Protector Airsoft Mask
Outdoor games provide the players with a platform where they can practice tactical skills in an unrestricted yet safe environment. Popular games like paintballing have regulations about the safety measures paintballers should take to protect themselves when playing the game.
One of the regulations dictates mandatory use of protective gear on the face for anyone venturing out into a paintball combat field, which must remain on at all times. Paintballers, therefore, should be careful when picking masks for use in paintballing to ensure that they pick a mask that offers enough protection and one that they can use for a long time without causing discomfort.
In this article, we give you an in-depth analysis of the paintball mask and recommend one airsoft mask that we found to be best suited for paintballers who love the game.
What parts make up a paintball mask
The paintball mask protects the face, ears, eyes, nose, and mouth of the person wearing it from being directly hit by paintballs. Paintballs that are launched from marker travel at relatively high speeds that can even reach 250 feet per second. Being hit by a projectile travelling at such high speeds can cause severe pain and damage when the paintball lands on unprotected parts of the body. Moreover, paintball burst open when they land on a surface, painting it with the dye contents inside. A mask protecting your face restricts the dye from reaching your eyes, nose, and ears, which can cause serious harm if it were to happen. The paintball mask is made up of protective goggles, goggle frame, protective breathable mask, and straps.
Protective Goggles
The goggles offer protection to the eyes and come as either curved or flat lenses. Goggle lenses can either have single lenses or dual lenses. Single lens goggles are cheap and easier to maintain but their down side is that they are prone to fogging. Dual lens goggles require extra care and maintenance and are fog resistant. This also makes them a bit pricey compared to single lens goggles.
Premium goggles are also coated with an anti-scratch coating to help them last for a long time. The goggles are further made with antiglare materials and come in a variety of colors to protect the wearer's eyes from UV light.
The googles fit inside the goggle frame and are easily removable for cleaning and replacement when needed.
Google Frame.
The google frame holds the goggle in place and has a soft form surface for the mask to sit on your face. Some masks come with the goggle and frame as a single fixed piece, while others have detachable googles that are released from the frame using a quick rerelease system. The quick release system locks the goggle in place when using the mask and uses a push button mechanism that releases the google when you want to remove it.
High end masks have dual layer form material that comprises of a thick form layer on the interior side. This layer offers firm and fixed sitting of the goggle and goggle lenses. The other layer sits comfortably against the face forming a seal that restricts the wearers' moist breathe from travelling up to the goggles and causing fogging.
Facial Mask
The mask is what holds the goggle frame and goggle in place on your face. Different masks provide varied coverage over the face. A paintballers should pick a mask that fits well over their head and is light weight since they will have it on for a long time.
Masks are also made of different materials that sometimes include lightweight metal and rigid or semi-ridged plastic. The material that makes up the mask affects its weight and breathability. The materials also affect the adaptability of the mask to different head sizes. Light weight metal masks mostly come as a single fit, while semi-rigid plastic masks can be adjusted to fit both small and large sized heads.
The bottom part of the mask that fits over the mouth and nose is comprised of rigid material with perforations. The perforated surface allows for easy exchange of air in and out of the mask. This is important for regulating the temperature within the mask interior and also allows for easy communication when the mask is worn over the face.
Straps
Straps hold the mask firmly in place over the face of the person who is wearing the mask. The straps come in varying designs with the most basic being straps that go behind the head. Some masks will have additional straps that go below the chin for a snugger fit.
The straps have snapped in locks that are mostly made of silicone to hold the strap in place. These are most common on adjustable straps that can be adjusted to fit tighter or looser depending on what feels more comfortable to the user.
What to consider when choosing a paintball mask
When you are in the market for a paintball mask, you should look for a mask that fits snugly over your face and that you can have on for long hours without feeling uncomfortable. Having your own masks lets you avoid rental masks that sometimes may not fit the frame of your head perfectly. This brings you the inconvenience of having to adjust your mask regularly, which can be dangerous when you are in the paintball field.
