Mask skirts: Black or clear?

[MichigandiverJon]

My trusty old Sea Quest mono lens mask finally sprung a leak at the lens/frame after 10? years. It's time for a new one. I dive the Great Lakes and shipwrecks mostly. With viz between 30 to 70 ft most days even down to 105 ft. What are some pros and cons of Black skirt masks and clear ones? I have occasionally noticed a glare on the inside of my lens from ambient light coming through the clear skirt. Not super annoying but noticeable. Any recommendations on brands and styles? P.S. I shop at DGX frequently

 

[fisheater]

Brand? Style? Whichever fits YOU the best.

Skirt? Black. No question. Black. Allows for better vision (as extraneous light from the side is eliminated) and doesn't yellow with age. Plus, it just looks cooler.

 

[ScubaToneDog]

That's pretty much the biggest pro/con right there. Some people feel claustrophobic with a black skirt though. If you get a low profile mask that shouldn't be a problem.

It really comes down to personal preference. Get one of each and you will always have variety and a back up!

 

[TSandM]

A mask has to fit well. I'd wear a bright pink and purple mask with a clear skirt, if it was the one that didn't leak!

I prefer dark skirts, because I'm extremely sensitive to light signals, and hate spurious light coming through the side of the mask. My husband prefers clear skirts, because he wants to be aware of every bit of light that comes through the mask skirt.

In other words, it's personal preference.

 

[scubafanatic]

Clear skirt masks don't age well, they soon get that foggy, dingy yellow aged silicone look.

 

[demed]

My trusty old Sea Quest mono lens mask finally sprung a leak at the lens/frame after 10? years. It's time for a new one. I dive the Great Lakes and shipwrecks mostly. With viz between 30 to 70 ft most days even down to 105 ft. What are some pros and cons of Black skirt masks and clear ones? I have occasionally noticed a glare on the inside of my lens from ambient light coming through the clear skirt. Not super annoying but noticeable. Any recommendations on brands and styles? P.S. I shop at DGX frequently

i love blackskirts because they age better than clear ones and among low profile frameless one the chioices are very few - unfortunately, every once in a while i have to use a no name only because i need the reading inserts...

 

[KeithG]

it's all personal preference on the color - black blocks light from the side, clear does not. make sure it fits first, then worry about skirt color.

not sure that either ages any better. i believe it is all in how you treat it.

my clear silicone mask was getting a bit dingy (dinghy?) a few years ago so I soaked it in javex for a few hours. It now looks almost brand new. It is 25 years old. In this case it had not yellowed since I keep it out of the sun. Just some surface "oxidation?".

 

[Damselfish]

It's all fit and then personal preference, neither of which someone else can answer for you.

I've always preferred clear for more light and an open feeling, and have never had a problem with glare. Unlike some I think black looks dorky, not cool, but don't think coolness is a good criteria. I've heard people say that photographers prefer black, but my husband is an avid photographer and prefers clear. I don't think clear masks necessarily age more quickly or get dingy, but I can't really compare against black because the only black masks we've had we disliked and never kept long enough to tell. (I do keep masks in cases and away from rubber stuff.)

 

[decompression]

Divegearexpress has a good article on clear vs black.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[eelnoraa]

I have both black and clear mask of the exact same model. The clear was meant to be a backup mask, however I have grown to like the clear skirt better for open water dive. The main reason is that I found when my teammates/buddies want to get my attention with their light, I am able to notice better. Mainly when I light hit the clear skirt, I can see. But when light hit back skirt, I can't notice. Also, pictures of myself turn out better with clear skirt.