Mares new limited edition

[blumassoc]

The mystery is over. I handle public relations for Mares Dacor in the U.S. Here's the official announcement issued on Sat. Mar. 5. - Jeff Blumenfeld


HEAD LAUNCHES MARES LIMITED EDITION / METAL

Only 940 Sets of Individually Numbered and Personalized Regulators,

Fins and BC’s To be Sold in U.S. By Exclusive Network of Dealers

NORWALK, Conn. (March 5, 2005) – HEAD USA, makers of Mares, Dacor and Sporasub dive gear, has intentionally shrouded a new line of signature dive gear in mystery for almost a year - until today.

In a simultaneous announcement from Mares headquarters in Rapallo, Italy, and Norwalk, Conn., the HEAD USA Diving Division launched the Mares Limited Edition / Metal line in the U.S. The new high performance dive products consist of the Mares Metal Tech LE regulator, Morphos Metal Tech LE buoyancy compensator, and Quattro Excel Metal LE fin. Only 2,000 regulators and BCs will be produced, along with 4,000 pairs of fins. A select group of just 100 dealers worldwide will carry Limited Edition, of which only 940 complete sets will be available in the U.S. All will be individually numbered.

The Limited Edition / Metal (www.limitededition.mares.com) is designed to promote the sport of scuba diving in order create a more robust industry, showcase the technological superiority of the Mares brand, and promote the excellence of the dealers selected by Mares to carry Limited Edition, according to the joint announcement by Stefano di Martino, president of H.T.M. Sport Diving, and Phil Mintz, director of sales and marketing for the U.S. Diving Division of HEAD USA.

Lightest Reg Ever

The Metal Tech LE is a completely new regulator in the Mares line. The first stage is 60% lighter than any other reg made by Mares and features the company’s proprietary Dynamic Flow Control (DFC) on all low-pressure ports. The DFC is hand-tuned at the factory through the use of an external precision adjustment to minimize immediate pressure drop during the inhalation phase, making breathing easier.

The second stage has a physical vapor deposition coating on top of a brass and double chrome metal body for super hardness and scratch resistance. The first stage is where users will find their individual number, one through 2,000, in the Limited Edition line. The owner of each regulator may further personalize it by having their name engraved on the second stage by logging onto a private Limited Edition owner’s Web site run by Mares and placing a request with their personal PIN number. Suggested retail price: $699.

Aluminum Fabric for the BC

The Morphos Metal Tech LE BC features Alutex construction, additional padding at the neck and shoulders, the Mares self-adjusting harness system (SAHS), and the Morphos armchair buoyancy design. Alutex is a material stronger than nylon with aluminum fibers woven into the fabric for robust resiliency and a distinctive look. The SAHS system self-customizes to create an ideal fit for every diver, male or female, every time. One-way pneumatic valves open together to dump air in any position for perfect trim at depth with very little water leakage. A metal plate on the BC clearly identifies and numbers the item as one of 2,000. Suggested retail price: $849.

Metal Foil Adds Snap to Fins

The Quattro Excel Metal LE fins are the first to use an elastic version of the Mares Optimized Pivoting Blade (OPB) system, guaranteeing ideal forward thrust at each stage of the kicking cycle. A whale-tail foot pocket design, crafted from two different materials, in conjunction with a newly developed Super Channel Thrust design, displaces more water with greater efficiency of energy than any other fin on the market.

At the heart of the Quattro Excel is a metal foil, visible in a clear channel running the length of the fin. The foil is made from Techralene stainless steel, and provides added “snap” to the fin’s action without creating stiffness. This metal technology is exclusive to the Limited Edition and is numbered from one to 4,000; there are twice as many fins to accommodate various foot sizes. Suggested retail price: $249.

For more information and a list of Limited Edition dealers, log onto www.limitededition.mares.com.

HEAD USA is part of the HEAD NV Group which is based in the Netherlands and listed on the New York and Vienna Stock exchanges. The HEAD NV Group is a worldwide sporting goods company that manufactures and markets products under the HEAD brand (racquet and winter sports), Penn (world’s #1 tennis ball and racquetball brand), and Tyrolia (wintersports bindings), in addition to the three diving brands (Mares, Dacor and Sporasub). HEAD NV’s Chairman is Johan Eliasch.

The telephone number for the Diving Division is 203 855 0631; fax 203 866 9573; www.mares.com, www.divedacor.com, www.sporasubusa.com. For HEAD USA information, log onto www.head.com.

