There are many manufacturers and variations of paintball masks, all of which do the same thing, but they are all not equal. A paintball mask serves one function, to protect your eyes, ears, mouth and face. So its important to pick one that fits comfortably on your head and will stay un fogged for as long as possible. Masks range from the very cheap V-Force Armour which retails for about $20, to the stylish and comfortable Empire E-Vent which retail for close to $120.
The overall shell of a mask will generally have two variations, soft or hard. The soft masks are very flexible and will warp and bend to the unique shape of your face more easily. Soft masks are also supposed to help in effectively bouncing a paintball off your cheek or visor where a hard mask would instead allow the paintball to break on contact. In cases of a dead on hit however, the soft mask will do less to absorb or deaden the kinetic energy, and youll feel more of a slap on the face opposed to a hard mask where you would just hear the loud stunning crack.
Inside the mask, between your face and the shell, there is something manufacturers often refer to as “comfort foam”, and to me this is more important then the shell or the look of the mask itself. Often the more pricey the mask, the nicer the foam feels on your face, which is very important if you are going to be wearing it for a long time. When you try on masks before you buy, how the foam feels will definitely be huge deciding factor to your purchase.
Lenses come in two main configurations single pane and dual pane, both of which can have a factory applied anti fog coating to the interior of the lense. Dual pane lenses generally seem to be more effective in combating fog from forming on the inside of your mask. With dual pane lenses the two lenses are sealed together with a sort of gasket between them, forming an air tight seal with “neutral air” between the the lens surface closest to your face and the surface which is exposed to the elements. This gradient of temperature helps prevent condensation from forming on the inside of your mask, and you might find you can keep your paintball mask on for longer periods of time. Regardless of which configuration of lens you choose, make sure the lens is “Thermal Cured”.
Lenses also come in a variety of colours and finishes: yellow, amber, blue, mirrored, smoke and a variety of fades and gradients. It’s definitely worth taking a look at an upgraded lens, depending on your playing conditions they can be of great benefit.
So which masks have I owned and used?
V Force Armour - 5/10 - not terribly comfortable but i feel safe wearing them. Single pane, hard shell, hard interior foam but very cheap! If youre in a pinch theres nothing wrong with this mask.
Proto Switch EL - 6/10 - comfy, hard shell, single pane, nice foam. This is the low end version of the FS which I like very much.
Proto Switch FS - 8/10 - very comfortable, soft shell, dual pane, excellent foam. I feel like I’m very protected in these and they work well against condensation.
Empire Avatars - 9/10 - so comfortable you don’t even know you’re wearing them, very smooshy soft shell, dual THICK pane lenses, excellent foam. So far the nicest mask I’ve owned, and also the most effective for keeping fog away.
