Mares Planet Airmatic 88X TBP DIN Regulator

Mares Planet Airmatic 88X TBP DIN Regulator: A High-Performance Cold-Water Set Built for Serious Recreational and Technical Divers

The Mares Planet Airmatic 88X TBP DIN is a full regulator set, first stage and second stage, designed for divers who push into demanding conditions: cold water, deeper recreational profiles, or technical dives where breathing performance cannot afford to be an afterthought.

If you are a recreational diver who dives warm, calm water a few times a year, this is more regulator than you need. But if you dive cold lakes, quarries, or northern seas, or if you are moving into technical diving and want a first stage that meets serious cold-water standards, the 88X TBP is worth understanding in detail.

The First Stage: Why TBP Matters in Cold Water

The first stage uses a balanced diaphragm design. Balanced means the intermediate pressure it delivers to your second stage stays consistent regardless of your cylinder pressure dropping as you breathe it down. You get the same breathing feel at 200 bar as you do at 50 bar.

The diaphragm design also matters for cold water. In a piston first stage, the internal mechanism is exposed to the water around it. In a diaphragm design, the working parts are isolated. The 88X TBP goes further with the TBP (Total Breathing Protection) dry kit, which hermetically seals the first stage so water never reaches the internals at all.

This matters because cold water is the primary cause of regulator free-flow. When water contacts the internal mechanism, it can freeze around the moving parts and cause uncontrolled air delivery. A hermetically sealed first stage removes that risk at the source. Mares states the TBP system meets NORSOK U-101 standards, a cold-water performance benchmark used in professional and demanding recreational diving contexts.

The AST (Automatic Sealing Technology) works alongside TBP. When the regulator is not pressurized, a seal closes automatically to keep water and debris out of the first stage. When you connect your cylinder and open the valve, pressure opens the seal. You do not have to do anything. The first stage stays clean and dry between dives without caps or manual covers.

Ports and Hose Routing

The first stage sits on a 360-degree swivel head, which lets you rotate the port cluster to suit your hose layout before locking it in place. That flexibility is genuinely useful when you are configuring a technical setup or using a wing BCD where hose routing differs from a jacket-style BCD.

Port configuration:

Five LP ports is a generous count. It gives you room to run a primary second stage, an octopus, a drysuit inflator hose, a BCD inflator, and still have a port free. The DFC (Demand Flow Control) technology applies to all LP ports, optimizing airflow through each one so that performance at the second stage is not compromised when multiple hoses are connected.

The two HP ports are angled at 10 degrees, which helps your SPG or transmitter hose sit cleanly without bending sharply at the connection point.

The first stage connects via a DIN fitting. DIN threads into the cylinder valve rather than clamping over it, giving a more secure connection and allowing use with 300-bar cylinders. If you are diving with standard 232-bar cylinders and a yoke valve, you would need an adapter. DIN is the right choice for technical and cold-water diving.

An integrated OPV (overpressure valve) provides a safety release if intermediate pressure rises above its working range. It is a standard protection feature on quality first stages and means the regulator remains breathable even in the event of an intermediate pressure creep.

The Planet Second Stage

The second stage is where you feel the regulator, and the Planet second stage is built around two technologies that work together: Airmatic and VAD.

Airmatic replaces the traditional mechanical spring that controls the demand valve with a pneumatic valve. A spring creates a fixed resistance that you have to overcome with each breath. A pneumatic valve responds to pressure rather than mechanical tension, which means the breathing effort is lower and more consistent. Mares describes it as eliminating mechanical resistance entirely. There is also no spring to fatigue or corrode over time.

VAD (Vortex Assisted Design) uses a bypass tube inside the second stage to create a low-pressure vortex that assists diaphragm movement. In practice, this is designed to make the regulator feel more sensitive and natural at depth, where ambient pressure increases and breathing effort can creep up on lesser second stages.

The second stage body uses all-metal construction with nickel-plated brass. Metal conducts heat differently than plastic. In cold water, heat transfer between the water and the second stage body helps prevent the moisture in your breath from freezing inside the casing, which is a real icing risk in water below about 10 degrees Celsius. The all-metal design also contributes to durability over years of use and servicing.

Two controls are worth noting:

• Manual stop button: If the second stage free-flows (delivers air continuously without you inhaling), pressing this button stops the flow immediately. Useful when you surface in rough conditions or need to control the regulator before shutting down the cylinder.
• Side-mounted air shower knob: Positioned on the side of the second stage rather than the front, which makes it easier to locate and adjust without looking at it. This knob adjusts the cracking effort, letting you tune sensitivity to your preference or conditions.

Weight and Hose

The first stage weighs 786g (27.7 oz) and the second stage 327g (11.5 oz), for a combined weight of 1,245g (43.9 oz). That is on the heavier side, which is expected for an all-metal cold-water regulator. The metal construction is the reason it performs the way it does in cold conditions; weight is the trade-off.

The included hose is a Superflex hose at 75cm (29.53 inches). That is a standard recreational length. Technical divers running a long hose primary and a necklaced backup will replace this, but for recreational and sidemount configurations it is a reasonable starting point.

Who This Regulator Is For

The 88X TBP DIN is built for cold-water diving and for divers who want a regulator that will not compromise as conditions get harder. The NORSOK-rated sealed first stage, all-metal second stage, and Airmatic breathing system put it well above entry-level recreational equipment.

It suits you well if:

• You regularly dive in cold or temperate water where icing is a genuine concern.
• You are moving into technical diving and need a first stage with enough LP ports and a DIN connection to support a full hose configuration.
• You want a regulator you can service and dive for many years without replacing components that wear through mechanical fatigue.
• You use or plan to use 300-bar cylinders, where a DIN connection is required.

It is probably not the right choice if you dive exclusively in warm tropical water, own a yoke-valve cylinder you do not plan to change, or want a lighter travel setup. The weight and sealed-system complexity are there for a reason, and in warm, clear conditions you simply do not need them.