Gear

Regulator Review from the July 2009 Scuba Lab

Regulator Review from the July 2009 Scuba Lab

June 2009 Issue Scuba Lab Review Quick Links Aqua Lung Aqua Flex 3mm BARE Elastek 3mm Full BARE 3/2 Velocity Full Body Glove EX3 3 mm Camaro Seamless Hydronomic 3mm Camaro ...

June 2009 Issue Scuba Lab Review Quick Links Aqua Lung Aqua Flex 3mm BARE Elastek 3mm Full BARE 3/2 Velocity Full Body Glove EX3 3 mm Camaro Seamless Hydronomic 3mm Camaro ...

From buying new dive equipment to taking care of what you already own, these simple tips will help you get the most out of your money. 

A load of new gear debuted in 2012, and the ScubaLab team dive-tested just about all of it. After digging deep into both objective and ergonomic test results, on the following pages we celebrate the year’s top-performing fins, BCs, regulators and dive computers, along with some first-rate travel bags, warm-water wetsuits and a couple of our top picks for safety gear. 

Sure, there might be other dive gear deemed more important to basic survival (a reg) or your general well-being (a dive computer) than a BC. But when it comes to being able to comfortably acclimate to being underwater — to the point where you feel like a resident rather than a clumsy topside tourist — the BC is the most important component of your kit. 

This year’s undisputed favorite among test divers, the Aquaride Elite is well built with virtually no inherent buoyancy.

From buying new dive equipment to taking care of what you already own, these simple tips will help you get the most out of your money. 

Cressi’s PC Interface Kit for its Leonardo dive computer is compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems that can be downloaded at www.cressi.com. Once the appropriate software package is installed on your personal computer, simply connect the module to your PC using the included USB cord. Then place your Leonardo face-down in the cradle and you’re ready to start transferring and printing out dive profile data.

An algorithm is the mathematical formula a dive computer uses that factors in real-time measurements of depth, gas mix, time at depth—and, depending on the algorithm, potentially lots of other data—to calculate how long you can stay under water with a reasonable degree of assurance that you won’t get hit with decompression sickness (DCS).

Aeris dive computers took two of the top spots in ScubaLab's 2012 dive computer testing. Here we highlight two Aeris models that took away a Best Buy and a Testers' Choice prize.

IST’s MP204 Spear mask, with its low-volume dual-lens design, provides an expansive view of the underwater world.

It’s no fun diving with a mask that keeps filling with water every few seconds. So the first consideration when buying a mask is how well its skirt seals against your face. Despite claims to the contrary, no one mask fits all. 

On Scubapro’s Spectra Trufit, narrow ribs molded into the ultra-soft silicone create a pliable skirt that molds to facial contours, creating an excellent seal on a variety of face shapes.

Cressi’s popular raked-glass single-window Piuma mask is now available with Cressi’s exclusive crystal-clear silicone. This silicone creates a mask skirt that is so close to total transparency, it simply has to be seen to be believed.

CETATEK’s new aquabionic warp1 fins instantly adapt and continuously change to any kick style and load level based on the demands of the diver. The warp1 blade features unique construction: At rest, it is relatively flat, but when the diver kicks, the sophisticated design creates a deep scoop that channels water to create thrust.

15 kickers vie for the top spot in this year's ScubaLab fin tests. ScubaLab’s test team headed to Alexander Springs, Florida, a freshwater site that offers an easy entry, enough space and depth to do some serious kicking, and rock structures and crevices for performing tight turning maneuvers. 

In water, the fin delivered solid kicking performance. It did take a couple of strong kicks to get it going from a dead stop, but when test divers "turned it on," the fin generated some pretty good power. 

The Tusa FF-19 X-Pert Evolution was a test-diver favorite, with many of the testers commenting on how comfortable it felt, whether kicking easy or hard. Testers didn’t report any leg or ankle strain, and noted that the fin was fast, powerful and agile, plus very responsive using all kicking styles.

