The Mares Quad won Testers Choice for wrist dive computers during ScubaLab's 2017 dive computer review. Learn why testers chose this computer as their favorite in this video review.

I’m Roger Roy, the ScubaLab director. We tested the Mares Quad dive computer. With a huge display that conveys info at a glance and a four-button operation that makes set-up and operation simple, the Quad was our Testers Choice for wrist computers.

We tested it at the University of Southern California Hyperbaric Chamber on Catalina Island. We also tested it in the field at Blue Grotto Dive Resort in Central Florida. We put it through a series of simulated dives alongside other computers to gauge the performance of its decompression algorithm. We evaluated how easy it was to set up and use, how well we could see the screen in different conditions, and how well it presented important data during our dive.

Mares says the Quad has “jumbo size information,” and we can vouch for that; the largest data characters are a full half-inch tall. Still, the Quad’s screen layout is uncluttered because the display is 2.25 inches across. “Kinda big,” one test diver noted, and indeed the Quad was the largest wrist computer in our test. But those jumbo characters, and the clean, well-organized data display, made the Quad a supremely easy read.

The Quad’s operation is simplicity itself, especially considering it has features like three-gas switching and a programmable runaway deco alarm. The four buttons each have clear functions, the menus are a breeze to navigate, and the user-replaceable battery is easy to change.

Some divers (especially those with young eyes) thought the display size was overkill, and we would prefer metal buttons instead of plastic.But the Quad took top score in its category for best menu navigation, safety stop and surface internal screen. The Quad was our Testers Choice for wrist computers.

Price $400 | Contact mares.com