Ironborn
Contributor
I am very near-sighted and require a strong prescription for my glasses (-9.0). My need for a strong prescription mask was a factor in deterring me from trying this sport sooner than I eventually did; the higher cost of a custom prescription mask made me reluctant to invest in it when I did not know if I would enjoy the sport at all or was even capable of it. I only took up the sport when I was lucky enough to stumble across a dive shop in the Dominican Republic last year that happened to have a prescription mask strong enough for me. I did my DSD with them and later decided to pursue my OWD certification and buy a prescription mask.
I learned of more moderately priced masks with pre-made prescription lenses that could be installed into them, but I found that most of those masks only supported prescriptions as strong as -8.0. It took quite a bit of research to find such a mask that supported my stronger -9.0 prescription. I found one on getwetstore.com: the Promate MK270. It has served me well in over 50 dives thus far. I only had a few tiny leaks in Cozumel at sites with strong current, which may have been strong enough to push the mask away from my face enough to let in a few small drops of water. I do not believe that those few leaks are a reflection on the integrity of the mask itself. At $50-60, it has been a good investment at a low price, relative to the cost of custom prescription masks.
I was sufficiently satisfied with it that I decided to invest in a spare, since my dive trip would effectively be over if I lost it. It is still on promateusa.com, but getwetstore.com indicated that they do not sell it anymore and instead recommended the MK275. They described it as basically the same mask, except with a better strap, and it cost about the same as the MK270. I tested it for a few dives, and it worked well.
I learned of more moderately priced masks with pre-made prescription lenses that could be installed into them, but I found that most of those masks only supported prescriptions as strong as -8.0. It took quite a bit of research to find such a mask that supported my stronger -9.0 prescription. I found one on getwetstore.com: the Promate MK270. It has served me well in over 50 dives thus far. I only had a few tiny leaks in Cozumel at sites with strong current, which may have been strong enough to push the mask away from my face enough to let in a few small drops of water. I do not believe that those few leaks are a reflection on the integrity of the mask itself. At $50-60, it has been a good investment at a low price, relative to the cost of custom prescription masks.
I was sufficiently satisfied with it that I decided to invest in a spare, since my dive trip would effectively be over if I lost it. It is still on promateusa.com, but getwetstore.com indicated that they do not sell it anymore and instead recommended the MK275. They described it as basically the same mask, except with a better strap, and it cost about the same as the MK270. I tested it for a few dives, and it worked well.
