Using a paintball mask

[skarra333]

Hi all sorry not had a chance to get on here lately with work. I've now had a chance to skirmish with the mask and have decided it's absolutely hopeless. Far too bulky around the mouth area to effectively aim using the sights in the rental M4 I had, and also was completely blinded by condensation within 15 minutes of starting.

In my desperation I even popped out the lens and wore the helmet with my Bollé glasses underneath and they were the same. I was hugely surprised at how little ventilation there was in there given the amount of holes in it. Won't be using it again, and it spoiled my first skirmish so much I have decided to invest in some ESS Turbofan goggles ASAP to prevent it ever happening again

Sorry you had a bad experience.

Proto masks aren't the best in my experience. They are the economy mask of Dye, and it shows.

But for £20 you can buy your own fan though. Installed on your facemask, it's a good way of staying fog free, and keeping your teeth.

[cropzy]

I use a proto switch el with cat crap to stop fogigng, had no problems and i love it.

[Jacob(smooth)]

I've been through 3 paintball masks. All of them were entirely useless until I fitted them with fans. With fans they are perfect.

 

You can get a 5volt 25 or 30 mm fan, a USB power source and a slide switch for under a tenner on eBay. It's the future I tell you.

 

This is the mk 2. This was using 12v 25mm fans with 9 volt batteries. Used 2 for backup. The workings are all covered when in use, held in place with hot glue. The mk 3 is better but I was still experimenting. A tight seal was the big breakthrough.

[Ian_Gere]

I've only used a PB mask once - the first time i skirmished they came with the rental guns. Never again. I think that if you're in reasonable shape then small fans can keep up, but if you're a knackered old fuck like me, no chance! The same with the likes of Cat Crap, Fog Tech, pre-treated lenses etc. - condensation may not fog them, but it's still there as liquid on the lens and it distorts your vision.

 

Mesh is the way forward. No, fragments of shattered BB's cannot damage your eyes. Not ever. Under no circumstances.

[Jacob(smooth)]

Mesh is grand during the day, but I mostly play at night. What I use therefor has to be clear.

[Ian_Gere]

Yeah, perforated sheet darkens the view like shades, but interwoven wire doesn't. It's just not that easy to find goggles made with interwoven wire anymore. Begadi do some, but as is usual with Begadi, the price of the product is fine, but the postage via amazon or card handling fee via their own webby is fucking ridiculous.

 

These can be modified easily enough:

...to take the visor off the top

and remove some of the plastic across the nose to make them fit western style beaks. The foam makes them very comfortable to wear and they will fit under a helmet, being the same shape as classic military goggles. It's a fiddle to make them work with an unmodified 1/2 face mesh mask, but then again, unmodified 1/2 face mesh masks don't work that well anyway. If you fit pads to the cheekbone area of the mask, it will be much more comfortable and fit tightly together with this ski mask style eyepro.

I can't actually remember where mine are now or i would put up a close up pic showing how they fit together. I now use inserts made from the same size mesh as these goggles inserted into ESS Advancer V12's:

...0.71mm SS316 #8 mesh*

After about 15mins your brain adjusts and you never notice the mesh unless something startles you in a way which makes you refocus your eyes close up. It feels like wearing nothing at all - more so than polycarbonate lenses which always have one or more of reflection, fog, condensation, or smears.

*msg me if you want deets of how to make them.

[scrumpy]

If you get yourself a decent set of paintball goggles then they shouldn't fog, unless they've been messed with. My Vforce Grillz have never let me down on the field either in tournament or big games. But I wouldn't use them for airsoft as you cannot get your cheek down on the stock or use a scope correctly (unless you can adjust and take into account a hell of a parallax adjustment)

[scrumpy]

@team flex the I3's are a nightmare to change the lenses on and the I4's are good as long as you've got a small face.

[team flex]

@team flex the I3's are a nightmare to change the lenses on and the I4's are good as long as you've got a small face.

thanks for the info, I was going to buy some I3s but I cba now, hero shark I come

[Gazzanator]

Just thought I'd post a little update on this for anyone interested. I tried the Mikes Mobile Cyclone I mentioned earlier and it works great !!

No need for any more holes in the hose, just attached it to my goggles paired with my FAST helmet and it was actually pretty discrete, as long as you don't mind the buzz of a fan in your ear.

I played all day with no fogging issues. After a while you forget the hose is there.