Help with choosing my 1st mask :-)

[David Wilson]

F1?

Likeliest to mean the "Cressi F1 Frameless Mask" at
Amazon.com : Cressi Frameless Mask (Black/Black) : Diving Masks : Sports & Outdoors
to which the OP refers in the first message in this thread.

 

[Nasser]

Hey'all
So I just got my AOW certificate and it I was thinking of getting my own set of equipment.

Not too many scuba shops in Egypt, and especially in Cairo where I reside, and i got somethings being shipped from Amazon, so I thought hey, I should add some more things.

Huh??

Sharm Al-Sheikh, Dahab, Hurghada are all PACKED with dive stores... I've bought quite a bit of equipment from the various dive shops there and at very good prices. I advise you take a dive trip to one of these cities and buy a mask by trying it on first hand at the store.

 

[diversteve]

Likeliest to mean the "Cressi F1 Frameless Mask" at
Amazon.com : Cressi Frameless Mask (Black/Black) : Diving Masks : Sports & Outdoors
to which the OP refers in the first message in this thread.

Not really...but you can't get an M1 for $29 either...
Hollis M1 Frameless Mask 205-4500-07

 

[David Wilson]

This is what we Brits think about when the subject of the "M1" comes up. Why don't today's masks have proper names like they used to do?

 

[george_austin]

its not brand or model - it's fit. as you know - nothing is worse than a mask that doesn't fit. I have a cheap Korean mask that was I think 30.00USD but it fits great so it's a highly valued back up. The go to mask I use everyday now is a Technisub Micro - freediving mask so its ultra low volume and food grade silicone rubber skirts. I guard that mask with my life Yes, you really need to try them on as others have said and make sure the inner seal goes to the outside of your eye socket or it will leak when you squint, grimace - etc.

---------- Post added August 13th, 2015 at 12:27 PM ----------

Huh??

Sharm Al-Sheikh, Dahab, Hurghada are all PACKED with dive stores... I've bought quite a bit of equipment from the various dive shops there and at very good prices. I advise you take a dive trip to one of these cities and buy a mask by trying it on first hand at the store.

The Ancient Egyptians invented diving, didn't they? I've seen ancient frescoes of Egyptians skin diving using reeds as snorkels - there should be a ton of dive shops there - don't buy a mask online

 

[Damselfish]

Besides the advice in the first response about checking mask fit, do it with a regulator or at least a snorkel in your mouth. This can change the shape of your face enough to make a difference.

anyway I'll try and find them in a local scuba shop before i order them! Thanks everyone

Note that most people consider it poor form to try on a bunch of masks at a dive shop, taking advantage of their physical location and stock, then order one of them online. Not that it's not done, but something to think about. Now if you decided you loved the mask so much you wanted a spare, or dropped it off the boat and needed another, or tried a friends and liked it, that's a different matter.

 

[eelnoraa]

For things like mask, I kind of don't think there is much different in cost between LDS and online + shipping. I would say just buy the best fitted mask you found in your LDS. And again, forget about the brand. The biggest weakness a mask can have is it doesn't fit. If you happen to find a mask that cost $20 from a lesser known brand, and it fits the best, get that. If you find several masks that fit, still forget about the brand, go with low volume, wide angle of vision especially in vertical direction, comfort of the skirt ..... leave the brand to the last.

 

[dmaziuk]

All fins nowadays come with a shoe size, so I'm left wondering why all mask manufacturers don't help online purchasers by providing at least the skirt width as a guide. It won't guarantee a perfect fit, but it may make choosing a mask a little easier.

Have you bought shoes online? Shoe sizes are more like suggestions these days, I always go read the terms and conditions and factor in the cost of return shipping at least once.


To the OP: add the cost of return shipping to amazon price, compare that to your LDS price.

 

[buddhasummer]

Likeliest to mean the "Cressi F1 Frameless Mask" at
Amazon.com : Cressi Frameless Mask (Black/Black) : Diving Masks : Sports & Outdoors
to which the OP refers in the first message in this thread.

Yes, I did wonder that, but the post says "Hollis F1" so was unsure if the reference was supposed to be Hollis M1 or Cressi F1.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Yes, I did wonder that, but the post says "Hollis F1" so was unsure if the reference was supposed to be Hollis M1 or Cressi F1.

Wow, 5 posts for the freudian slip. I mean't Hollis M1 mask. The Hollis F1's are the fins.