I bought the Atomic Frameless on a whim. So far it is all (within reason) that it's cracked up to be.................... is it better than all others........... depends on your expectations. But it is the lightest and most comfortable mask I've ever had. The field of view is definitely w-i-d-e & D-e-e-p! you can't see through opaque objects withit though.....OR .... swim any faster! ............ But then Atomic doesn't make any of those claims, do they?................ then I guess.Yeah.... they are all that they say.
New Mask Advice
- Thread starter Trever
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geggle165:
geggle165: There are many fine masks available. AQUA-LUNG, SCUBAPRO, OCEANIC, CRESSI, SEAVISION, and our own Apollo bio-metal Mask:
www.apollosportsusa.com/Products/Masks/Biometal.htm
They all have great optics, clear lenses, etc. Sometimes hype is just hype. There are many fine masks. Fit is most important.
mbd: Sometimes hype isn't just hype. Seems I've heard alot about a certain brand of split fins over the years. Thought I'd look into them awhile back. Now......just try to get them away from me. Make mine blue or yellow!! Take a guess who's I'm taking about. By the way....... in the fin's case......... you really CAN go faster... LOL
geggle165:
geggle: You are correct sometimes products do live up to their reputation. In the case of the mask, I just believe that fit is the most important consideration. Of course good optics, quality skirt, and good material and construction are also things to be considered.
Glad you have good experience with your Apollo bio-fins. After trying all sorts of composite materials and designs we found that all natural rubber provided the best performance using the new technology. Compression molding a natural rubber fin is time consuming and expensive but it results in a fin that consistently rates # 1 in a wide variety of tests.
No doubt about it. Natural rubber is the way to go. I'd probably still be diving with my old Mares full foot from the sixties if some jackass didn't borrow them to go to Costa Rica and LEAVE THEM THERE!!! In reality probably not as good as biofins but I loved 'em.
I think without mentioning about the brand names and model names, it's important to try it out ourselves before buying a mask, even there are some good reviews... first is the skirt fit, second is the nose fit, when I squeezed my noise with my fingers with the mask on, I realized that some masks would allow me to perform the complete nose block better than the others. Check also the possible leakage at this point if you will, this is rarely mentioned. Then the view angles, yes, the low volume in general does mean that the lens is closer to the eyes thus bigger view angles; however, the shape of the lens as well as the shape of the frame, as a whole, would determine how "clear" we can see through the lens. This is very hard to explain, let me use some examples.
For the low volume masks, even some newer models may not be doing as good as the old ones, even though the new masks claims to have a bit bigger view angle (vertical angle and side angle). e.g. some masks have side lens, supposingly this should increase user's vision at the side; however, practically, when the vertical edges connecting the front lens and the sides lens are wide, that part of the view (around the junction edge between the side lens and the front lens) is gone. Another example, when we keep our head fixed, and look to the furthest left and right by moving the eye balls only, we would realize:
1. For high volume masks, when we rotate our eye balls to the far right or left, eventually, part of the edge vision will be blocked by the side wall of the mask. Low volume is better in terms of this.
2. The edges of the lens closer to the noise area is blocking one of the eye.
e.g. when we look to the far left, moving eye balls only, the right eye vision would eventually be blocked by the edge around the noise. Sometimes, when the right eye is completely blocked by the noise edge, our brains would automatically adopt the left eye vision almost completely, depends on how bad the right eye is being blocked, as a result giving a more overall vision, rather than if the right eye is only partially blocked (imperfect overlap vision).
I would like to stop here, if you put on very different types of masks, you will see what I mean.
For the low volume masks, even some newer models may not be doing as good as the old ones, even though the new masks claims to have a bit bigger view angle (vertical angle and side angle). e.g. some masks have side lens, supposingly this should increase user's vision at the side; however, practically, when the vertical edges connecting the front lens and the sides lens are wide, that part of the view (around the junction edge between the side lens and the front lens) is gone. Another example, when we keep our head fixed, and look to the furthest left and right by moving the eye balls only, we would realize:
1. For high volume masks, when we rotate our eye balls to the far right or left, eventually, part of the edge vision will be blocked by the side wall of the mask. Low volume is better in terms of this.
2. The edges of the lens closer to the noise area is blocking one of the eye.
e.g. when we look to the far left, moving eye balls only, the right eye vision would eventually be blocked by the edge around the noise. Sometimes, when the right eye is completely blocked by the noise edge, our brains would automatically adopt the left eye vision almost completely, depends on how bad the right eye is being blocked, as a result giving a more overall vision, rather than if the right eye is only partially blocked (imperfect overlap vision).
I would like to stop here, if you put on very different types of masks, you will see what I mean.
Scuba Jerm
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wunat:
That's good to hear about the Oceanic Shadow. I tried that one on and it didn't fit my face, just too wide, but they make a smaller one that fits me fine, I haven't been using that one.... yet, but it's on the list of things to get.
Scuba Jerm:
I use the mini-shadow (I have a smaller face) and it works great, though you need to clean it with toothpaste a few more times than you do framed masks. If the mini doesn't work I think they even make a micro.
A
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