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Post by nemrod on Mar 18, 2008 15:19:59 GMT -8
It is OK duckbill, it is an ongoing decay. It just seems like all of sudden because it is the beginning of the season and I was preparing for SDV. No worries, I have more than enough to see me through. The point is all this stuff horded up and collecting dust, some folks kinda going to be dissappointed when they pull it down and start to use the stuff. Nothing lasts forever even stored away in a box. You know what they say, use it or loose it, either way, it is going away. My favorite fins, Voit Viking A66 for example, two years ago they were showing a little checking. Last year a bit more, this year, well, I can push my finger through the foot pocket ;( . Well the only suitable send off for them is a funeral pyre and that they will get post SDV.
We have more new stuff coming on line from both vdh and vss and other various external sources than can shake a stick at, it is just we may loose some of the variety as has already been mentioned. All is good, and if we could only get a hold of some of those Japanese Gull products etc, they have some nice all rubber fins.
How long does silicone last in practical use? Yes it will disscolor but it certainly seems more durable in things like valves and masks and similar items etc.
Maybe I should have a mold made for the Super Vikings? Wonder what that would cost?
Nem
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Post by duckbill on Mar 18, 2008 16:30:21 GMT -8
How long does silicone last in practical use? Yes it will disscolor but it certainly seems more durable in things like valves and masks and similar items etc. Chlorine tends to discolor clear and white silicone. Why do they insist on making items in these colors (or lack thereof)? I guess mask skirts give a little peripheral vision that way. That's the only reason I can see for them. Otherwise, why don't they make the stuff in good ole' black silicone which won't show the discoloration? |
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Post by SeaRat on Mar 18, 2008 17:45:37 GMT -8
How long does silicone last in practical use? Yes it will disscolor but it certainly seems more durable in things like valves and masks and similar items etc. Chlorine tends to discolor clear and white silicone. Why do they insist on making items in these colors (or lack thereof)? I guess mask skirts give a little peripheral vision that way. That's the only reason I can see for them. Otherwise, why don't they make the stuff in good ole' black silicone which won't show the discoloration? Duckbill, The reason is because clear silicone looks better in photographs. Models use iclear silicone masks so that they can show off their facial features in the photo. But what's good for a photo is not really good for diving. Because the clear silicone lets light in, if you are diving in dark waters with overhead light, that light can be brighter as a reflection off the inside of the mask than the light coming from below, making seeing fish very difficult. One other thing about clear silicone--it can be harder and rougher on the skin. I had a Scubapro tri-window mask that I loved in black neoprene, and had several actually melt off my face from use. So I bought the same mask in clear silicone. The fit was harsher, and it hurt to wear. So I sold it. One came up recently on ebay, and I put a bid on it of $25. When someone went over that, I let them have it, as it really did not interest me. My current mask is a black silicone Tusa Liberator. I have my prescriptions ground into the lens. But it is a form-fitting mask, and therefore water sometimes gets into my nose. Both pool and river fresh water can harbor bacteria, and last winter for the first time ever I got a sinous infection, so I'm looking at alternatives. It the pool, I've gone back to the oval mask, and I have a Dacor Professional mask that is also pretty dry. My wife's mask that I bought for her in the 1980s is also a Tusa/Tubata Hyperdry, of clear silicone. It has no discoloration, even though it is over 20 years old, and is soft too. So I'll probably stick with what I've got right now, unless something irresistible comes by. John |
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Post by DavidRitchieWilson on Mar 19, 2008 12:58:32 GMT -8
Japanese manufacturer Gull does indeed make excellent full-foot rubber fins. A while ago I managed to get myself a pair of Hard Mews and they're quality fins. As for the Voit Vikings, I picked up a pair once on eBay and they have had several outings in the North Sea. There are still a few sources of close-toed full-foot rubber fins around, e.g. the Russian-made Delfin, which is sometimes cut up to make monofin footpockets. Kievguma of Ukraine also make close-toed full-foot rubber fins (Akvanavt), as do Japan's other manufacturer of rubber fins Diveways (Mustang).
I've recently taken delivery of two newly-made blue-rubber-skirted oval dive masks made by Escualo Sports of Mexico. Quite a lot of rubber-skirted masks are still in production around the world, but it can still be quite hard to get hold of them. Sommap and Beuchat of France remain reliable sources of traditional rubber dive masks with the metal strip around the frame.
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