What is your favorite mask?
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I have the atomic aquatics frameless. I went through so many masks and couldn’t find anything that didn’t leak or fog badly. I hope they keep making these because they were a game changer for me.
The lens is so clear too! Although I do need to get some bifocals soon so I guess I’ll be finding out if they make those,too.
The lens is so clear too! Although I do need to get some bifocals soon so I guess I’ll be finding out if they make those,too.
АлександрД
Contributor
mnscuber
Registered
Original Cressi Big Eyes. I've been trying to find a second/back-up mask that is as good or better. I've tried a few others including a new/updated(?) Big Eyes, Big Eyes Evolution and Atomic Frameless. My first Cressi Big Eyes works the best for me. The newer one is okay but somehow not quite the same - I'm often needing to adjust/clear the mask mid-dive. So, I too am on a quest for a better fitting mask.
scubafanatic
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Atomic Aquatics Frameless II
David Wilson
Contributor
As a vintage snorkeller in terms of chronological age and equipment preference, my favourite mask type comes with a single oval lens and a coloured skirt. I have a modest collection:
A. Typhoon Super Star mask (Made in England). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval plastic lens, metal rim, top screw and uncut socket for Automatic Valve Assembly. Original box.
B. Typhoon Blue Star mask (Made in England). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval plastic lens. Original box.
C. Majorca 103 mask (Made in Greece). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval plastic lens and red plastic rim.
D. 대한 황대 수경. Daihan Gorae mask (Made in Korea). Yellow rubber body fitted with clear oval plastic lens and black plastic rim. Original box.
E. 대한 황대 수경. Duplicate Daihan Gorae mask.
F. Britmarine Speedswim mask (Made in England). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval plastic safety lens and red plastic rim.
G. Britmarine Stingray Compensator Mask with Exhaust Valve (Made in England). Blue rubber body with clear oval tempered-glass lens, metal rim, ear-clearing accordion bosses, purge valve and double head strap.
H. SPINE «ЛАГУНА» (Lagoon) mask (Made in Russia). Blue rubber body fitted with wide clear oval tempered-glass lens, yellow plastic rim, ear-clearing accordion bosses and double head strap.
I. SPINE «НЕПТУН» (Neptune) mask (Made in Russia). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval tempered-glass lens, yellow plastic rim, ear-clearing accordion bosses and double head strap.
J. SPINE «НИМФА» (Nymph) mask (Made in Russia). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval tempered-glass lens, white plastic rim, ear-clearing bosses and double head strap.
K. Escualo Cancun mask (Made in Mexico). Blue rubber body with clear oval tempered-glass lens, black plastic rim, ear-clearing bosses and split head strap.
L. Escualo Ixtapa mask (Made in Mexico). Blue rubber body with wide clear oval tempered-glass lens, black plastic rim, ear-clearing accordion bosses and split head strap.
M. Хемус “Елипса” (Hemus Ellipse) mask (Made in Bulgaria). Green rubber body with clear oval tempered-glass lens, metal rim and top screw.
N. Unbranded mask (Made in USSR). Green rubber body with clear oval tempered-glass lens, metal rim, top screw and double head strap.
I rarely snorkel with these masks as I want to keep them in optimum condition and they would be very hard to replace if they began to perish. As a rule, I snorkel instead in oval masks with black skirts, the softer the better, as they are still cheap and available.
So when I apply the adjective "favourite" to a diving mask, I distinguish between what I find most valuable and what I find most useful. The masks in the collection above are all my favourites in the former sense of personal, aesthetic, historical and geographical value. I'll select two of them to illustrate what I mean.
Typhoon Super Star mask
This is my personal favourite because it was a Christmas present from my parents during the early 1960s. It is still in remarkable condition with the rubber body and strap perfectly supple and the stainless steel of the rim and buckles uncorroded. What I prize most about this mask, apart from the connection with my late parents, is the generous flanged edge of the skirt. An illustration from one of my boyhood books shows the effect:
I still have the original box the mask came in and it is visible in the photograph of my coloured mask collection at the beginning of this posting.
My second-favourite mask is modern Russian in provenance.
SPINE «НИМФА» (Nymph) mask
This model has the softest feather edge skirt I've ever encountered in a snorkelling mask and it's almost possible to forget that I am wearing it. The fact that it's clearly designed for a narrower face is also a definite plus for me as I've had plenty of experience with leaky wide-view masks. I love the comfortable cradle on the back of the head supplied by the adjustable strap. I also find the contrast between the blue of the skirt and the white of the rim aesthetically appealing. The Russian origin of the mask reminds me of the only trip I ever made to the country. I flew to and from Moscow and what was then Leningrad (now St Petersburg) with my brother and a group of other British twenty-somethings during the 1970s. I have many happy memories of that visit and this mask reminds me of it whenever I pick it up. My take on the matter is that a favourite mask should evoke multisensory recollections of the past as well as fulfil a utilitarian purpose. Mine certainly do.
