Newbie to Mares Products: Questions

[scubaseeker]

Hi All,

Just bought my Mares 'Kit' and it comprises:

'Prestige' BC with pocket weight holders
'Proton' Regulator - nearly all metal with 'T' something first stage
'Prestige' Octopus 'Yellow' coloured
'Mission' SPG with typical three gauges & comes with CD

Questions:

'Prestige' BC. Where do I attach my Octopus 2nd stage????, on one of the two metal rings? Do I need a clip?

'Proton' Regulator - Reference seems to be that it is good for cold water, but here in the M.E. its very, very hot!!! Have I made the wrong choice here?? Also any pictures to show how I connect all my hoses to First stage? Scared to death doing this, looks so complicated!:depressed: Do I need to oil it or use a spander/metalwork hammer?

Mission SPG. Where is the software, the CD just seems to have PDF? Also can my Suunto D6 relate to this???

Any other advice about Mares use for a Newbie living in the hot M.E.

Many thanks for your time.

 

[esguerra1]

Scubaseeker,

Congrats on purchasing your new Mares gear. You have a nice setup and as long as you maintain it and keep it clean you'll have years of enjoyable diving! To answer all your questions, I'd suggest you take it to your Local Dive Shop (LDS) and have a trained staff show you - that'd be easiest. But if you want to assemble your gear on your own it's not very difficult. I've attached a photo below. I'm assuming you have the MR42T or MR22T first stage regulator. If not, then your reg. will NOT look like my diagram and then I suggest you take it to your LDS to make sure you don't connect the hoses to the wrong ports.

But to answer your questions first:
1. The most common place people attach their Octopus 2nd stages are on the right side of their body somewhere in the area formed by an imaginary triangle between your chin and the bottom two corners of your rib cage. If you are referring to the metal D-rings on your Prestiage BCD on the right shoulder strap, that may be a bit too high. Do you have another mini plastic D-ring just above the RIGHT Pocket? I know there is one on the left side of this BCD above the pocket, but if you have one above the RIGHT pocket, yes, just buy a clip for your octopus (they make specially dedicated Octo holders) and attach it to that mini-plastic D-ring.

2. Your Proton Metal Reg. IS a good choice for cold water diving, however, it is absolutely perfect for warm water diving as well - esp out there in the hot sand box where you live! You have absolutely no worries. You chose a great reg, knowing that if ever you move to colder climates, your reg will be fine. You made a good choice.

Here is a pic for you on the basic assembly of your hoses. You just need an allan wrench and a typical crescent wrench and if you do have some SILICONE GREASE (NOT OIL!!!) you can lubricate the o-rings...but DON'T put too much silicone grease. Just a tiny bit is all you need. Use the allan wrench to unscrew the little port protector caps. Stow these in a safe place in case you need to plug them in at another time. Attach the hoses as per the diagram but make sure you don't tighten ANY of those hoses too tight. ie. Don't wrench them down so hard. Screw them in with your fingers until the o-ring disappears and seals and the metal from the hose housing touches the metal from the first stage and stops (finger tight). Then take your wrench and tighten it a bit more to make sure it doesn't come unscrewed accidentally. Your first stage has 4 LP (low pressure) ports and 2 HP (high pressure) ports. The HP ports are clearly marked as there are only 2 of them. BE SURE to only attach your SPG (console/gauge) to one of these HP ports. According to your info provided, you should leave the other HP port empty. Also, it is essential you attach your LP hoses on the sides as shown - as when you attach your unit to your tank, you will need these hoses to be on the 'correct' side. Here's a photo I made for you of the most common setup with a MR42/22T first stage (PM me with your personal email if you have problems viewing the photo and I'll email it to you). Remember, this is a picture of the MR42T or MR22T first stage. Don't follow these instructions if your first stage looks different:

According to the info you gave me, when your setup is complete, you should have one empty HP port and one empty LP port. If you still doubt yourself, to be sure, take your setup to any LDS and I'm sure they'll be happy to help you attach your hoses to your First Stage - most likely they shouldn't charge you as it takes just a few minutes! Again, it would be nice to know what exact model your first stage is. (Just FYI, the "T" stands for the special "Tri-material" Mares uses to construct the first stage valve.)

