Really need help with something silly!

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

You want a helmet that adjusts with a ratchet, rather than by increasing the padding.   It's less sweaty, better for sensitive skin.  

 

Look out too for ski helmets passed off as airsoft lids.  IIRC Speedbird took some scammer out a while back.  There is a thread on the dodgy headgear if you search for it.   

[Cannonfodder]

4 hours ago, Yashy said:

https://www.usedairsoft.co.uk/

I'd avoid buying any PPE that's second hand. You don't know the history of it and could be buying something that'll fail when hit due to previous use, even if it looks ok

[Galvatron]

I couldn't agree more with Cannonfodder. Eyepro isn't something I would buy used to save money. I would rather a field a misfiring RIF than wear used eyepro where I don't know how many direct impacts it had sustained from pellets, if long-term exposure to sunlight had weakened the materials, etc.

 

I would just ask the seller where they got it that mask.

[Tackle]

7 hours ago, Cannonfodder said:

I'd avoid buying any PPE that's second hand. You don't know the history of it and could be buying something that'll fail when hit due to previous use, even if it looks ok

100% agree, as a biker I'd never buy a helmet secondhand for the same reasons, no matter how good it looks & the price compares to new, it's structural integrity could be compromised, goggles & masks are the same. 

[Rogerborg]

1 hour ago, Galvatron said:

I don't know how many direct impacts it had sustained from pellets, if long-term exposure to sunlight had weakened the materials

 

After how many impacts do you replace your eyepro, or after how many hours or days in sunlight?

 

It's something that we know we should do, but - as with bike lids - it's easy to put it off indefinitely.

 

I replace eyepro when it gets scratched or clouded, although a buff with some sort of polish (e.g. Meguiar's® PlastX™) can sometimes recover it.  I don't think I've ever replaced eyepro due to impacts.

 

Bike lids, eh, when I change bikes and a day-glo yellow flip-front bought to match an F800GS would be a sartorial faux-pas on a Royal Enfield Classic.  

[Galvatron]

50 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

 

After how many impacts do you replace your eyepro, or after how many hours or days in sunlight?

 

It's something that we know we should do, but - as with bike lids - it's easy to put it off indefinitely.

 

I replace eyepro when it gets scratched or clouded, although a buff with some sort of polish (e.g. Meguiar's® PlastX™) can sometimes recover it.  I don't think I've ever replaced eyepro due to impacts.

 

Bike lids, eh, when I change bikes and a day-glo yellow flip-front bought to match an F800GS would be a sartorial faux-pas on a Royal Enfield Classic.  

 

I like to think you know that not all impacts are equal, nor are hours/days of exposure to sunlight so giving an actual figure would be arbitrary. Suffice to say, I have replaced eyepro in the past when I recall sustaining multiple impacts and I didn't feel comfortable with it or when I noticed scratches/loosened bonding. As I'm a lot older now and learned from the mistakes of leaving certain items in the sun, sunlight isn't as big a factor for me as I keep my eyepro under wraps until I need it.

 

I don't assume everybody takes the same care as each other.

[GeorgePlaysAirsoft]

18 hours ago, Yashy said:

Sorry, bumping again.

 

I am struggling to find a full helmet with a good facemask.

 

This is what i've found.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314207030405?chn=ps&var=612848208068&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1xfIvYPCISoOR5L_S-O4ghA99&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-166974-033325-9&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=612848208068_314207030405&targetid=2204021635093&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9046182&poi=&campaignid=19811319777&mkgroupid=147327257975&rlsatarget=pla-2204021635093&abcId=9307045&merchantid=422123728&gclid=CjwKCAjw7oeqBhBwEiwALyHLMz9XWgM0uQNm9nzrgrs8RVPiywG2EiV1cagQm28yGN8b47WdyaV4xBoCv88QAvD_BwE  -Helmet

 

Goggles- https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/bolle-pilot-ii-safety-goggles?pv=15760

https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/pj-half-face-mesh-mask-2-0-w-ear-protection - Facemask.

 

Now, The current facemask I have digs into my nose and I can't breathe from it. What do you guys think about this? 

 

 

Finding a good/"perfect" set up requires trial, error, and money. and that is for those of us without a skin condition or similar.

 

The sad fact is that you are looking for the impossible: something that offers complete face protection, is comfortable, and doesn't interfere with playing the game. i reckon that for the majority of people that play airsoft for long enough go with less protection rather than more.

 

i suggest that you basically have two lines of protection which are modular and allow you "min max" as best you can.

 

firstly you want a pair of goggles or glasses that fit underneath a helmet. i don't know what to suggest here tbh.

for protecting your teeth and to a certain extent, nose i would go with this:  https://www.tactical-clothing.co.uk/product/laylax-aeroflex-face-guard-black-12671 i would guess that the silicon is less irritating than mesh/cordura or what have you.

i would also consider a balaclava, depending on skin irritation you may need to experiment between synthetic (i like underarmour "heatgear" balaclava) or something like merino wool or variants thereof be it smartwool or whatever. I've found these to be more or less essential for wearing helmets for a long period of time as the pads "glide" over the balaclava rather than your hair and follicles or whatever else.

 

after that i think a helmet with visor is probably the best bet for protecting your face. this means that you can flip the visor up or down depending on your risk tolerance and so forth. i think any helmet with a visor would do, but i would recommend getting a decent set of pads and a retention system with a boa (or similar) dial to allow you adjust the tension on the fly. comfort really is king.  with a visor you will benefit from a gun with a funky "visor" stock and a sight on a tall mount as has already been mentioned. money aside there's no disadvantage to this really.

