Mares Proton V-16 XL

[goodformeto]

I took a closer look at my regs and realized that I did not have the Proton 12's I thought I had. It turns out that I bought some Proton V-16' XLs. I'm mostly curious about the fact that they appear to have shown up on the market and then been discontinued withing a couple of years with little or no info on them. Does anyone know anything about these regs or their reputation (specifically why they were discontinued so soon). I don't exactly have a lot of money to buy new ones, but if they are a safety issue I'd like to know.

 

[TN Traveler]

No safety issue. Mares started putting the V16 together with the Proton Metal 2nd instead of the plastic Proton 2nds - to get a higher price. Mares has since come out with a new series of regs - a lightweight MR22 and the V42 and discontinued the V16.

The V16 uses the same parts as the V32/M22 - so service will not be an issue.

I think Mares thought the V16 looked too much like the 12's and people were buying either the Proton 12, for price, or the V32 more, since it looked like the high end M22 Abyss. Companies are always looking for a "price point" where buyers feel they are getting "value" - IMHO Mares saw a better mix of regs, so the
V16 was left as the "odd-man-out".

I used one for awhile and thought it was a great reg for the $$$.

 

[Greg Barlow]

As TN Traveler stated, they are an excellent product. I own two of them and have rebuilt many of them over the last few years. The V16 offers great hose routing, and the mechanical design of the first stage is very dependable.

Whenever it is due for a rebuild, I highly suggest that you have it converted over to the new tri-material high pressure valve system. While the original SCS (spherical core seal) was an improvement over the regular HP valve system, the tri-material generally has a much longer service interval.

Greg Barlow

 

[Stu S.]

I've been using one for two years. I really like it. The Mares rep in this site may be able to tell us why it is no longer offered. Maybe... there is a trend to smaller first stages, and the V-16 is a biggie.

 

[somewhereinla]

The V16 metal is a great reg. It was the first reg I bought and it is the most comfortable second stage I have ever breath from. Because is is made of metal, you get a slight condensation while diving which basically means no dry mouth...

 

[Fishpie]

As TN Traveler stated, they are an excellent product. I own two of them and have rebuilt many of them over the last few years. The V16 offers great hose routing, and the mechanical design of the first stage is very dependable.

Whenever it is due for a rebuild, I highly suggest that you have it converted over to the new tri-material high pressure valve system. While the original SCS (spherical core seal) was an improvement over the regular HP valve system, the tri-material generally has a much longer service interval.

Greg Barlow

Agreed. Before this seat I always used the blue AL/USD seat. No pitting of the surface and 1/3 the price.