Dive masks with purge valves

[UnixMarine]

When I started diving 13 years ago, dive masks had purge valves, now they don't. Why?

 

[Frosty]

Some do.

 

[scubafied]

They still exist but are not widely used. There are a few reasons for this but the one you'll hear the most is that they are a gear solution to a skills problem. Clearing a regular mask is not hard to do and those with purge valves add a failure point to the mask, whether it is common they fail or not, it exists and is possible.

 

[UnixMarine]

They still exist but are not widely used. There are a few reasons for this but the one you'll hear the most is that they are a gear solution to a skills problem. Clearing a regular mask is not hard to do and those with purge valves add a failure point to the mask, whether it is common they fail or not, it exists and is possible.

I can understand this. My old one never had a problem, but it is an additional point of failure.

 

[beanojones]

From an instructor's point of view the main problem is that for those dependent on the nose pinch for equalization, the purge mask often requires two HANDS to equalize.


For that reason, I tend to loan people who own purge masks a non-purge mask for the OW course. Once they are done with the course, they will not tend to be doing as much up and down stuff, so having to use both hands is not a big deal.

Scubapro used to make a purge mask that vented to bubbles from the purge to the sides, making it popular among photographers. The ScubaPro Trivent XQ in this article.

Gear / Accessories | Scuba Diving Magazine

And some guys with really fluffy moustaches like to not have to smear random stuff on their face adornments, so they like purge masks.

Nowadays, many of the purge masks are built into otherwise non-purge looking masks:
SCUBAPRO - CRYSTAL VU PLUS PURGE

And just to make it trickier, in some of the hidden purge masks, until the user cuts away a bit of silicone, the purge opening is not open.

---------- Post added June 30th, 2013 at 06:08 AM ----------

They are made for strokes!

You are kidding, right?

 

[Tortuga68]

From an instructor's point of view the main problem is that for those dependent on the nose pinch for equalization, the purge mask often requires two fingers to equalize

Luckily most people have 10 fingers. Not sure what being an instructor has to do with it.

Then again I also don't get what photography or moustaches have to do with purge valves either

 

[Quero]

When I was a new diver, somehow I ended up owning a mask with a purge valve. I don't recall choosing the mask for this feature, though. I eventually got rid of it specifically because of the purge valve.

beano's "two finger" comment puzzles me, unless he's talking about his technique of having his students push down on their noses with just one finger like they were buzzer buttons. But on a first reading, I assumed he meant to say "two hands" since I imagined he was saying that the purge valve needed to be stopped in order to equalize. But I'm not sure now. Anyway, I have never needed two hands to equalize because the purge only opens when the pressure inside the mask exceeds the pressure outside, and when pinching the nose the pressure build-up is inside the head, not inside the mask, so there is absolutely no need to manually close the purge valve in order to equalize.

The problem I had with my mask was that after some time the small silicone disk in the purge valve that flexed during the purge function became deformed and it would let water leak into the mask even when the seal was otherwise good. I got tired of constantly purging, and of course the more I purged, the more wear and tear there was on that little disk. Eventually the mask would no longer seal at all and I switched forever to non-purging mask types. Currently I use a very low volume mask that takes just a little puff to clear, so a purge valve would be overkill.

 

[ajduplessis]

From an instructor's point of view the main problem is that for those dependent on the nose pinch for equalization, the purge mask often requires two fingers to equalize.


For that reason, I tend to loan people who own purge masks a non-purge mask for the OW course. Once they are done with the course, they will not tend to be doing as much up and down stuff, so having to use both hands is not a big deal.

Scubapro used to make a purge mask that vented to bubbles from the purge to the sides, making it popular among photographers. The ScubaPro Trivent XQ in this article.

Gear / Accessories | Scuba Diving Magazine

And some guys with really fluffy moustaches like to not have to smear random stuff on their face adornments, so they like purge masks.

Nowadays, many of the purge masks are built into otherwise non-purge looking masks:
SCUBAPRO - CRYSTAL VU PLUS PURGE

And just to make it trickier, in some of the hidden purge masks, until the user cuts away a bit of silicone, the purge opening is not open.

---------- Post added June 30th, 2013 at 06:08 AM ----------



You are kidding, right?

No I am not kidding!

Like Tortuga68 I would also like to know what mustaches and photography has to do with mask purge valves? Also, about 5 million divers nose pinch to equilise and none of them use purge valves on their masks. Maybe you would not mind to clear this up for me?

 

[Tortuga68]

beano's "two finger" comment puzzles me, unless he's talking about his technique of having his students push down on their noses with just one finger like they were buzzer buttons. But on a first reading, I assumed he meant to say "two hands"

I beleive she meant two hands... with some purge maskes the finger holes are underneath which can be difficult to manipulate with the same hand when a regulator is in your mouth

 

[Quero]

I beleive she meant two hands... with some purge maskes the finger holes are underneath which can be difficult to manipulate with the same hand when a regulator is in your mouth

I've never encountered a mask like that. No student has ever showed up with one, and I include a rental mask as part of the course fee (naturally it's a simple, no-purge style). Lucky me!