Mares Abyss MR 22 full-service overhaul

[lowwall]

Here's the two poppets. The one with the black coating on the shaft is the original Trimaterial version.


Adding to the confusion, it looks like Mares has dropped the original Trimaterial poppet. They have gotten around the problem with the Navy requirement by renaming the ACT poppet as the Trimaterial 2K18. You can now find it under either name. i should note that the smaller Trimaterial poppet for the MR42 has not been updated.

 

[Zef]

Wow, the SB Mares Abyss guys know their S#!%! So I bought this somewhere between 2000-2004 Huh! Well you get old and forget crap is my only excuse, I have been known to have CRS from time to time.

didn't mean to imply that you bought your reg set in 2000-2004, just that is the period that Mares produced the Abyss 2nd stage with that particular faceplate. You may very well have purchased your in 2008 like your original post mentioned...there are dealers who will push old stock to the unaware....in this case, the only differences between the version you have and the actual 2008 release of the MR22 Abyss reg set are as follows:
2nd stage: change in faceplate design and a corresponding change to the hose cover (a hook was added to prevent it from sliding up the hose and allow for a more "integrated" look.

1st stage: Mares changed from chunky chrome plated brass to a slimmed down 1st stage body version without the chrome coating. There are thoughts that Mares just rebadged the discontinued MR32 which had the same body style plus some additional plastic trim for aesthetics. Inside, the MR22 and the MR32 were identical.

Other than weight savings the changes were pretty much just aesthetic for both the 1st and 2nd stages....the 1st stage body style change did add a threaded cap on the bottom of the reg body that requires a pin spanner to remove when servicing.

Even though your reg was manufactured circa 2000-2004, it still has internals that are common to the regs Mares is producing today. In fact we just recently reviewed the tech diagrams and parts list for discussion in another thread concerning their current XR DR 2nd stage and the internals share the same individual part numbers as the Abyss.

Service parts should remain available for your classic workhorse for quite sometime so enjoy your reg, or send it to me for proper disposal.

-Z

 

[RicMares]

Lowwall and Zef, you guys are a wealth of information as to the Mares Abyss regulators. I; and I am sure others are very thankful for all the information you both have shared with us on this thread.

Grazie Mille !!!

 

[Luis H]

Here's the two poppets. The one with the black coating on the shaft is the original Trimaterial version.
View attachment 748448View attachment 748449

Adding to the confusion, it looks like Mares has dropped the original Trimaterial poppet. They have gotten around the problem with the Navy requirement by renaming the ACT poppet as the Trimaterial 2K18. You can now find it under either name. i should note that the smaller Trimaterial poppet for the MR42 has not been updated.

Hi @lowwall and @Zef

How would you compare these poppets with the blue Aqua Lung seats?

AFAIK, they continue to be perfectly interchangeable in fit and function. I wrote about their interchangeability in my most recent post of this thread (but I am not as familiar with Mares regulators):

Argonaut Kraken HP seat failure...?

My question is about how do they compare in performance and durability?

My personal experience with the Aqua Lung blue seat is excellent. They performance seems to be outstanding in that the adjusted IP seems to always lock instantly without any IP creep. So far durability also seems excellent, easily over 5 years with hundreds of dives without needing replacement.

I have heard that the Mares seats (poppets) are comparable, what do you think?

 

[lowwall]

[Edit - I didn't notice who I was replying to. @Luis H obviously knows far more than I about everything in at least the first two paragraphs. But I'll leave it here for general background.)

The basic poppet/seat design goes at least as far back as the original US Divers Conshelf and is still used by Aqua Lung. Voit took the existing part when they built the MR12 and Mares stuck with it after they took over Voit and used it for the 22 and later diaphragm firsts (except the tiny 42). I believe they are all interchangeable in a pinch, along with the Trident A244. Trident is the major aftermarket supplier of parts to scuba techs.

But I wouldn't mix and match if I didn't have to. The geometry of the orifice they seal against is slightly different between manufacturers and I assume that they optimize the seat/poppet face material for their orifice.

The Tri-Material 2k18 aka ACT is Mares' 4th iteration on this. I would assume they are getting better over time. The service interval has increased from replace every 1 year or 100 dives with the original part and first redesign called the PEBAX, to inspect at one year and if still good replace at 2 years with the original Tri-Material, to replace every 2 years with the current version.

All of these replacement intervals are overkill IMO unless you are trying to preserve a free parts warranty. As long as they lockup without creep and you don't have any reason to suspect problems, I wouldn't bother.

One last note. Mares did try a different design for both the poppet and volcano orifice for a few years. They called it SCS and added a V prefix to the first stages that used it, such as V16 and V32. Apparently lockup consistency was an issue for too many users so they went back to the standard setup.

This is what the SCS seat (orifice) and poppet look like:

The Ruby used the same seat, but the hemispherical part at the end of the poppet was replaced with a synthetic ruby.

You only need a new seat, the poppet and a different poppet spring to convert from SCS to the current configuration. Mares has a kit 46201386 with these parts.

 

[Zef]

Hi @lowwall and @Zef

How would you compare these poppets with the blue Aqua Lung seats?

AFAIK, they continue to be perfectly interchangeable in fit and function. I wrote about their interchangeability in my most recent post of this thread (but I am not as familiar with Mares regulators):

Argonaut Kraken HP seat failure...?

My question is about how do they compare in performance and durability?

My personal experience with the Aqua Lung blue seat is excellent. They performance seems to be outstanding in that the adjusted IP seems to always lock instantly without any IP creep. So far durability also seems excellent, easily over 5 years with hundreds of dives without needing replacement.

I have heard that the Mares seats (poppets) are comparable, what do you think?

I have no first hand experience with the blue aqualung hp poppets, but they are long considered to be a suitable substitute for the DYI maintainer of Mares regs when OEM poppets are unobtainable.

I can’t imagine one getting less than a year or two of regular diving out of the blue poppets but if one regularly checks IP and that starts to show issues then open and inspect, and if poppet wear and tear/durability is suspected to be an issue then switch back to OEM.

If I recall correctly, the IP for Aqualung’s diaphragm 1st stages is 135psi and Mares is anywhere between 142 And 148psi….not that grand of a difference. I have not heard or read of any issues using the Aqualung poppet and I would use one if I needed one, but I have to admit my reg repair experience is limited compared to some of the other folks participating in this discussion and on ScubaBoard as a whole.

Hope that helps and provides some insight.

-Z