Advice on goggles with built-in fan or fan kit

[Jedi_Master]

Being short-sighted I wear prescription glasses under my Bolle X1000 goggles and have corrective lens fitted in my ESS V12 goggles. However, I tend to fog up badly and having two surfaces find it difficult to keep my vision clear. So I am now looking at either getting another pair of goggles with a built-in fan or attaching a fan kit to my existing Bolle goggles. I do not want to buy poor quality cheap Chinese crap but need something that is reliable and will work.

I prefer goggles due to playing CQB, and though ballistic glasses may fog less I want to have protection from any angle of shot.

I would like some advice from those of you who already have goggles with fans or have attached a fan kit to their goggles. And any recommendations of brands and/or shops.

 

[BrightCandle]

Revision locusts with a turbofan, then import their thermal lens as well. It is much better than the ess solution because it doesn't block the vertical vision so you can look down at your gear. Best turbofan solution I know of. But keep in mind I could not get glasses to work, I glazed the insert with polycarbonate with anti fog coating and I still had problems with the inner glass fogging with the fan going on max. So while I rated the locusts very highly I have personally gone for contacts as the glasses insert has not worked for me at all.

 

[Dannn]

Have you tried Bob Heath anti fog before spending fortunes on fans etc? Most motorbike shops sell it at about £4, I've used it for years and it's fantabulous

 

[Jedi_Master]

Saw the reference to Bob Heath on another thread but have not yet looked for any to try. Yes, it would be a much cheaper method that I should give a go but I also want to scope out all the options.

 

[jcheeseright]

ESS turbofans with lens inserts and fogtech DX wipes. Works for me.

 

[jcheeseright]

Should clarify that with 'works for me in 50C heat while I'm sweating like a blind lesbian in a fish shop'

 

[MrPondlife]

I've got a full face mask with fans and lights I'm going to be selling after the weekend (only been used once).

Its Green/olive and branded as 'Pro goggle'. Happy to send you a picture if you're interested?

Worked a treat for me when I used it, instant 'demisting' once I put the fans on. Didn't need them on all the time either.

Let me know if you're interested

 

[BrightCandle]

I have bought some of this magic Bob heath anti fog so I will test it within my revision locusts like I have all the others I reviewed. I suspect it'll probably come somewhere in the middle, I am not expecting miracles but for £8 I'll try almost anything as the revision anti fog wipes get expensive rapidly (as do the fogtech ones) and I would very much like a cheaper and comparable solution.

 

[Jedi_Master]

Are safety glasses, i.e. Bolle, that conform to EN166F safe to use? EN166 is rated as Mechanical risk - Low energy impact - F, 6mm ball of 0.86g at 45m/s (150 fps).

 

[Lozart]

Are safety glasses, i.e. Bolle, that conform to EN166F safe to use? EN166 is rated as Mechanical risk - Low energy impact - F, 6mm ball of 0.86g at 45m/s (150 fps).

No.

Or to be more helpful - no you want EN166B medium impact. Which only really applies to goggles unless you get ballistic glasses which are rated to higher impacts.

 

[Jedi_Master]

No.

Or to be more helpful - no you want EN166B medium impact. Which only really applies to goggles unless you get ballistic glasses which are rated to higher impacts.

Cheers. Was not sure of the mathmatical conversion, if a 0.86g at 150fps would mean a 0.20g bb would be 350fps. I shall look at the more expensive glasses then, pity as EN166F are sold for under £10 and replaceable (unlike my eyes).

 

[Lozart]

Cheers. Was not sure of the mathmatical conversion, if a 0.86g at 150fps would mean a 0.20g bb would be 350fps. I shall look at the more expensive glasses then, pity as EN166F are sold for under £10 and replaceable (unlike my eyes).

Actually - sorry. The FPS is irrelevant it's the Joules (energy) you need to worry about.

0.86g @ 150FPS = 0.89 Joules

0.2g @ 320FPS = 1 Joule

Then you get shot in the face by a bolt action sniper running at 450FPS which would give you 1.87 Joules and no eyes.

 

[Jedi_Master]

So scoping another idea. How good are paintball full face masks for not fogging? Although costing around £100 the Dye i4 pro paintball looks promising. As well as having ventilation, do they offer good airsoft face protection?

 

[Colonel Kurtz]

Might as well buy a Tokyo Marui fan mask if you're willing to spent close to 3 figures. I've got one the fans clear the fog well, and aren't too noisy.

 

[Jedi_Master]

Aesthetically the TM face masks look ugly compared to the Dye i4, even if the TM are half the price on eBay (or just £25 for a nasty Chinese copy). The advantage of full face mask (non respirator type) is the added protection and in the case of Dye i4 no batteries required but not sure how good non fan masks are for anti-fogging. I like the idea of the Fanz twin fan setup for added air flow and increased power, just not sure if they will fit or work well with my existing Bolle goggles. Would rather pay more for the right set-up once than keep spending lesser amounts which are not ideal and over time cost more. Decisions, decisions.

 

[Jedi_Master]

Still was not sure what was best so I ordered a Dye Precision I4 thermal paintball goggles from Amazon. £75, free P&P, and arrived the next day.

Used the mask today at The Mall and had no problems with the lens fogging up, clear vision all day. Good field of view. It did get damp inside the mask with sweat but no condensation or mist on the lens. Although I could wear my glasses under the mask, they fogged up immediately so I took them off again.

 

[Jedi_Master]

To update on fitting fans to the Dye i4 mask to solve fogging indoors when wearing a Fast helmet.

I installed my FANZ quick disconnect kit, which was not too difficult. I went for the simpler top mounting on the fans and lead using the supplied clips and cable ties (as opposed to fitting them inside the mask). The 9 volt battery box is velcroed onto the side of the fast helmet and power lead connected to the fan lead from the mask. Simple on / off swith on battery box. The 9v fans push the air around inside the mask and kept it clear all day at The Mall on Sunday, so a sucessful result. The fan whine was audible when stealthfully moving around the basement and waiting motionless in the shadows but was not too loud or annoying, and I did not really notice the noise.

 

[simonh]

I know it has been a while but how are you getting on with the Dye I4? seems to be around £100 everywhere I look now.

 

[Jedi_Master]

They are very good and worth the cost. The full face protection suits me for playing CQB.

Quick look on Amazon and the version I purchased are now about £95 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dye-Precision-Thermal-Paintball-Goggle/dp/B00FY5NB0C/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1454513587&sr=8-16&keywords=Dye+i4.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dye-Paintball-Goggles/dp/B019XPFMC8/ref=pd_sim_sbs_200_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=51%2BBe-lkkOL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=070KMQSZ60W34PWJG8PF

Edit: I do get some moisture inside the mask from sweating, so some droplets/beads of water (not fogging) appear on the thermal lens which I shake out and dry between games.

 

[simonh]

Thanks for the feedback, I might pick up a set the fogging I am getting in ballistic glasses drives me nuts.