Ok so I am now ready and chomping at the bit to buy a human vent mask. Which ones would you say are best?

I have seen the one Paul Zerdin uses on youtube but other than that have no real experience with these.

Cheers

Billy Bo

Billy,
You should ask our pal Wanlu about his masks. I am not sure if he has them again for sale but they are a great mask priced right!! OK Wanlu let him know!!
Dan
http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Yeah!
For me the best Masks are from Wanlu and Hilario.
You can see them in

http://kadoopsypuppets.multiply.com/
This link is from Wanlu!

http://www.geocities.com/macawmagi/products.htm
This link is from Hilario!

What I have been looking for...

Is a detailed review and comparison of...

Paige Parnell Masks
Boley Masks
Hilario Masks
Wanlu Masks.

I so far have found bits and pieces of info on each, but not a detailed comparison of all 4...or possibly others?

Hey, if my act is gonna get sued by Ronn Lucas, I want to go down with the best!
; )

AC

I could have sworn we had a comparison on here - but I can offer some insights.

Paige Parnell's Mask is a heavy plastic and the mouth is joined by an easily replaced rubber band. It attachs via a simple velcro strap. They are very visual and that alone pulls a huge laugh. My main concern with Paige's masks were my fear the plastic would break in transit. Never happened, but they are very lightweight. On the otherhand, that is a plus for the wearer. Her masks are string operated with a simple pulling motion.

I have two original Boley Masks. They are a bit heavier and made of a composite. (I think). They attach via an elastic band which stretches around the head, and also operate by a pull string. The jaw is attached by an elastic loop to make a flexible hinge. The Boley mask is smaller than Parnell's and depending on the size of the volunteer can make for a tight fit. I have never seen Joe Boley's masks so I can't comment on the newer ones.

Wanlu's masks are a fiberglass resin. (I believe.) Lightweight, although not as light as Paige's - and definitely durable. The mask attaches via a velcro strap that goes over and under the ear, helping it to stay in place. The jaw is hinged by a pin/screw and operates by a cable. The grip that the vent squeezes to open the jaw is comfortable to hold, small and the whole unit easily packs into the small plastic case that they are shipped in. Of the masks I've used - these are my favorites - I own four.

On Lou's masks - I've never used them, but there have been numerous postings on the Café forums about the quality of his work. I believe he also does custom pieces.

Hope that helps...

Hi Tom,

Thank you so much.

I'm sure somewhere in these forums this info was available, I just didn't spend enough time searching - but I appreciate you putting it all in a "nutshell".

I sent you a PM with more detail on this issue.

Thanks again....AC

I've seen the others but masks sold by Lou Hilario and Wanlu are probably the best.

Lou makes the masks himself, they are very durable and great looking, although a bit more expensive. He was the first one to build those masks here in our country (Philippines). My current vent mask--which is one of Lou's first designs and is around 8 years old already and still in great shape!--was made by Lou.

Masks sold by Wanlu are made by our ingenious craftsman friend here--they are very workable, have nice designs, and durable too.

Get from either of them and you'll get your money's worth. I highly recommend their products, not because they're my good friends here but because I've used these masks and actually seen first hand how these masks are created.

Thanks Dan, Tom and Ony.

Lou's masks are the best

Coming a close 2nd is good enough for me Our face designs are different from Lou's and our cable installation is also different. A major difference is the mouth movement and of course the price.

The only thing I can add is that when I tell you I'll ship it today or in 2 weeks...I will and when I tell you the masks are out of stock, they are

So far, my old friend who makes them for me almost gave up and decided to stop making them becuase his hands are getting stiff...SO I had to bribe him Offered more money BUT I never asked for an increase from my buyers. I just had to settle for a much less profit...which I really don't mind.

I hope you all understand that it's not easy making these masks...it goes under a lot of stages...fiberglass, casting, painting, cable mechanics, shipping etc Not to forget, the one making them for me is an old man

I have only 1 pc in stock...next batch (4 pcs) will be ready by the end of Feb.

Thanks

Wanlu

FYI - Terry Fator told me he has officially licensed the the mask from Ronn Lucas.

By the way, Ax, in the previous years I thought you're designing and selling a new vent mask? What happened to that?

Ron Lucas does great things with his vent mask. He is without a doubt one of the greats, but, the vent mask predates Ron Lucas. So he may be able to patent his own device, but he claims to hold the patent on performing vent with a mask. I don't buy it.

To see is to believe. Can you get more greater laughs than this mask? Custom made for all types of races.
http://www.geocities.com/macawmagi/videos.htm

Just to add to the list. The Scott Wheelis masks. Mine are not the most expensive. These are.
http://www.gothicartwork.com/speciality.html

I've seen the Scott Wheelis mask and IMHO it pales in comparison with Lou's masks. If you have enough budget to buy Gothic Artwork's masks, I'm recommending that you just get Lou's, which are less expensive than Gothic's and better in quality.

Thanks for your kind words Ony.

Videos of our masks

Wanlu (PHILIPPINES)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIPYmLRB4IM

Tom Crowl (USA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsRj6jNtWmE

Dean Atkinson (AUSTRALIA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RuSQxL982E

This is a really great thread with all the pertinent mask info all rolled into one.

I thank all of you mask-a-teers for providing all the great info!

(enter Annette Funicello/Frankie Avalon joke here please)

AC

The key to a great vent mask performance is a great volunteer choice.

With a good mask AND A WILLING VOLUNTEER, you actually don't need a scripted routine to get the laughs.

I found this just this morning. A client of mine posted this video of me using Lou Hilario's old mask design (notice it is still NOT CABLE OPERATED) on my volunteer. This show was done a few years ago. I don't really use scripts when using a vent mask, and just do ad libs... (Sorry for the language...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CIBDdj9y-A

I have Lou's it's great.

Ony, how old is that mask? I think I made that mask more than 10 years ago.

You are right, a great volunteer really helps a lot. As we can see, even with less talk, this mask works well. After all,with all that laughter, you don't really need a long dialogue. Ony does mostly improv on this.

I suggest you lenghthen the string to 2 feet so that you don't block the actions of the volunteer and it will be less obvious. If not, you could hold a "dude" microphone in front of it.

Ony, with your permission, can I include this in my mask video webpage?

Lou