After all the bashing, we have to admit that it takes some courage for Stephano to post in this board, without cynicism. Stephano, thanks for the small letter in the LE package, it would have been a nice touch if you actually handwrote it and signed it (wow, big manager spending all that time writing thank you letters! think about it for your next Platinum Limited Edition).
As it seems that I am the only one posting here who has actually purchased a LE item (I called my shop and they confirmed that they haven't sold any since then), I'd like to share some more thoughts, now that the whole mystique is gone, the hype dissipated.
The first stage of the reg is really amazingly small. Since someone asked if I tried breathing in it at depth, the answer is no. I'll try it on my next trip and share my impressions + comparison with my SPro MK25/650X. Not too worried about the reg's performance, I'll trust Mares technology.
By the way, making it unique, personalizing it by putting your name has absolutely no value to me. The website naming simulation clearly shows that it will just make the reg ugly. I will not pay the extra 15 Euros to do it ($700 not enough, you gotta pay the extra bucks to get your name printed!). I've heard rumors that Lexus will be selling limited edition personalized cars with a 30% higher price: you can choose a bumper sticker for 15 euros + tax.
The BC is not a Hub. Reg's not integrated in it. It's really a Morphos Pro. As Stephano stated, the Airtrim is a big technological advance, if not revolutionary. But it's been out there for what, 4 years? But again, nice touch on the 4 shoulder D-rings. Useful for helicopter rescuing.
For the fins, a rationale consumer would wait for some lab/field tests. Can't tell from just checking the stiffness of the blade. Until proven otherwise, they're just super expensive, super ugly fins with a numbered sticker on them.
Anyway, what revolution did we expect? The only type of gear for which there's a lot of room for improvement is tanks. They haven't evolved for the past decades, they're still very bulky and heavy. Strong, light and temperature change tolerant materials such as composites could hold higer pressure in a smaller volume. The key would be to get the pressure down from, say 500 bars, to the usual 200 bars before reaching the first stage, so that we won't have to buy new regs. But then, why would a manufacturer do that?
