Apparently blind bloke in the Black Country

[Count Crow]

Hi folks,

 

Went to my first game on Sunday at Ace Airsoft in Cosford. Really enjoyed it and keen to go again.

 

Using rental gear, had terrible fogging problems as expected, Charlie was in the trees but I couldn't see him at all!

 

What are the best suggestions to avoid this? I've looked at dye i4s but not being able to aim a rental due to size of head gear is off-putting and I've looked at lower face mesh guards (recommendations appreciated) but I'm also a bit lost looking for eye wear. I don't fancy mesh and goggles seem safest,but I'm worried about not being able to see due to fog.

 

Any suggestions please?

[Tommikka]

25 minutes ago, Count Crow said:

Hi folks,

 

Went to my first game on Sunday at Ace Airsoft in Cosford. Really enjoyed it and keen to go again.

 

Using rental gear, had terrible fogging problems as expected, Charlie was in the trees but I couldn't see him at all!

 

What are the best suggestions to avoid this? I've looked at dye i4s but not being able to aim a rental due to size of head gear is off-putting and I've looked at lower face mesh guards (recommendations appreciated) but I'm also a bit lost looking for eye wear. I don't fancy mesh and goggles seem safest,but I'm worried about not being able to see due to fog.

 

Any suggestions please?

I assume you were wearing rental goggles?

These are much more likely to fog up because they have been worn funny hundreds of people before (unless in the post covid era you were lucky enough to be at a site that has opted to use fresh goggles per rental player)

Any manufacturer anti-fog coating on a lens is degraded as soon as any form of product (other than minimal water) is used to clean a lens.  Rental / old lenses will gradually lose some of their anti fog capabilities over time, and as the lens gets cleaned.

There are after market anti fog products such as cat crap which help, but they should be avoided on new lenses as long as possible to make the best of the manufacturers coating - but that doesn’t work for everyone and an individual may need anti fog help from the beginning 

 

More important than the manufacturers antifog or after market anti fog is air flow which minimises the work for the anti fog  coating 

 

i4s are seen as the recommended goggle, but other premium goggles are available.

Dyes tend to be smaller goggles, which is attractive to airsofters, and also due to the smaller goggle there is more airflow from the lack of goggle surface area.

A key benefit shared with other premium goggles is the rubber material, so if the chin would get in the way of you aiming you can lean in and it bends away from your guns stock etc

 

 

Everything is personal though, and the ideal is to try on a few options of different full face goggles to fit your personal head size and shape, part face goggles accompanied by a mesh guard etc, or minimising down to glasses and a scarf etc 

(Remembering that scarves give zero air flow, so may be making a fresh problem)

 

If you can then visit an airsoft or paintball retailer (noting that most stock supplies for both) and try on goggles

 

[Emergencychimps]

Fogging is a git. 

 

Options are: 

 

1. Mesh goggles. They don't fog, but there is the chance (and it does happen) that a bb could break etc and shards get through, however I've never experienced it more than just being like flakes of dirt in my eye. They're a bit like wearing sunglasses so low light situations aren't great. Great with or without face pro

 

2. Glasses/goggles and no face protection. Fogging generally happens when there's a lot of moisture. Face masks catch a lot of the moisture from your breath and then bam. These will still fog just from sweat, but normally an anti fog spray (I use bob hopes visor spay) is enough to tackle it. Glasses (make sure they're well fitted) need a safety rating but Screwfix stock loads of cheap options (bolle siliums are my fav). 

 

3. Goggles/glasses with mesh facemasks. Check out the delta mike snoods and the cheap Chinese mesh masks that almost every Airsoft site/shop stocks. They let more moisture out than a plastic mask but not perfect. Anti fog is still recommended. 

 

4. Some sort of fan system. There's loads of home made options, using pc fans etc. some commercial options. If you must have full seal eye pro, I can imagine this is the only certain way. 

 

 

All things said, I find if i use anti fog on glasses and I allow my head area to breath as much as possible (not wearing a helmet or scarf) then I'm not affected by fogging. 

