Any thoughts on the Mares MR 12 Proton Regulator

[Trey9123]

I am thinking about purchasing the Mares MR 12 Proton Regulator as my first regulator. I was just wondering if anyone had any experiences good or bad with this product and if they would let me know.
Thanks,
Trey
Mares MR 12 Proton Regulator at Divers Direct - Scuba gear & equipment online dive catalog!

 

[squidster]

Go to the Scuba diving Magazine site and take a look at the 2007 Regulator review .
It has the proton12 reg in there test report ,looks like a good one.
One more thing,be sure you check out Scuba toys.com they also sale Mares.
They are authorized dealers and they will match or beat anyones price,they are a good company.
i have never purchased anything from divers Direct but my buddy has,he seems to think there ok.

 

[ArthurGerla]

The MR12 first stage is a tried and tested design that has been in use for years & years. Parts are available everywhere. Not the best for cold water diving though, unless you fit the cold water kit.

 

[Zak OHara]

Hi all,

Thanks for the good comments about the MR12 Proton. It really is a good regulator. I would have to say, that I think it performs just fine in cold water. I'm not sure how cold you are referring to, but we have hundreds and hundreds diving around the Pacific NW and N. CA and I haven't heard 1 complaint. If you were to take it ice diving, the cold water kit wouldn't be a bad idea.

Happy regulator hunting. I hope you find one that you like and serves you well.

Best regards,

 

[Greg Barlow]

A dive buddy and I will both be diving Mares regs this Sunday in waters that are in the high 30's. Neither of us use sealed first stages, and we've never had a problem in literally hundreds of cold water dives. One of my closest friends, an ice diving instructor, uses unsealed V16's under the ice and has never experienced a single problem.

I own two Mares MR/V16, four MR12, and one V42 first stages. The MR12's are used on my cave diving regs, as they have nice hose routing for my purposes. The V16 and V42 are used for single tank diving. Of the three designs, I like the V42 best for this type of diving, as the hose routing is great for my Hogarthian set-up.

Upgrade older Mares first stages with the new tri-material HP valve, and you have a super reliable first stage that offers excellent peformance.

Greg Barlow

 

[squidster]

I am thinking about purchasing the Mares MR 12 Proton Regulator as my first regulator. I was just wondering if anyone had any experiences good or bad with this product and if they would let me know.
Thanks,
Trey
Mares MR 12 Proton Regulator at Divers Direct - Scuba gear & equipment online dive catalog!

The mr 12 is the first stage,make sure you get the all metal second stage.
You can get the Rebel,prestiege,Abyss or the metal.
the metal will be better for cold water.
one other thing i noticed on the mares site that the specs say not compatable with nitrox.
so want to make sure what ever reg you get can be used with nitrox.all Scuba Pro regs can be used with nitrox up to 40 %:scubadive:scubadive

 

[xose]

one other thing i noticed on the mares site that the specs say not compatable with nitrox.
so want to make sure what ever reg you get can be used with nitrox.

Mares PROTON 12 manual says:

! WARNING FOR EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ONLY
Mares regulators and octopus are designed and intended for use only with clean, compressed atmospheric air. Do not use this equipment with any other gas or enriched air.
Failure to adhere to this warning may result in serious injury or death due to fire and explosion or the serious deterioration or failure of the equipment.

! WARNING FOR NON-EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ONLY
Mares regulators, alternative second stages, and gas delivery components are designed for and compatible with open circuit SCUBA using compressed air or enriched air (Nitrox) mixtures not exceeding 40% Oxygen ONLY.
These limits conform to the DAN Nitrox Industry Workshop Proceedings of November, 2000.
Failure to follow this warning may result in SERIOUS INJURY or DEATH to the user due to fire, explosion, or the deterioration or failure of the equipment.

 

[Greg Barlow]

The mr 12 is the first stage,make sure you get the all metal second stage.
You can get the Rebel,prestiege,Abyss or the metal.
the metal will be better for cold water.
one other thing i noticed on the mares site that the specs say not compatable with nitrox.
so want to make sure what ever reg you get can be used with nitrox.all Scuba Pro regs can be used with nitrox up to 40 %:scubadive:scubadive

All Mares regs can be used with nitrox blends up to 40%. That statement is required to be made by the European Union. The owner's manuals are printed in Italy, hence the wording. IMO, the EU goes way overboard on nitrox regulations.

Greg Barlow

 

[xose]

Upgrade older Mares first stages with the new tri-material HP valve, and you have a super reliable first stage that offers excellent peformance.

How good is the Tri-Material Valve vs. the old one ?

Is it more reliable, longer life time, easy to breath ?


-thanks-

 

[Couv]

Mares PROTON 12 manual says:

! WARNING FOR EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ONLY
Mares regulators and octopus are designed and intended for use only with clean, compressed atmospheric air. Do not use this equipment with any other gas or enriched air.
Failure to adhere to this warning may result in serious injury or death due to fire and explosion or the serious deterioration or failure of the equipment.

! WARNING FOR NON-EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ONLY
Mares regulators, alternative second stages, and gas delivery components are designed for and compatible with open circuit SCUBA using compressed air or enriched air (Nitrox) mixtures not exceeding 40% Oxygen ONLY.
These limits conform to the DAN Nitrox Industry Workshop Proceedings of November, 2000.
Failure to follow this warning may result in SERIOUS INJURY or DEATH to the user due to fire, explosion, or the deterioration or failure of the equipment.

Now I know what you are thinking; what is it about the air in Europe that is different from the air in the US? Well, my wife is from Europe (Limey) and I have to admit, she has a totally different air about her.

I hope this helps.

c