Mares Gear?

[ericg98]

Would like some feedback on Mares gear, do they put out good dive equip and are parts easy to get if needed? I live in Germany but dive mostly in the Pacific,(ie Guam) Their pricing looks good and the products seem to be of good quality, bvut I can not try or look at any since there are no dive shops here.

Any opinions oh knowledgable ones? :doctor:

[RICHinNC]

The only thing i would be cautious about is the HUB. If anything goes wrong your whole system is dead and you arent diving.

i was just in germany and just south of kitzigen there was a great dive shop.

Plus i just did a search on the internet for...dive shops germany.. and got a long list. might want to give it a try.

[roturner]

ericg98 once bubbled...
Would like some feedback on Mares gear, do they put out good dive equip and are parts easy to get if needed? I live in Germany but dive mostly in the Pacific,(ie Guam) Their pricing looks good and the products seem to be of good quality, bvut I can not try or look at any since there are no dive shops here.

Any opinions oh knowledgable ones? :doctor:

They're obviously a serious player in the recreational market.

Their regulators are mostly good and with the exception of the HUB (which by design is not fit-for-purpose in my opinion) their range of BCD's is also good. I personally think the air-trim system is a keeper but opinions are pretty split about that.

Their fins (quattros) are excellent but the Vollo isn't. The same thing is probably true for their other bits of gear. It's a good idea to get feedback on specific pieces before you buy. Also www.scubadiving.com does gear reviews and while you can question the neutrality of the reviews Mares gear is often represented.

I've heard various stories about their customer services over the years, the majority of which have been positive.

R..

[MgicTwnger]

My LDS, which has recently become a Mares dealer, tells me that he has a hard time getting parts. He blames it on the fact that Mares is in Italy.

[MaresMan1]

As my login name implies, I buy a lot of Mares equipment. I agree with most of the posts here, Mares is very good with their regs, BC, wetsuits and fins. The models to stay away from are the HUB and Volo (for reasons already stated).

I have the Airtrim BC (Morphos for travel) and I really love it. I even got good reviews from my TecRec buddies, who were suprised by the BC. It's light, folds up small for travel and the Airtrim system works really well (just have to keep it clean, like any BC).

I also use their MC1 computer, which I am also very happy with.
I have not run into any parts problems as I am near NYC and Mares has a major office in Conneticut.

The best thing to do if you can, is to demo the equipment and see what you like/dislike. You will be happier in the end with the money well spent.

Enjoy the ride.
:mean:

[zboss]

a Mares MR12 Reg and Octo... the complaint I have is that my octo diapgram went bad after about 30 dives. My regulator works well - it breathes dry and is only slightly difficult to breath from when I look up or roll over on my back and look up. Also - the hoses that come with the reg are very stiff and often cause my jaw to get tired - I have to say that this may be because I have did not have the regulator custom fitted for length... something I am considering. I am also considering getting a custom mouth piece.

[DiveTub]

Mares Kit
I have a ton of Mares Kit

2 MR22's
2 Rubys
1 V16
1 Proton
1 Ice ohh baby you got to try one of these !!
2 Quattro’s
2 Masks
1 Vector 1000 BCD

the list goes on

I love there kit, I have never had anything of Mares fail at any time during my diving career "touch wood" !!

I even had the opportunity to take a HUB for a dive, although I would never buy such a thing it was very comfy to dive in.

[ericg98]

Very good advise from all! As a novice ,I greatly appreciate all the advice on gear that I can get. I think by the time I am finsihed buying gear, I will have a mixture of everything. Your advise is great esp. since all the dive shops around here are far away , that and my lack of passable German.

Thanks,:thumb:
E

[ifukuda]

I've been using a Mares reg (V16 + Epos) for almost 2 years. I have no complaints regarding the performance of this reg at all. It's a good reg.

The only problem I have with Mares regs is that the warantee on them is only 2 years long. After the warantee expires, Mares no longer covers the cost of the parts for annual servicing.

That's the only reason I'll be getting rid of mine.

[MaresMan1]

ifukuda once bubbled...
I've been using a Mares reg (V16 + Epos) for almost 2 years. I have no complaints regarding the performance of this reg at all. It's a good reg.

The only problem I have with Mares regs is that the warantee on them is only 2 years long. After the warantee expires, Mares no longer covers the cost of the parts for annual servicing.

That's the only reason I'll be getting rid of mine.

