Mares R2 Axis Reg

[Greg Barlow]

Greg, I have been thinking about getting a Proton as a lightweight reg for my wife. Have you had any problems with bubble interference with the Proton (given its small size)? Any other comments on its performance, or comfort in the mouth?

Thanks, BlueDevil

Blue Devil,

I just made 3 dives yesterday with my new V16 Proton. I was suprised to find that bubble interference only occured when I was stationary and had my head angled perpendicular to the surface. While I was moving forward in proper trim position I didn't notice any bubbles at all. The reg was very stable and didn't free flow at all even when quickly removing it from my mouth. I was using it as my primary on a 2m hose and found that it was neutral in the mouth. The mouthpiece felt a bit too long, but I am very used to the small mouthpiece that is found on the older Mares regs. I adjusted the first stage to 10.0bar as I was diving in water that was only 2 degrees celsius. The maximum depth in the quarry is 19m, so I couldn't get a feel for its breathing performance at depth.

All in all, it was very stable and delivered gas in a smooth fashion.

Greg

 

[garyfotodiver]

I just bought one for my 13 year-old daughter. I expect no problems. My first regulator was a Swimaster Polaris II piston first-stage job, and I took it to 110ft. in December off the NJ coast.

I will add a Mares octopus (she wants everything to match) and a 2-gauge console. We''ll be diving next month in FL.

Well, FWIW here is a report on the Mares R2 Axis regulator. No problems. The new diver used it on three dives, and had no difficulties with it free-flowing or with breathing effort.

I'd purchase another one for my diving needs.

 

[scubatoys]

We'll I'm going to buck the system here a bit... I'd actually go with the R2, or the V16 proton, and not the MR12... We used the MR12 Proton for all our training gear, and the seats in those darn things self destruct in about 3 months... We had to replace seats all the time as they would get scored and suffer intermediate pressure creep and then free flow.

The R2 piston is less likely to fail, as is the spherical V16 seat assembly. If you are doing the MR12 - I'd make sure I'm under warranty - We replace parts including seats free for life with annual service for regs bought at our shop - whether on line or not - and in all honesty - with that policy - I've lost money on some MR12s due to the number of seats we've had to drop in them.

The other alternative if you really want that reg is during the first service, swap out the standard rubber seat with one of the new poly blend seats that have a 3 year service interval. We've got some that fit the standard Mares - while they are not from Mares directly - they are the same seat...

But for the extra few bucks... I'd be with the V16 proton... hands down - less trouble, and much better performance. And you're still below $200...

 

[boomx5]

We had to replace seats all the time as they would get scored and suffer intermediate pressure creep and then free flow.

I had the same problems with mine. I threw about 40 dives on it, and then I started to have free flow issues. They are ok while they work, but they are not that reliable.