3. Your final question about your Mission console. I'm not quite sure what you are asking here. What exact console do you have? Does it have an integrated Mares Puck computer in it? Or is it just an analogue gauge (air pressure gauge/depth gauge/compass) console? Regardless, I don't know what software you are looking for. And also, none of these have anything to do with your Suunto D6 dive watch. They are entirely separate and will not communicate with each other. If you have a D6, the gauge will act as a backup in case your D6 fails. However, you do need the air pressure gauge on your console for all your dives. Please provide more information on what model console you have (eg. Mares Mission 1, 2, 2c, or 3 or Puck consoles etc.?)

I strongly recommend you visit an LDS after assembling your equipment to make sure you got it right. Good luck and happy diving!

Cheers,

 

[scubaseeker]

Dear Jeremy,

First of all my deepest appreciations for such a detailed reply. I would never expected such a response, incl. a image showing how to connect each of the hoses! WO!!! and a first E-mail to this group!

I think the best thing for me to do, is go through your wonderfully detailed reply, to check to see tonight if my first stage is indeed an MR42, and then take it from there.

Lastly, I initially was wanting to buy all SP!, and a little disappointed initially, (for me a newbie) an unknown brand, but your E-mail has turned me around, and given me the confidence that I made the right choice in investing in Mares SCUBA gear - products.

Once again many thanks for your kind efforts. Mike.

 

[esguerra1]

Hi Mike,

No problem. Mares is definitely NOT an unknown brand. Just like SP, it's made in Italy and they produce top quality scuba gear. SP does make good products but they are geared towards the more technical/professional diver. (A general statement). Not that recreational divers cannot use them; but Mares is very popular with recreational divers. They are very common and easy to get serviced worldwide which is a bonus. You'll hear a lot of critics saying Mares is the 'cheap' brand and they just have a wonderful marketing and advertising campaign. This is just not true. All companies have had their ups and downs...including Mares. They said the same thing about Apple Computer 10 years ago. Look at it now. It's good to ask questions and compare brands - but in the end, go with what you like and what suits your budget, style of diving, comfort, and most important, of course, safety. Mares products are extremely safe, but you can just as well kill yourself with any other reg out there if you don't know what you're doing and don't maintain your gear.

Don't just trust me, surf the web and you'll find you have a great set-up; especially for a self proclaimed 'newbie!' The Proton Metal is a popular reg and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's among Mares' top of the line best and you can't go wrong. (I've used one before) You're definitely not alone!

Happy and SAFE diving.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

scubaseeker

Congrats on your dive gear purchase. Mares is a world wide well known dive gear company that makes top of the line gear. You won't be disappointed with any of their gear. About 99% of the gear I own is Mares. The Proton is a great reg and it will give years of service. I dive an Abyss with a Proton Metal as my octo.
I second esguerra1's advice and take your regs to a authorized Mares dealer to have your regs checked over and set up.

 

[Wick]

Mares is top notch. You made a good decision choosing them. They are definitely not an unknown company. From what I've seen in my experiences diving, that Mares is the most popular fin.

I have a complete Mares setup and its still working great after 125 dives.

 

[Greg Barlow]

Hi Mike,

No problem. Mares is definitely NOT an unknown brand. Just like SP, it's made in Italy and they produce top quality scuba gear. SP does make good products but they are geared towards the more technical/professional diver. (A general statement). Not that recreational divers cannot use them; but Mares is very popular with recreational divers. They are very common and easy to get serviced worldwide which is a bonus. You'll hear a lot of critics saying Mares is the 'cheap' brand and they just have a wonderful marketing and advertising campaign. This is just not true. All companies have had their ups and downs...including Mares. They said the same thing about Apple Computer 10 years ago. Look at it now. It's good to ask questions and compare brands - but in the end, go with what you like and what suits your budget, style of diving, comfort, and most important, of course, safety. Mares products are extremely safe, but you can just as well kill yourself with any other reg out there if you don't know what you're doing and don't maintain your gear.

