Where's the Best Place to Buy Full Face Snorkel Masks?
Can’t resist the urge to spoil yourself with a full face snorkel mask? We understand, the temptation is insane. But with a piece of equipment like that, you want to make sure you do the necessary research before you buy. After all, the full face snorkel mask is designed to keep you safe underwater by allowing you to breathe – if you go for one that’s not manufactured properly then you could have a little problem on your hands!
Not everyone lives near a diving store and is able to go in, talk to an expert, and try on all the different equipment before buying. A lot of full face snorkel masks are available for purchase online – and a lot of them are pretty affordable, too. Some of you may be a little unsure as to where the best place to buy your snorkel mask may be. Amazon? eBay? We’re here to help you out.
Online VS Offline Shopping for a full face snorkel mask
In a perfect world, high quality full face snorkel masks would be freely available everywhere. You could just go down to your local store and pick up an awesome mask on your way to the beach. But the world is far from perfect. Diving stores aren’t as popular as they should be, and if we’re honest, they’re a little bit expensive as well!
Ideally you’d be able to walk into a diving store, speak to someone who knows their stuff, try on the snorkel mask in person, and head home with the confidence that you’ve made the right purchase. But like we said, this world isn’t really ideal. But that’s what online shopping is for. A lot more affordable than buying from a brick & mortars store (mainly due to reduced costs, not quality), online is probably the best place for most people to buy a full face snorkel mask.
That said, you don’t just go online, google ‘buy full face snorkel mask’ and purchase the cheapest one you see. There’s a lot of variances in quality when it comes to snorkel masks available online, and this is where the necessary research comes in. Think of it as if you’re the manager of a diving store, you wouldn’t just stock any old snorkel masks that someone brought over! You’d want to make sure they’re high quality, durable, and the best on the market.
The dangers of buying full face snorkel masks online
OK, so here’s why we keep talking about research, research, research. When something becomes a popular online purchase, knockoffs are aplenty. Full face snorkel masks are one of the latest dudes to hit the online shopping scene, and boy are they popular! This popularity means it’s a chance for companies to make a quick buck – and they do that by producing and selling low quality products.
Shopping online, you’ll find plenty of high quality snorkel masks that are designed and manufactured by passionate snorkelers who want to create a good product. You’ll also find a lot of cheaper products made by Chinese companies who don’t really care about snorkeling or your experience, and just want to sell a piece of plastic to make some money. Unfortunately, most people love a good deal. It can be pretty tempting to go for the cheaper knockoffs than invest a little more in buying a full face snorkel made by a legitimate company. It can be tempting, but also dangerous.
The dangers of buying a knockoff snorkel mask
The difference between knockoffs and legitimate full face snorkel masks lies in everything from the design, the materials used, the durability, the safety, and more. Knockoffs are produced quickly, with little attention to detail, while full face snorkels from legitimate companies are a product of time, testing, care, and patience.
If you go for a cheaper product, these are some possible dangers you could be dabbling in – we’re not trying to freak you out, we just want to prevent more snorkelling accidents and less shoddy snorkels beings old to innocent people!
- Chemical leakage – Poor quality means the possibility of hazardous chemicals being used, and then leaking out onto your skin and in the ocean. This is because the snorkels won’t be fitted with proper medical grade materials and safe dyes,
- Stop working – You’re enjoying a nice swim and the snorkel stops functioning halfway through. It’s blocked, or cracked, or there’s a small hole. Like with anything that’s cheap, it’ll be prone to breaking down,
- Water leakage – When you’re manufacturing a snorkel mask, you need to make sure that every single piece slots together perfectly to prevent any air pockets where water may leak in. Cheaper brands won’t have the diligence, time, or patience to ensure such precision, making masks prone to leakage,
- Poor grade silicone – We talk about our medical grade silicone, and for a good reason. Cheaper masks will use lower quality silicone, which is less flexible and therefore unable to adhere to the skin properly. Cheaper silicone can also be a little hard and painful on the skin when worn for awhile.
Just read some of the reviews for cheaper full face snorkel mask manufacturers and you’ll see what we’re talking about. A snorkel is a real piece of equipment, it needs to be made with care and attention. It’s not something that can be cheapened or easily replaced by an inferior product.
What to look for in a full face snorkel manufacturer
How do you know if a full face snorkel mask manufacturer is reliable? There are a few ways to tell:
- Who – Who is the person behind the company? If there is no name, no information, it’s likely that the snorkels are cheap drop-shipped knockoffs and not the product of attention and care,
- What – What is the snorkel mask made from? Check if information is given about the materials used (e.g. the type of silicone). A low quality product will rarely mention its materials as they tend to be undesirable,
- Warranty – Finally, we reckon there’s no better way to ensure you’re being sold a legitimate, high quality product than if there’s a long warranty available. A warranty means a company is standing behind its product. No warranty means the company doesn’t want to be liable in case it fails, which can only mean that it’s likely to fail…
At Ninja Shark we offer a 10 Year Warranty Warranty on all of our full face snorkel masks. We’re a passionate team who has spent months and months designing, testing, and manufacturing what we reckon are the best snorkel masks on the market today. We’ve seen all the cheap knockoffs online, and we’re worried about what this might mean for the snorkel industry. It’s time people were given high quality, awesomely designed snorkeling products that are made for snorkelers, by snorkelers!