Mares H.U.B.
- Thread starter Rookie_J
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MaresMan1
Contributor
Hi RJ,
Welcome to SB. This is a very good scuba board where you will get a lot of information and help. Look around and enjoy.
With regard to your questions about the Mares HUB, you may not get many replies as the HUB is not considered as such a good BC. There are several good reasons for this. I am sure if you do a search on the HUB, you will read the discussions.
As I have been rightly labeled, I use a lot of Mares equipment, but I would not want to go with the HUB. Very heavy and bulky to begin with and maintenance will be a nightmare along with expensive. Difficult to check out your connections and solve problems quickly.
However, it really depends on the kind of diving you will be doing and how far you want to go. If you are thinking about tec or cave diving in your future, you may want to go with a BP/W. If you are new to diving, you may want to try different BCs to find out what you like.
Whatever you decide, best of luck and have fun.
Dive Smart; Dive Safe
Enjoy the Ride
:14:
Welcome to SB. This is a very good scuba board where you will get a lot of information and help. Look around and enjoy.
With regard to your questions about the Mares HUB, you may not get many replies as the HUB is not considered as such a good BC. There are several good reasons for this. I am sure if you do a search on the HUB, you will read the discussions.
As I have been rightly labeled, I use a lot of Mares equipment, but I would not want to go with the HUB. Very heavy and bulky to begin with and maintenance will be a nightmare along with expensive. Difficult to check out your connections and solve problems quickly.
However, it really depends on the kind of diving you will be doing and how far you want to go. If you are thinking about tec or cave diving in your future, you may want to go with a BP/W. If you are new to diving, you may want to try different BCs to find out what you like.
Whatever you decide, best of luck and have fun.
Dive Smart; Dive Safe
Enjoy the Ride
:14:
Welcome to the board...
A lot of information has been written here on the HUB. I'd advise you to do a few days of reading on the topic using the search feature so you can make an informed decision regarding your purchase.
Enjoy the board, it can be a really great resource...
JAG
A lot of information has been written here on the HUB. I'd advise you to do a few days of reading on the topic using the search feature so you can make an informed decision regarding your purchase.
Enjoy the board, it can be a really great resource...
JAG
I'll start this by admitting that I never dove one. The shop that I work at is a Mares dealer and when we first opened we had several of these in stock. We sold one, maybe two and tried to close out the rest.
Having tried it on in the store - not that this is anywhere near a good way to judge a BCD - I felt overwelmed. It was tremendously bulking and for me, the controls did not seem intuitive. This could be explained by my history of diving primarily back inflates.
The most common thought about them was that the integration of everything was a double-edged sword. First, if you need to do service work on anything, all of your gear was in being serviced. With a more traditional gear configuration, if your reg is being serviced you can still dive your BCD you just need to borrow/rent/demo a regulator - which is usually available free or very cheap from the shop servicing yours.
One customer made a comment that I actually had not thought about and that is travel. Most, but certainly not all, people carry on their regulators, masks and instruments but check the remainder. This is possible with a HUB, but certainly not as convenient.
Having tried it on in the store - not that this is anywhere near a good way to judge a BCD - I felt overwelmed. It was tremendously bulking and for me, the controls did not seem intuitive. This could be explained by my history of diving primarily back inflates.
The most common thought about them was that the integration of everything was a double-edged sword. First, if you need to do service work on anything, all of your gear was in being serviced. With a more traditional gear configuration, if your reg is being serviced you can still dive your BCD you just need to borrow/rent/demo a regulator - which is usually available free or very cheap from the shop servicing yours.
One customer made a comment that I actually had not thought about and that is travel. Most, but certainly not all, people carry on their regulators, masks and instruments but check the remainder. This is possible with a HUB, but certainly not as convenient.
Boogie711
Guest
Here you go... why the HUB is a bad, bad idea
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=1214&highlight=Mares
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=1214&highlight=Mares
crpntr133
lost, even with a compass
Whats up Boogie, you only gave him one link?? Since the mod squad hasn't made the changes to the search engine here you can't search for HUB, it is a three letter word.
Cortez made a good point on why most don't like the HUB. Also it is a lot different from what we were taught about BC's. All the controls are either buried or weird/different. The oral inflator tube being in the pocket is one that worries me.
I bought a Mares semidry suit last spring from my LDS. The LDS doesn't normally stock Mares due to some issue with Mares but they can still get items. So I asked them if they were willing to order something from Mares for me. My instructor and owner of the shop very quickly said " I will order you anything but a HUB". I guess he got to use one when the Mares dealer came around with them and he hated it.
Keep in mind also that what you pay for the HUB you can get a kickin setup for less if not the same amount of money.
Now on the flip side of the coin there are a FEW on SB that actually have used them and like them. For the most part they have been divers with limits in the movement of their arms.
Need of lead is either minimal or nonexistant? That is really leading the reader on. I don't think diving a HUB is going to allow me to drop the 26lbs that I dive with. Another issue, maybe, is if you don't use lead then what are you going to do in an emergency that you want to drop lead?
Take it for what it is worth but the only way you would catch me in a HUB is if I was dead!!
Cortez made a good point on why most don't like the HUB. Also it is a lot different from what we were taught about BC's. All the controls are either buried or weird/different. The oral inflator tube being in the pocket is one that worries me.
I bought a Mares semidry suit last spring from my LDS. The LDS doesn't normally stock Mares due to some issue with Mares but they can still get items. So I asked them if they were willing to order something from Mares for me. My instructor and owner of the shop very quickly said " I will order you anything but a HUB". I guess he got to use one when the Mares dealer came around with them and he hated it.
Keep in mind also that what you pay for the HUB you can get a kickin setup for less if not the same amount of money.
Now on the flip side of the coin there are a FEW on SB that actually have used them and like them. For the most part they have been divers with limits in the movement of their arms.
Need of lead is either minimal or nonexistant? That is really leading the reader on. I don't think diving a HUB is going to allow me to drop the 26lbs that I dive with. Another issue, maybe, is if you don't use lead then what are you going to do in an emergency that you want to drop lead?
Take it for what it is worth but the only way you would catch me in a HUB is if I was dead!!
Soggy
Contributor
Rookie_J:
It's a terrible idea...anything goes wrong, you have to send the whole thing away...no diving for you.
And the worst part....the backup regulator is in...A POCKET! I hope your buddy doesn't need gas in an emergency.
It seems like a "good idea" because it's integrated, but the reality is that it's not. Mares took a standard regulator setup and a standard BC and shoved them together by sewing parts of the regulator into the back of the BC. That's really about it.
You can buy better regulators and better BCs for a lower price and give up nothing other than failure points and silly design.
You can buy better regulators and better BCs for a lower price and give up nothing other than failure points and silly design.
Soggy
Contributor
crpntr133:
First, I *highly* doubt that abomination is negative...it is ridiculously bulky with tons of padding. But...assuming that you are close to neutral with your gear on, you are only going to be negative by the weight of the gas in your tanks. If you have an emergency and don't have good buddy skills to share air (near impossible given the location of the backup 2nd stage in the Hub), you can just SWIM. The most you are going to be negative is 6 lbs with an Al80, or 8 with a HP100.
FWIW, I dive with no additional lead when I use an Al80, SS backplate, and 3mm wetsuit.
Ditching a weightbelt is really not ever a good solution except on the surface or unless you are horrendously overweighted (which is the real problem).
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