My Omer Zero 3 arrived today and here is my report:
Summary:
It is too wide for my face....
I have to tighten it up significantly to get a seal on the sides of my face... there is a 3-5mm gap on each side if I just hold the mask up to my face. I can't hold it there with suction unless I press it on first to deform the silicone and put some curve in the frame.
However... I have a narrow face.
Having said that - I can normally get any mask to seal without jamming the frame into my face.
Eg. The Sphera and Micromask are technically a bit wider than ideal for my face... but they still work / seal just fine. The most similar mask to the Omer Zero in terms of size / lack of fit on my narrow face is the Cressi Pinnocchio. It is also wide and needs significant tension in the strap to keep water out for me.
I will compare the Zero 3 with my Sporasub Mystic, as this is my current fav mask that is closest to the Omer:
Overall:
Both masks are of the "modern" type of design and are actually quite similar. Both are EXCELLENT freediving masks.
The Omer is a sexy mask. The milling on the skirt looks like carbon fibre. The strap is a great design that spreads the load out across the back of the head. One REALLY great feature of the strap is the texture / grooves on the inside of parts of the strap - this is to reduce strap slipping - a REALLY nice touch that shows how well the mask is engineered and how much work was put into it.
Skirt / Silicone:
The Omer has thinner silicone and there is less of a "skirt" with the Omer. I think that the more generous and more pliable silicone on the Sporasub may allow for it to fit a larger range of faces.
Field of view:
Omer is better in the top corners of the mask (10:30 and 1:30 positions) as well as downward visibility, but the Sporasub is actually better at the 12:00 position and 3:00 / 9:00.
Volume:
On my face - they are very close - but I think the Sporasub has less volume when completely compressed onto my face. The top corners of the Omer mask really add to the volume (but add visibility).
Frame:
The frame of the Omer is a thin piece of hard plastic that is the majority of the structure of the mask. It is very rigid and very well made. I just wish it was more of a "V" to it, instead of being straight, so that it fit my narrow face better.
When tightened, it can be felt on the brow ridge, as there is not a lot of silicone "padding" on the top-edge of the mask skirt. This might be different for those with a wider face that distributed the load in a more even fashion.
Compressability:
This is difficult for me to say, but I think that the Sporasub is more compressable, just because of the amount of compliant silicone in the skirt / seal. This would be best determined by someone with a larger face than me, to get an accurate assessment however.
Conclusion:
This mask has all of the characteristics of a great freediving mask - but for me... I would need to put too much tension into the strap to get it to seal and thus hurt the overall compressability of the mask for depth. Personally I am better off sticking with my Sporasub for depth work... but it just might be the ticket for all of you moon-faced freedivers, UWH and UWR'ers!
I think it will fit someone with a "normal" face well and exceptionally for someone with a large head / wide face.
We will see in a few hrs when I take it to the pool for a test-fitting on myself... and then on some of the other Freedive Toronto melon-heads.
