face/eye protection

[maniczombie]

Hi guys new to airsoft and wondering whats everyones personal preferance in face/eye protection and wheres best to buy from

[b1n0gHo5t]

i'd like my goggles to work but since they dont atm i wear mesh goggles & half face mesh mask

Mesh goggles i do not rate..they may protect but seeing through them is horrible for me

face mask while a being a cheap one it fit ok after a bit of bending but the straps are bollocks
& i need something like a cap/beanie hat to keep it from falling to my neck

[jcheeseright]

This question has been answered about 10 times already.

[b1n0gHo5t]

well i made it the eleventh time woo me

[TheFull9]

It's a tad hard to suggest something without knowing your budget.

 

For me personally some high quality, full seal eye pro with a lower face mask of some description is the minimum (particularly for CQB). Any less and you're risking teeth shot out and ricochets to the eye, very small chances yes but that's all down to your personal choice of course.

 

I started off with a paintball mask which worked just fine and obviously gave buckets of protection but is probably a bit OTT for airsoft. Used ESS ballistic shades for some years in woodland which was lovely and comfortable but in retrospect I wouldn't do again because there was (comparatively) lots of room for a ricochet to get in behind them and they got knocked off my face a couple of times even with proper adjustment and the head band attached.

 

A common setup these days is a combination of goggles (be it lenses or mesh) and a lower half mesh mask. I'd specifically recommend avoiding any sort of non-sealing eye pro with a mesh mask because there's more than a couple of softers out there who've taken some really nasty eye hits as a result of a BB bouncing up off the solid edge of the mesh and inside of their eye pro; taking in to account that a lot of the time no matter how tightly you adjust any sort of kit on your person when you run and jump around enough it will move about.

 

Realistically most people try a dozen different combinations over the years and it's trial and error before they find the best setup. At this point I'm sure I've got at least 8 different sets of goggles/glasses dotted around my gear and more than a couple of lower-face pro items sitting around, just from experimenting. The best setup I've found (for me, everyone's different) is some ESS goggles with the foam around the edges removed and the plastic lower half from your average rental mask zip-tied underneath.

[maniczombie]

Budget not my of an issue as im an ex paintball player of 13 years so know when it comes ro face protection u gotta splash out on quality

[team flex]

dye do the ix4, a paintball mask that someone on here bought, can't remember who? It depends if you are looking for glasses, goggles, full face, mesh?

[maniczombie]

I want somthing im not gunna sweat in and wont fog up like pb masks

[team flex]

well mesh masks are cheap, and I rely on one currently picked mine up for 10 quid and it does the job, tested up to 400 fps front 5 feet away and the goggles don't shatter. The Dye IX4's don't mist up, but then they are £110 quid. Most masks will make you sweat if you're running around, nothing you can do.

 

Bolle make good glasses and masks for airsoft, and I think a few of the masks are anti mist equipped so they have vents in. http://www.bolle-tactical.com/tactical-goggles

 

As I said mesh masks are good because they don't mist and don't shatter that easily (there are a few stories floating around but they are not verified).

[maniczombie]

Ah ok will look into those bolle as I have them at work and always been reliable thanks everyone for your opinions and honesty hope to meet u all one day at a game

[Samurai]

This is what works best for me. I made these (actually I was into manufacturing mesh masks before the chinese ones came out). It is lowered to my shemagh and when danger is close, I simply pull up before my mouth. Granted, it only protects the teeth but only the teeth and eyes don't grow back. You can put it up or lower it even without hands in need, and you can aim the gun perfectly even if it's up.

 

[Josh95]

I wear Viper ballistic glasses and a face mesh. The glasses were around £40 and the mesh around £15. The glasses come with 3 different shades, and a lens holder if you have prescription glasses. Its light weight and when youre playing i dont even feel the mask or glasses.

[Airsoft_Mr B]

At the moment I have ESS Ice glasses and ASG Strike Systems goggles. The ASGs have thermal lenses like a PB mask so they don't fog up easily.

 

My dad and I also have a couple mesh masks and one or two mesh goggles, but I want to replace these soon! I also bought a Proto Switch EL (PB) mask for £11 but the seller didn't mention a black mark on the visor / lens. The manual says you should replace the lens if it has a black mark on and the thing doesn't want to rub off. I'm a bit put off using it.

Currently in the process of modding my mesh lower face mask so my ASG goggles will fit. I find the mask uncomfortable and I don't like wearing it but you need full face pro under 18. Much rather would just use my shemagh.

 

Anyway, never go cheap on eye pro. Last thing you want enjoying a hobby is getting injured, especially if it means losing your eyesight. Full seal goggles are a good idea, because I have read a guy was really unlucky and had a BB go through the gap between his lower face mask and glasses. Temporarily lost his sight IIRC and was in shock so he blacked out for a bit but fortunately he was okay!

 

I'd recommend you take a look on Tactical Kit. They have a wide range of tactical / ballistic glasses and goggles. It's good quality military spec stuff by well known companies (such as ESS)

 

I am also looking at Bolle because they are cheap. IIRC, their glasses are not ballistic rated so aren't safe for airsoft, but the goggles are. I've also heard the ones for sale on eBay / Amazon could be fakes. If you're unsure, I'd order them from a reputable retailer (such as Tactical Kit for example) so you know they are genuine ones. If you do buy from Amazon or eBay instead, test them out first before you wear them to a skirmish and shoot them a few times.

 

Finally, if you don't want your goggles to steam up, another option would be Heroshark stuff. He makes his mesh masks and glasses himself, but to a higher standard in comparison to the cheap Chinese mesh.

I'm not sure if it completely eliminates the risks associated with mesh though! Nevertheless, they are known for their quality and some people seem to swear by them. Again, quite expensive, but worth it.

[Happy]

Personally depends on where I'm going and what I feel like wearing but I usually run a mesh goggle/lower face mask combo or an army of two style full face mask if I'm in a very close quarter site.