Don't just trust me, surf the web and you'll find you have a great set-up; especially for a self proclaimed 'newbie!' The Proton Metal is a popular reg and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's among Mares' top of the line best and you can't go wrong. (I've used one before) You're definitely not alone!

Happy and SAFE diving.

I've been diving since 1974, and have used regs from just about every major manufacturer in the world. Any, and I mean any, major dive gear company builds safe, dependable, and reliable regulators. That said, when I make cave, or other technical type dives you will see me using Mares MR12 first stages and Proton Metal seconds. Up until a couple of months ago, I relied heavily on the older, discontinued, Mares Akros second stages. After more than 8 years of service, they have been retired to stage/deco bottle duties.

The Proton Metal seconds are extremely robust, and mechanically simple. The metal case virtually eliminates "cotton mouth", and its thermal conductivity is great for cold water diving.

Can a balanced, inhalation effort adjustable, reg be adjusted in the water to give a lower cracking effort than the downstream, unbalanced, non-adjustable Mares products? Yes, they can, but at the cost of greater mechanical complexity. The Proton Metal earns ANSTI simulator scores that earn it a US Navy "Class A" rating which simply means that it can provide a diver with more air than they can use while swimming at a very fast rate at 198 feet of water. Considering the density of air at that depth, and that the lungs are moving more than 60 liters of air in one minute, that is all the proof that I need.

Another plus is that if I have a problem with one of my Mares regs while on a trip, I can easily service the first or second stage by using a relatively small selection of tools. Considering that I have never turned a dive due to a reg issue, I don't look for that to occur too often.

Greg Barlow
Former Science Editor for Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine

 

[esguerra1]

...Can a balanced, inhalation effort adjustable, reg be adjusted in the water to give a lower cracking effort than the downstream, unbalanced, non-adjustable Mares products? Yes, they can, but at the cost of greater mechanical complexity. The Proton Metal earns ANSTI simulator scores that earn it a US Navy "Class A" rating which simply means that it can provide a diver with more air than they can use while swimming at a very fast rate at 198 feet of water. Considering the density of air at that depth, and that the lungs are moving more than 60 liters of air in one minute, that is all the proof that I need.
...
Greg Barlow
Former Science Editor for Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine

Great! Leave it to Greg to provide sound, technical advice. I wonder how much the Mares Carbon 42 reg scores on the ANSTI simulator. Anywhere I can find those performance specs or more information on the testing process?

 

[scubaseeker]

Thanks Guys, and what wonderful enthusiastism on the topic. For a newbie, I'm learning a lot quickly here, so many thanks.

Okay now I can make clear what I purchased. A few more questions: Jeremy, it's a MR32T first stage with Proton Metal second stage, not the MR42 as assumed here. I note in the regulator picture in the Mares 2008 catalogue that MR32 does not seem to correspond with the Stage 2 Proton Metal, but shows a relationship -a series of lines connecting/linking to the Proton Ice Extreme and Prestige NTT, so not sure what this means, if any implications on my arrangement/ purchase of a MR32T connected to the Proton Metal?

Also I understand from the catalogue - unlike the MR42, the MR32 has similar characteristics except having a Primary LP??? What does that mean and given your diagram above, does this make redundant how I connect all?? I'm assuming the answer is not, but what is a Primary LP?

The console is Mission-3 which I understand can be upgraded to a computer connection?? or something like that. As I have a Suunto D6 which also has the capacity to connect to a PC, is this worth the upgrade effort??

BTW, I'm very happy I have settled with Mares, especially the community out there!!!!, but still have a learning curve to overcome, but then its the journey, not the destination eh...! Best regs, Mike.

 

[Greg Barlow]

You can find the Carbon's ANSTI results on this link. You will need to click on the section that says: "Click for Tech Info".

Mares - stand for diving

This link will fully explain the ANSTI testing procedure.

http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/2009/06/top-guns-of-2009

Greg