Mesh Goggles

[bigshep]

I will test them, as they arn't mine, and he won't be skirmishing for another 6-12 months and I am sure I can "loose" them by then (and then its only £20 to replace them). I want to test the open mesh you have as well as I am sure that they will move apart and let the bb through. So I will be testing both with 10 shots at the same place on each type.

I have not had the problems with the honeycomb issue. You see it when you first put it on, but a minute later you just don't see it anymore. Yes it may interefere more than interlace, but I would be concerned about movement within the interlace mesh under testing conditions. However i feel a lot safer in mesh than in shooting glasses, and if I didn't steam up my bolle gogles I would happily wear them all day instead.

 

[NickM]

If the interlaced mesh is anything like the face protector stuff there is very little chance it will move from a bb. My lower face mesh mask didnt quite fit and it took a bit of force to get it right, while the shape is now different none of the wires have slipped.

 

[Airsoft-Ed]

The issue we were warned about with regard to Hero Shark at Brit-Tac, was that the full face masks they do, like the Iron Man and skull type ones you see all the time etc, can have a tendency of failing around the lens edge. The actual mesh sheets are perfectly fine, it's the way that they're fastened into the mask that fails.

The lenses can just fall out of their frames if they're hit with enough force.

At least that's what we were warned of at Brit-Tac, it was nothing to do with BBs morphing the mesh out of space in a way that let a BB though.

 

[Ian_Gere]

The issue we were warned about with regard to Hero Shark at Brit-Tac, was that the full face masks they do, like the Iron Man and skull type ones you see all the time etc, can have a tendency of failing around the lens edge. The actual mesh sheets are perfectly fine, it's the way that they're fastened into the mask that fails.

The lenses can just fall out of their frames if they're hit with enough force.

At least that's what we were warned of at Brit-Tac, it was nothing to do with BBs morphing the mesh out of space in a way that let a BB though.

Thanks for clearing that up mate! Just goes to show how much I was listening, eh? I think I was trying to get the cable from my headset to PTT to sit behind the upper chest part of my vest loosely enough that I could move without it pulling at my ear but firmly enough that it wouldn't get caught on anything while i was crawling/creeping through foliage. Well, that's me off to get some then...

 

[bigshep]

I would imagine that would be an issue with lots of molded face masks then as they are fibre glass with the lenses crafted into the fibreglass. Still going to shoot my brothers today though for a side by side comparisson to the chinease cheapo mesh that was tested earlier.

 

[bigshep]

Well finally got off my big behind and did a mini test. This is in no way scientific. I used a 330 FPS m4 firing 0.2g bb's from a distance of 1-2". I fired 10 shots in total at the same point on the target, within a cm or so I would say. I tested a set of heroshark stamped goggles (£25), and hero shark interlaced lower face mask (£30'ish).

A shot of both items with tape measure to show the spacing of the mesh. The mesh of the goggles is a more open type than the ACM brands. It can be molded for a tighter fit to the face, but it needs some persuading! The face mask can be molded easier, but still needs a bit of strength and a handy knee to brace against. A lot harder to move than the cheap ACM lower facemask I also have.

after shot 1 to each you can see that there is some slight paint chipping on the goggles and paint missing on the mask (to be honest the paint on the mask is very thin and comes off when you sneeze on it)

after shot 5 you can see a small indentation on the goggles, and the lacing on the face mask has moved slightly (I would have done each shot but there was just no real difference)

after shot 10 to each you can see a slight indentation on the goggles, aproximately 2mm, and a bigger ding of 5mm on the mask with the lacing having moved a bit.

and the view from the inside

there is some loss of paint on the inside of the mesh goggles, but not significant and lots missing ont he mesh. At no time did I see any bb fragments going through the goggles, but bb's did shatter through the face mask. However in my mind this is fine as it is supposed to blunt any hit, not stop it totally. I have reformed the goggles, but it took a block and hammer, the interlaced mesh was pushed back into its slot with a screwdriver. So overall I am very happy with the result and will carry on using my HS goggles and recomending them to others as a safer alternative to chinease mesh.

now to the first shot

 

[Airsoft-Ed]

It doesn't really help up deduct much though, 'cos the fps was such a drop lower than with Ian's test, there's no way to really know for sure whether the mesh is better, or it's just because the lower velocity lacked the punch to show any damage.

Maybe the ACM or other branded goggles might hold up equally well if the fps were only around 330 fps.

 

[bigshep]

As I don't own a sniper or DMR (fing stupid name used by idiots) then you can suggest that Ian conduct a test on the cheap crap goggles at 330fps.....

but thanks for your input.

http://www.heroshark.co.uk/faq

...............off to find my teddy now.............

 

[Ian_Gere]

Well, my thinking was that we want to know what the worst case scenario is, but I don't have a bolt action sniper (and what's wrong with DMR btw? It's just another TLA ). But anyway, as it happened, when I decided to do it, I'd just handed off my AKS 74U (newly named Fatima, for anyone following the saga of my gun's names) which did fire in the low 300's to have a hotter spring put in - it's an ICS and I'll tell you what ppl, I took every bit of it off that comes off without breaking something and I'm fcuked if I could work out how to break it down far enough to get the fcuking gearbox out! Sabine, my other AK, is still awaiting a rebuild, but she's hot too...

I'll keep the knackered goggles and give them another going over when I can guarantee consistency sub 350FPS. Still, bigshep, you could always upgrade your poxy spring also...

arf arf...

 

[Airsoft-Ed]

I can set my L85 up within minutes to be shooting just about anything between the 330 and 390 area, so if you've got a pair of the goggles handy next time we're at skirmish, we can get the chrono and do a thorough test on them.

 

[Ian_Gere]

There's enough room on the lenses of the ones I used above to have another two goes, Ed, so yeah. I propose we do one side like I did above but @330-ish and the other as close to 350 as you can get from 1" on full auto - because I reckon that is the only way that an accident could feasibly happen which might puncture them.

We can count how many BB's are missing from your locap so we can compare and, by known rate of fire, work out how long it takes. TBH though, I'll not be that surprised if it takes more than a full mag, because of the energy lost by BB's hitting each other.

 

[TomStringer81]

Only order Hero Sharks in black if I was you!!

I ordered a pair of Hero Shark Makos in Tan and it was there worse spay job I have ever seen! EVER! The build isnt that bad but the Website shows you pictures of the older mesh he uses (one bloke making them in a shed somewhere) the hole size is about 30% smaller on the ones he sends out now. I felt very miss leaded by the pictures and the website and the spay job was just another kick in the nuts, He didn't even take off the strap that goes round the back of your head so that go completely covering in paint too.

I sent an email of complaint and was offered a full refund. I chose to keep them and completely stripped the paint off (the strap was a right off) and respray them myself. took about and hour and was a 5000% improvement on what I received.

If you do ordered them, GET THEM IN BLACK!!!

 

[Ian_Gere]

I got my HS cheap from a retailer closing down. Glad they were because, although the paint job is fine (they are black), the mesh doesn't disappear from my view in the way it does when I'm wearing cheap ones.