Masks - purge vs. non-purge

[Scubadent]

Oceanmaster purge mask

The purge works as advertised and have had no problems at all with leaking or malfunction

Like Nicodaemos, I too have a tendency to exhale through the nose occasionally, perhaps due to purging with the nose valve too often, and found that it caused mask fogging. Now I concentrate on exhalation through the mouth and only purge when absolutely necessary. As a nose breather on land, becoming a mouth breather underwater has been a challenge, even after several years of it!

 

[mddolson]

I find that most people buy what they like, regardless.

I 've had a few purge masks over the years (30).
Generally they are great when they are new,
but after a couple of years the flapper valve starts to curl and won't seal. (try to find a replacement one... HA!)
Alternatively I've found they will stick open if just one grain of sand or dirt etc gets under them.

I don't buy purge masks any more


Mike D
:blfish:

 

[Diversauras]

I am really surprised at the results so far. I have been in the game fo a while and stopped using a purge mask more that 10 years ago. I found that the low volume silicone skirted masks keep out the water to the point that the purge is not necessary. I have a moustache and I shave my face daily, maybe twice if I think I might get lucky in the evening.

My favorite is the Tusa Liberator but in honesty I suppose I have 20 masks, kind of like women and shoes, see mask, buy mask. BTW none of the 20 have purges...

 

[Bobb]

I have a purge mask(Parkway),(BodyGlove) m'stash, stubble, and both work great!

 

[dgangi]

Why solve a problem that doesn't need to be there in the first place? Just lose the facial hair. It's so 80's.

Thx...Doug

 

[rickyd]

Wow - these results are interesting. Split almost 50/50 for those with a moustache.

Skewed more on the non-purge style for those clean shaven, and I assume, women in the poll. Ladies - I didn't intend to limit this to the guys - thanks Neve for kindly reminding me ;-)

How about more of you folks voting, and see if we can get the counts up?

 

[danceswithoctopus]

dlarbale once bubbled...
I don't have a Mo or a Beard but I know a few people that do and they overcome the leaky mask problem by using Vaseline (OK so it raises a few eyebrows when people see it in their kit bag but hey they say it works!).

You should see the looks I get when folks spot the KY Jelly in my dive kit. I use it as a lubricant for my wrist seals. Works great!

Okay, I have a mustache and no purge valve. It leaks constantly, but I'm used to it and clearing is automatic. I don't use vaseline (and I wonder if it would deteriorate the skirt?). $.02 from moi.

 

[ScubaDawg2]

I have a moustache and started out using a OceanMaster View 4 purge mask (Which I still have and really like the Q-Strap).

Does not really leak as long as I shave the top part under my nose before diving.

I had switched to a ScubaPro Fino that I absolutely loved till get got lost on my trip to BonAire a week ago. (Anyone around Boca Bartol, happy hunting........)

I replaced that mask last week with a Mares Zero9 that seems to work really well. No leaking yet....

--dawg

 

[dotyj]

I have a mustache and used a non-purge valve mask today for my first real pool session.

I don't know the brand of the mask but I didn't like it much. Horrible perifrial vision and with my mustache I was constantly having to clear the mask.

If nothing else I got real good at mask clearing. I may have to loose the mustache though.

Too bad too. I haven't shaved off my mustache more than once in my life. That was in October of 1990 when went to a Haloween party wearing a Star Fleet Captain's uniform. I even trimmed my sideburns to points. I'm such a geek.

 

[madmole]

I swap between clean shaven and beard/moustache regularly

No need for a purge at all. A full mouthache will seal easily if its fully grown. It's only if you trim it or there is any stubble it leaks. Long facial hair, just lays flat and seals

Also depends on the mask. Cheap and chearful's dont have the flexibility or stiffen with age. Personally I love Tusa masks and never have had any sealing problems in the last 15 years I've owned my liberator (just replaced as my prescription has changed, and the silicon was a brown colour)

The one purge mask I tried leaked like a sieve after about 4 dives