Hi Scuba Diver fans, and welcome back to the channel. So, Fourth Element. Let’s
just say that the brand has been a bit of a phenomenon over the last 20 years.
From humble beginnings when the company was seen as ‘a dive T-shirt business’,
it has steadily expanded its influence through swimwear, rash guards, wetsuits,
thermal undergarments and drysuits, plus ancillaries like hoods, gloves, boots, and
so on. Add in its OceanPositive range of products made from various recycled materials, and Fourth
Element is a true powerhouse in the industry. Now the company is moving into diving hardware,
and its first release is the Scout mask – stick around to see what I thought of it.
Being Fourth Element, you know that the Scout isn’t just going to be a run-of-the-mill dive mask
– it is going to have some innovative elements that fit with the company’s ethos and style.
Thus, the Scout comes in myriad variants. First, the basics. It is a single-lens frameless
mask, available in black or white, with a steeply angled profile that maximises its field of view,
and a super-soft silicon skirt for optimal comfort and fit. I was a devotee of my Hollis M3 mask
until it had an unfortunate encounter with a cylinder, and found a great replacement in the
Apeks VX1. This was the only single-lens mask that actually fit my face – I liked the look of masks
like the Oceanic Shadow and Scubapro Frameless, but found they all pressed on to my forehead.
The VX1 is a fantastic mask, and extremely comfortable. However, I have to say, now I
have dived the Scout, I think it just edges the VX1 on the comfort front thanks to its soft skirt,
and it is definitely more low-profile, which means it offers a wider field of view,
and is also easier to clear. So far, so normal. However,
it all changes when it comes to the lens. The Scout can be fitted with a choice of
four different lens types, so when the buyer is purchasing it, they can opt for the lens that will
work best for their diving style and conditions. Shield is classed as Anti-UV and Anti-Glare,
and was apparently inspired by the gold visors of NASA astronauts.
The Shield lens provides UV protection and reduces glare, making it fully suited to tropical
and warmer water environments for shallower diving and snorkelling in bright conditions.
UVA and UVB radiation is reflected by the lens, reducing the exposure of the eye to potentially
harmful rays. My son Luke opted for a black mask with this lens, as he thought the gold
‘looked cool’, however, if you photograph it at the right angle, it actually appears blue.
Clarity is a pure clear lens, and the one I opted for after trialling all four options. It
is designed to maximise the amount of transmitted light, without any tint from impurities in the
glass, and thus is described as the ideal lens for night divers and photographers. It is also
the perfect lens for teaching, allowing students and instructors to clearly see
each other’s eyes. The Clarity lens is manufactured with the highest level of purity
to deliver maximum visual acuity during a dive. Contrast is Anti-UV, and as it filters out some
of the mid-range wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum, has a green appearance. When
diving in temperate (green) waters, images seen through this lens show an increase in contrast,
accentuating brighter and darker areas, increasing the perception of visual acuity.
The Contrast lens provides full UVA and UVB protection from harmful ultraviolet.
Finally, there is Enhance, which is Anti-UV and Anti-HEV. Filtering ultraviolet and HEV (High
Energy Visible) radiation, the Enhance lens is designed to protect the eye and enhance
the visual experience. It is well known that UV has a damaging effect on the eye,
but it has also been shown that HEV light can interfere with the lutein proteins in the eye
and alter them, so filtering out this high energy radiation can help to preserve optical health.
So you’ve selected your lens type, now it is time to move on to the strap. On most masks,
you have a rubber or silicon strap – Dexter can help me here. These tried-and-tested straps work
fine, but you do have to make sure they are not twisted and are seated correctly on the
back of your head, which can be sometimes awkward when wearing thick neoprene gloves or drygloves.
Fourth Element have got around this by opting for an elastic strap,
more akin to what you would see on a set of ski goggles, that comes in four colourways - white,
grey, black and teal. The Scout strap that is made using rubber and recycled nylon,
with clips made using recycled waste ABS plastic from the automotive industry.
The clips have also been designed so that they will fit most mask buckles,
so you could retro-fit one of these straps to most other brands. This elastic strap is so comfortable
and easy to use - even wearing thick gloves, I had no problems putting my mask on and off.
Last but not least, there is the box. The Scout comes in a mask ‘box’ that is designed
to replace the plastic boxes that are supplied with so many masks. Low profile and protective,
this case will protect the lens thanks to its cushioned half shell, without creating bulk,
meaning it can fit in the foot pocket of most fins for convenient transport. I
really like this innovation – it is actually a mask-protecting solution that you can really use,
both in storage and when you are out diving. The Fourth Element Scout is keenly priced against
its rivals, and I think it has put the company on the diving hardware map in a big way. It
will shortly be followed by recreational fins, and then technical fins, and I look forward to seeing
what ‚spin‘ the company can put on there. So that’s the Fourth Element Scout mask.
What are your thoughts? Does this tick all the boxes for your perfect mask? Leave your comments
below, and if you have a question, fire away – if we can’t answer, maybe someone in our community
will be able to. Remember, if you enjoyed this video, be sure to subscribe to our
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As always, stay safe – and if you are going diving, enjoy!