MARES Regs Abyss v Proton

[milktrayman]

I am thinking of buying myself a new set of regs... I was lookinmg at the Mares range.. the Abyss and the Proton (metal) and the Proton (plastic) Octopus

Can anyone on SB give me a little feedback on these? Which one is the better one ?

I dive in Thailand and S E Asia

:14:

 

[123Scuba.com]

Personally, I still like the Abyss over the Proton Metal...

 

[bubblemonkey]

me also, tried them both once.

Bought the Abyss.

 

[Double_D]

I bought the Proton ICE. Not that I didn't like the way the Abyss breathed versus the Proton; I just liked the smaller size. Rigged with a seacure mouthpiece, it's been pure bliss. Never had a freeflow or any kind of problem. Wouldn't hesitate to own the Abyss; it was just a matter of preference at the time I bought mine.

My next reg set won't be Mares, simply because of the access to parts issues.
It took my shop a solid month to get the kit at my last rebuild.

 

[hlsooner]

I love diving my Abyss. Having dove with Proton on a few occasions, I would take the Abyss over it any day.

 

[TN Traveler]

I dive with an Abyss as my primary and a Proton Ice as my Octo. Both breathe great - I just like the larger size of the Abyss, reducing the bubble interferance - but I also use a SeaCure mouthpiece to offset the weight and size. I also find that using an all metal second reduces dry mouth significantly for me.

My wife, on the other hand, dives a Proton XL with a Proton Octo because she likes the lighter weight and smaller size - she uses a Comfo-Bite mouthpiece (does not like the SeaCure).

I dive in colder water than my wife does, so the all metal 2nds also give me a more secure feeling when it comes to the potential of cold water freeflows.

We both dove Aeris and TUSA previously, with adjustable 2nds - and find that the Mares breathe as well, or better, with no need for adjustment during the dive. It did take a couple of attempts at "tuning" them to get them set where we wanted - but it is very easy to do on the Protons (a little more work on the Abyss).

I think you will be happy with any of them.

 

[ddavid]

not sure if this post is too late, just my feedback on the proton metal; my previous reg was a proton metal with V32 1st stage & it performed pretty well. I could be wrong but i believe its 1 of the smallest metal 2nd stages around, if not the smallest. I can't vouch for cold water diving as i dive mainly SE-Asian waters.
But my only user-gripes; the bubble interference at times (esp when trying to look upwards inside a wreck etc), & jaw fatigue. The latter could be due to the constant feeling that the hose is "pulling" the mouthpiece to the side. Other than these 2, its pretty decent reg, & definitely no cotton-mouth effect. Hope this user feedback helps in your purchasing decision.