Charles Hood checks out this cold-water package |
Mares Abyss MR22/MR42T Extreme regulator package • Regulator £419.95; Prestige NTT Octopus £105; Puck Air with compass £379.95
While most regulator manufacturers have, of late, been bringing out smaller and lighter valves aimed at the overseas traveller, Mares has gone back to its grass-root technology and released its latest version of the MR22 aimed at the cold-water diver. In fact, the MR22 Extreme is fitted with the new dry sealed MR42T first stage and is suitable for extremely cold water, including under ice. We’ve been using it since early spring in all conditions and even had it in the deep freeze over night to see how well it performed. In short it did, offering the quality we have come to expect from Mares regulators.
What makes this regulator particularly suitable for cold-water diving is the CWD (Cold Water Diving) dry kit. Unlike the standard silicone oil-filled CWD kit found on other Mares first stages, which it has to be said work very well, Mares has decided to use an air-only design for the MR42T. The external pressure is conveyed to the main diaphragm by a metal piston. Air is a good insulator and according to Mares offers better thermal protection to the internal components of the first stage compared to oil. The absence of oil also has the added benefit of making servicing simpler and faster. Mares first stages are also equipped with the DFC (Dynamic Flow Control) system, which is designed to minimise intermediate pressure drop in the hose. This pressure drop occurs to varying extents in all regulators, and minimising it gives you a smoother breathe, especially at depth. The benefit of the DFC system is that the effort of inhalation required is more consistent throughout a dive in a more demanding situation and intermediate pressure is more stable. This latter feature allows for the use of simpler and – according to Mares – more reliable second stages and is the reason why the majority of Mares regulators do not require any type of manual adjustment of the second stage. The all-metal second stage has a fluoropolymer resin finish to it and features the tried and tested VAD (Vortex Assisted Design) system, through which a vortex is created in the airflow as it enters the mouthpiece. In the centre of this swirling air is an area of a low-pressure. This low pressure helps keep the second stage diaphragm down during inhalation, thus increasing the regulator’s sensitivity and minimising respiratory effort. One of the main causes of ice forming in regulators is the expansion of air inside the second stage, which causes an abrupt drop in temperature. With the VAD system, air expands inside the by-pass tube and mouthpiece, reducing the likelihood of icing.
This regulator worked flawlessly throughout our dives, even in strong currents and big swell. This good performance is partly due to the mesh design of the second stage cover, which reduces the pressure of water flowing onto the second stage diaphragm minimising the chance of a free-flow. The Prestige NTT octopus also coped well with the cold conditions of the UK’s spring climate and thanks to a pre-dive lever never free-flowed at the surface.
Completing the package sent to us by Mares was the new gas-integrated Puck computer. We tested the wrist version of the Puck back in March 2008 and gave it an overall score of 9 out of 10 (it scored highly because of its ease of use), and essentially the Puck Air is identical but with addition of an onboard pressure gauge and breathing rate monitor. So as well as giving you the pressure of your cylinder, it also calculates your remaining bottom time not only based on depth but also based on the your rate of gas consumption. The computer itself doesn’t feature an integrated compass but for those who want a compass feature, a bolt-on, oil-filled version of the Mission is available. At just over £900 for the lot you’re getting quite good value for money for a regulator that will cope with the rigours of an expedition to the Arctic.
DIVE says…
Smooth breathing regulator that copes well in cold conditions
Value 8 Performance 9
Contact
Mares • 01539 724740 • www.mares.com