Eye Protection - Mesh or no mesh?

[RedFox89]

Hey guys, relatively new to airsoft and would like some advice from people who use and don't use mesh goggles.

The past couple of times I have been airsofting I have used a pair of Bolle Tracker II goggles, and they were fine - until they steamed up and it annoyed the shit out of me.

I am happy with a mesh lower face mask as I think it is adequate protection for my lower face.

I have recently started wearing glasses for driving (my long distance is pretty bad) so am looking into wearing mesh goggles over a pair of cheap prescription glasses, so I can actually see down the field lol.

I have read and read and read about some people who say mesh is good enough for protection - and some who are absolutely against it.

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on the issue? I will need to wear my prescription glasses as I swear my eyesight is getting worse by the day! lol.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks for taking the time to help if you do reply!

 

[Baz JJ]

This comes up quite often.

Mesh is okay although some cheap stuff doesnt have the quality control and it can get damaged. You pays your money and all that.

Some say that its not much good in low light as it blocks a lot of natural light.

Ballistic glasses might be another option to consider. You can get these with prescription lenses and they dont tend to fog if you have airflow behind them.

 

[the_robbo]

Choose a pair of goggles that fit over your glasses and then send them to Heroshark to have stamped steel mesh put in them.

 

[Russe11]

I use http://www.taiwangun.com/en/goggles-type-desert-locust-olive-acm but keep a set of http://www.taiwangun.com/en/goggles-with-steel-net-desert-locust-type-coyote-acm or just the mesh to swap out. The Desert Locusts are a tight fit width wise to get my glasses in but I have never actually had to swap out for mesh yet. The day I don't have mesh with me will be the day they fog up though It's worth noting that I now have 2 different colours of the same goggles for different loadouts, each able to be mesh or normal goggles.

People who test mesh and have it fail usually hit the same spot on full auto at point blank, it's not a realistic test. One thing that might happen with mesh is that flakes of paint may come off the inside and get in your eyes, this is a lot less serious than a bb. Bear in mind that mesh goggles over glasses provide a solid barrier from all directions except the front and if you get hit from the front you have an additional layer provided by glasses, this should stop paint flakes and make it harder for bb's to get through to your eyes.

There are lots of anti fog sprays etc you can use on goggles and your glasses. These generally work by reducing the surface tension of the water droplets so they spread out evenly. I use the washing up liquid method myself, put a drop of washing up liquid on each lens and rub it over the surface until it is white and creamy, then wipe it off with a dry cloth. This leaves enough washing up liquid on the lens to break the surface tension of water droplets as they form.

 

[RedFox89]

Cheers for the replies guys.

Have taken a look at Heroshark web page think I will contact them for more info!

It does say on his FAQ's they are tested at 500fps at point blank. Surely that's enough???

Obviously it's all down to personal opinion but all suggestions appreciated!

 

[Ian_Gere]

The main issue people worry about with mesh is that fragments of shattered BB's may penetrate them. They can and do. I have had a fragment of BB in the eye and so has Airsoft-Ed. It's just like getting sand in your eye at the beach - does you no harm unless you rub it / you just need to go back to the safe zone and rinse your eye out with a handful or three of water. If you think about it, a tiny fraction of the mass only has a tiny fraction of the momentum (mass x velocity), and that's before you consider how much energy is lost in the shattering itself and absorbed hitting the goggles, slowing it down.

Hero Sharks are strong, but TBH not the best for see-through-ability. Interwoven wire mesh is better to see through than perforated sheet. If you get a chance, see how well your specs fit under one of these because this type of mesh offers the best compromise between absolute safety and good vision - it's just bloody annoying that nobody currently makes separate goggles using it because masks like that, unmodified, do not allow you to eat, drink, or smoke without shifting your eyepro, which obviously has to be done very carefully so as not to ever actually expose your eyes.

Polycarbonate lenses will fog, it's just a sad matter of fact. The more you exercise, the more you sweat / the more moisture behind the lens, the more will condense on it. You just have to experiment to find a combination of shape, mod/s, and goo that works for you for long enough that you can skirmish in them effectively. For eg Revision Bullet Ants with the foam dust filters taken off the vents and Fog [tech] allowed to dry overnight and then polished with the cloth that comes with ESS goggles works for me, for about an hour and a quarter, or all morning of typical skirmishing where I'm back to the safe zone every 40mins or so. But once they fog, new applications of Fog [tech] don't last as long, so I have mesh alternatives: Hero Shark Daggernose and ESS Advancer V12's with custom mesh replacements to one set of polycarbonate lenses.

