safety kit. what to look for?

[Richie Boyle]

i am looking at the safety kit now and i have stumbled across a package supplying separate goggles and mask which seems to be the favourable option over a single piece item. the one i found is all mesh. any opinions on that for airsoft application?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Airsoft-Wire-Mesh-Mask-and-Goggles-Full-Face-Protection-Glasses-Skirmish-Strike-/191094232615?pt=UK_Protective_Equipment&var=&hash=item2c7e1a9627

[RR01]

Mesh goggles cut down the light reaching your eyes somewhat, so are not that good for playing in darker environments. They also can allow small pieces of broken BB to hit your eyes if a bb hits the mesh directly. I would always recommend having something else between the mesh and your eyes. Mesh masks, whilst good at stopping hits to the face, will stop you being able to use scopes on a rifle, as they don't allow you to get a proper cheek weld on the stock to look down the sights.

[Richie Boyle]

forget that package then. what would you recommend instead?

[Airsoft_Mr B]

Get good quality ballistic glasses from a trusted brand, mil-spec rated. Try Tactical-Kit. Some goggles from Bollé or ESS or something.

Personally I use ex-British Army ESS ICE glasses myself. That way you have peace of mind your eyes are protected and you're not using some cheap ones that couldn't be up to safety standards.

 

I do have some mesh goggles and a mesh mask (for CQB) myself and I've been fine with them but I don't like that something could happen.

[Airsoft_Mr B]

Heard good things about these, you can also see they comply with US MIL standards so you're guaranteed protection.

http://www.tactical-kit.co.uk/smith-optics-elite-boogie-regulator-goggle-10085-p.asp

 

Any of the other goggles or glasses should work great too, but of course it's best to check the specs before you buy if it doesn't tell you on Tactical Kit. I got my ESS glasses from eBay ~ £20. Hope this helped!

[Richie Boyle]

Get good quality ballistic glasses from a trusted brand, mil-spec rated. Try Tactical-Kit. Some goggles from Bollé or ESS or something.

Personally I use ex-British Army ESS ICE glasses myself. That way you have peace of mind your eyes are protected and you're not using some cheap ones that couldn't be up to safety standards.

 

I do have some mesh goggles and a mesh mask (for CQB) myself and I've been fine with them but I don't like that something could happen.

i did see some Bolle and ESS on ebay. around the £17 price range for the goggles alone?

[jcheeseright]

boogie regulators will steam up the second you stand still, they're not really designed for airsoft, more parachuting, driving offroad, etc etc.

 

£17 for a decent set of specs is a decent price.

[Richie Boyle]

ESS

bolle

 

or these?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Revision-desert-locust-ballistic-goggles-airsoft-OLIVE-GREEN-UK-SELLER-/271423668767?pt=UK_Protective_Equipment&hash=item3f321c821f

[jcheeseright]

at this point it's all down to personal preference on style, as you can see from the ebay page a decent set of military spec goggles will protect your eyes from far worse things than BBs, pick a style you like and get them!

[Richie Boyle]

i am very tempted to go with the last link i posted. having read some posts on this forum regarding eye protection and various opinions, i think the more industrial design which does not seal against the face is out of the equation. lenses or mesh? lenses seem to be safer but can fog up so anti fogging lenses seem to be the way to go and being able to change lenses to suit the light level is probably a bonus. finally, price! i saw a set with a claimed RRP of well over £100 which is great if i there is a risk of a panzer running over my head but possibly a little too much for airsoft. that last link does seem to be a decent price (albeit more than i wanted to spend until i read the posts) for a set that ticks all the boxes plus the seller seems to be going out of his way to support the quality and give confidence to the buyer. most sellers put a basic list of functions and leave it at that. this guy is effectively putting his own reputation on the line and that does inspire trust. the brand may not have been on the well known list but every brand was there in the early days so they may be worth trying then coming back once a few skirmishers have had a look at them and given their opinions

[Ian_Gere]

Revision are a good brand. I prefer mesh made of interleaved wires rather than stamped sheet, but I have a pair of Revision Bullet Ant and, with the right combo of anti-fog precautions and the dust filter foam removed (which doesn't compromise safety), they last all morning without fogging enough to make me wish I had something else on me face. after that the anti-fog treatments don't last as long, but generally over 30-40mins so ok for a game then reapply.

 

My prep goes like this: 1 drop of Fog Tech liquid per lens wiped all over with a standard glasses cleaning cloth and leave overnight, then polish with the cloth which comes with ESS goggles (thanks James). I don't think I've ever had the presence of mind to prep them well in advance so I dunno if you have to do it the night before or whether you can do it whenever it comes to mind. But yeah, doing the same without the overnight dry only lasts for 45mins to an hour tops.

 

Ppl often mention cheek weld when talking about 1/2 face masks - personally I don't weld my cheek to the stock when aiming, even with my SVD now that she has a low rise scope position. I'm not aware of having a particularly long neck, but with the butt well placed on my right shoulder/pec join (as I was taught by RAF Regt range instructors) and my right eye able to sight over irons, the stock of most guns is about 20mm away from my cheek and only leaning my head as far forward as it will go will put my cheek on it. This is not only an uncomfortable position for me, it also wouldn't work well with actual recoil because my view over/through the rear would jump violently with each shot causing my eyes to refocus close up. In the head back position the rear sight is smaller in my view, but the notch/pin hole is still plenty big enough to be able to see if the front post is a bit off either way - not that this actually makes any real difference in airsoft b/c generally sights are guides not actual aim points. Optics are always even higher - I dread to think what kind of hunchback posture I'd have to adopt to achieve cheek weld aiming through an Aimpoint T3 or ACOG, or a red dot on a G36E. However, mesh does bend.

 

This type is better because the additional strap produces greater stability when you run.

[Richie Boyle]

i went with the revision goggles and i have received them. i have clear, smoked and yellow lenses but i cant see how to swap them? the smoked came fitted and the elastic strap is easy to remove but the lens appears to have a light glue round the edges which i am reluctant to prise out. any ideas?

[Mr Monkey Nuts]

Don't buy bolle or any other safety gear from eBay. You have no way to ensure they are not counterfeit. I just bought some bolle silium for non skirmish shooting, they arrived in a cheap polythene bag, no cloth bag, poorly painted frames, non polished lense edges and they got the safety markings wrong on the lense. They are clearly counterfeit, when you place them next to my genuine trackers.

 

Buy glasses from legit retailers and places that you can verify. You only have one set of eyes, don't fluff them up for the sake of saving £5.

[Adam3088]

i went with the revision goggles and i have received them. i have clear, smoked and yellow lenses but i cant see how to swap them? the smoked came fitted and the elastic strap is easy to remove but the lens appears to have a light glue round the edges which i am reluctant to prise out. any ideas?

You should be able to stretch the rubber outer away from the lenses a bit to pry them out, when you put another lense in line up the ridges before popping it in.

Shouldn't be glue on anything except the foam filters which you should just pull out, they don't do anything except hinder airflow if you're not in a desert.