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.

SCUBAPRO MK25/A700

Features

SCUBAPRO’s polished-chrome A700 second stage harkens back to diving’s glory days. Air-balanced valve technology, precision user controls and an oversize exhaust valve all help create a first-rate breather. The Mk 25 first stage is a balanced piston design with five low-pressure ports mounted on a swivel turret. This reg delivered stellar performance on the breathing machine. In fact, the more you stress the Mk25, the better it behaves. In the water it’s smooth and very dry in all positions, and exhalation is effortless. The VIVA dive/predive switch is well marked and does a good job of preventing free-flows.

Specifications

Bottom Line

If you’re a fan of nostalgia, you’ll love this reg and have a system that works as good as it looks.