Hollis M1 knock-off?

[Svart]

Hi everyone,

I recently ordered a Hollis M1 as it was on sales. I just received the mask and instead of the "Saint Gobain diamond glass" marking on the upper part of the lends, there's a "Tempered glass CE" marking.

I was wondering if this might be because it is an older model or if this could be a knock-off.

Does anyone know if they changed the glass used for the lens over time?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pressurehead]

Ask them.
Does not look like a knock-off.

M-1 MASK - Hollis

Visibility is the most important aspect of any dive and the M-1 Mask raises the bar for optical quality and distortion-free vision.

www.hollis.com

 

[DiveGearExpress]

The Hollis M-1 is a popular brand name for the mask, but the mask design itself is manufactured and sold by several companies in Taiwan. (And perhaps elsewhere in Asia, there is a apocryphal story as to how that came about which calls in to question who knocked off whom.) Dive retailers sell what is essentially the same mask under a variety of brand names and price points.

These masks can be ordered from original equipment manufacturers with ordinary clear tempered glass faceplate or with a low-iron (aka "ultra-clear") tempered glass faceplate for a small difference in the OEM price. Saint-Gobain is a brand name of glass that was originally manufactured using low-iron content silica from the Saint Gobain region of France, but is sometimes usurped as a generic reference much like Kleenex for tissues. The glass material alone is not the only factor to consider, tempered glass has been allowed to cool more slowly in the manufacturing process and as a result of the annealing is more resistant to impact than ordinary plate glass.

Being tempered glass that is CE marked does not have anything todo with the iron content of the glass, and is no reason to suspect you have been misled. Easy to check which type of glass your mask has, hold the lens to while light and observe if it has a greenish tint or is completely devoid of color.

We sell one too...

DGX Gears Ultra View Frameless Mask

DGX Ultra View Single Lens Frameless Mask w/Mesh Bag

www.divegearexpress.com

As well as this... (hmmmm)

Poseidon Line Mask (3 Colors)

This ultra-low volume diving mask incorporates a lightweight frameless design to provide an excellent field of vision.

www.divegearexpress.com

 

[Svart]

Thank you for the replies and for the additional information.

I thought the mask only came with the Saint Gobain lens and was not aware of another version of the mask with "normal" tempered glass.

The mask fits well and looks genuine, I was just surprised. And I was also curious about the special glass which was one of the reasons I ordered the M1 in the first place.

I reached out to Hollis to ask if they produced different versions, I'll post back once I hear from them.

 

[Svart]

So I got a reply from Hollis, unfortunately, the person who replied was not able to tell me whether or not there were M1 masks manufactured with different types of tempered glass, some being more "premium" than others.

I tried the trick recommended by the DGX member and compared with one of my other masks. It very hard to tell if there's any sort of bluish hew.

I hope the mask is genuine, it fits well, I will dive with it!

 

[Pressurehead]

I hope the mask is genuine, it fits well, I will dive with it!

Looks like one of mine, remember to clean it very well or it will fog, something like Gear Aid Sea Buff (formerly McNett Sea Buff) X4 times.
I have 'face fuzz' and seals the best for me.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I keep a DGX Ultra-View Frameless Mask in my drysuit pocket as a backup to my beloved Hollis M-1 mask. Now I think I know why I like my backup just as much as my M-1.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

The Hollis M-1 is a popular brand name for the mask, but the mask design itself is manufactured and sold by several companies in Taiwan. (And perhaps elsewhere in Asia, there is a apocryphal story as to how that came about which calls in to question who knocked off whom.) Dive retailers sell what is essentially the same mask under a variety of brand names and price points.

These masks can be ordered from original equipment manufacturers with ordinary clear tempered glass faceplate or with a low-iron (aka "ultra-clear") tempered glass faceplate for a small difference in the OEM price. Saint-Gobain is a brand name of glass that was originally manufactured using low-iron content silica from the Saint Gobain region of France, but is sometimes usurped as a generic reference much like Kleenex for tissues. The glass material alone is not the only factor to consider, tempered glass has been allowed to cool more slowly in the manufacturing process and as a result of the annealing is more resistant to impact than ordinary plate glass.

Being tempered glass that is CE marked does not have anything todo with the iron content of the glass, and is no reason to suspect you have been misled. Easy to check which type of glass your mask has, hold the lens to while light and observe if it has a greenish tint or is completely devoid of color.

View attachment 749143

We sell one too...

DGX Gears Ultra View Frameless Mask

DGX Ultra View Single Lens Frameless Mask w/Mesh Bag

www.divegearexpress.com

As well as this... (hmmmm)

Poseidon Line Mask (3 Colors)

This ultra-low volume diving mask incorporates a lightweight frameless design to provide an excellent field of vision.

www.divegearexpress.com

So are you telling me if I buy one of your masks, the Puget Sound will be blue instead of green? (I'm going to add this to my next order regardless of your answer)