Atomic Venom ARC mask: Initial impressions

[Diving Dubai]

I find only 4 dealers in the US, nothing near me in Pennsylvania or Florida

I found these off the locator in FL (Caps due to cut n paste) Some come up as pesky freedivers/spearfishing but the mask is both dive and free dive - Worth asking?


LAUDERDALE DIVER
1334 SE 17TH STREET
FORT LAUDERDALE

DRIFT FREE DIVING
2424 N. FEDERAL HIGHWAY
33064 POMPANO BEACH

DIXIE DIVERS
455 S FEDERAL HIGHWAY
33441 DEERFIELD BEACH

FLORIDA FREEDIVERS
905 US HWY. 1 SUITE # A
FL33403 LAKE PARK

SCUBA TECH KEY LARGO
99101 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY MILE MARKER 99
FF 33037 KEY LARGO

Best DD

 

[scubadada]

Thanks @Diving Dubai

I mistakenly searched on diving. Several of these are not too far from me in Boynton Beach. I'll give them a call next time I'm down to check if they have the mask

 

[Diving Dubai]

Thanks @Diving Dubai

I mistakenly searched on diving. Several of these are not too far from me in Boynton Beach. I'll give them a call next time I'm down to check if they have the mask

I hope they do. I have white, fluro Lime green (appears fluro yellow at depth) and the Fluro Bright pink always gets a comment - my wife has the mint green and sea green as she's boring

You can get matching snorkels which are straight tube with no silly purge valve nonsense too

 

[Diver below 83]

I looked at the arc mask as well as living in south Florida it’s always bright. So I wanted a little additional coverage from the sun. The ARC was the first mask I was pointed towards but the price wasn’t attractive for a first time buyer. Especially not knowing if the coating was hype or actually works.
I ended up getting a Seadive Rayblocker. The Rayblocker line comes in multiple shapes and sizes so you can get what fits your face best rather than just getting the “one” version that has a coating. They all come coated. Secondly the price is far more attractive than the atomic. The msrp is over $100 but a lot of places sell them under. I was able to get mine for $75 shipped new.
I was slightly worried that instructors wouldn’t like it since they couldn’t see my eyes. So far no one has cared. In fact the one instructor I asked said “if I can’t tell your a panicked diver without seeing your eyes I shouldn’t be an instructor”
In any case I’ve had nothing but great experiences with my mask. It cuts down the glare dramatically. It’s especially noticeable once surfaced and you remove the mask. Your eyes instantly are bothered by the suns heavy glare that the mask had been blocking.

 

[johndiver999]

I've had buddies who were using masks with that reflective coating on the lens. They seemed to like the masks, I HATED diving with them because you can never know if they are looking at you and it makes quick communication underwater much more frustrating. You don't realize how much you can communicate by just making direct eye contact until it is taken away. This is obviously more important in clear, well lit waters, not so much on a night dive.

 

[Fibonacci]

I had an Atomic subframe ARC mask... as others have said it was a high quality mask and the ARC coating seemed to give slightly better vision in bright conditions (esp when using a camera).

For me positioning was very finicky or I'd get a small leak under the nose seal area... biggest issue was it persistently FOGGED despite every known cure applied repeatedly.
Sold it on and got an Atomic Frameless 2... so much better all round!
Atomic Aquatics SubFrame Scuba Mask with Anti Reflective Coating
Atomic Aquatics Frameless 2 Mask

 

[msinc]

I have had a Venom coming up on 3 years now. I cleaned it a lot to get it to stop fogging, It was pretty bad at first. In fact, I had to keep a little water in the mask so I could slosh it around to get rid of the fog. The one thing I have found with this mask, and I don't know if it is "by design" or a "by product" of very soft skirt silicon masks...but this one is very picky about how you adjust the strap. It has to be dead on just right or the mask leaks. Nothing bad, but it is there. If I have it the slightest bit too tight or very slightly loose at all it will leak. Nothing bad, but enough that you know it. Also, I cant wear a snorkel attached or it will leak. That's how picky about adjustment this thing is. Maybe it's just me.
Once adjusted, it's like you are not even wearing a mask. The problem comes in when you get it dead on and go from, for example, a shore dive or anytime you are getting in the water easy, no problem. Go to a boat dive where you are doing a giant stride and dropping 3-4 feet into the water and it gets unseated some, even if you hold on. Not a big deal, you just have to readjust seat and clear once under.
My son and I both have one as well as the TUSA Paragon and we have no trouble communicating underwater. As far as the coatings, not an issue, they seem to make things brighter underwater, but I can take it or leave it. We had zero problems with the Paragon leaking, but I know others that did to the point they abandoned it. I will say that if the Venom fits your face you will be hard pressed to find a more comfortable mask to dive in.

 

[tridacna]

I'm consulting for an eyeglass manufacturing company right now. The item with the absolutely most margin is the ARC. Costs pennies to apply. They charge megaprofit for application. I have it on most of my masks now - found no significant benefit whatsoever especially underwater. Expensive Snakeoil IMO.

 

[taimen]

Remember it's the Maxlux S The S is the important bit. The plain old Maxlux is just in black.

The difference between Beuchat Maxlux and Maxlux S is size as far as I know (I have both). Maxlux S is smaller for narrow faces. The S is too small for me, but the "Beuchat Maxlux" is just fantastic for me. I have them in black and clear silicone, and will buy more in any color if I can still get them somewhere. All stockists seem to offer only the "S" model and have stopped carrying the Maxlux.
So if anyone can hint where I can still get a Beauchat Maxlux (preferably in the EU, Norway or UK) I will order some immediately.

 

[stuartv]

I got in the pool today with the Venom ARC.

It does not seem to be a great fit for my face. Sometimes it leaked like a sieve. Other times, it seemed like I got a perfect combo of mask position on my face, strap position, and strap tension, and then it would go for a while before I had any water to clear.

I did not have any issues with fogging. I cleaned it thoroughly with Dawn dish soap last week. I put diluted baby shampoo on it before I got in the water. I'd say it was a pretty good test of fogging today, too, and I was on my rebreather. That meant I was breathing out of my nose a lot to vent the loop when I would ascend. I was swimming around practicing buoyancy, so a lot of up and down. With all that exhaling through my nose, I think it would have fogged if it were so inclined.

I'm going to try it on at least one "real" (i.e. non-pool) dive before I give up on it, but right now it does not look like it will be a keeper for me.

I ended up getting a Seadive Rayblocker.

I have a DGX Ultraview mask with what they call an ARC that looks very much like that. Well, I had one. I can't seem to find it right now. But I digress...

DGX Ultra View Anti-Reflective Mask

To me, that is not a proper ARC. I don't think an ARC should have any kind of tint. If you can see that it is changing the color of the light, then that means it is reducing the amount of transmitted light, at least in some part of the spectrum. If the outside is reflecting some color back to the outside viewer, then that is visible light that is reflecting instead of letting it pass through to your eye. I.e. reduced transmission of light to the diver.

I have seen eyeglasses with ARC and I have some framed art that has glass with an ARC. All of those are perfectly clear. You can't tell that they have an ARC except by the fact that you don't see ceiling lights (or windows, etc) reflected off them like you would if they did not have an ARC.

The Venom ARC seems to be "like" those eyeglass coatings.

I'm not knocking the ones that appear tinted. In bright ambient conditions, that tint might be advantageous. But, if I were, for example, inside a wreck and just wanted the ARC to eliminate reflections on the inside of my mask from dive lights (reflecting off the skin of my face inside the mask), I would not want a tint that is reducing the visible light transmitted through the lens and into my eyes.

(I wish I could find my DGX ARC so I can compare it to the Venom)