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 Prestige 12S

Features

The Prestige 12S is the latest version of Mares’ MR12 first stage. It’s slightly smaller and features better port placement, but it’s otherwise the same. Mares’ Tri-Material first-stage valve and Dynamic Flow Control port maximize airflow to the second stage, which doesn’t have user controls but features a Mesh Grid anti-free-flow purge cover, VAD bypass tube and Fluid Dynamic Deflector. The system racked up Very Good work-of-breathing scores on the breathing machine. When turned over to our test divers, the scores didn’t change much. The lack of user controls didn’t bother anybody or affect performance, and breathing was easy and dry in all positions.

Specifications

Bottom Line

One of the best performances in this price category plus one of the lowest MSRPs equals a Best Buy.