OTS Guardian FFM

[oldflounder]

I am posting this in hopes that it may help others to overcome some of the problems I have had learning to use this mask. I have had mine about 2 years now and have been toying with it as a recreational diver in the shallows. I have had problems with fogging and with equalizing it.

A couple of weeks ago I found out that there is a protective film on the inside of the mask such as you find on the screen of a new Iphone, laptop, etc. This just peels off and makes a big difference with the fogging issue. There is a tiny peel tab on the left side to get it started. No manuals or publications mention it that I can find.

I have had a problem getting a snug fit against my nostrils for equalization, so recently I added ALL the supplied inserts to the nosepiece and held them tight with a small ziptie. I found that if I bent the nosepiece down into the mask more I got a much better seal on my nostrils. Of course we all have different shaped noses, so it may not help you, but now I get a nice tight fit when I push on the outside of the mask. You might try bending yours but be careful not to break something. It would be best to do it when the nosepiece is removed so long as the screw holes still line up for replacement.

I hope this helps someone.

 

[JohnnyC]

How old is your mask? Did you purchase new 2 years ago, or was it an older mask. I ask because we just picked up some more for work and they don't have the interior film, they just had the one on the face of the mask. It had some screen printing on it so easy to see and remove.

Which set of slots are you using for the equalization block? There should be enough adjustability without having to bend anything. Have they changed the design in recent years?

 

[oldflounder]

I bought the mask a couple of years ago on sale during one of those end of the year CyberMonday online sales. I imagine they were getting rid of the older models to stock up with newer for the next year. I don't remember any removable film on the outside at that time. The only way I saw the one on the inside is that the edges are now wearing away by use and dirt is getting stuck under the edge making it visible in places, There is a small pull tab on the left side so I am sure it was meant to be removed. Does anyone know if you need to rub the inside with an abrasive like you do with a normal new mask? It is advertised as being fogfree I have been doing it anyway just in case.

My face has a small nose and I have had trouble getting it to fit snug against the nosepiece. I finally just put all the inserts together to make it reach my nose. It was on an angle to my nose so I bent the wires inwards to make a better fit into my nostrils. Now it fits fine and I can equalize everytime.

 

[tbzep]

Our Guardians are two years old. They came with a protective film on the inside and outside.

 

[anelson-OTS]

I bought the mask a couple of years ago on sale during one of those end of the year CyberMonday online sales. I imagine they were getting rid of the older models to stock up with newer for the next year. I don't remember any removable film on the outside at that time. The only way I saw the one on the inside is that the edges are now wearing away by use and dirt is getting stuck under the edge making it visible in places, There is a small pull tab on the left side so I am sure it was meant to be removed. Does anyone know if you need to rub the inside with an abrasive like you do with a normal new mask? It is advertised as being fogfree I have been doing it anyway just in case.

My face has a small nose and I have had trouble getting it to fit snug against the nosepiece. I finally just put all the inserts together to make it reach my nose. It was on an angle to my nose so I bent the wires inwards to make a better fit into my nostrils. Now it fits fine and I can equalize everytime.

Hi OldFlounder,

My name is Andy Nelson, head of Public Safety / Commercial sales with OTS. If you are unable to achieve a comfortable equalization due to the block being too low and are using the tallest pad and block setting, you need a taller wire. We do not include taller wires with the mask as we can typically fit 99% of the divers that use the mask without it. You should not need to bend or zip tie anything for the mask to work for you.

Do you have an address you can send to me so I can send you a taller wire? We send taller wires out free of charge. That way you will only need one pad with the block and have more options for getting your perfect fit.

Also, you do not need any sort of defogger / abrasive on the inside of the visor. In fact, we typically recommend to not use any abrasives on the inside of the mask as you may end up scratching the poly carbonate lens. As long as your protective film is out of the mask, you should not have any fog build up.

Sorry you have been having issues with your mask, but my hope is that we can help get you comfortable and happy with the product!

Hope this helps!

If you are interested a taller wire or have any other concerns, please email me at : anelson@otscomm.com

Thank you!

