New mask prep

[paulintexas]

Hey,
Bought another mask this week and haven't used it yet. What is the recommended prep for a new mask, if any?

Has anyone used anti-Fog (like RainX, which is used on cars) or just the anti-fog drops at the scuba store?

 

[Laser]

Scrub both sides of the lens with a little toothpaste, and your good to go. Never considered rain X. I use a drop of baby shampoo for anti-fog.

 

[paulintexas]

Laser once bubbled...
Scrub both sides of the lens with a little toothpaste, and your good to go. Never considered rain X. I use a drop of baby shampoo for anti-fog.

toothpaste huh? interesting, just rub it in witha finger or use a toothbrush?

not sure if RainX anti-fog would be safe or not, I use it in my car and it is amazing, my windows never fog... on the RainX web site, it says to check with the manufacturer before using on plastic, so perhaps not a good thing to try on a mask (which isn't glass like a car...)

 

[cudachaser]

Scrub the lenses with, Soft Scrubr toothpaste. There is special stuff you can buy in the mask defog section of your dive shop, but for a one shot application...it's really expensive.

Dive manufacturers treat new masks to perserve their shelve life. That stuff promotes severe mask fogging. When you get the lens "squeeky clean" you've removed the lubricant

 

[paulintexas]

i came upon this: http://www.wide-i.com

cool concept, has anyone used this?

 

[Laser]

paulintexas once bubbled...


toothpaste huh? interesting, just rub it in witha finger or use a toothbrush?

Just fingers will do. All's your doing is removing the slight film that the manufacturer puts on for shipping purposes. I prefer paste to gel as it's a bit grittier. Many masks will include these tips when you buy them. You only have to do it once.

 

[chrispete]

I wouldn't try rain-x on a mask, it may cause eye irritation. Also, most masks that are of decent quality are going to have tempered glass lenses which a mild abrasive like tooth paste is not going to harm.

 

[paulintexas]

thanks all. used toothpaste today on it and took it for a 'test dive' in the old pool.

i really like the new mask, it is a Cressi Big Eyes and it is a huge improvement over my previous Genesis mask, I can see a lot more and it doesn't feel as "closed in" as my previous mask.

In the pool it didn't leak, and was very easy to clear, take off/back on and re-establish. The only minor complaint is that I could never really clear all the water from the nose area, not a big deal, but not as good as the previous mask. Perhaps I just need practice

 

[pipedope]

I also have a Big Eyes mask and it is *great*!
It is the best sealing mask I have owned in 25 years of diving.

To get that last bit of water out you need to tip your head back so that the water is back against your lip istead of on your nose tip and blow ~gently~.
Or you may just get used to the feeling and get on with the dive.

 

[DivemasterWill]

Rain-x is petroleum based - if you want to see what it will do to your eyes, spray some on a paper towel and take a nice breath of it..... Rain-x is designed to break the surface tension on water and therefore cause it to bead..... it's nasty, and it is NOT a defog. It's a beading solution.

Toothpaste is the way, or soft-scrub. A mild abrasive.

~W