Mares M2 Nitrox / Air Dive Computer

[picxie]

I've just had a good read through this thread ...
http://www.scubatoys.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=111

and after doing a bit of other internet research I though this would be a good beginners computer for me.

However then I saw this one ...

http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detai...uct_id=MaresM2
and I quite like the look of this one too.</DIV>
They both seem to offer the features I want, although I'm not sure if the Mares does depth in metric?? I know the Oceanic does.
Does anyone have any opinions on the Mares? Personal experiences on either??

[thesmoothdome]

I have no idea about the metric, but the AAA batteries worry me a bit. I'm sure the ST guys can answer this, but how many hours of battery life do you get from them? Can you change them out in the middle of a day (or more) of diving without losing the nitrogen loading info?

[Judestudio]

Originally Posted by picxie

They both seem to offer the features I want, although I'm not sure if the Mares does depth in metric?? I know the Oceanic does.

Yup, the Mares M2 has user changeable metric / imperial settings.

http://www.mares.com/download.php?id=1519

Go to page 7 --&gt; You can use bar/psi, *C/*F, m/ft

Hope this helps.

[picxie]

Oh that's brilliant, thanks

Still not sure on which one to get, as they both seem to do the same thing.

I thinkI read somewhere that the Oceanic can be a bit of a pain with just one button (whereas the Mares has 2). But other than that they seem to do the same thing.

Decisions, decisions!

[cgvmer]

Reading on the Mares site, the M2 appears to save your info across battery changes:" Along with a few other manufacturers, MARES provides the functionality of user-replaceable standard batteries for its dive computers. By doing so, we make it possible for users to replace dead or weak batteries whenever and wherever needed. Standard batteries can be found almost anywhere around the world. You never need to abort a dive with a MARES computer because of a dead battery, and all your information is stored safely. "

[James]

My brother has the Veo 180 and I just ordered the Mares M2 today.
I am taking my cert. class in a week and after that will more than likely trade computers with my brother from time to time just to check things out.
I will try to get a comparison as soon as possible for everybody. May be a bit late for you pixci, but hopefully will be helpful in the future.

[wxboy911]

Please let us know how the M2 does-I was looking into getting one of those next season-I like the numerous features as well as AAA batteries. The look much easier to change the some of the other comps.

[torrey]

I just got the M2, but it's my first computer so I can't really compare it to anything. I've only been learning it during my lunch hour and haven't gotten it in the water yet. The batteries are really easy to change, and the battery compartment is sealed from the rest of the unit, so if the battery compartment floods, it won't affect the rest of the computer. Per the manual, the batteries will last about 50 dives with occasional backlight use, or about 10 dives with constant backlight use. It appears to default to metric measurements (temp & depth), and I just switched those today, along with playing with the simulator a little. Looks like it's going to be a great computer.

By the way, it also came with a set of batteries, so you're ready to go right out of the box.

[James]

Sounds good. I cannot wait to get mine.
A six pack of batteries will definately be in my dry box.

What does "simulator" mode do?

Has anybody tried the computer interface yet?

[torrey]

I would guess simulator mode was created primarily for 2 purposes:
1) to test a dive with known perimeters (depth, time, etc.) to be sure that you will not make any violations, and
2) to actually push the limits and see what the violations look like on the computer so you know how to deal with them before you get into that situation in reality.

Basically, in simulator mode, it treats you as having just entered the water except it runs 5x faster (12 sec sim = 1 min real time). You use the buttons to drop to your desired depth and control your ascents/descents and how fast you do each. You can play around with exceeding your deco limits, ascending too fast, missing safety stop, etc.