Specifications

|Weight|2 lbs., 10 oz.| |1st Stage| Balanced Piston| |Ports| 2HP, 5LP| |2nd Stage| Pneumatically Balanced| |Adjustments| VIVA Switch, Breathing Resistance Knob| |Warranty| Limited Lifetime| |MSRP| $695| |www.SCUBAPRO.com|

Test Stats

|Breathing-Simulator Performance|Excellent + "Above & Beyond"| |Real-World Performance| Very Good to Excellent|

SCUBAPRO’s 2010 Mk25 first stage glistens with its highly polished chrome body. It features a convenient swivel turret with five high-flow LP ports (high-flow ports deliver about 15 percent more air than conventional LP ports). It also has an external intermediate pressure adjustment that allows technicians to maintain peak performance between service intervals without having to break open the body. The S600 second stage has been upgraded too, and has a new purge button and a bit more chrome on its casing. User adjustments include a Venturi Initiated Vacuum Assist (VIVA) dive/predive switch and a breathing-resistance control knob.

Performance:

SCUBAPRO says that ease of breathing is the essence of this reg system; we’d agree, and add tremendous reserve capacity too. This is a powerhouse reg that had simulator technicians standing gape-jawed as it effortlessly conquered each RMV/depth test level. So at 198 feet, we cranked up the breathing rate to 75 RMV. The reg didn’t seem to care, so we took it deeper, reaching a depth of 306 feet — at the very extreme breathing of 75 RMV — before the Mk25 finally said uncle. This is the best muscle performance of any reg tested by ScubaLab. Ever. In the ocean, test divers loved it too. Upside down, heads-up or just swimming normally, the reg breathed like a dream. It also breathed dry, and the new purge button was easy to use and cleared water efficiently. The VIVA switch can be hard to grab when wearing thick gloves, but it does a good job of preventing free-flows on the surface, and the inhalation control knob is effective at fine-tuning breathing effort. As one test diver summed it up, “This is a superb reg.”

Bottom Line:

This standout reg breathes easy under normal conditions, plus offers a tremendous amount of reserve capacity for extreme diving. It’s the priciest breather of this year’s shootout, but delivers the best performance, making it our Testers’ Choice in the Over $500 category.

|July 2010 Issue Scuba Lab Review Quick Links|

|Over $500|

|Apeks Flight| Cressi Ellipse MC9 Balanced| |Oceanic Delta 4.2 & Neo| SCUBAPRO MK25/S600| |Zeagle Flathead 7/Z & Flathead LT/Z| | |Under $500|

|Agua Lung Titan| Cressi MC5 Steel| |Sherwood Brut| Subgear Aruba| |Subgear Bonaire & Cayman| |