Full Face Mask

[Uncle Pug]

Bob3 once bubbled...
The KMB Bandmasks have a plastic faceplate, might be Lexan now.

Now I gotta go out in the garage and tap on the faceplate of the old one with a wrench.

 

[SeaJay]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

Kirby Morgan Band Mask... about $2500 new without the comms.

Shane just picked one up off of Ebay for $1225 new with comms so good deals can be had (actually I did the bidding using his account... he was busy watching TV.)

Ouch.

While surfing around a few minutes ago, I saw that Kirby Morgan does offer their "EXO" masks... A little research showed that one can be had, without communications equipment, for about $650, including both the first and second stages of the regulator. Add to that a spare mask in your pocket and an octo, and that rig could be pretty nice... Complete with tempered glass. Weighting issues don't seem to be as bad with the Kirby Morgan stuff.

I also saw that AGA is now offering weights that you can put on their masks to help with the buoyancy problems.

Still is made of acrylic, though. That stuff clouds fast in abrasive salt water.

 

[Bob3]

...tap on the faceplate of the old one with a wrench.

Sounds like how I test plastic buckles to see if they're the "good ones" or not.
Whack 'em with a 4 pound hammer, or burn 'em & see if they have the glass fibers in the ashes.


By the way, if ya wanna check out a nice hat I picked up on ebay last week: http://www.kmdsi.com/History/KHX13.jpg

 

[SeaJay]

RICHinNC once bubbled...
Two questions on the ffm....

1...Equalizing...In a regular mask there are times I really have to squeeze my nose hard to equalize....good system for that in these masks??

2....Sinus....My nose really runs in a regular mask....I have had to take my mask off to "clear it out' of drainage so I could get a good grip on the honker to equalize. How does this work in a ffm???

1. All ffm's still have some sort of allowance for equalizing. Either the mask separates the nose such that it's surronded by silicone only and you can get to it with your fingers (like a regular mask) or there's some sort of mechanical device. If you look at a Kirby Superlite helmet, you can see the squeeze device that sticks out the front. Press it, and it pushes a nose block against the underside of your nose, blocking it so that you can clear.

2. Well, this really depends on the design of the ffm, but the best ffm's have the nose and mouth NOT separated. Instead, your nose and mouth are covered in one piece, similar to a medic's oxygen mask or a fighter pilot's mask. Since this is the case, there's nothing pressing against the bridge of your nose like there is on a normal mask, and you're probably not going to have the "running" problem like you usually do. Wearing this kind of ffm is very natural, and does not spur the body to react like a normal mask affects some people.

 

[KWK]

I have a kirby morgan supermask FFM that I like very well. Detachable lower pod 2nd stage removal for gas changes. It's very comfortable and fits a wide range of face sizes. The face plate is like a normal single lens mask, but has a little more depth than normal, gives it a bit of tunnel vision with the black silicone skirt.

 

[easyguy101]

which agency does ffm training?

 

[rmediver2002]

I wrote a course for YMCA, I have allowed my instructor quals. to lapse but you can contact Michael Ables in Florida.

http://www.ymcascuba.org/ymcascub/aninstr.aspx?state=FL#search_results

 

[rmediver2002]

You can also contact one of the public safety diving agencies for full-face mask training and certification.

Life Guard Systems and Dive Rescue International are two good ones.

Jef