 

[Esoterick]

It does say on his FAQ's they are tested at 500fps at point blank. Surely that's enough???

It should be mate, he uses sheets of steel and some sort of hole puncher deedly to make the holes in it. Whereas most mesh masks are variations on sections of wire. The Steel Heroshark uses is also 2 or 3 times thicker than the wire mesh you normally see on goggles. Plus I'm pretty sure he said he tempers the steel lol.

I think a couple of people on here have custom "lenses" made by him, I personally have just one of the standard masks he makes.

Edit: Ian beat me to it lol.

 

[RedFox89]

Cheers for the info Ian, good insight. Completely understand that a lot of force will be lost when a bb does hit the mask/goggle so it can be unlucky if major damage is done - but if I am wearing glasses underneath (I know it's not proper protection) but it offers another layer before my eyes.

Esoterick, I was instantly interested in the herosharks because of the description of what he does. They sound too good to be true!

 

[Ian_Gere]

No my custom mesh is home made out of interwoven wire mesh (SS316 0.71mm wire #8 mesh).

 

[Ian_Gere]

Oh yeah, Foxy, like I said BB fragments that make it through mesh and hit you in the eye don't do you any harm, so there's no way they could damage your specs.

 

[RedFox89]

Great - I mean they are only gonna be a cheap spare pair anyways - wouldn't want to risk using my driving ones lol.

Cheers for the info, like I said above I'm quite new to the sport so I do appreciate it!

 

[Esoterick]

You can also get prescription inserts for shooting glasses like Del Monty got made up in his thread:

http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/19527-prescription-ess-ice-eye-shields/

However it is at the pricier end of the scale.

 

[hunterhero50]

hi im thinking of buying a army of two replica face mask as it looks cool and will protect my whole face. unfortunatly being new to airsoft i have no experience with mesh goggles etc i was wondering if they impair vision signifacantly. i ask for a photo of the view through someones mesh eye protection

I have attached the url of the mask i wish to buy for all the gamers out there who might be intrested

http://www.tacticalgeartrade.co.uk/army-of-two-full-face-airsoft-fiberglass-mask-black.html

 

[Baz JJ]

Hot in the summer and slightly claustrophobic ?

It will also limit your peripheral vision which is quite important in a firefight.

 

[Esoterick]

Hot in the summer and slightly claustrophobic ?

It will also limit your peripheral vision which is quite important in a firefight.

Yeah pretty much this. I'd imagine they would be dripping with breath juice/sweat like the hire masks do, and those actually have venting in them.

As far as vision goes through mesh it is a bit hard to describe: basically your eyes tune out the mesh to a greater or lesser extent depending on the thickness of the wire, and most likely individual eyesight. I can't say if the magnifying effect of glasses would make it worse as I don't wear them.

For me the type you typically see in mesh masks is more or less unnoticeable after a couple of minutes. However low light makes it a bit like wearing sunglasses indoors and I find when it is sunny it catches on the mesh and can be a bit dazzling.

 

[Ian_Gere]

Those plastic masks also have a rep for the mesh being secured weakly so it can get shot out. I'm sure this isn't the case with all manufacturers though and besides you can always add some glue of your own and/or a few small bolts/screws. But yeah, breath condensation and spittle droplets get a bit narsty - I've got a plastic killer mask and it has vents, but it still gets pretty minging before lunchtime on a day of skirmishing.

 

[Russe11]

I also find that full face masks trap the breath so the moisture will fog up your glasses really fast even with mesh. Do Not use a full face mask with Glasses.

 

[PT247]

a good coating of washing up liquid over the inside of the lens the night before a skirmish and then buffed off stops my balistic glasses from fogging for a whole day, don't forget to do some sort of anti fogging on ya glasses!

 

[CaptainSwoop]

http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/18511-diy/?p=129120

Last picture in this post.

It's how I deal with glasses in goggles.

 

[Ian_Gere]

http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/18511-diy/?p=129120

Last picture in this post.

It's how I deal with glasses in goggles.

Ah yeah, I remember that, surprisingly given my goldfish stylee memory! I tried to copy the same basic idea with reading glasses just in the lower halves to take the place of varifocal lenses, but I cant get them properly positioned to focus through for stuff right in front of me - i can get by without distance correction pretty much so i thought it would be an ideal solution. Ho hum...

For anyone who doesn't need varifocals though, it's the way forward for sure.