Need advice and opinions on this regulator

[buddhasummer]

Checkout post # 3 above.



-Z

Yeah, noticed that after I posted

 

[Still Kicking]

Did you check your local dive shop (or wherever you got certified) and see what they had on offer. I bet they have something in this price range.

The nice thing about buying from a local shop is that if you ever need service, warranty support or any other help with your gear they should treat you like an old buddy, not a random guy who is looking to get something for nothing.

And it might help them stay in business in case you need an air fill.

I know this is an unpopular point of view around here. Pardon me if you are buying the Prestige from your LDS.

 

[buddhasummer]

"I know this is an unpopular point of view around here"

Is it

Agree with you by the way, support your LDS wherever possible/practicable as it's very hard to get a tank filled online.

 

[cfberry]

The Mares MR15 1st stage is a good quality workhorse of a regulator with the same internals as many of the models that preceded it in timeline, and above it in advertising tier. It will do just fine diving in the cold Atlantic off the coast of Canada.

The Prestige 2nd stages are good for the price of the package, if the package is new. They are unbalanced downstream 2nd stages and should work well for you.

Given that this regulator set is new, it is a good deal. The MR15/Prestige combo will as well as just about anything else on the market.

-Z

well said

 

[lowwall]

Made a post yesterday about needing a regulator and asked for opinions on a used aqualung, everyone’s advice was very helpful and you guys definitely saved me from making a bad purchase. Like I said in my other post I know nothing about equipment so I’m wondering if this regulator would be a good fit for me. I’d want to use it at a max depth of 100 feet and in the cold Atlantic Canada water. It’s in my price range but I want quality gear over cheap gear.

I bought exactly this setup for my son when he got certified 3 years ago. No problems at all. The price is this low because Mares is discontinuing the first stage and this variant of the second stage after many years of production. But the first stage shares all internal parts with current regs so there is no concern about parts availability. The second stage is still being made under other model names and most parts are common across all of their non-adjustable second stages, so again parts are readily available.

The 15X is a balanced diaphragm first stage. It will work great in the conditions you mention. If you want to take it much deeper or colder, you can have the TBP cold water (aka environmental seal) kit installed. That combination is certified to 200 meters (!) under the NORSOK U-101 commercial diving standard.

Really the only drawback is the LP ports are fixed (no turret) and there's no port on the bottom, so if you later get into sidemount or otherwise need oddball hose configurations, you'll probably want to upgrade.

The Prestige second stages are tough and reliable. The only nit is that like all the classic downstream seconds, initiating a breath takes slightly more effort than the best balanced adjustable second stages. But once cracked it delivers air effortlessly.

Info on the TBP kit:

Mares Twin Balanced Piston Dry Kit 62X / 52X / 15X / 25XR

<h3><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">DESCRIPTION</span></h3><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Twin Balanced Piston Dry Kit protects your Mares 15X first stage from icing up when diving in temperatures below 10°C.</span></p><br><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Twin Balanced piston...

www.bespokedivingadventures.co.uk

 

[happy-diver]

 

[USdiver1]

View attachment 842476

Now that s**t is funny! Became available for sale on April 1st as well, so you know its legit.