The Supernova Dry snorkel from Cressi uses a 100 percent silicone mouthpiece and a corrugated breathing tube, and comes with a large, easy-to-clear purge valve on the bottom, and a completely dry top on the other end. It’s the perfect design in a snorkel, allowing for effortless breathing performance when cruising along on the surface, plus it eliminates virtually all water from entering the tube when submerged. 

Here’s something you don’t usually see on a snorkel: ball-joint connections. On IST Sports’ 3-D Flex Dry Snorkel you have two of them: one at the base of the mouthpiece, and one where the purge body connects to the breathing tube.

Try these five simple strategies for strobe placement.

The perfect system for photographers of all skill levels who are looking for a small, simple system that delivers high-quality photos and video… anywhere there’s water. Simply point, and shoot!

When we asked readers and Facebook fans to tell us about their favorite stories from our Nov/Dec 2012 issue, this one from Matt Haeussler stood out — and wins the Watershot Underwater iPhone Camera Housing we featured in that issue's "Win This!". 

Bring out your creative side – underwater! Superior flash control, ergonomic handling, and reliable performance are just a few of its perks. Why not experience the bonuses for yourself, enjoy great photos and have fun doing it?

Eighteen breathers undergo our first long-term evaluation to see if they are built to last.

Here's our annual product excellence awards for regulators, brought to you by ScubaLab, the only independent testing facility of scuba life-support equipment.

Your dive buddy just ran out of air and he's coming for you. Is your octopus reg up to the job?

Find the only independent scuba gear tests in the dive industry.

Cressi’s Spring 3.5 one-piece wetsuit is designed to be worn in waters ranging from the tropical to the marginally warm.

Scuba diving is an equipment intensive sport, and your gear can be a fickle ally. Assembling a collection of dive gear-specific tools and spare parts to deal with basic maintenance and minor emergencies will help keep you ready to hit the water at a moment’s notice

BARE’s ELASTEK 3 mil wetsuit boasts the newest advancements in wetsuit design and incorporates BARE’s latest innovations in dry technology, including SEAMTEK

Cressi’s Lido two-mil shorty provides enough high-stretch neoprene to help keep you warm and protect against stinging critters, but not so much neoprene that you feel overdressed in the bathtub-warm waters of the tropics.

Offering a featherweight, snug-fitting, watertight ride, the Fusion One earned the second-highest number of votes for top suit and this year’s Best Buy nod.

Bare’s Trilam Tech Dry is both durable and comfortable. Featuring fell-stitched glue and heat-tapped seams and a front-entry T-Zip MasterSeal waterproof zipper, this rugged suit is available with either neoprene or latex wrist seals, a neoprene or latex neck seal, and a choice of vulcanized neoprene attached boots or neoprene soft socks.

What's new in the world of dive gear for June 2012? Let's get that First Look.

This suit is among the best of the new crop of compressed neoprene drysuits. Bare’s new self-donning X-C-S-2 Tech Dry is made of two-mil hyper-compressed neoprene sandwiched between a tough nylon laminate on the outside and a high-stretch “frictionless” laminate on the inside.

Manufactured of both nylon and high quality spandex, the full body Lycra Diveskin by DiveGear provides both function and fit. Worn as a stand-alone in warm water, a Lycra skin provides abrasion protection from accidental contact with coral and stinging marine life, as well as sun protection, with 95% of UV rays blocked. The DiveGear Diveskin is a good addition to your gear bag whether it’s worn by itself for warm water protection or as the bottom-layer with a wetsuit.

The RayGun High Beam from SEASOFT SCUBA weighs in at just 6.5 oz, even with its two 3-volt lithium batteries. This AMERICAN designed and manufactured featherweight dive light is a heavyweight in performance, however, delivering one of the brightest spots in ScubaLab testing. This ScubaLab Tester’s Choice is a dive torch that’s compact enough to be used as a backup, but powerful enough to be a primary light.

Light & Motion’s Sola Dive 1200 is one of the smallest, most powerful dive lights we’ve ever seen. The light offers a choice of spot or flood beams with three power settings.

IST’s camo wetsuit blends into any underwater hunting terrain with its choice of blue or green camouflage pattern. The one-piece, three-mil spearfishing wetsuit has elastic panels under the arms and along the lower back to enhance your range of movement.