 

good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

[Cannonfodder]

If you're going down the visor route you might want to double check the site is ok with it. Many have a large gap at the bottom so they may insist you wear glasses too,  especially if the visor can be rsised

[Emergencychimps]

I run a set up you might find interesting/useful. 

 

It's a modern ops core helmet, the carbon so it has vents in it for ventilation. 

 

I then connect my mesh face mask to the top of the chin strap from the helmet, around where my temples are using the s binder type carabineers. This means it's effectively free floating in front of my face. I then use the strap that is meant to go around the head hold it on so that it goes round the back of neck, pulling it close into my face. Means there is minimal contact with my face, mouth and nose coverage and with a higher mount, can still see down my red dot (use a clone of the scalar 1.93, though the clones of the unity style are even higher). 

[Scythian]

Reckon a Warq helmet would be ideal here. I've used one for a couple of years now and wouldn't go back to the eyepro/facepro/hat modular approach. The only downside is getting down on the sights as the helmet projects out too far to get a cheek weld. The work around is to use a 45 degree riser, looks a bit odd but works perfectly. Probably of more use for cqb where the likelyhood of a close range headshot is greater. Unfortunately the prices have gone through the roof in recent years.

[Speedbird_666]

2 hours ago, Scythian said:

Reckon a Warq helmet would be ideal here.

 

 

Warq are out of the business of selling to us mere peasant airsofters - moving to LE/Military contracts for force-on-force training exclusively:

 

 

And good luck getting spare lenses etc... doesn't sound like they are particularly helpful with supplying them.

[TheFull9]

Some real police setups that spring to mind; I've never persued such a setup for my airsoft kit so I've no idea how to make it happen but anything is possible with glue and/or 3d printers.

 

 

HOWEVER, that's a lot of faff and just not having a stock/only using a folded stock in the folded position is quite possibly a much better option, particularly since our gats have no recoil, huge magazines and every shot is an instant tracer.

[Shamal]

10 minutes ago, TheFull9 said:

Some real police setups that spring to mind; I've never persued such a setup for my airsoft kit so I've no idea how to make it happen but anything is possible with glue and/or 3d printers.

 

 

HOWEVER, that's a lot of faff and just not having a stock/only using a folded stock in the folded position is quite possibly a much better option, particularly since our gats have no recoil, huge magazines and every shot is an instant tracer.

Very nice.

Not sure about the bipod in third picture. It looks kinda wrong.

[Cannonfodder]

I looked at a visor stock for to go with a GSR replica and if you can find one for your rif they're not exactly cheap for what is basically a lump of plastic 

 

Edit: a quick google search only brings up results for the MCX/MPX and MP5

Edited November 10, 2023 by Cannonfodder

[Yashy]

On 09/11/2023 at 14:59, GeorgePlaysAirsoft said:

Finding a good/"perfect" set up requires trial, error, and money. and that is for those of us without a skin condition or similar.

 

The sad fact is that you are looking for the impossible: something that offers complete face protection, is comfortable, and doesn't interfere with playing the game. i reckon that for the majority of people that play airsoft for long enough go with less protection rather than more.

 

i suggest that you basically have two lines of protection which are modular and allow you "min max" as best you can.

 

firstly you want a pair of goggles or glasses that fit underneath a helmet. i don't know what to suggest here tbh.

for protecting your teeth and to a certain extent, nose i would go with this:  https://www.tactical-clothing.co.uk/product/laylax-aeroflex-face-guard-black-12671 i would guess that the silicon is less irritating than mesh/cordura or what have you.

i would also consider a balaclava, depending on skin irritation you may need to experiment between synthetic (i like underarmour "heatgear" balaclava) or something like merino wool or variants thereof be it smartwool or whatever. I've found these to be more or less essential for wearing helmets for a long period of time as the pads "glide" over the balaclava rather than your hair and follicles or whatever else.

 

after that i think a helmet with visor is probably the best bet for protecting your face. this means that you can flip the visor up or down depending on your risk tolerance and so forth. i think any helmet with a visor would do, but i would recommend getting a decent set of pads and a retention system with a boa (or similar) dial to allow you adjust the tension on the fly. comfort really is king.  with a visor you will benefit from a gun with a funky "visor" stock and a sight on a tall mount as has already been mentioned. money aside there's no disadvantage to this really.

 

good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.tactical-clothing.co.uk/product/laylax-aeroflex-face-guard-black-12671

Hi about this one, it looks amazing! I was just wondering if it would also protect my cheeks from bruising or welts? or is it only teeth protection?

[TheFull9]

This one should answer that (I think the answer is basically no, not much cheek protection).

 

 

As I say, if the thought of getting your face low enough to look through a sight is affecting your choice of face pro I'd advise not letting it.  There's loads of dead cheap pic rail risers out there to stack any optic as tall as you like, plus drop stocks like the G&G and up close you absolutely don't need to see through your sight (or even at range if your eyesight is good since every shot is a tracer).

[gavinkempsell]

6 hours ago, Yashy said:

Hi about this one, it looks amazing! I was just wondering if it would also protect my cheeks from bruising or welts? or is it only teeth protection?

Looks like it'll be in contact with your skin in several places, you'll be the best judge whether it'll cause issues on not, I still suggest a helmet with a mask/visor as suggested above.