Consider a mask with thermal lenses on the goggles that prevent fogging and leave you with a clear view throughout the time you will be paintballing.
For the straps, better to go with masks with adjustable straps, which enables you to vary the mask's looseness or tightness. Masks that have both chin and behind the head straps also offer convenience where the users can optionally use one or both straps. The users can switch from relatively relaxed shooting in practice mode with the straps that go behind their head, to more aggressive shooting against enemies with both straps.
Buy masks that are popular among paintballers and people who love outdoor gaming activities. You can check the rating of masks on online stores and use the users' feedback to help you get the right mask. Buying from known brands guarantees that you will get replacement parts when something on the mask breaks and requires replacement.
Airsoft Masks Multifunctional PC Len Skull Paintball Games CS Field Mask Hunting Military Tactical Cycling Full Face Protections
After comparing masks from competing brands in the market, we recommend the Airsoft full face protection mask. We like this mask because of its ability to balance between protection, comfort, and affordability. The section below takes further look into the features of the airsoft mask that make it suitable for paintballing.
Full face protection
The airsoft mask offers the user with full face protection, which covers the ears, nose, mouth, and eyes. This airsoft mask can also be worn with an airsoft helmet for extra protection covering the whole head. The lens ports on the frame are wide both horizontally and vertically, which gives the user a wide viewing angle when they have this airsoft mask over their face. The lens ports are also slightly slanted toward the nose allowing for effortless point of view change without the user having to turn their whole head. The full-face airsoft mask also packs a mean look when worn over the face that will have the opponent shaken even before you begin shooting.
Different color options
The airsoft mask comes in three different color options for the mask that includes black, OD green, and brown tan. The lenses also come in three different color options that include gray, transparent, and yellow. The color options can be paired differently, thereby giving customers with 9 options of differently looking masks that they can pick from.
Antiglare Lenses
The lenses on this airsoft mask come as a pair that squarely fits in the accompanying goggle frame. The lenses come in three varying colors, which all feature an antiglare protective layer that protects your eyes when looking at super bright light sources.
Lenses on this airsoft mask are made from fully synthetic materials and feature a dome shape that allows them to absorb impact from high velocity projectiles without breaking, cracking, or shattering. The airsoft mask lenses have an anti-scratch layer that enables quick and effortless cleaning of dye and dirt with just a quick wipe.
Breathable Structure
This airsoft mask has large size perforations that run vertically on the part of the mask that covers the nose. This design helps in affective air circulation in and out of the mask, thereby enabling the user to breathe effortlessly. The effective air exchange also allows you to have the airsoft mask on for longer hours because it helps regulate the temperature in the masks' interior.
Comfort sponges
The airsoft mask features comfort sponges that are 50 millimeters thick, allowing the users to wear the mask over their face without any discomfort. The sponges are also able to absorb moisture and sweat that results from the user having the airsoft mask on their face for too long.
Adjustable Mask Straps
The airsoft mask is also sold with a pair of adjustable elastic straps that help the mask sit squarely on your face. The straps feature a snap to lock mechanism that is also easy to release when you want to take the mask off.
The pair of straps goes over the user's head and locks in place around the mask at the top and the sides. The adjustable feature allows the user to fit the mask tighter or looser depending on what feels more comfortable to the person wearing the mask.
Screws and accessories
This airsoft mask is also sold with accompanying Philips screws and a screwdriver that helps fit the screws inside the ports. The mask also comes with a user guide that helps you put the mask together yourself by following easy procedural steps.
What paintballers have to say about this airsoft mask
After perusing through user feedback from various sites regarding the use of the airsoft mask, we found lots of positive feedback and users who recommended their friends to get this airsoft mask. From our analysis, here are the pros and cons that we found regarding the use of this airsoft mask.
Pros
- The mask comes in a variety of colors that one can pick from
- Easy to assemble
- The mask is lightweight
- Packs a mean look
- Seller provides cleaning and assembly accessories for the mask
Cons
- Shipping takes a longer for users in overseas countries
- The airsoft mask is not sold in sizes suitable for kids