 

Some glasses have an anti fog layer on them, they typically don't last long. 

 

Most new players aim by following the path of the bbs. If you get a red dot you could get a riser. 

[MrTea]

Easiest and cheapest option: Revision Anti-Fog wipes. They're witchcraft. Breathe on your goggles to steam them up and wipe with the cloth a few times. They take some effort to steam up after that.

Using a Delta Mike snood appears to help me because it doesn't trap heat like other face protection.

Finally, I use an Exfog unit secured to the back of my helmet with the tubes ran on the inside of the lid, into the goggles. Novritsch has his own type of Exfog unit if you can't find one in stock.

I get condensation on the inside of the goggles but rarely do I get actual fogging.

[Rogerborg]

1 hour ago, MrTea said:

Easiest and cheapest option: Revision Anti-Fog wipes.

 

Confirmed, I've tried many other potions, including CatCrap, and Revision wipes come out way ahead. They're actually quite expensive when bought in small numbers, but can sometimes be found in bulk buys that will last for years, given that you can reseal the wipes and use them for several game days.

 

 

1 hour ago, MrTea said:

Finally, I use an Exfog unit secured to the back of my helmet with the tubes ran on the inside of the lid, into the goggles.

 

Double confirmed, even with dual pane lenses and Revision wipes, I sometimes need to turn on a fan. ExFog, a clone, or DIY something with a PC/3D printer cooler fan, some tubing, and your battery and switch of choice.

 

[GiantKiwi]

I can still fog Revision's Desert locusts with the thermal lens and their anti-fog wipes, not so voodoo magic. It's all down to humidity and body heat, these things are all designed for environments with less than 50% average relative humidity, UK averages at around 50 - 60% in the summer and 80-90% during spring and winter.

 

ExFog works well, its less expensive than the Novbitch one, and you can either fuck about with the magnetic end bits or just point the tubes in roughly the right direction - just don't forget to charge it the night before, because they don't hold juice very well (this applies to both ExFog and Novbitch ones).

[mightyjebus]

This will probably sound mad but at the start of the day put some roll on deodorant onto your forehead and it has an added bonus of making you smell nice

[ButcherBill]

46 minutes ago, mightyjebus said:

This will probably sound mad but at the start of the day put some roll on deodorant onto your forehead and it has an added bonus of making you smell nice

Every site will be a haze of Lynx, Old Spice & Dove... yes I use stick not a spray on.

[Hudson]

1 hour ago, mightyjebus said:

This will probably sound mad but at the start of the day put some roll on deodorant onto your forehead and it has an added bonus of making you smell nice

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that does that! 😅

[Cannonfodder]

Unfortunately eye/face protection and dealing with fogging is one of those things where everyone's a little different. Don't be surprised if you have to try different things before finding what works for you.

 

Personally I use glasses with a mesh face mask and use cat crap on the lenses at the start of the day and again at lunch if it's a warm day. 

 

One other thing that can affect fogging is what's on your head. A helmet or beanie will trap heat more than something thinner like a bush hat or cap

[Rogerborg]

16 hours ago, mightyjebus said:

This will probably sound mad but at the start of the day put some roll on deodorant onto your forehead and it has an added bonus of making you smell nice

 

And I swear by sweatbands.  Buy two or three cheapies, and swap them each game to give them a chance to dry out a bit.

 

But ultimately, fans are the only thing I've found that are guaranteed to work on a humid day when standing still after exertion.

[SSPKali]

I have found that Bolle Cobra glasses with antifoam wipe (Revision, as above) never fog with me (not that sweaty compared to some) Available in clear, yellow, grey and other lens colours for under £15 but they will stop 6Joule steel BBs

 

DeltaMike face pro for outdoor games, but after some cheek / nose shots <5m in CQB I have a NB Tactical Mk2 mask that I am holding in place with just some 4mm elastic and a cord lock. They will sell you a mesh snood / balaclava for £30+ but that seems to cause fogging and doesn't keep it as secure!