Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Italy: Other manufacturers

[David Wilson]

And finally for today, the Francis Sub VIP:

Italian:

• Maschera in gomma morbida nera, di nuova concezione, elegante nel design, con ottimo campo visivo, vetro temperato. Adatta per ragazzi.
• Colori assortiti: giallo, verde, nero, blu.

Rough translation:

• Soft black rubber mask in a new elegant design with optimum visibility and tempered glass. Suitable for children.
• Assorted colours: yellow, black, green, blue.

So a twin-pane kidney-shaped mask able to accommodate smaller faces.

That must suffice for today and we shall be proceeding to Francis Sub snorkels midweek. Keep well and stay safe.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Jale and JMBL, and for the posting, JMBL.

Now on to Francis Sub breathing tubes. We shall review them in alphabetical order, beginning with the Carcinio model. "Carcinio" probably derives from Ancient Greek καρκίνος (karkínos, "crab").

The classic black Francis Carcinio snorkel has a semi-contoured barrel with a built-in keeper and an antibacterial and hypoallergenic soft rubber mouthpiece.

 

[David Wilson]

Second snorkel of the day is the Francis Sub Corrugato:

The classic black Corrugato (English: corrugated) snorkel consists of a rigid barrel connected to a flexible corrugated rubber hose terminating in a mouthpiece. When the mouthpiece is out of use, it is designed to spring away from the face, enhancing comfort and freeing the swimmer’s hands, which would otherwise be deployed during removal of the snorkel from the mouth.

 

[David Wilson]

Third and final snorkel of the day is the Francis Sub Mitrio.

The classic J-shaped black Mitrio snorkel has a straight barrel with an ergonomically shaped mouthpiece made of antibacterial and hypoallergenic rubber. The name "Mitrio" may derive from Greek name Demetrios, Demetrius in Latin.

The three remaining Francis Sub breathing tubes will be reviewed at the weekend. Until then, stay safe and keep well.

 

[lowwall]

I kind of like the feature on the Mitrio and Carcinio (which my spellcheck changed to "Carcinoma", at least it got the Latin root correct) of having a piece molded in to pass your mask strap through instead of using a separate snorkel keeper. Did these work well in practice?

 

[GDHLEWIS]

I kind of like the feature on the Mitrio and Carcinio (which my spellcheck changed to "Carcinoma", at least it got the Latin root correct) of having a piece molded in to pass your mask strap through instead of using a separate snorkel keeper. Did these work well in practice?

I had a snorkel years back with that feature, don't recall having any real issues with it. Only thing was that was no play so if the snorkel was yanked hard enough (waves or similar) the mask was going with it as well. But realistically it was fine really

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Jale and Iowwall, and for the posts, Iowwall and GDHLewis. I own a Seac Corrugato snorkel with a built-in keeper:

It has served its purpose while snorkelling in the North Sea, although I came to dislike the material used for the corrugated-hose mouthpiece, which was stiff EPDM elastomer instead of traditional soft natural rubber. I have never understood the rush of western diving equipment manufacturers into synthetics nor western divers' acceptance of the trend.

As for the built-in keeper, it worked fine when threading a mask strap through it and while the combination was in use in the water. Two possible downsides, however.

First, you have to remove one end of the mask strap from its buckle to do the threading, while a rubber figure-of-eight snorkel keeper is removable by pushing it up the barrel to the top, wrapping it around the still-buckled mask strap and pulling it down the barrel again.

Secondly, the thin bit of the plastic built-in snorkel keeper is prone to break if dropped, rendering it beyond use and requiring the replacement of the entire snorkel. This is not so inconceivable as you might imagine. I once owned a modern silicone-mouthpieced snorkel with a plastic barrel and dropped it on the floor, which resulted in the barrel ending up in smithereens. And no, I didn't step on it too. I'm still discovering small shards from the scene of the disaster. Another good reason to stick with old-school breathing tubes!

 

[David Wilson]

And now on to the three remaining models in Francis Sub's known snorkel range. Let ys start this fine sunny morning here in the UK with the Semplice:

The classic black J-shaped Semplice (English: Simple) snorkel consisted of a straight rigid barrel connected at the lower end to a 180-degree rubber-hose elbow terminating in a mouthpiece. A real blast from the past.

 

[David Wilson]

Second breathing tube of the day is the Semplice con valvola:

The Semplice con valvola [English: Simple with valve] snorkel consisted a straight rigid barrel connected at the lower end to a 180-degree rubber-hose elbow terminating in a mouthpiece.

A valve at the top of the barrel is designed to prevent water ingress when the user dives below the surface. The valve in question was a float valve of the "Gamma" type patented during the 1950s by legendary combat swimmer and diving gear inventor Luigi Ferraro:

 

[GDHLEWIS]

Second breathing tube of the day is the Semplice con valvola:

View attachment 730144
View attachment 730145​

The Semplice con valvola [English: Simple with valve] snorkel consisted a straight rigid barrel connected at the lower end to a 180-degree rubber-hose elbow terminating in a mouthpiece.

A valve at the top of the barrel is designed to prevent water ingress when the user dives below the surface. The valve in question was a float valve of the "Gamma" type patented during the 1950s by legendary combat swimmer and diving gear inventor Luigi Ferraro:

View attachment 730146​

Would love to hear feedback on anyone who has used this snorkel. Cant decide if its genius or plain stupid lol