Which Spearfishing mask? Experts help needed

[armandozx]

Zup... After reading many mask posts I have created some doubts on which mask to get.

Ok to start off! my current situation is the fallowing. I use a Cressi Big Eyes Mask and even though I think is a great mask I find it a little to big for my face. Water seeps from the bottom of my cheeks when I make my decent.

I have these masks in mind but seriously I need advice to steer me away from the not so good one's. Not that any of them could be bad but I have heard many things about the alien that are some what discouraging. I have a sharp/small face.

Omer Alien
Spetton Excel
Picasso Black Team Mask

 

[Marwan]

3 words, oceanic mini shadow...
i tried many masks, not the 3 you listed though, i found that for spearfishing, field of vision is probably more important than low volum, the big eyes is one of the very good masks i tried, but now i tend to use, framless one window masks..the mini shadow has a wide field of vision and quite small and low volume....
Oceanic Shadow Single Window Mask from LeisurePro.com
another good choice would be the Sherwood Mako, still small, but bigger then the shadow:
Sherwood Mako Frameless 1 Window Mask from LeisurePro.com

 

[Pastor]

Why not go up to see jimdoe2you and his store. Then you can try one on and make damned sure it fits. And I'm sure Jim will be more than happy to meet a fellow DBer

 

[armandozx]

Hey Pastor Thanks! yes I am sure Jim would welcome a fellow DBer but to be honest Jims store is very far from me it's kinda pointless to go all the way out there for a mask that local shops may have. Thanks again though. The masks you pointed out look good a little wide that's what I am afraid off, but I will consider them . Thanks !

 

[Fondueset]

Technisub micromask if you can find it. Phenomenal field of view - beats he big eyes and cressi matrix (which might fit you if the big eyes doesn't) It is a very small mask however - so best to try it on first.

 

[spaghetti]

Armando, how deep do you dive? Do you really dive so deep to need a low volume mask?
This said, best thing would be to go to a shop and try several types on your face...
You could try the new Omer Aries 39: I tried it and it's a bit too small for my face, which is a pretty sharp latin face, so I guess it could have a place in your list...

 

[armandozx]

Spahetti ! thanks for your comment. I dont think the problem is the depth of my dives but the structure of the mask and my face. Omg let me see how to put this! I could be diving in 15ft of water or 30ft of water the same thing will happen to my mask. Water will seep through from the bottom and collect there till I clear it out or eventually go in my eyes {& sting like sh*t}. The Cressi Big eyes is kinda of a big mask as far as my faces goes. Like it is good on the sides but I think it stretches down to much. Comprende!

Last time I was at a shop I tried the Alien and then the Spetton Excell both very good and I think the alien has a better wider view but I can't back that up 100% because I could not test them well. Next time I go I will test them and check out the Picasso Mask as well. But considering price is an issue The Spetton Mask wins HANDS DOWN!

Spetton Excel $42 USD
Omer Alien $50 USD black + 9 for diff verions and $20 for mirror lens
Picaso Black Team mask $42 USD

 

[spaghetti]

But considering price is an issue The Spetton Mask wins HANDS DOWN!

Spetton Excel $42 USD
Omer Alien $50 USD black + 9 for diff verions and $20 for mirror lens
Picaso Black Team mask $42 USD

Mirror lens? no, they're not good unless the water is chrystal clear on a very, very sunny day. So the difference is just 8 dollars. Then IF you feel the Alien fits better, my advice is to spend the extra 8 bucks and be happy. A mask must fit perfect as a second skin and you will use it for many years (I have my mask since 1999) so that 8 dollars is not such a big investment for what you get: years and years of comfortbale dives with zero mask issues Figure that...

 

[armandozx]

I agree with you, but seriously with all the comments and complaints people have about their alien masks I would rather not invest those extra $8 on a headache and a disappointment. So I can find my self here Asking the Same questions " Why does my Alien Fog and how do I get rid off it, I have tried almost everything!

Seriously I am not putting down any omer gear I wish if I buy the alien I will be like one of those guys, that instead say mine works great no problems so far! but that of course can not be assure. Lol I guess that's life! spaghetti you don't know any one that has own a picasso mask by any chance.

 

[Jon]

I used to have a Picasso Black team. It was a quality mask, but the Nulla fit my face a bit better. If it fits your face I'd say you can't go wrong with Picasso. My OMER Bandit fits my face even better than the Nulla, but the quality isn't there, so I've since swapped out the roller pins and mask strap from the Nulla and put them on the Bandit.

I still like my Micro mask best for deeper stuff and I use an Atomic ARC mask for spearfishing- since all spearfishing in Wisconsin is shallow I don't mind the extra internal volume of the mask- and a big thanks to Fred for getting me hooked on such an expensive mask.:friday

If the Cressi big eyes is too big you should look into the Lince. It's a nice mask for smaller faces. I would need something like the Matrix- for the in-between sized melon. rofl

I've never used a Spetton mask, but I have owned their footpockets and wet suit socks- both where high quality and fit me well. I would imagine that the rest of their line is just as good.

Jon

 

[spaghetti]

Sure, as Jon said Picasso has a good price/quality balance....BUT.....my Alien doesn't fog any more!

 

[armandozx]

Jon I stayed waiting for an answer last night !

I hear very good things about spetton as well, How is the fit on the picasso compare to the alien like more or less they look about the same width and length give or take a few mm right. Aside from that, How is the internal view? with the picasso I assume you have a wider view ? give me more details from your perspective of course. Did you have a fog problem with the picasso?

