Black silicone skirts

[LI Diver]

Think about it man!! Given the cost to make a mask mold, do you really think they make specials molds just for black silicone vs clear, or do they just use the same mold with the color factor added???

Not the mold the material injected into it.

 

[wunat]

Oceanic Shadow mask is also a low profile black skirt. I like it for the tunnel vision it provides by focusing your eyes forward. I tried and didn't like the clear skirts and multipane scubapro mask and gave it away after 2 dives.

Agree. Love my Oceanic Shadow.

I also agree with the fact that I do feel the difference in terms of the visual effect black skirt masks give.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

My scubapro fino, seavision, and deep see masks are all exactly the same, black skirt and all. I mean, I think they came out of the SAME mold. The are absolutely identical, other than the name stamped on them.

If they did not actually come from the same mold, they no doubt came from the same factory.

Our LDS owner takes heat from the Scubapro sales rep who would like him to sell more Scubapro masks. But it is hard to do that when Scubapro is asking him to sell the same masks he can get from Deep See or elsewhere that differ only in the name stamped on them and in that they retail for a lot less than the minimum price required by Scubapro.

It's a sad fact that there are actually very few mask and snorkel makers and that these few companies usually rebrand the same products for several different companies. Fins are the same except the distribution rights are normally much more exclusive - at least until the design gets older.

 

[rascal1933]

Silicone should be the same in same brand type of mask in clear (or) black when compared side by side.
I would think the color is just injected in manufactering process.

black masks skirt will not discolor from elements (sun etc...) like the clear.

better visual effect ~yeah sorta like tunnel vision/more focused sight line.

Most important Black is just way COOL!

 

[fdog]

I have the same model mask in both black (photography) and clear (everything else).

Can't tell a bit of difference in the fit. The black does make the viewfinder more contrasty, and the clear makes me more peripherally aware.

All the best, James

 

[Chad Carney]

I'll take a black silicone mask over clear any day. But not because it's softer; because it's better optically, doesn't yellow and even hides the mildew. (Yuck!)

I have noticed sometimes from some makers of the exact same model, that the mask is a bit softer in black than in clear. It's much easier to make a black mask, than one that is crystal (pure silicone) clear.

But... a soft skirt does not always mean good! Often the mask skirt that seals the best has a bit more edge (stiffness) to it. Take our Zeagle Ebon for instance. It's a TUSA Liberator Plus clone... just like a dozen others, but I found that it often digs into a face just a tiny bit more than the TUSA, and frequently that's what the customer needs. And many times they liked the TUSA better. Many Cressi-sub masks also had just a tad firmer skirts than competitors, and often sealed better. Don't take my meaning to extremes, a stiff skirt isn't good, but sometimes soft is also lacking.

(Jees, I can't believe I just typed that!)

Chad

 

[Coldblue]

If the skirts are made of the same material the only difference i can think of is the coloring substance added (or removed) during the manufacturing process. Perhaps such coloring substance hardens/softens faster with sun exposure making black silicone softer with time and/or clear silicone stiffer with time.

When masks are new, i just can't tell the difference. I think they all fit the same regardless of the skirt color. I use black skirt because I don't like the glaring effect of clear skirts. I know many people don't even experience glaring with clear mask skirts so it's again a matter of personal preference.

CB

 

[BuoyantC]

I agree with Coldblue. I've tried a couple masks of the same model in clear and black, and I haven't been able to tell any difference in fit.

The difference I find is also about glare. On some sunny dives with a clear skirted mask there is glare on the inside of the glass. The black eliminates that. The down side is you cannot see peripheral movement that you can with a clear skirt.

I switch back and forth.

Dennis

 

[Nemrod]

I have both a black and a clear X Vision. Exact same fit and feel. I have an older version of the ScubaPro Fino in both black and clear and it too has the exact feel and fit. Blue masks fit better than either black or clear anyways. N

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I...I think they all fit the same regardless of the skirt color. I use black skirt because I don't like the glaring effect of clear skirts. I know many people don't even experience glaring with clear mask skirts so it's again a matter of personal preference.

CB

I use the black silicone for exactly the same reason. This glare from the side, that reflects on the inside of the mask's lens, is very annoying in our colder, less clear waters as we look down.

SeaRat