Ifukuda,

Do you know of a manufacturer that has a warantee over 2 years, without buying an extended warantee? If so, please let us know as I might switch also. The only other regs I like that breathe similar are Apeks and Poseidon. Don't know if their warantees are any longer though.

Enjoy the ride
:mean:

[ifukuda]

MaresMan1,

1) Apeks/Aqualung has a complicated pro-rated warranty policy that extends past 2 years.

2) Scubapro has a limited lifetime warranty policy, but, I'm not quite sure what the details of the policy are.

3) Atomic has a 2 year warranty policy.

**All the manufactures mentioned above will provide lifetime free parts for annual service to the original owner.

<<Mares warranty information correction!!!>>

Mares does have a 2 year warantee policy on it's regulators.

BUT, I was wrong when I said that Mares will not cover parts for annual service after the 2 year warranty expires. When I called Mares/Dacor/Head USA HQ in Conneticut, I was advised that Mares will provide free parts for annual servicing as long as I own the regulator (and maintain proof that it's getting serviced by an official Mares dealer every year).

In Japan, Mares will provide free parts for 5 years.

I'm sorry about the mis-information. In my defense, I did not just pull this mis-information out of my a**. Before making my previous post, I called my LDS where I purchased my reg to verify the warranty information and was quoted bogus info.

So... I guess I'll hold onto my Mares reg a while longer.

[docmartin]

i've used some mares equipment. the regs are fine and very reliable. as stated previously, the hub is not a good idea. and regarding the volo fins i can only say i love them. i also am apparently not the only one as they had stellar scores for all kinds of kicks in the latest rodale's fin test. they were the best paddle fin tested and beat the quattros. if you believe rodale's had a mares bias (and there is really no reason for such an assumption) then they still would have no reason to rate them higher than the quattros which are mares, too. obviously, the testers found the volos better. since they tested in cozumel i assume they also got to try them in strong current.
however, unless you get a deal i would probably still get the quattros given the price difference.

[MaresMan1]

Ifukuda,

Thanks for the info. Makes me breathe a little better (pun intended).

Doc,

My comments on the Volo was just my opinion. I know that they are quality fins. I think that I am so used to my Quattros that the Volo's just didn't feel comfortable to me. However, I will keep an open mind and give them another try (especially the Volo Race, which I hear good things about).

Dive wise, dive safe

Enjoy the ride
:mean:

[docmartin]

hey, no problem maresman. btw, i do use the volo race.

[pt40fathoms]

My regs, BCD, fins and dive computer are Mares. I use the Abyss reg and have never had a problem of any kind with it,,,ever. The BCD is weight integrated and has the new locking system that get rid of the velcro, its a 100% improvement over any weight integrated BCD with Velcro holding the weights. As for my dive computer (yeh, I know U.P. CRYB - Computers Rot Your Brain) I use the M1. It has one very good feature, you can turn on the night light and leave it on the entire dive. It glows a blue/green color, much the same as the Timex Indiglo wrist watch back light, and will run for over 20 hours of dive time in this mode. Plus the fact that the batteries 2 are user replaceable AAA's helps. The fins I use are the Mares Quatro. Great fins, what more can I say about them. As for the Volo, I tried them, but found them to be completely wrong for my type of fining technique. I use the frog kick or modified frog kick mostly, and the Volo fins simply are not designed for it.

In short, good solid equipment.

[blawler1]

Mares/Sporasub is quality equipment. I own mostly Sporasub equipment (regulator, BC, Mask, and Computer) and have had no complaints what so ever except that they don't distribute much of this line in the US. Its Mares quality at very competitive prices.

[kingprawn]

Abyss MR-22
Axis MR-12
Volos
Wetsuit 5 Mil
Wetsuit 3 Mil


I love my gear. Volos Rock! Out perform everything but split fins in speed and performance. Out perform split fins in alternate kicks. Try skulling win a split fin. To quote Rodale "… best paddle fin ever tested".

Never had a problem with my regs in the three years I've had them. I've spoken to a number of people with the same experience.

Wetsuits are warm and well built.

I’d personally like to hear about Abyss at deeper depths, but that’s another thread.

[drbill]

I use only their wetsuits which are warm and comfortable for me. My dive buddies use their BCD's, fins and other equipment which they are quite happy with. One is from the Netherlands and much of her gear is Mares. Although I don't think it is related to the equipment, she's a great diver (and person).

Dr. Bill