Hi! did the same as you - frenzel using the pressure in the mask. worked well going slowly on the rope down to ten metres. Havn't tried it more after that. Yea i'm tighting the mask as well, and will buy the aqualung technisub minimask (the smallest there is i've heard). smaller than my superoccio i got now. still its not really that totally satisfying pop-feeling in the ear doing handsfree, not yet.
I am assuming you mean the micromask? If yes I use it and I think it's a very good mask - I prefer it to the superoccio for other reasons, not sure if the volume makes a noticeable difference though but I haven't used my superoccio for years...
I personally don't get any pop feeling per se when I do hands free, I just equalise really often instead (more than once per metre I would say)...