Problem with foggy masks

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engblom

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First post at this forum. The latest years my biggest hobby has been a combination of snorkeling and free diving: I am using the snorkel for breathing in a relaxed position before doing a deeper or longer dive.

I have two Scubapro masks: one older Frameless and last year I bought a Solo. My problem is that both of these masks are so easily getting foggy. As I am living in Finland, the water is often on the colder side, which is worsening the problem. Sadly, I would need to flush the masks after each dive, which is just frustrating. Besides spit, I have tried 3 different anti-fog solutions: one non-brand, one made by Cressi and one made by Scubapro. They do not make any big difference.

Are there any masks that are more resistant against fog? Or a really good anti-fog solution?
 
First post at this forum. The latest years my biggest hobby has been a combination of snorkeling and free diving: I am using the snorkel for breathing in a relaxed position before doing a deeper or longer dive.

I have two Scubapro masks: one older Frameless and last year I bought a Solo. My problem is that both of these masks are so easily getting foggy. As I am living in Finland, the water is often on the colder side, which is worsening the problem. Sadly, I would need to flush the masks after each dive, which is just frustrating. Besides spit, I have tried 3 different anti-fog solutions: one non-brand, one made by Cressi and one made by Scubapro. They do not make any big difference.

Are there any masks that are more resistant against fog? Or a really good anti-fog solution?

Baby shampoo is the best-kept secret in the industry. Dirt cheap and it works great. Follow the same directions as for mask defoggers. However, you have to start with a clean mask. Have you used toothpaste or something similar to remove the film that often comes on new masks? Do that first. Then, you can use up all that expensive stuff you bought before you switch to baby shampoo...

Just my 2 PSI.
 
I have not used toothpaste, but I have washed them many, many times with a regular dish washing brush and detergent. How strong is that film? Would it last several years of regular use and washing?
 
I dilute yellow baby shampoo (about 1 part shampoo to 4 parts water) in a spray bottle.

Make sure that you scrub your masks with abrasive toothpaste thoroughly before using. It must be abrasive. The silicon film is persistent. Detergent won’t work.
 
If you have not tried cleaning the lenses with regular toothpaste yet I would certainly give that a try.
Just wipe it gently on, and rub it lightly, and then rinse well.
 
What's happening is that your new-ish mask comes from the factory with a light film of silicone coating the interior glass. You can either burn it off with a lighter (not for the faint of heart) or use toothpaste. It needs to be toothPASTE, not gel-based toothpaste. You know, the white old-school kind. I recommend trying toothpaste first. You'll want to put some in the mask, spread it around and really grind it in there really good -- then let it dry for an hour or so. Rinse it out really well, then repeat this process 2-3 more times. Make sure you let it dry and sit for a while between 'pastings'. Once it's all done, use regular old baby shampoo before each dive - just a drop or so on each side of the mask, rub it around, and do a QUICK rinse in the bucket on the boat (or dip it over the side if you're in a low boat... careful that you don't lose your mask though). Be sure you only do a QUICK rinse - you're just trying to get the bulk of the soap off, but you don't want to get it all off because that defeats the purpose. The whole thing is that you're adding a slight film of soap to break the cohesion the fog has with the mask. No soap = fog. Too much soap = blurry. Quick rinse (maybe dunk it once or twice) = perfect.

If you want to try the lighter method, here's a link. How to Prep Your New Scuba Diving Mask with a Lighter
 
I burn it off with a long grill lighter. Only way to get it to stop fogging for me. Then after that wash black film off with toothbrush and toothpaste. You may have to burn clean repeat a few times.
 
I flamed off the silicone mold release residue out of the lens after I bought the mask. No more fogging problem.

 
Here is a chart showing the RDA ratings of toothpaste. remember that it's the abrasiveness that counts. Not whether it's a gel, white or sensitive. That makes no difference to the RDA. You need to use a toothpaste in the >100 range for effectively removing silicone. It's not a chemical reaction - this is strictly a "elbow grease" issue.


toothpaste-RDA-abrasive-levels-abrasion.jpg
 
At home I only hadve one Elmex branded toothpaste (not the one on the list above) and it did not seem to be very abrasive. I did it twice with the Elmex, then I burned the lens, Elmex again, burned and finally again with Elmex. Each time I burned until the glass was brown.

It is going to be interesting to see how the diving goes today.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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