Speedo Raven Mask

[glubglub]

I've been looking for Dacor Bandit-esque mask... I wonder if this will be good enough for freediving down to 30ft ish.

Any comments / reviews?

SpeedoUSA > Accessories > Training Gear > Mask/Snorkel Set > Raven Mask/Snorkel

[mtyvlcro]

Looks kinda janky. You don't want a plastic lens. Too much flex at depth. Don't get a snorkel with any fixed keeper. A $2 replacement keeper ensures it fits in the most comfortable position. Spend a bit more and get the MicraMask from AquaLung. Probably the lowest volume mask and seals like a dream =]

[salibandy]

Well the Sphera has a plastic lens too, and the flex is a rather welcome thing. The only thing, that flex degrades the mask faster, but that's ok. The flex lets us equalise the mask deeper that we would if it were a glass lens in place.

This Raven mask looks cook. I especially like the colour. Although it does look like a knock off of the Sphera. I would say it's definately good down to the depth you require; 30 feet.

[mtyvlcro]

salibandy, could you explain your position on the plastic lens? I've never heard of anyone using one at any depth and am curious to hear from an advocate of.

[Tony Babowicz]

I went freediving today and we all wore spheras. Our target dives were over 30meters. Mine was the shallowest at 35meters(115feet), but one of my buddies did a dive to 46meters(151feet).
Low volume plastic lenses are the way to go for freediving in my opinion. They compress with the pressure and therefore you need less air to equalize. Thats a huge benefit when you only have the air you bring down in your lungs. One disadvantage of a plastic curved mask is that your periferal vision is a little distorted. Not a big deal if you are just freediving, but I have heard some spearos complain about it.
I'm gonna order that Raven mask and give it a try (I'll give the snorkel to one of my kids). It looks like a one piece lens. The sphera has two lenses. One of mine fell out today. It has seen better days. Good thing I brought a spare.

[glubglub]

In another note I really envy you guys being able to go to that depth. After my reverse block last month I'm limiting myself to 30 ft max (my left ear doesn't equalize well, my right is fine). But I guess if it's good enough to go to 35m... what's 10m. Thanks for all the reviews!! It really helps.

[salibandy]

mtyvlvro, as Tony said. That's what I mean.

Tony, when you do get your mask, could you post a review up here? Thanks mate.

[Tony Babowicz]

For sure, I just happened to get an email from speedoUSA.com giving me 20% off my next order, so I will order one today.

[Tony Babowicz]

Salibandy,
Well, My package from Speedo came today. Two "Raven" masks along with some other gear for the pool. I looked liked these masks would be comparable to the Sphera, but they don't compare. I felt that the vision was better than the sphera, but the lens is hard plastic so the volume doesn't decrease at depth like the sphera. I filled a sphera with water and poured it into the raven to compare volume. The sphera has roughly half the volume. Another thing I noticed is the hydrodynamics on the raven are poor. There is a shelflike ridge on the top that really creates alot of drag. I would not recommend this mask for any serious freediving. At least my kids have a couple more masks to leave on the bottom of the pool.

[salibandy]

Hi Tony, thanks a lot for the review! It's been very helpful.

To say that the vision is better than the Sphera is quite something. I never thought the vision in any other mask could be better than the Sphera, but I guess I was wrong.

Yes, I too did notice the ridge on top of the mask when I saw it, and the first thing I thought about was hydrodynamics. It does seem to create a lot of drag, and seeing that the Raven sits out more (due to a larger volume) than the Sphera, I would think that it must have created a ton more drag.

Thanks for the review again!