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I would highly recommend you avoid the purge masks like the black death. They have a nasty habit of getting blocked with sand and junk causing them to get blocked open - essentially a hole in the mask until you clean it. Sometimes you can rip the mask off, rub the purge filter and it cleans out - other times nothing cleans it until you surface. . . .
Having said that, the only purge mask I have used was back in like 2000 when i was around 14 and doing my initial training with BSAC. I suppose the "technology" (lol) was pretty young then compared to now... However, have seen people have to abort a dive because they cant clear the mask, although that may be due to crap mask clearing skills rather than the purge mask failing . . .
Personally, i would adhere to the K.I.S.S (keep it simple, stupid) principle for your first gear - nothing worse than blowing your entire savings at 15yrs of age and then having the gear break/fail on your first few dives . . .
My first set of fins were Oceanic Vipa's, mask was the cheapest quality mask I could find, it also was the one that had the best fit. I think it is a Aqualung one. Snorkel is a budget purge valve one, yes i know i said purges jam, but i got purge because at the time i didn't have the lung power to easily blow water out of the tube after surfacing with a need to breathe. It still works, but i clean the purge after i use it and used to dismantle and clean each part every 6months or so (dont anymore, its just like regs and torch etc nowadays) The fins have taken a battering, yet i still take them with me on the boat and use on strong current dives and as a backup (got a pair of split fins for Xmas a few yrs back, which are good on the legs and knees but suck in strong head-on current), mask is still my primary mask, and snorkel is the only one I have ever bought (though i don't use it much - only really on strong current dives in case i drift from the boat). All up, I spent about 50 quid at the Birmingham dive expo in 2000 or 2001, oh and that included a neoprene mask strap and good hard-soled 5mm booties. I think i had enough cash left over to get some food with the club members on the way home too. Just proof that "budget" gear isn't necessarily crap gear.
Hope that helps,
Nathan
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