Full face masks?

[Thalassamania]

Have one on mine also with a check valve on it for surface supplied air. Not sure if the block is KM, but one of my purge mushroom valves located near the chin has been replaced with a KM valve. My brass supply tube is a little dinged up. Wonder if there is a source for one? I suppose I could get one made and get it chromeplated.

Same here, check valve and block.

 

[fldiver1]

I am not sure why everyone hates the Ocean Reef Neptune so much. I love mine. I have been using a Neptune II for a few years and my brother has been using one for about 3 yrs now. He is still using the NIRA on his while I have put my Oceanic Delta on mine. Yes, they do get hard to breath if you are looking up in the water but that's it. For all the other comfort and visibility it provides, and the price for that matter, it is a mild annoyance. I would love to try the other models too. I have heard good things about the AGA and KM but don't have the money to spend on one so I'll just stick with my crappy little NEPTUNE for now.
BTW, I use mine for ALL diving. I don't work in the water, diving is just recreational for me. But it is so comfortable that I don't think I'll ever switch back to a traditional mask/reg setup. The new NEPTUNE SPACE is supposed to have a much better reg on it also. Haven't used one yet but hope to soon.

 

[FFMDiver]

I've owned a Poseidon, scubapro, and a TEC but the AGA is the best so far.
Would like to get my hands on the panorama, but it looks like it will accept only a special
tx reg w/ a round mouth piece..

 

[muddiver]

Thallassamania,
That Oceanic block looks suspiciously like a Kirby Morgan Block unless my old eyes are deceiving me. Maybe it is produced by KM ?

It is a Kirby Morgan part, hence the diamond shaped sticker on it that says Kirby Morgan.

I can't believe all the B.S. on this thread due to lack of knowledge or experience.

A full face mask is hands down safer than using a standard recreational SCUBA regulator. Due to the basic design of any FFM it is a lot harder to drowned using one. If the diver should pass out you can loose your air source or inhale water. That dosen't prevent you from running out of air though.

As for switching breathing gas or going to an alternate air source you do need a "side block" type manifold for most masks. The Kirby Morgan M48 Supermask is the exception. It has a removable regulator housing that mounts over the mouth area which can be removed to switch to an alternate air source or to talk/breath on the surface. You could possably use a snorkle with it removed if you are dealing with rough surface conditions.

I've used all of the most common FFM including the Aga by Interspero, the M48, the KMB-18/28's, a KMB-8 and the EXO-26. The Aga is very comfortable in the water but a PITA to clear with. The others are eaiser to clear your ears while using but are heavier and I wouldn't reccomend them for recreational use, unless you are a hard-core diver like myself with lots of serious training by the AAUS, ADC, Navy or possably one of the Tech organizations.

It all boils down to being trained in the proper use, proper emergency procedures, doing a lot of self rescue drills and spending a lot of time in the water geting comfotable with the equipment you are going to use. Email me if you need any tip or have any questions.

 

[mntdiver]

Oceanic isn't in the full face mask business anymore. They had picked up the M-48 as the JMC Supermask, but the line didn't move well. Note that it's not cataloged any longer. I'm not sure I'd buy anything just because it bares a specific name brand, rather that it fits my required application.

Mud, you hit the nail on the head. It's amazing how many "experts" there are in this industry. Full face masks have saved more people than they've hurt. Training and taking the time to learn how to use a full face mask is the key. Add to it a good comm system and the safety factor goes up considerably. The activity of breathing underwater is dangerous if you're not properly trained.

The gas block that is probably the best for any of these application is the M&J. It's sold by Oxycheq and Deep Outdoors. It's a true gas A or gas B block. Where as the KM block is an excellent block, it was designed for surface supply applications. It works on the principle of your primary gas being depleted or denied (severed umbilical, thus the chech valve) and then opening the wheel of a valve to bring in your redundant gas. There's no switching back and forth. As to the Sartek block. It's made of Delrin and mounts on the side of the mask (AGA), I'd much rather have brass and keep it off my face.