Micromask vs Alien

[Fondueset]

My nose divides the universe and it fits handily in the micromask. Occhio plus sounds interesting.

[armandozx]

Have any of you guys ever used the Picasso black team mask?

I understand that this topic is mainly about freediving but I am also looking for a mask with similar qualities.

Even though I plan to use it for spearfishing I am definitely counting out the Omer Alien after reading many discouraging posts. So far I have the Spetton Excel & the Picasso Black team. I need something small not because of Volume but because my of my face. My current mask, the Cressi Big eye tends to leak when I dive and I think it's because is a little big, other than that It's awesome mask.

[Fondueset]

The big eyes leaks on me in the way you have described as well - but the Matrix does not. The micromask has a better visual field than the alien, matrix, big eyes etc. - the alien has more skirt, and softer silicone so it is more likely to fit. the nose pocket on the alien has a turned up bottom - which is strange, but the silicone is so soft it is not uncomfortable for most people.
I would recommend trying a micromask to see if it fits - if it does it is, in my opinion, the best freediving/spearfishing mask I've encountered.

[armandozx]

Damn this mask is expensive! leisurepro has them out of stock currently but $80 for it ouch !

I have tried the Alien and the Spetton Excel and they fit good I need a mask around that size. But I will not buy the alien for many reasons.

[foxfish]

Originally Posted by foxfish

I have been using the alien for three years & I like it but will be buying the Technisub Micromask soon.

The alien is still the best spearfishing mask I have ever used (so far) No leaks no fogging & no breakages in three seasons.

[ILDiver]

I always seem to have problems with masks hitting the bridge of my nose with the frame. My Alien does not have that issue. I have to look for the occhio, I have not seen it yet.

I would not count the Alien out. I've been in 88F down to 32F and the mask does not fog. When we dive the outlet, the water temp ranges from 32F - 60F, then get out into a 0F or lower air with the mask still on for another 15min and still no fogging. Plus the price of the Alien is cheaper than any other mask we sell at our shop. I wear mine for scuba and freediving.

I would get a Micro, but from anywhere other than Leisure Pro they are over $100 I think. Leisure Pro, I believe, sells grey market AquaLung products to protest AquaLung's internet policy. When the AquaLung Rep was at our shop he told us the MSRP on the Micro would be $120.

*sorry, the mention of Leisure Pro always strikes a nerve with me*

[Fondueset]

The alien is a great mask for sure. I found I generally preferred the Cressi Matrix though. It didn't seal as well but has better peripheral vision.

[sunfish]

SpearFish DiveStore
Try this link for micromask.

[sunfish]

Deepwatershop.com
Or this one. 32.76 euros. Don't know how that translates to dollars but it sounds OK to me.

[foxfish]

About forty bucks?

[ILDiver]

That's about $50 I think. I'll have to find out what the retail is now. Maybe their initial esitmate of price was off. It was not on the market here in the US when I saw the mask.

[foxfish]

OK 32.76 Euros = 48.245652 U.S. dollars

[settingsteel]

I have been using the Alien for about 4 seasons now and think its great, surprisingly I never encountered the "new alien fog".

Prior to the Alien I used a technisub falcon for about 7 years which looks surprisingly much like the micro, other than the tear drop, I think that mask was well ahead of its time, I still have it as a back-up/loaner and its still superb, never left me with "mask-face" (which the Alien does)...has anyone had any experience/comments on the falcon?

[Jon]

I had a Technisub Falco that I used to use.

It wasn't bad, until the frame cracked, but the volume on it was pretty high for such a small mask- much greater than the new Micromask. I liked it because it was built on the same frame as the Sphera- but with glass lenses.

Jon

[Fondueset]

A thing about the alien, that hasn't been mentioned, is its compressibility. For must of us volume is not that huge a deal anyway - but there are two ways of dealing with it. One is a small volume mask and the other; compressibility. A compressible mask collapses easily under pressure - taking longer to reach a point where you have to put air into it. The alien works that way a little more than most masks because of the design and the soft silicone. As it compresses the lenses move in too - increasing the field of view. Personally I end up having to wear the alien a little low - which cuts off the upward vision - because of the extremely turned up nose pocket, but its a righteous spearo mask for sure.