I will be purchasing one of these regulators this week. Are they all environmentally sealed? I am not sure about the 22.
Do they all breathe the same? Does the Carbon try to float while in your mouth?
I was going to purchased a Scubapro A700/MK25, but i just don't like the idea of not being environmentally sealed. Poseiden are impossible to service and the kits are not cheap. I also like how there is less to break on the Mares regs.
My only other non Mares reg I might purchase is an Apex XTX 200
Any other pros or cons, please advise me
The Mares regs that you are considering are all diaphragm designs. That simply means that the internal parts of the first stage are not in direct contact with the water. The spring which controls the intermediate pressure according to the surrounding water pressure is in direct contact with the water. You can add a dry sealed system to any of the Mares diaphragm first stages, but that is only needed in the most extreme cases. I use a variety of Mares regs for my diving needs and none of them have the cold water sealing systems.
I ice dive during the winter months along with other dive buddies who also use Mares regs. None of us have the first stages equipped with the devices, and we have yet to experience a free flow. I have logged literally hundreds of cold water dives (below 50 degrees), and have never had a free flow condition from any of my Mares regs.
The Carbon will not float in your mouth, as its density is greater than that of water.
Personally, if I had the $, I would own a Carbon. Paying tuition for two kids in college makes that kind of purchase tough to explain...
Of all my regs, the MR42/Proton Metal is my favorite. Any of the three considerations are excellent products. I use two of the Limited Edition Proton Metal second stages on my doubles. They are coated with a titanium PVD coating, and are very pleasing to the eye. The Proton is a bit smaller in size than that of the Carbon and Abyss. The larger bodied regs have a bit better exhaust bubble dispersion when vertically stationary in the water, such as when taking photographs. That said, it isn't a big issue with the Proton.
I personally like that the 42 first stage uses all 3/8" LP ports. The 22 uses a primary 1/2" port. All of my modern regs are set-up with a 7' long hose primary reg, and a 22-24" back-up hose. I use 2 MR12 first stages, 1 MR16, and 1 V42. It is easier for me to keep one spare 3/8" 7' hose for all the different regs. If I used a 22, then I would be forced to keep a spare 1/2" 7' hose as well.
The Apeks regs are also excellent products. I have made many dives with an older DS4/TX50. I also own and dive with a couple of Scubapro regs. They, too, are high quality designs.
Here's a picture of me following an ice dive last winter. You can see how cold the outside air was. I had only been out of the water for a couple of minutes when our surface tender took the photograph.
You can clearly see the hose configuration that I use for my V42/Proton Metal. The V42 was the earliest version of the current MR42.
Greg
