Mares M2 receives a best buy recommendation

About Scubalab:SL SCUBALAB® RATED
ScubaLab is the exclusive products testing group of Scuba Diving magazine. Our mission is to help recreational divers
be informed consumers of dive gear, and we do that by conducting impartial comparative reviews. Testers’ Choice
and all other ratings for this product are based solely on the test results and scoring criteria in the following review.

P E R FOR M A NC E . The super-simple battery system is a big plus with this computer.
AAAs can be bought virtually anywhere, and a battery change can be done in seconds without tools, and without having to disassemble
the computer. Compared to the other units in this review, the M2 has a small screen relative to its overall size. However, test divers found
it very readable. Underwater, the primary screen is dominated by bottom time and nodecompression limits data. The M2 doesn’t
use an NDL loading bar, but the white/yellow/red ascent rate graph is very intuitive. The alternate screen shows max depth and temp.
On the surface, a couple of button presses is required to show surface interval time. The M2 comes with a wrist strap long enough for both wetsuits and dry suits.

LIBERAL OR CONSER VATI VE. The M2 RGBM is one of the more conservative computers in this group, even at its most liberal setting. It also offers the option of programming
in additional safety margins.

O W N E R ’ S M A N U A L . The M2 RGBM’s owner’s manual comes in 12 (no kidding) languages.
There is good spec/technical info and the navigation illustrations in the back of the manual are helpful.

P C INTERFACE . The optional PC interface kit uses an infrared linkup called the IRIS (infrared interface system.

B OT TO M L I N E . If your gear budget is tight, the M2 RGBM provides a lot of dive computer for not a lot of cash, earning our Best Buy recommendation.

MARES M2 RGBM The new Mares M2 RGBM wrist computer includes all the features of its predecessor, the M1 RGBM, plus offers some enhanced cosmetics,
improved screen graphics, redesigned control buttons and updated operating software.
The result is a user-friendly, single-gas, air/nitrox computer. It’s the only computer powered by AAA batteries, located in an easy-access watertight compartment.
It’s also the only computer that lets you keep your backlight on full-time if you want to. The M2 uses good-sized numbers relative to its screen size, all presented beneath scratchproof mineral glass, and a three-color ascent-rate bar graph. Headings at the top of thescreen let you know what mode you’re in. Deco stops are calculated down to 80 feet.