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Dive Computer Expert Reviews
Saving Your Precious Time And Finding The Best Dive Computer For You
Dive computer reviews are perfectly organized and consist of fully researched information and ratings of Aeris, Cressi, Mares, Oceanic, Sherwood, Suunto, Tusa, and UWATEC/ScubaPro brands. In Catalogue Section you may compare any models side-by-side and select dive computer according to your needs! Join thousands of happy customers!
CatalogueGeneral Information
Specifications
User Interface
Pre-Diving
Diving
Post-Diving
Summary
Your Review
By introducing to scuba market Mares Matrix, Puck Pro and making Nemo Wide multigas capable, Mares shows us its vision of future of diving! At the same time, looks like it discontinued production Nemo Air and Nemo Excel.
Mares Matrix must be considered as an advanced instrument that allows us use 3 Nitrox mixes, but easiness of use and perfect user manuals made it recommended dive computer for the very beginner in diving who may start learning Matrix and grow as a diver with it! Mares Matrix is very stylish wrist computer and it looks unusual especially when it set in analog watch mode. Mares made it with integrated digital compass, possibility of setting 3 different Nitrox mixes and switching them during single dive, and it uses rechargeable battery. Charge lasts for about 10-12 hours, depending on using backlight and water temperature. And battery life is approximately 500 charge cycles.
Copy this Mares Matrix Key Features & Alarms Card for your Reference and Share with your friends and buddies!
Mares Matrix comes with 4 control buttons and I may say that you won't have any troubles to learn how to use them! Mares always produces clear to understand and follow user manuals! Dive computer has 2 modes for watch - analog and digital. Digital is a default display. By pressing MODE button once, we will get analog display. By pressing and holding MODE button we will access compass display. To access settings we need to press and hold UP button. From this point we may adjust:
You will use other buttons for further adjustments or for viewing information, whether you are underwater or onshore. Mares Matrix has only 1 bar graph for displaying Nitrogen loading, all other alarms and dive data displayed in alphanumeric notations. At any time we may call out full-tilt compass display by pressing and holding button MODE. During diving with Air, Nitrox, or Gauge we may get alternate display with dive profile that stays 8 seconds and reverts back to default dive mode screen.
Dive computer has 5 sub-menus:
Copy this Mares Matrix Fine-Tuning Card for your Reference and Share with your friends and buddies!
At any time we may call out full-tilt compass display by pressing and holding button MODE. Dive Planner has one purpose - it plans our consecutive dives. And it does it perfectly by displaying No-Deco depths and times according to residual nitrogen from the previous dives, FO2 set point(s), altitude and personal conservative factor adjustments. Mares Matrix doesn't have to many parameters to set, and manual and user interface are very intuitive - so we adjust all desirable parameters, calibrated our digital compass, that picked up straight away correct direction, and now we are ready to jump into water!
Mares Matrix: Diving With Air & Nitrox
Copy this Mares Matrix No-Deco Diving Display Card for your Reference and Share with your friends and buddies!
During diving with Nitrox computer calculates related to diving with Nitrox crucial parameters. Those parameters are:
As Mares Matrix allows us diving with 3 gas mixes, and you set it before, by reaching appropriate MOD for certain mix dive computer will prompt you to switch gases - alarm will sound and you will see alphanumeric message. Upon reaching certain depth in your dive, computer may give us Safety and Deep stops prompts. These stops are not mandatory, but it is a good diving practice to follow them. You would see Safety Stop notation when depth of your dive exceeded 10 meters. In that moment Matrix displays Stop depth and Stop time between 6 and 3 meters while you ascending. And Deep Stop reminder activated when we still in No-Deco mode and approaching No-Decompression limits (NDL). We have a choice between 1 Deep Stop for 2 minutes or 2 stops with 1 minute duration. After we started ascending, dive computer activates ascent rate algorithm and notify you if the rate of ascent is more than 10m/min (30ft/min) – it gives you message SLOW DOWN, and beeps on you.
If we exceed NO-Decompression Limits (NDLs) - dive computer will activate Decompression mode to help us perform decompression procedure and resurface safely. Nitrogen Loading bar graph on the left consists of 6 bars. They gradually get added and show nitrogen saturation in tissues and blood of the diver. Mares Matrix manages Decompression stops by graphically displaying two arrows. They are easy to understand and follow:
Copy this Mares Matrix Deco Diving Display Card for your Reference and Share with your friends and buddies!