A. Typhoon Super Star mask (Made in England). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval plastic lens, metal rim, top screw and uncut socket for Automatic Valve Assembly. Original box.
B. Typhoon Blue Star mask (Made in England). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval plastic lens. Original box.
C. Majorca 103 mask (Made in Greece). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval plastic lens and red plastic rim.
D. 대한 황대 수경. Daihan Gorae mask (Made in Korea). Yellow rubber body fitted with clear oval plastic lens and black plastic rim. Original box.
E. 대한 황대 수경. Duplicate Daihan Gorae mask.
F. Britmarine Speedswim mask (Made in England). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval plastic safety lens and red plastic rim.
G. Britmarine Stingray Compensator Mask with Exhaust Valve (Made in England). Blue rubber body with clear oval tempered-glass lens, metal rim, ear-clearing accordion bosses, purge valve and double head strap.
H. SPINE «ЛАГУНА» (Lagoon) mask (Made in Russia). Blue rubber body fitted with wide clear oval tempered-glass lens, yellow plastic rim, ear-clearing accordion bosses and double head strap.
I. SPINE «НЕПТУН» (Neptune) mask (Made in Russia). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval tempered-glass lens, yellow plastic rim, ear-clearing accordion bosses and double head strap.
J. SPINE «НИМФА» (Nymph) mask (Made in Russia). Blue rubber body fitted with clear oval tempered-glass lens, white plastic rim, ear-clearing bosses and double head strap.
K. Escualo Cancun mask (Made in Mexico). Blue rubber body with clear oval tempered-glass lens, black plastic rim, ear-clearing bosses and split head strap.
L. Escualo Ixtapa mask (Made in Mexico). Blue rubber body with wide clear oval tempered-glass lens, black plastic rim, ear-clearing accordion bosses and split head strap.
M. Хемус “Елипса” (Hemus Ellipse) mask (Made in Bulgaria). Green rubber body with clear oval tempered-glass lens, metal rim and top screw.
N. Unbranded mask (Made in USSR). Green rubber body with clear oval tempered-glass lens, metal rim, top screw and double head strap.
I rarely snorkel with these masks as I want to keep them in optimum condition and they would be very hard to replace if they began to perish. As a rule, I snorkel instead in oval masks with black skirts, the softer the better, as they are still cheap and available.
So when I apply the adjective "favourite" to a diving mask, I distinguish between what I find most valuable and what I find most useful. The masks in the collection above are all my favourites in the former sense of personal, aesthetic, historical and geographical value. I'll select two of them to illustrate what I mean.
Typhoon Super Star mask
This is my personal favourite because it was a Christmas present from my parents during the early 1960s. It is still in remarkable condition with the rubber body and strap perfectly supple and the stainless steel of the rim and buckles uncorroded. What I prize most about this mask, apart from the connection with my late parents, is the generous flanged edge of the skirt. An illustration from one of my boyhood books shows the effect:
I still have the original box the mask came in and it is visible in the photograph of my coloured mask collection at the beginning of this posting.
My second-favourite mask is modern Russian in provenance.
SPINE «НИМФА» (Nymph) mask
This model has the softest feather edge skirt I've ever encountered in a snorkelling mask and it's almost possible to forget that I am wearing it. The fact that it's clearly designed for a narrower face is also a definite plus for me as I've had plenty of experience with leaky wide-view masks. I love the comfortable cradle on the back of the head supplied by the adjustable strap. I also find the contrast between the blue of the skirt and the white of the rim aesthetically appealing. The Russian origin of the mask reminds me of the only trip I ever made to the country. I flew to and from Moscow and what was then Leningrad (now St Petersburg) with my brother and a group of other British twenty-somethings during the 1970s. I have many happy memories of that visit and this mask reminds me of it whenever I pick it up. My take on the matter is that a favourite mask should evoke multisensory recollections of the past as well as fulfil a utilitarian purpose. Mine certainly do.
Where do I buy that mask?
АлександрД
Contributor
in Russia you easy can buy this mask, in the sports shops, or from the "craiglist"-like board:
https://www.avito.ru/rossiya/sport_i_otdyh?s_trg=11&q=маска+нимфа
price is 4-5$
but as I know - is the big problems with shipping in to States...
https://www.avito.ru/rossiya/sport_i_otdyh?s_trg=11&q=маска+нимфа
price is 4-5$
but as I know - is the big problems with shipping in to States...
David Wilson
Contributor
As АлександрД has said, this mask is still available new at a low cost in many online and terrestrial Russian sporting goods stores, but the problem is with shipping abroad. I live in the UK and I purchased my НИМФА mask several years ago from an eBay seller based in Russia or Ukraine who had a different Russian mask for sale on eBay. I remember sending a message to the seller and he agreed to obtain the mask on my behalf and then sell it to me via eBay. I no longer have a record of the seller's identity. I suggest searching eBay with a search term such as "Russian diving" and you'll find a few diving gear sellers based in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine or the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) prepared to sell Russian equipment via eBay to western countries. Send one of them a message and they might be willing to oblige. Be sure to let us know how you get on.
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