Time to Test

On a sun-splashed Southern California morning last April the ScubaLab test team, aboard Body Glove’s dive boat Disappearance, skirted the eastern coastline of Santa Monica Bay, headed for the rocky cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Skipper Bob Meistrell eased his 64-foot vessel into a quiet spot on the edge of a massive kelp bed and dropped anchor on a sandy bottom in 40 feet of green water. The test team, comprised of six divers and one test coordinator, got ready to hit the water with this year’s new crop of regulators. There were 14 in all, running the gamut from economy to money’s-no-object. This was judgment day — the final of three test stages — and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. When all was said and done, we found what we were looking for — the year’s best breathers.

Mares Carbon 42

Features

The Carbon 42’s second stage is made from chopped carbon fibers sandwiched between two sheets of carbon composite for a strong, lightweight casing. It has no user controls, but uses a specially shaped Fluid Dynamic Deflector and Mares’ Vortex Assisted Design (VAD) air-bypass tube. A redesigned Mesh Grid minimizes free-flows when fighting a current, and the tiny MR42 first stage uses Mares’ Tri-Material valve and Dynamic Flow Control. The Carbon 42 is a solid performer. It handled all breathing-machine tests with above-average marks and was simple to use, easy to breathe and bone dry in the water. We liked the Superflex hose too.

Specifications

Bottom Line

This system delivers the goods and would be excellent for extreme temps, but it’s a little pricey.