Mares Proton Ice or SP MK25 S600??

[Greg Barlow]

Well, I picke dup an MK 25 S550 today and have to say I am happy with it as far as it breathing for me. The only downfall is the cottonmouth I get from it after 1 dive! I was only down 39 minutes and I swear I was back in Iraq sucking down sand Can anyone verify if the mares ice or any of their regulators keep the cottonmouth effect at bay? Thanks again for any feedback.

Jason

Jason,

Metal bodied second stages, or those with metal inserts, do add moisture back to the incoming gas. As you exhale, the moisture from your exhalation condenses on the cold metal and forms droplets of water. This is the same as when you see moisture condense on the outside of a cold beverage can.

Greg

 

[pennypue]

Penny Pue - "I had really like the Proton Ice, but was told the same thing."
What were you told? I can't see the link in thread. If you are referring to Ice with Nitrox, it can def do nitrox. You'll just need to service it every year and change the lubs and o-rings to O2 compatible ones during service.

Eddie, I was told that it could have potentially explosive effects. :11: I'm glad to hear otherwise. Now as far as servicing goes, I'm going to do that every year anyway. It sounds like you are saying that it will need special "O2 compatitble" o-rings. Am I understanding that correctly? And, if so, what's different about them?

 

[edwinh]

Eddie, I was told that it could have potentially explosive effects. :11: I'm glad to hear otherwise. Now as far as servicing goes, I'm going to do that every year anyway. It sounds like you are saying that it will need special "O2 compatitble" o-rings. Am I understanding that correctly? And, if so, what's different about them?

This website is informative.
http://thedecostop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3391

 

[Ishie]

I dive in 60-40 degree water.

I use the Proton Ice in 45-65 degree water (Monterey, Tahoe) and it does just fine. It's meant to be a cold water regulator, though I've heard it does perfectly well in Florida and the Caribbean. I suspect if you try to go beyond the low range for the Ice, you'd be dealing with specialty regulators.

Good luck!

Ishie

 

[pennypue]

This website is informative.
http://thedecostop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3391

thanks eddie, very informative and also tells me WHY i was told that by someone who dives deco!!! but since that will be a way off for me (i just might want a bit more experience )i think i can put the proton ice back on my list!!

 

[Bigkidneys]

Thanks again for the insight on the Mares. I think I will pick one up in a couple of days to see how it works.

 

[BlueDevil]

You'll get a different opinion from just about evrybody but here's my two cents. I have the Proton Metal. It is essentially the exact same reg but with the V-16 1st stage and its a little cheaper. The Metal is a GREAT reg. I've never used SP so I can't comment.

In fact you can go even cheaper and still get a great reg. I have a standard Proton on a MR12 first stage. It works fine, and I would have no hesitation using it to 60m. the whole setup is very lightweight so is great for travelling. The reg is very light in your mouth also. The MR12 is a great tried and tested first stage that is just about bomb proof. I have compared my Abyss with the MR12 at 60m and it was pretty much indistinguishable from the much more expensive first stage. Only get the Ice if you have the intention of specifically diving in very cold water (eg ice diving, or water below about 8 deg C) - otherwise you are wasting the extra money.

 

[BlueDevil]

The only downfall is the cottonmouth I get from it after 1 dive! I was only down 39 minutes and I swear I was back in Iraq sucking down sand Can anyone verify if the mares ice or any of their regulators keep the cottonmouth effect at bay? Thanks again for any feedback.

Jason

Jason, "cottonmouth" seems to be a very individual phenomena. Some divers have a lot of trouble with it, others (myself included) never have any problem at all. One possible suggestion is to try drinking underwater. This is not an uncommon practice amongst technical divers who do many hours of decompression time and need to stay well hydrated. For your purposes a kids "pop top" or a sports drink bottle would work fine. Stick it in your mouth, pull the top open with your teeth, drink, blow some air back into the bottle if you wish, push the top shut, remove from your mouth. Very easy and inexpensive.

(If you are worried about your teeth you can get a 'pop-top' style drink bottle which twists open rather than pulls open, they are more tooth friendly. Or simply pull the top open with your fingers then stick it in your mouth - chances are you won't get any salt water in anyway if you are quick)

 

[edwinh]

in fact, if you only don't dive ice conditions and you don't go to 100m, a Proton will do fine (V16 + Proton 2nd stage). I have not tried 2 diver huffing and puffing on it but it breathes easy.

Another good reg that you would like to look at is the Abyss (MR22 + Abyss 2nd stage).

For SP regs, if you don't want to spend too much money, a Mk2 + S550 or G250 will be good enough for warm water diving.

 

[HaoleDiver]

Hey Kidneys, I came into this thread late, but I spent 2 months over there about a year ago, and bought all my gear there, are you diving out of MDA?