Considerable effort has been expended in order to understand the mechanism of manganese catalases and to develop functional mimics for these enzymes. For many years, the most efficient reactivity mimic was [Mn(IV)salpn(mu-O)](2) (H(2)salpn = 1,3-bis(salicylideneiminato)propane], a compound that cycles between the Mn-2(IV) and Mn-2(III) oxidation levels instead of the Mn-2(II) and Mn-2(III) oxidation states used by the enzyme, with K-cat = 250 s(-1) and K-cat/K-M = 1000 M-1 s(-1). Recently, a truly exceptional high value of K-cat was reported for the complex [Mn(bpia)(mu-OAc)](2)(2+) [bpia = bis(picolyl)(N-methylimidazol-2-yl)amine]. On the basis of a calculated kat value of 1100 s(-1) and an efficiency K-cat/K-M of 34 000 M-1 s(-1), this complex has been suggested to represent a significant breakthrough in catalytic efficiencies of manganese catalase mimics. However, a plot of r(i)/[cat](T) VS [H2O2](0), where the saturation value approaches 1.5 s(-1), is inconsistent with the 1100 s(-1) value tabulated for kat. Similar discrepancies are observed for two other families of manganese complexes containing either a Mn-2(mu-OPh)(2) (2+) core and different substituted tripodal ligands or complexes of methyl and ethyl salicylimidate, with an Mn-2(mu-OPh)(2)(4+) core. Reevaluation of the kinetic parameters for these three systems reveals that the originally reported values were overestimated by a factor of similar to 1000 for both K-cat and K-cat/K-M. We discuss the origin of the discrepancy between the previously published kinetic parameters and the newly derived values. Furthermore, we provide a short analysis of the existing manganese catalase mimics in an effort to provide sound directions for future investigations in this field.