Mares Abyss vs Proton Metal/Ice

[TN Traveler]

Trying to make a final decision on a new regulator and my choices have come down to Mares Abyss or Proton Metal/Ice. I like the all-metal regulators since they seem to reduce dry mouth. I've used an Abyss and love the way it breathes - but have no experience with the Proton.

I am hoping some SB members who have used these can give me some feedback on the pros and cons of each.

I've read the reviews on Scuba Diving and searched the message boards here - but I value the real world experiences of ScubaBoard members more.

Thanks for your input.

 

[dannobee]

I don't have the Abyss, but I do have a few other regs, including two Proton Ice's and Apeks' ATX200 and ATX50. The Ice's (my daughter has one too) breathe very nice, better than the Apeks, IMHO. My daughter just completed her AOW, and complained about her computer acting up, so I threw the ATX200 combo in her dive bag as a backup. Her battery went dead, so she ended up using the backup setup and complained about not only getting it adjusted right and never quite breathing as well as the Ice, but also of the exhaust bubbles position getting in the way.

 

[scubapro50]

used the Dacor/Mares trade in program to get a 05 Abyss last summer ..... love it and would recomend it to anyone looking for a new regulator.

 

[LittleFish]

I use the mares Proton Metal and love the way it breathes. It is an easy breather and I have never felt like I was not getting enough gas. I also have much less dry mouth than when I was using plastic regs.

I have not used the Abyss so I cannot compare. I would imagine that you will not be disappointed no matter which way you go. Good luck and safe diving.

 

[SubMariner]

I've used a Mares Abyss for the past 5 years & really enjoy it. It breathes well in any orientation & @ any depth. I don't know how "cold" it will go; the lowest temp I've had it at has been about 55F. (My previous reg was a Sherwood Blizzard, which I had down to about 33F. But that was when I lived in TGWN :ice

 

[aquaoren]

I have an Abyss beside a Poseidon Jetstream and a pair of Apeks DS4/ATX50. The Abyss is the best breather of all of them.
I dove it through couple hundred dives ranging from warm water to cold water without having to adjust anything on it and it always performed flawlessly.
Cold water reliability was tested in Nova Scotia's and Great Lakes winters where water temperatures are around or even below freezing.