Forget all the lighter and toothpaste remedies, use Johnson's Baby Shampoo, works on brand new masks from the start, no need for anything else.
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Forget all the lighter and toothpaste remedies, use Johnson's Baby Shampoo, works on brand new masks from the start, no need for anything else.
Although it may appear wax-like, it's not actually a wax. It's just a solid (or semisolid) surfactant. (The distinction doesn't have to matter in general, but it's on topic here, so hey.) Theoretically, you could buff your mask lens with a bar of Zest, even, although I have not tried and I figure it would burn a bit. (Buffing your bathroom mirror with it does seem to work quite nicely, however.)In any case, this wax I think is technically anti-glare wax. If you use it on a bathroom mirror and polish it then it doesn't fog up from hot water vapor. The paper insert says it's Gibs Formula, made by Elkin Manufactuing, Mill Road, Santa Barbara, CA and says it "steamproofs". I can't tell if this company is in business now. Says it's recommended for use on eyeglasses, mirrors, windows. I apply it to the mask glass and polish off until streaks are gone with a clean cloth. I have not had fogging problems since using it. Once I break the mask in, I may go back to defog. I re-apply the wax every dive day but my friend leaves the wax on for days.
I don't buy that... Lighters and tootpaste are cleaning, shamppoo is a fog preventer.
If a mask is contaminated with manufacturing residue, salad oil, lotion or anything else that promotes beading then baby shampoo or any other defog preparation will not work well, especially in cold water.
On the other hand a perfectly clean mask can work well with no defog. The duration of perfection is short so a defog / surfactant is used to promote sheeting which allows the condensed vapor to flow to the base of the mask invisibly. Condendation is inavoidable. The trick is to have it sheet invisibly.
Clayjar did a nice job of outlining the principles involved. Hence no wax and Rain-X is simply not something you want in this application.
Clean, test, treat..... more here.
Pete