Dive computer manages Deco Stops precisely - if we ascend above the recommended Deco Stop depth by more than 1ft - Matrix will sound an alarm, display downward arrow and show corresponding messages. It continues doing so until we return to specified depth. If diver exceedes Deco Stop depth by 1 meter and remains there for 3 minutes - computer treats it as a Violation, displays exclamation sign in triangle and if you want to make another dive right away - computer stays LOCKED and displays this message. It will function as a Gauge only without nitrogen and oxygen loading calculations.
Mares Matrix: Diving In GAUGE ModeThird dive mode of this dive computer is Gauge mode. In this case Matrix will function as a bottom timer. It monitors only current depth, time and temperature and it doesn't perform any decompression calculations. So it is completely diver's responsibility to figure out all bottom times and depths. During Gauge mode, dive computer displays following values:
After diving we may easy access following modes of Mares Matrix and list of them you will find below:
Mares Matrix: What Divers Say
Mares made a great step to adjust itself in an advanced position it design and production of the scuba gear. And we have excellent proof of it - Mares Matrix advanced multigas dive computer! Mares Matrix is recommended dive computer for beginners and technical divers. They will find many basic and advanced features that make Matrix outstanding dive instrument these days!
Beginners will get instrument that will allow them to become more experienced divers in short period of time and try it in different diving situations. Technical divers will find computer that manages multigas with ease. Integrated compass works without issues and operates smoothly. Large buttons, strong backlight, and sharp displays are all attributes of the user-friendly interface. User manual is a dream! I wish all scuba computers have the same easy to understand and follow docs! And price for the whole package is very reasonable and competitive on our market. If we compare Mares Matrix with similar dive computers, we may say that it has perfect price-specs-functions-easiness-of-use ratio!
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After my Aeris Epic successfully died after serving me few years, I started looking for the replacement. I didn't care about wireless air integration, as Epic was losing it time-to-time and it was embarrassing. So after researching all reviews on this portal I've chose Mares Matrix.
I may tell that this computer is well ahead of all other similar dive computers! With number of functions, easy to learn user documentation, and perfectly designed interface with the end user in mind, Mares Matrix will easy satisfy demands not only the beginner, but tech diver as well (of course, if you don't use Helium).
I regularly use all 3 gas mixes and switching between them and all computations are precise and easy to understand! Integrated digital compass is very handy function and designed for easy use. Standalone digital wristwatch is very stylish and I enjoying its functions when I wear it between my dives.
Recharging battery is very smart and convenient function with recharger icluded in whole package! One recharging is well enough for the week-diving for usually 8 dives altogether!
I recommend Mares Matrix dive computer to every diver who doesn't need wireless air integration and doesn't use Helium!
Finally bought Mares Matrix (& X-stream). Tested it in the pool. Once out it calculate the Desat. Easy to use, and download was a breeze.I can look at the chart and review my buoyancy(ok ..ok I hv bouyancy issues).
X-Stream was amazing too.
I'm very impressed. 5 thumbs up!
The first set of Matrix delivered had a small bug in the program so you coldn't program ICE (In Case of Emergency information). And when I got mine and sat on the edge of the real ice and did my last controls of equipment and computers I realised that I was trying to program ICE.
So it turned out to be a real good joke to use. Even Mares Chief Technichan was fooled when I posted the pic of me sitting on ice and showing Matrix in ICE mode, and thanking for the new invention.
I've bought Mares Matrix not long time ago so logged only 27 dives at day and nights, diving at Caymans this year and so far it performed very well without any problems. I could only notice that audio alarms is not loud enough (or it's only my assumption?).
User manual and dive computer interface are very user-friendly and intuitive. Display is perfectly organized and read. Strong backlight helped me during my night dives. And I may consider this dive computer middle-of-the-road conservative. I always had enough bottom time to enjoy around!
I like an idea having included USB interface and charger all-in-one. Battery lasts me about 7-9 dives, and if I use Matrix as a wrist watch only - it could last for more than 2 weeks.
When I had my Matrix first, I didn't updated firmware. And now Mares has an update on their website. But I've read some reviews that after updating - dive computer may go "kaput", so I still using it with old firmware and happy with it, even it doesn't support Windows 7 - I don't care, I'm with Windows XP Pro!
Integrated compass calibrated fast and works well, and I like it more than in Oceanic or Suunto models.
Switching gases - very easy procedure. When Matrix beeps on me during ascent - select the correct gas mix, and all calculations will start for that mix, easy as it is!
I'm happy with my investment, and even more, when people around make compliments because of my Mares Matrix.
So, I may recommend buying it to any beginner or tech diver, who doesn't require air-integration, but wants to dive with sophisticated instrument with great price-features factor!