bad fog problem for oceanic shadow mask

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freza

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Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
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Location
Labas
# of dives
100 - 199
Hi. I bought the Shadow Ice mask 3 years back & I had problems with bad fogging with the mask. I also bought the Mini Shadow Ice for my girlfriend then & she had the same problem with her mask. We've tried all possible methods of cleaning the masks but the fog is still bad on the mask. I have also passed around the mask to a few DMs, instructors & other experienced divers to try their luck on cleaning the mask - but all of them failed miserably. We gave up & had to purchase another mask from Cressi Sub. We cleaned the Cressi Sub masks easily & we didn't get any fogging problem. Have been using the masks since then.

That was 3 years back. I broke my Cressi Sub Horizon mask in July 2006 & 2 days ago, I bought myself the Shadow Black to replace it after i was convinced by the shop owner that the previous batch of the masks had problems but not the new ones.

I had my instructor to give it a try earlier today during his pool lessons & within 2 minutes, the new mask fogged up badly. Looks like the old problem is still there.

Any of you guys have experienced & overcome this problem? (no de-fogger, I can clean my other masks by spitting or scrubbing toothpaste without fail)
Weird that these Shadow masks have been getting good review by Scubalab!

Or should i forget about it & buy a different mask?

Thanks.
 
I have the same problem with a mini shadow. I thought I was the only one.
 
Have you guys tried scrubbing the inside of the lens with toothpaste or another mild abrasive really well, rinse then use defog?

That will stop the fogging.
 
cerich:
Have you guys tried scrubbing the inside of the lens with toothpaste or another mild abrasive really well, rinse then use defog?

That will stop the fogging.



Yes. It works for a while (20 minutes), then I have to use salt water. But, glass is
glass right. Or is it?
 
For the two oceanic shadows that I have (one regular and one mini), both require a significant amount of scrubbing. My mask would not remain defogged until I scrubbed for 5 minutes.
 
All new masks tend to have an oily film on the lenses from the factory. If this oil film is not removed then no amount of spit or defog will help with respect to keeping it from fogging. Clean both the inside and the outside of the lenses with a non gel toothpaste or a liquid dishwashing detergent such as Dawn. This may have to be done 2 or three times. A good indication that the oil is off the mask is to rub your fingers accross the lens and if the mask "squeaks" when you do this then it is probable that you have gotten the oil film off. Remember to thoroughly rinse your mask to get the toothpaste or detergent out as both are not pleasant when they come into contact with your eyes (based on personal experience). When using defog make sure that you follow manufacturer instructions for it's use and only use defog that is suitable for dive masks. Defogs used in other sports such as ski goggles usually tell you to apply those in well ventilated areas (I would prefer not to find out why).
Every time you remove your mask and it dips below the surface of the water you are essentially washing out more of the defog thereby making it less effective. Hope I have helped a bit.

P.S. Your mask may have to be cleaned using the tootpaste or detergent two or three times a year as the silicone skirt may exude some oils during storage or non use.
 
cerich:
Have you guys tried scrubbing the inside of the lens with toothpaste or another mild abrasive really well, rinse then use defog?

That will stop the fogging.

Tried that. Didn't work. Also tried burning the inside lense, scrubing & soaking it with cloth detergent overnight.

had another instructor to try it again earlier tonight after the 'treatment' last night. was ok at first but the fog are back after 20 mins. this time, the fogging seems 'uneven' - some part of the lense is foggy & some are not.

could it be;
1. the mask have very low volume that your face/eyes heat is fogging up the mask?
2. cleaning was uneven.

any ideas guys?

thanks.
 
Burning the inside of the Lens??!!!

That a new one on me, you would just make any silicone/release agents left over from the factory stick to the glass better.... (think burnt grease on a glass baking dish.

I would stick with toothpaste/softscrub and go like heck for a good 5 mins. as pointed out above.

Burning... where do these ideas come from?:D

freza:
Tried that. Didn't work. Also tried burning the inside lense, scrubing & soaking it with cloth detergent overnight.

had another instructor to try it again earlier tonight after the 'treatment' last night. was ok at first but the fog are back after 20 mins. this time, the fogging seems 'uneven' - some part of the lense is foggy & some are not.

could it be;
1. the mask have very low volume that your face/eyes heat is fogging up the mask?
2. cleaning was uneven.

any ideas guys?

thanks.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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