| 
Why Did I get it?
Before I used just a regular cheap paintball mask, they only one that they had at Dick's Sporting Goods. This caused a few problems with the fog issue. It claimed to be fog resistant, but it was not good enough. It commonly fogged during battles, and during night battles, it fogged to an unbearable amount. I would be sitting there in a hiding spot, wondering if the dark blobs, were 10 feet in front of me, or 100 feet, and who knows what team they are on. So I decided that this was unacceptable, and that I had to take action.
I first began looking around the internet for a higher quality mask for the purpose (I only wear masks for safety issues). I did find some masks that claimed to be fog proof, but were quite expensive, so I began thinking if it was worth it... Then I looked into the wire mask option. They seemed to be a good idea, and there definately is no way they could fog. My only concern was safety... Would they stop ALL bb's? Would the mask get damaged when hit? Could BB shatters get through the little holes? Well after some research I gave it a shot, and bought the mask from a classified section, for $20 ship. I can not recall the guys name, or his e-mail but he did sell quite a few. This same mask is also stocked Airsoft Atlanta.
First Impressions
I got the mask in a small box, and no casing. It did come with a little manual, did not provide too much useful information, so it was rather quickly lost. I was kind of disappointed at the build. IT is all a bendable plastic, and rubber, with nothing to comfort you at all. Your face goes right onto the inside of the mask. There was nothing to comfort you, but it still wasn't uncomfortable, which was surprising. The buttom shield is plastic, while the goggles part surrounding the actual wire mesh is rubber.
The uncomfortable insides of the mask... You can also see the little black knobs that connect and disconnect the googles, from the shield. (Middle, Left, and Right)
I was also very happy to figure out that the bottom shield can be detached from the mask, making it just goggles. This is great since I was considering getting goggles, and now I have both. I will warn you not to do this too often, doing this several times will wear the mask down (its kind of cheaply made) and make it even more difficult to hold together. Not a big deal if you just leave it. I also noticed that the wire mesh lens does not stay in place very well, it will easily pop out with too much movement, which provides an uncomfortable and dangerous scenario. I plan to Hot glue to lens to the rubber surroundings to fix the problem.
In the two pictures above you can see the shield detached (left) and the goggles alone (right).
Performance:
I was ver pleased when first taking the mask out. Even though I taped up the elastic band to keep it from coming undone, the mask did not have any problems in the field. I used it in a game that was half at day, and went straight into the dark. Needless to say, there was no fogging what so ever. It was great since everyone else was complaining about it. However it is still not as good as your regular eye sight. Since the metal mesh blocks light, everything seems a tad bit darker, and a little less clear. This does not affect much since you can always see movement, but don't expect it to be perfect sight.
During this battle, I actually had one occasion where an enemies mask was fogged at the top of the hill. I crawled up with in 10 feet of the tree he was behind, before he started firing at random. I moved in and got the kill. He has been asking me ever since where to get one of those masks... Nearly all fogging happens at night (happens when you look into lights) so this was mainly purchased for night use.
Safety Issues
I have thought of three possible problems, BB's going through, BB's damaging the mask, and BB's shattering through the mask. I'll take them one at a time.
BB's going through the mask? No way. Unless you leave a gap in between the mesh, and the rubber during installation this is not possible. I have tested it will a 300 fps metal bb gun and point blank, it only left a small dent. The metal is pretty powerful. I am however trying to make sure that a 500 fps sniper rifle can't do damage to it, but I don't have access to one.
BB's damaging the mask? Dents are about it. When using an AEG against it, It made smaller dents, but it did slightly dent. From a combat range, no damage is done. But the story could be different with a highly upgraded gun.
BB's shattering through the mesh? It is impossible to tell for 100% sure, since you can't possibly simulate every situation. But I can not imagine it ever occuring. The holes are VERY small, and since BB's break so rarely and they usually aren't small enough to get through. Even if a very minute piece gets through, it will probably just iritate your eye, rather then damaga. I really don't consider it an issue.
I say its safe, but I have absolutely no guarantees, and am not responsible for anything that may happen to you. I'm just expressing my opinions and anything is possible. So always be careful.
Disadvantages
This mask has a few:
Does not give you as much coverage as a paintball mask does. It reveals the sides and back of your head and neck. This however can be easily solved by wearing a baclavaca. I only wear a hat, but plan to get one.
Not built well. The mask is made pretty cheaply, but gets the job done. It may take a few tasks by you to get it going good. (Some hot glue and tape should make it good). It also is not too comfortable, but not bad.
Blocks Light. Everything is a tad bit darker, and less clear. Does not really affect you much, just giving everyone the heads up that it will not be perfect.
Overall
The mask was a good buy. It was well worth the $20 to get a mask that you can always rely on not to fog. Its a nice thing to have around even if you already have a mask the rarely fogs. I will admit there probably is a better solution to the fog issue, but it will probably hit your wallet big time. So I would say this is the best overall way (financially and performance). You also get the best bang for the buck.
UPDATE: After talking to wyestealthninja, I was told that there are in fact very affordable paintball masks, that will not fog up. His example was $35 I believe. So sorry for those I confused. I was aware of these products, but just not that they were sold so low.
UPDATE June 17, 2007: This mask was not as durable as I had hoped, for the last couple years it has been falling apart, needing constant maintenance. I finally threw it out because it became unsafe as the lens kept popping out. If you get or have one, make sure to always keep it together and take care of it, it will not handle too much abuse. I did get my money's worth however - Meatball |
Sorry, your account does not have access to post comments.