Is Blue Reef gear trash?

[KansaiKitsune]

I'm looking for a cheapy alternate mask to use and was looking at the Blue Reef masks I saw for sale on one Internet vendor's site. They seem no-frills and economical, but I'm not sure if they're a viable option for scuba diving or not. Anyone used them? Are they going to crack at depth or anything nightmarish like that?

My primary mask is a Pro-Ear (a nice mask, by the way), but wearing it for too long when I've been diving for a while tends to give me a headache. If anyone can recommend another good alternate, let me know. I may end up switching to one of those colour correcting ones eventually.

 

[Ice9]

I'm looking for a cheapy alternate mask to use and was looking at the Blue Reef masks I saw for sale on one Internet vendor's site. They seem no-frills and economical, but I'm not sure if they're a viable option for scuba diving or not. Anyone used them? Are they going to crack at depth or anything nightmarish like that?

My primary mask is a Pro-Ear (a nice mask, by the way), but wearing it for too long when I've been diving for a while tends to give me a headache. If anyone can recommend another good alternate, let me know. I may end up switching to one of those colour correcting ones eventually.

I dunno, but I'd sure like to hear a review of the Pro-Ear mask. Does it really help equalizaton? Tell me all about it!

--Ice9

 

[The Kraken]

I'm looking for a cheapy alternate mask to use and was looking at the Blue Reef masks I saw for sale on one Internet vendor's site. They seem no-frills and economical, but I'm not sure if they're a viable option for scuba diving or not. Anyone used them? Are they going to crack at depth or anything nightmarish like that?

My primary mask is a Pro-Ear (a nice mask, by the way), but wearing it for too long when I've been diving for a while tends to give me a headache. If anyone can recommend another good alternate, let me know. I may end up switching to one of those colour correcting ones eventually.

I think your eyes would have to bug out of your head before your mask cracked!

Remember, you offset the force of the water pressure on your mask by releasing air from your nose to eliminate mask squeeze.

The main thing about a mask is that it fits properly.

the K

 

[matjo1]

Never buy a mask you have not tried on first.

 

[RonFrank]

Blue Reef is very likely made by the same factory in China somewhere that makes many of the masks by leading name manufactures in the world.

Interesting story, I purchased a PanView from LP for like $20. My buddy wanted a backup, and purchased a ScubaPro Clear View for close to $40. He *thought* the scubapro would fit him better as he had a SP mask that he liked.

I actually did the order as I had stuff I wanted, and he just split shipping costs. When I got this mask in, it looked familiar.. in fact very. I compared it against my Genisis, and with the exception of the color, and logo, it was EXACTLY the same.

So, fit is everything, find a mask that fits, and IMO you're golden. I also like the BigEye style masks for a wider vision (I use the XVision by Mares).

Good Luck.

 

[Hank49]

I agree with Ron. I bought some less expensive maskes in a shop here that I'd never heard of and they're great. Plastic and silicon is pretty hard to screw up as long as you don't set your tanks down on them.

 

[KansaiKitsune]

I dunno, but I'd sure like to hear a review of the Pro-Ear mask. Does it really help equalizaton? Tell me all about it!

With regards to the Pro Ear 2000, the extra layer of air into my ears does make it just a bit easier to equalize (but it's not the ultimate solution to equalization), but I have noticed that I have to either wear the mask a bit tighter, or push up a bit to get a good grip on my nostrils to do an equalization. It really will keep your ears dry if you wear the seal just right, but jerky or unusual head rotations can pull the seal up a bit and let water in. Not a problem, if that happens, just press against the top of the ear cups and blow through your nose and you'll puff the water out.

Visual clarity's stellar, and this thing hardly ever fogs on me. I tend to put on a drop of antifog on both lenses before I go in the water and it literally lasts me the whole day.

I find it VERY easy to clear the mask if it gets flooded, and if you're one of those kinds who likes to breathe in through the mouth and exhale from the nose, it's really easy with this one (and even works with the earcups). Word of warning, though: you really should put it on with two hands if you can. The earcups need to be positioned just right to get the seal to work properly.

If you get ear infections or just don't like getting water in your ears, it's not a bad mask. I may make my alternate one of these cheapies, or maybe one of those color correcting ubermasks.

Edit: They make a claim about being able to localize sound easier with the Pro-Ear. From my experience, that actually seems to be accurate. Underwater sounds are amplified and I guess the parabolic shape of the cups make it easier to locate them. But on the surface? You'll feel like you're in need of a hearing aid. I had to lift the cups every time my instructor wanted to tell me something from a distance, because it muffles everything otherwise.

 

[Damselfish]

It's fine as long as they're tempered glass and fit (which of course can be hard to tell over the net.) It's not like there are a lot of "features" they can put on a mask. Some off brands might be lesser quality materials, but then you may drop a tank on it or something before it matters anyway.

 

[LSDeep]

It's fine as long as they're tempered glass and fit (which of course can be hard to tell over the net.) It's not like there are a lot of "features" they can put on a mask. Some off brands might be lesser quality materials, but then you may drop a tank on it or something before it matters anyway.

can only second that. i had many masks over the years from extremely cheap to really expensive. as long as they fit your face they are all fine. as said before here, make sure its tempered glass and it helps alot of the silicone skirt is very soft, it just fits easier / better. if you want the awe effect of your fellow divers, dont mind contacts even if you have 20/20 eyesight and $200 to much go for a hydrooptix, its the only mask i ever tried that makes a real difference .