "stem" as pictured above on my Abyss... So bottom line is that the standard APEKS 1/2 port plug will not work on the MARES 22 Abyss. The other thing that's interesting is that MARES boasts higher performance as a result of the 1/2 in port and the 1/2 in hose. They also boast about 100+ divers being able to breath off of the same single stage...... But when you look at my pic above that shows the reduced diameter "stem" in the port of the first stage on the Abyss......it just seems counterintuitive. It's like having a 3/4 inch garden hose with a 1/4 inch reducer in the middle. Since it is really the 2nd stage that steps down the overall pressure to a "user friendly" volume........ I'm thinking that the difference between a 1/2 and a 3/8 or 7/16 port is inconsequential.

I think that in considering all the best options I'm just going to go with the adaptor and since it is a static application I feel that the failure risk is minimal. Plus the adaptor will give me better "save-a-dive" options if I am in a part of the world where most hoses and ports are standardized.

Anyway.... thanks again for the responses as they have helped me to come up with what I believe is the best solution for me! Cheers!

 

[happy-diver]

I've already drilled out a half inch port plug reading this thread and hacked that protrusion out of the reg

Maybe not