Reg Braithwaite
Contributor
The PADI mag, like most others, is no more than a slick catalogue for gear, parroting the manufacturers' products with a few interesting side stories which might or might not be interesting to scuba divers. That's how they exist.
Back when stores carried computer magazines the size of telephone books, one such magazine was described thusly:
This magazine is packed with advertisements from cover to cover, some of which are labeled as such.
If I see a review for a product in a magazine that carries advertising for the manufacturer, I discount its praise heavily. I am far more impressed when someone reviews a product positively even though its manufacturer declines to advertise with them. It does happen that way from time to time.