My cressi from day 1 never fogged on me spit wash and use & unfortunately lol water in the eyes! :naughty but hey it's a very good mask.

 

[armandozx]

Sure, as Jon said Picasso has a good price/quality balance....BUT.....my Alien doesn't fog any more!

After how many years of toothpaste applications rofl? lol

 

[Fondueset]

Remember a lot of people have the alien - so there are bound to be more complaints! Mine never fogged. Jon is right though - volume is not a big deal for shallower diving. When I was at Hatteras one of the deepest divers there used the oceanic shadow - which is a frameless single-lens mask. I tried a clear one here and thought the silicone was extremely stiff - but the black one may be completely different.

I use the micromask for all my diving these days. Its pretty easy to forget I have it on and the peripheral vision is better than any of the masks we've discussed here - next in that realm would be the Cressi Matrix.

Most important is to try them on - find one that feels right regardless of other considerations. FYI - a good way to test peripheral vision is to stand facing a wall and, without turning your head, hold up a few different masks and see what you can see out of the corners of your eyes.

 

[Jon]

Sorry I didn't get back to you last night, but I do need to sleep sometime. zzz

Vision on the Alien was better than the Picasso- if you could see through the fog. rofl The Picasso masks that I had were more traditional in their size and field of view- think old Cressi Ochiio.

Chris is right about going into a store and trying one on to see what fits best. The dive shop will have you do the sniff test- inhale with no strap on you face to see if it seals. After that you should find a spot to stand and try a few different masks on. From here look down to see how many button holes you can count on your shirt- to check for lower vision. Next, look straight up and see how many ceiling tiles you can look back- for upper limit vision. Finally, hold both of your hands out in front of you and spread your arms until you can't see your fingers- this will allow you to see which gives you the widest angle of view.

For deeper/warmer pursuits I use the Micro mask- I got sick of buying a new Sphera every 6 months after the previous one decomposed before my eyes.

Today I was out in shallow (less than 20'), cold (36F) water and I was more concerned about visibility and face coverage. I used to use an Ice mask for winter diving, but the cut of my Elios suit is so good that I don't need to if I am using a wider mask- like my Atomic. This is what it looked like today.

Jon

 

[Fondueset]

Hey Jon,

I'm still de- chilling from a dive too. Viz was great but just a few suckers and a lone carp moseying along at about 40 feet. We should start seeing walleye in there sometime in the next month or so. Water was 37F. Amazingly I am able to step into that hard waterway nemo - no more getting gloves caught between my heels and the fin - yet it is in no danger of slipping off even during torpedo sprints.

Peripheral vision is really nice to have in a mask - that and upward are the priorities. Down is nice too, of course - but not as critical as for scubies with all their gauges and buckles and stuff.

 

[armandozx]

I would have never guess that the alien had a wider view than the picasso. When I get to the store I will try them and perform these test as mention above to see which mask will suit me better. Thanks everyone for your opinions and thoughts. I'm going to feel as if I was back in the Army again checking for a mask size ! and smell the pineapple! look side to side and "do you smell anything"

 

[Jon]

Chris, water was 36F here today- the hot water pipe wasn't on. I've been using the coconut oil on my breakfast before diving like you and Fattah mentioned and it really seems to make a difference. I went to one store yesterday in search of MCT oil, but had no luck.

Slightly larger masks are fine, for me, when it comes to things like spearing, but when I have my monofin on I like to go with something sleeker- like the Micro mask or a Sphera. I find that I get so much speed up with a mono on that a big mask tends to leak/flood/fall off.

I almost need a shoe horn to slide my mono on over my 5mm socks. In the summer it's easier with the 3mm, but not as easy as it was with the NEMO footpockets. If that thing were softer, and had more blade angle to it, I would still be using it.

Jon

 

[Robbert]

Zup... After reading many mask posts I have created some doubts on which mask to get.

...... Not that any of them could be bad but I have heard many things about the alien that are some what discouraging. I have a sharp/small face.

The #1 thing is what mask fits your face. As A Freediver we all want the best combination of low volume and wide field of view. I believe without doubt this has to be the Aqualung/Technisub Micromask but since I work for the company I have a obvious bias. However, if you browse all the other forums it seems we have a lot of very happy customers. The question is does it fit you and/or are you looking for the lowest price mask available.

First and foremost is fit,fit,fit. Once you find a mask that fits you perfectly you won't want anythin else. So grab your snorkel and head for the stores. I say grab your snorkel becuase for a lot of people putting a snorkel in their mouth will change the countours of their face just enough the affect the fit.

I have heard that the Omer Aliens have some challenges with fogging. From what I know on the mfg side I have a hard time believing that this is not preventable with enough elbow grease and the right abrasive. Fire also works and i have heard recently coke is a possible. As far as fogging goes glass is glass. The issue is the film of silicone that builds up on the glass during the mfg process. Get that film off the glass and it will be just like any other mask. Again, if it so happens that the fit of a Omer alien is a perfect match to your face I'd get it and scrub, scrub, scrub. In the end it will be worth it. Of course, I'd be sure to check out the Aqua Lung Micromask first!

 

[armandozx]

Robbert I have tried the Micromask ! and it was a very nice fit with a nice view, but seriously I cant spend that amount of money on a mask. Maybe if it was less I would definitely give it a go but things are not good right now to spend that kind of money on a mask. I know that small volume masks fit my face well because of their shape. Now picking one will be the hardest thing I have to do.

I plan on trying them all the picasso, spetton and even the Aqua lung mask and I will do some fit and comfort tests and of course field of vision which 1 I feel more comfortable with. Thanks you all for your suggestions I take everything into consideration.