X-Vision Ultra Mirror Lens, cleaning it the first time.

[Heruhur]

I bought one yesterday and wanted to clean it (as usual for new masks) with toothpaste.
I didn't do it yet because I wondered if it would damage the mirror coating.

So the question is, will cleaning it with toothpaste damage the mirror lens coating?
And if so, how to go about cleaning the silicon residue of the mask to prevent it from fogging?

 

[Zef]

typically with mirror coated lenses the coating is on the outside of the lens. If this is the case with your mask, then you should be able to hit the inside of the lens with toothpaste without any issues.

 

[tridacna]

Both Mares and Scubapro advise against toothpaste and especially flames as cleaning agents with their reflective masks.

 

[bhalah]

Both Mares and Scubapro advise against toothpaste and especially flames as cleaning agents with their reflective masks.

I searched the mares website and could not find any reference about not using toothpaste to clean a mask. Would you be able to provide the Mares link about the proper way of cleaning such a mask?

cheers....b

 

[zoranb]

I agree with Zef. The mirror coating should be on the outside surface of the lenses, so using a light abrasive (such as toothpaste or baking soda) on the inside should not matter.

On the other hand, I'm not so sure that using heat on the inside would not damage the surface coating on the outside but I doubt it.

I've used a lighter and burnt many masks over the years, which is an alternative if you don't have a light abrasive with you at the dive site. It takes time to learn how to do this as too much heat can damage the skirt, and not enough heat doesn't burn the factory coating. It's a thin line between the perpetual smell of burnt rubber, and everlasting fogged mask.

Z

 

[Marie13]

Just try baby shampoo.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Marie, baby shampoo doesn't get the factory coating off.

To the group, I find it interesting that Mares doesn't provide a little advice card with these mirrored masks.

 

[Heruhur]

Well, I took a leap of faith and cleaned it with tooth paste.
So far so good. There's no visible abrasion of the coating.

Now on to the next problem/question at hand.

I do pool dives regularly (DM). Will the chlorine in the water damage the coating?
The sorry excuse of a "user manual" states not to expose the mask to violent blows (o rly?), use anti-fog solution when fogging (where's that lama when you need it),
and no solvents, detergents, alcohol or hydrocarbons (well that rules out baby shampoo).

The user manual doesn't say anything about cleaning it the first time, the usually tell you that at the dive shop when you get your first mask.
After that it's considered common diving knowledge. And there's not a single reference in the entire package to the mirror lens coating.

 

[frndrfoe]

I didn't think about it but I flamed my Son's Scubapro mask that has a reflective coating and it was fine.

 

[tridacna]

I have one which has done at least 500 pool dives and the reflective coating is still intact. My excuse is that it was a freebie from SP otherwise I would not use it in the pool. Not much glare inside. What's your excuse?