# # #


Editor’s Note: Photography of the Limited Edition line is available through
Jamie Gribbon, blumjamie@aol.com, 203 655 1600.


3-5-05

Contact:
Jeff Blumenfeld, Jamie Gribbon
Blumenfeld and Assoc. PR
203 655 1600; blumjamie@aol.com

Karen Flood
HEAD USA
203 655 0631 x 1212

 

[aquaoren]

I saw that too, but I didn't have time to comment.

It's one thing when a company exaggerates or stretches the truth about a product to make it appear more desirable than it really is, or to drum up publicity.

It's another thing to outright lie, and, IMHO, that's exactly what happened in this thread. Several posters called the products what they were - cosmetic changes with a hefty price tag - and the Mares CEO and some sock puppets (who pulled those strings I don't know) told us how wrong we were. The products would revolutionize diving.

What bunk. I think this whole thread should just die.

Hey dude, you wouldn't call me a sock puppet, wouldn't you?
Not after having ridiculed you for showing up to a dive with an empty tank

 

[jonnythan]

Hey dude, you wouldn't call me a sock puppet, wouldn't you?
Not after having ridiculed you for showing up to a dive with an empty tank

It had 1500 psi in it!!

Remember how we briefly bounced around the idea of slinging that other bottle... lol O

 

[Damselfish]

I think an awful lot of people involved in any sort of marketing, simply don't realize or understand many people's (low) opinion of most marketing.

 

[jonnythan]

IMO, marketing did a fine job... it was when the CEO of Mares and some one-post-wonders came onto Scubaboard that things fell apart.

 

[The Chairman]

Hey Jonnythan... you had only one post once.

Like I pointed out, all of the new posters appear COMPLETELY legit. Please accept them as such. There is no need to cry wolf about this. Most of those pointing the finger know how AGGRESSIVELY we deal with sock puppets!

 

[jonnythan]

The first time I read through the thread, I remember a couple of comments that seemed much more suspect than when I just read through it again. I suppose I remembered incorrectly, but I thought I saw a poster or two say something like "I've seen these new products and they're AMAZING!" or some such.

Apologies to the nonexistant people I insulted


edit: BTW, I think I went from 0 to more-posts-than-dives in pretty short order

 

[aquaoren]

The problem is that we were promised revolutionary products. The LE is maybe unique, possibly innovative, but there is nothing revolutionary in them as far as I can see.
Boogie is right here. When someone promises something and does not live up to the promises, he shouldn't be surprised that people are not happy and lose trust in the promises of the company. I'm saying that as someone who loves Mares products and owns a whole bunch.
While I applaude Mares attempts to be innovative, as a Mares customer, I am somewhat disappointed of the end result compared to the promises forehand.
Mr. di Martino, I think that was missed in your company is the fact that some scuba diver are maybe a little more informed about their gear than participants of other sports like Jogging or Tennis. It may have something to do with the fact that this is life support equipment and some of us tend to be more critical and demanding of such equipment.

 

[steve2281]

The first time I read through the thread, I remember a couple of comments that seemed much more suspect than when I just read through it again. I suppose I remembered incorrectly, but I thought I saw a poster or two say something like "I've seen these new products and they're AMAZING!" or some such.
:

There are several posts in this thread that the text/message has been edited/deleated. Maybe those are the ones you are thinking of. I can remember a few specific comments for sure; that poster has not reappeared. cheers

 

[boxcar]

The problem is that we were promised revolutionary products. The LE is maybe unique, possibly innovative, but there is nothing revolutionary in them as far as I can see.
...
While I applaude Mares attempts to be innovative, as a Mares customer, I am somewhat disappointed of the end result compared to the promises forehand.
Mr. di Martino, I think that was missed in your company is the fact that some scuba diver are maybe a little more informed about their gear ...It may have something to do with the fact that this is life support equipment and some of us tend to be more critical and demanding of such equipment.

Amen aquaoren...that is just what I was going to say...the standards for 'revolution' seem a bit low at Mares...I own some Mares gear and love it, but 'revolution', come on...

As for the treatment of Stefano, I agree there have been a few harsh words (and that isn't the right way to approach this), but just as this is an opportunity for us to provide feedback, it is an opportunity for Mares to take that feedback on board, and one message that is not being taken on board seems to be that style points don't count nearly as much as functionality, durability and sustainable use/service.

if the target market is the style concious diver with heaps of $$, maybe they are right on with the campaign...However, they won't be getting my $$.