 

[northernone]

Hi OldFlounder,

My name is Andy Nelson, head of Public Safety / Commercial sales with OTS. If you are unable to achieve a comfortable equalization due to the block being too low and are using the tallest pad and block setting, you need a taller wire. We do not include taller wires with the mask as we can typically fit 99% of the divers that use the mask without it. You should not need to bend or zip tie anything for the mask to work for you.

Do you have an address you can send to me so I can send you a taller wire? We send taller wires out free of charge. That way you will only need one pad with the block and have more options for getting your perfect fit.

Also, you do not need any sort of defogger / abrasive on the inside of the visor. In fact, we typically recommend to not use any abrasives on the inside of the mask as you may end up scratching the poly carbonate lens. As long as your protective film is out of the mask, you should not have any fog build up.

Sorry you have been having issues with your mask, but my hope is that we can help get you comfortable and happy with the product!

Hope this helps!

If you are interested a taller wire or have any other concerns, please email me at : anelson@otscomm.com

Thank you!

Exceptional customer care. Warm regards. We'll be needing a dozen masks in the next year for our team and I have been deciding on the various manufacturers. Seeing this level of care I have yet another reason to be favoring OTS.

All the best,
Cameron

 

[anelson-OTS]

Exceptional customer care. Warm regards. We'll be needing a dozen masks in the next year for our team and I have been deciding on the various manufacturers. Seeing this level of care I have yet another reason to be favoring OTS.

All the best,
Cameron

Thank you Cameron! If you have any questions about our equipment in the future (or now), please feel free to reach out to me either through email / phone listed in my signature here. I'm happy to help.

Cheers.

 

[tbzep]

Does anyone know if you need to rub the inside with an abrasive like you do with a normal new mask? It is advertised as being fogfree I have been doing it anyway just in case.

The fresh air coming into the mask will keep it from fogging up. I've yet to have a fogging issue in water between 37 and 90 degrees F. No need for toothpaste or anything like that, which is normally done on glass lenses, not the plastic ones in the Guardians. It will not need Sea Drops, baby shampoo, or spit either.

My face has a small nose and I have had trouble getting it to fit snug against the nosepiece. I finally just put all the inserts together to make it reach my nose. It was on an angle to my nose so I bent the wires inwards to make a better fit into my nostrils. Now it fits fine and I can equalize everytime.

To equalize you are supposed to put your hand on the regulator underneath and push the mask up on your face so that the nose piece gets shoved against the nostrils. It shouldn't be snug against your nose until you push it up, and only needs to be close enough to the nostrils that you don't displace the mask when you push up to equalize.

 

[oldflounder]

Thank you Andy Nelson for the quick email reply and mailing of the longer wired nosepieces and the helpful information you have given me on my personal issues such as overbreathing under stress, anxiety, claustrophobia and equalization.

The purpose of my initial posting was to help others who may be having these same issues with the mask.

What I have learned and would like to pass on is that:

1. There is an invisible, inside film that needs to be removed upon purchase. Mask should function fogfree without any solutions added.

2. There is a longer nosepiece available upon request for those with short noses who can't get a good seal otherwise.

3. If you tend to overbreathe the reg when you are working hard, there is another reg available, the SRG-1 Stealth regulator, compatible with the Guardian, that is designed to deliver a greater volumn of air to help solve this problem.
(If anyone is considering buying a ffm for the first time I would recommend that one of your tests should be to work the mask so that you get huffing and puffing enough to try and overbreathe it. Apparently this feature is very important for you search and rescue types who are under great physical exertion while rescuing or retrieving a body.)

Thank you again Andy for all your help. I hope to get many years out of these masks.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Thank you Andy Nelson for the quick email reply and mailing of the longer wired nosepieces and the helpful information you have given me on my personal issues such as overbreathing under stress, anxiety, clostrophobia and equalization.

The purpose of my initial posting was to help others who may be having these same issues with the mask.

What I have learned and would like to pass on is that:

OMG you are leaving us all suspense!!! What did you learn???