Arguably one of the most critical pieces of Paintball Gear next to the Marker itself is the Paintball Mask. To protect your eyes and your vision, you need a Paintball Mask or Goggles as they’re occasionally called. This is mandatory equipment on almost every Paintball Arena or Game Field worldwide.
Today’s masks are full face masks that cover mouth, ears, nostrils, and eyes (including the side of your head). Some Masks or helmets even come with Throat guards as that is another vulnerable part of your body. Modern Masks contain anti-fog features and are supposed to shield your face from the full frontal impact of paintballs.
Masks that fog up while playing can be a severe safety hazard. Apart from losing your sight of the playing field, instinct will lead to you remove the mask and expose your head, which will lead to possible hits to your head. To combat this problem most high-quality Paintball Masks or helmets can include mouth-ports and vents that provide fresh air breezes. These vents will remove any excess humidity and heat in order to keep the lens dry. These functions will be very important as extended outdoor play will otherwise cause masks to fog up from body sweat and exhaust. Also very important in today’s masks are tempered lenses or thermal treated coatings to the lens, the
Best Paintball Mask 2018
Even after hours of gameplay no fogging what so ever has been noticed. Also, the ultimate heat torture test that we usually do - transfers from air-conditioned car interiors to high temperature and humid outside environments. No issue or even the slightest hint of fogging with this great mask.
The foam paddings feel very comfortable and the whole mask is easily maintainable. After an intense afternoon of shooting and scurrying around in the woods, break down of the mask and cleaning was done in a breeze. The Lens is removable (and replaceable) in case of need.
We give a clear recommendation for this mask be it for any kind of Gameplay.
- Great for smaller head sizes
- Easy cleaning and shield replacing
- Very light and comfortable wear, even after multiple hours
- No Visor / Front head protection coverage
- The large mouth port could require you to wear a face shield to avoid getting paint in the mouth
For a price point of above $120, we feel that there is tons of value provided in this product and you will definitely like this mask for any gameplay. If you are a serious player, you can look no further and comfortably grab one of these masks.
- Super comfortable
- Great field of view and no fogging what so ever
- Very lightweight, and customizable and comfortable to wear
You can't go wrong with the Virtue VIO Extend. Lot's of color options make it even more appealing so you can match it to any outfit or equipment you already own. We recommend the Virtue VIO Extend for Advanced players looking to purchase gear they will be using extensively. The purchase price is quite steep, amounting to approximately $150, but you will use it for a long time so you can deem it an investment.
- Very soft and adjustable to perfectly fit various head sizes and face forms
- No fogging after many hours of gameplay (Woodsball and Speedball)
- Sturdy and solid build quality
- Cool looks!
- steep price compared to other options
The lens can be swapped out on the fly and makes maintenance and cleaning a breeze. Also, the dual layer thermal treated anti-fog lens provides exactly what it suggests, we had no fogging issues at all in our multi-hour gameplay review. Even more, there are a plethora of design choices available so you can match your current gear and equipment perfectly.
The Mask sports a great ventilation system and breathing ports that can be expected from a high-quality product such as the Empire e-Flex. Aimed at the experienced player also apparent from its pricing, anybody will have a great time using this mask. However, if you have big prescription glasses, you might want to check if you will be able to fit them underneath the lenses.
- The composite plastic makes for a very lightweight body
- The comfortable dry foam will make for a very comfortable wear
- Very fair pricing including anti-fog lens
- Rather large vents may let paint through if hit frontal with a Paintball
We really like the pricing point on this model. At around $80 you simply cannot go wrong apart from any manufacturing defect but that can happen on any model. We had some inquiries with the customer support and never had any delay in response time and were generally impressed with their friendly attitude.
To sum it up this is a solid entry-level Mask that can be used for any kind of gameplay, be it Woodsball, Reball, Milsim or other Speedball modes. Cleaning and Maintenance are easily done as with many popular models the lens is easily removable and replaceable.
- The anti-fog thermal treated lens never fogged up in our test environment (3 hours woodsball game)
- Very comfortable and adjustable straps and foams
- Great field of view and peripheral vision
- Removable lens for cleaning and replacement
- Not much forehead coverage due to no visor - Chinstrap is not the best in our opinion - short but luckily removable
We noticed no fogging during a 3-hour Woodsball game and our tester has a rather large head circumference and is considered a heavy breather. This is a big plus in our books. The lens is heat treated but not tainted. If you prefer you can purchase a separate replacement lens that is easily mountable.
As stated in the cons of our review, we do feel that there is small room for improvement. The chin strap was no use to us at all as it was rather short, and our reviewer was too large to make use of that. The good is that the strap was removable without any tools. We give this mask a solid performance review for our tested scenario Woodsball or Speedball.
Overview Paintball Mask Reviews
Paintball Mask Buyers Guide 2018
When you are in the market for buying a Paintball Mask there is mainly 3 important criterias you want to consider. Evaluate your requirements and needs according to your personal playstyle and desire. Are you a Woodsball or Speedball ethusiast? Do you play mainly casually or are you a hardcore fanatic that plays almost every other week? This will play a crucial part in what kind of Paintball Gear you want to purchase.
Comfort and adjustability of Paintball Masks
It is crucial to have a comfortable mask when playing any kind of Paintball. Every head is different in size and circumference, different sizes of ears and noses. Therefore it is absolutely mandatory that these masks are adjustable to your personal anatomy. Not every reader will agree with our reviews, this is probably due to the fact that we have very personal features that make one mask a good fit for our reviewers, while they may a bad fit for you. You should try before you buy, or make sure that you can return the mask if it does not fit you personally.
Additional features to look out for are chin straps and there locking mechanisms. For example
Paintball Mask Lenses
The second most important part of your Paintball Mask is the Lens and or Visor. A wide field of view is just as critical as it will allow for superior peripheral vision. Seeing an opponent as early as possible is what you want. There is nothing worse than not having a decent overview of the arena or playing field. After all, Strategy is a big part of this game and in order to make strategic decisions, you need to have a clear view of the field.
By far the most important feature of the lens is the anti-fog treatment. This is achieved by tempering the lens or coating it with thin treated layers of moisture and humidity repellant. If you can imagine having your lens fog up while an intense shootout is happening, you would not want to need to remove your mask as you need to remain protected at all times. The combination of breathing vents and ports plus the lens treatment is what keeps
Another feature to consider is
Paintball Mask Prices and Value
Last but not least is the important factor of the mask, which is the price. Often your choice will boil down to your personal and available budget. Consider spending a fair bit of money on your mask and treat it as an investment into your playing potential and personal safety.
Rental masks from your local arena or playing field have been used very heavily and usually need a lot of adjustment to fit your personal measurements. Buying a pricier mask may benefit you in the long run and should definitely be considered. We suggest spending