Mares vs. Sherwood

Which Reg (choose 1 entry level and 1 mid-range

  • Sherwood Magnum/Oasis

    Votes: 8 38.1%
  • Mares Prestige 12s

    Votes: 6 28.6%
  • Sherwood SR-1

    Votes: 2 9.5%
  • Mares Abyss 22

    Votes: 13 61.9%

  • Total voters
    21

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phoenix31tt

Contributor
Messages
871
Reaction score
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Location
Trinidad and Tobago
# of dives
100 - 199
OK guys, looking for advice on purchasing regs... my LDS carries both sherwood and mares.

I'm looking for advice on 2 different categories (entry level and mid-range), money is not a deciding factor between the categories so it should be based on performance and reliability

entry level:

Sherwood Oasis/Sherwood Magnum or Mares Prestige 12s

mid-range:

Sherwood SR-1 or Mares Abyss 22
 
The SR-1 is a problem child so it's best to avoid that.

The Sherwood Oasis as reliable and universally serviced as the day is long.
 
I've been using Sherwoods for years because they are relable and inexpensive. I hear about SR1 problems, but the price bothers me more. I If I wanted an adjustable 2nd I would get a Hog 2nd and use my pri as a backup.

In case you wanted to know, I use my old Sherwoods as backups and on my pony. The oldest is from the '70's and works fine, breathes good for an old reg.



Bob
------------------------------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.
 
I am not sure what "entry-level" means except that at some point you need to trade-up to a better regulator. Personally, I think there are better choices than the regulators that you are looking at.
 
I voted for the Mares. I have Sherwood regulator and they are okay but I find the Mares to be better. Realistically, what can you easily get serviced? The shop which sold me the Sherwood is out of business. The shop I work at now does not service Sherwood regulators. So I have to pay full price to have some other shop service my Sherwood regulators.
 
The old Sherwoods are rock solid, nothing fancy but good regs but the SR-1 is a nightmare to be avoided. It has been a problem child from the beginning and it's filled with unique parts that are likely not going to be around long. The SW Mag is a solid old design and a good choice.
The MR-12 AND 22 on the other hand is based on the old USD design that has a long and solid reputation (first used in 1965) and has been used in almost every reg USD/AL and Voit/AMF/Mares diaphgram reg they have produced up to today. Internally (first stages) the 12 and 22 are the same, just the parts arranged differently so either is a great reg.

Given the above choices, I would go with the Mares model that had the second stage you like the best since the first stages are for all intents and purposes the same.
The Magnum would be my next choice but I would avoid the SR-1.

---------- Post Merged at 09:22 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 09:20 AM ----------

I voted for the Mares. I have Sherwood regulator and they are okay but I find the Mares to be better. Realistically, what can you easily get serviced? The shop which sold me the Sherwood is out of business. The shop I work at now does not service Sherwood regulators. So I have to pay full price to have some other shop service my Sherwood regulators.


Unless you have the SR-1, just service it yourself. Sherwoods are very easy to service and the kits are cheap.
 
In my completely biased opinion (and yes, I *have* used them) both Sherwood and Mares are lagging behind on the price/performance curve.

Go to the nearest Aqualung dealer.... really.

R..
 
I am not sure what "entry-level" means except that at some point you need to trade-up to a better regulator. Personally, I think there are better choices than the regulators that you are looking at.

entry level means frills and features are not necessary, just a reliable reg that performs good for recreational diving and sub 300USD pricepoint

What would you recommend??

im on a twin island and the island im on there's not much choice for LDS, the other island is 3 hours away by ferry but over there i have more options for manufacturer types such as scubapro etc, if there are other great regs within these two categories i suppose i can always look at those and if i need dealer support i can go to tobago.


In my completely biased opinion (and yes, I *have* used them) both Sherwood and Mares are lagging behind on the price/performance curve.

Go to the nearest Aqualung dealer.... really.

R..

im not sure if there are any aqualung dealers here but i will check.

just did a quick check, the only other real option i have is scubapro... so mares, sherwood or scubapro.
 
Well... ok.

What I should make clear is that in terms of brands you have no "bad" options. The Mares Abyss is a good all-round regulator so I would personally lean toward using that one as a baseline to compare the others against in terms of how it dives and the price/performance indication. If I remember correctly, the Mares Abyss is the regulator Mark Ellyatt used on his back gas for his 313m dive so I would see that as proven credentials.

The Sherwood Maxiumus is also a good regulator and while the one I had doesn't compare in my mind (once again, I'm biased) to the Aqualung Titan in terms of price/performance, Sherwood does have a well deserved reputation for building highly reliable equipment.

I don't know much about the Scubapro line and I've never owned one but you seldom hear people complaining about them (aside from some older models that were prone to IP creep). I'm sure the scubapro dealer can offer you an option in the same price class as the Abyss and Maximus so I would certainly consider it based upon brand reputation.

In terms of budget I would also suggest setting the bandwidth based on the Abyss/Maxiumus. Don't forget, a regulator is (should be) a long term investment so it's really worth investing in one with good performance right from the start.

Whatever you do, don't just buy one based on the specs on paper. This is the kind of thing you should "test drive". Regardless of the specs they'll all "feel" different under water, so make sure the shops offer you the opportunity to try them out, even if it's just in the pool.

Good luck.

R..
 
What would you recommend??

If Sherwood is your choice I agree the Maximus is a better choice than the SR-1. If you can Scubapro you should be able to get their "value line" Subgear. I would recommend this in the under $300 range. I have never used Mares so I cannot comment on their line.
 

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