Mares regulators

[scubapro50]

Mares Abyss is one of the new models offered in the Mares/Dacor trade in program . If you own a old Dacor regulator maded before 2000 you can trade it in for one of 4 new models (including the Mares Abyss). I have read that even if your old Dacor is in "trash can condition" you can still get credit toward a new regulator. To find our more see www.scubaboard.com/t110024-.html for more information

 

[Scubaguy62]

My first reg was an MR12 Axis with an Axis octo; my second reg was a V16 Epos with a Nikkos octo, and my current reg is an Abyss 05 with a Proton nitrox octo.

I have dived Scubapro, Sherwood, Tusa, Aqualung, and Atomic regs, and believe me, Atomic has nothing that Mares needs to envy. OTOH, the only thing that Atomic needs to envy from Mares is the price tag, and Mares regs, IMHO, are better regs than the others I mentioned. BTW, I did my deepest dive (133) on my first rig, the MR12 Axis. So I guess the reviews of it being an excellent breather up to 198' weren't off.

It's more likely that the nature of their manufacturer/dealer relationship is the reason why that LDS is looking to drop Mares.

 

[stevetim]

I dove the Mares Abyss '05 for a couple of weeks only down to 30fsw to make sure my setup was familiar and in order for a deeper dives. The Abyss has great flow at very low effort levels. The ONLY problem I had was that towards the end of an inhale, I felt a ever so slight pressure drop in the second stage that would require a little more effort to breathe, and during this pressure drop I could hear the second stage make kind of a wheezing, high-pitched whine. I took the reg in for service(Divers Direct), had them tune the intermediate pressure, and I still wasn't satisfied, so they happily exchanged it for the Proton Ice. So far, the Ice is proving superior in breathing and jaw fatigue compared to the Abyss.

Just my newb experience with Mares so far.

 

[Viscya]

My Abyss was my first reg. 350 dives later it is still my primary. It's been my reg of choice down to 250fsw, and in 38 deg water. Never failed. Just tuned up when it needed it. (thanks Larry!) I got on a dive boat Sunday with six others. There were 8 or more Abyss regs and various other Mares regs on the doubles and single tanks.
Great Reg!

V

 

[divejax]

Why someone would decide not to sell Mares regs is beyond me. I service and sell Atomic, Dacor and Mares and they are ALL great regs. However I prefer/use Atomic because they are lighter and breath better than the Mares regs. The Atomic 2 year service interval is a plus too.
However, Mares has never failed to help us keep our customers happy with any of there regulators built after they bought Dacor. But, if you have any Dacor reg built before Mares bought Dacor I would suggest getting rid of it because of spare parts availability.

 

[do it easy]

i'm another abyss fan. they are robust and dependable, and i like the fact that they don't have any knobs or switches- they just breathe great.

i prefer the metal bodied regs. i have no scientific proof, but i don't seem to get dry mouth when i use a metal reg versus a plastic reg.

 

[txharleydiver]

Mares has a few regulators I might be interested in, but here in Houston at a dive shop that sells Mares said he doesn't recommend Mares. He said they were going to drop that line, because they have had a several regulators fail during dives. This of course turned me off the product, but I wanted to here from people who have used Mares for a while.

I would call Mares HQ and ask what the dealership status of the dealer you are referring to in Houston. There are a couple of dealers in Houston who claim to be dealers for Mares, but are not able to carry the current products. Gigglin Marlin and R&D Scuba are the only dealers for Mares if I remember correctly.

 

[SCUBAJENNIFER]

Thanks everybody you all make my decision a lot more easy and comforting. I know that just about all of you suggest the Abyss, but does anybody have any comments on the Proton Ice and / or the V16 Proton Metal?

Also, on the Abyss some people on other threads in this board have said that the abyss has a short and stiff hose which tends to get annoying for some people. Is this true?

I've had my Mares Proton Ice for over a year and love it. I had a Dacor that was plastic and had nothing but constant problems. My instructor has used the Abyss for years and suggested that would be a good replacement for my ailing Dacor. I found the Abyss to be heavier than I would like, but I did like the fact that it was metal. The Proton Ice was a nice compromise, all metal, but small and light.

 

[evandroairton]

Hello there,
I own a MR 16 / Akros regulator since 1998, and it´s never failed, the only thing is that it´s second stage has to be setted sometimes, in way of prevnting freeflows
Clear waters for everybody

 

[June]

I was informed the same when I approached my LDS on Mares product. lately, it seems that the product quality has decreased causing failures during dives.

As such, after much research and advice from Scubaboard, I have decided to purchase Apeks ATX200.