Eye and Mouth Protection for Airsoft

mcshape

Guys, After seeing a discussion in Airsoft news about Eye and mouth protection i decided to start a thread on it, The one thjing that freaks me out in Airsoft is the thought of a hit to the Eye or mouth loosing a tooth, I personally find the full facemasks are a pain in the bum and you loose your peripheral vision but you cant beat the feeling of safety when you rush around a corner rocking out in one of these bad boys

These days i have a variety of eye protection that i wear, and cover my mouth with a shemagh when i need to, But im not happy with this level of protection, im always concious of my teeth taking a BB, Also i have noticed that ESS are now stating on their site that the only eyewear they seel suitable for airsoft is a specific range, This bothers me as ESS ICE Glasses are what i wear some of the time

Here's what i use

Oakley Monster Pup Ballistic Shades (uktactical) Do they provide enough Protection?

ESS Ice 2.0 (uktactical) Again, ESS now say NO to airsoft

Clone ESS Fan Goggles from Pro-t (Asking for trouble here but they seem solid!)

Also, I have seen some people with mouth covers (Mesh) recently, anyone know where these guys got them?

evilrobotshane

The mesh face masks are from Bitter End. I'm looking at getting Quality Airsoft Supplies to design an equivalent that does what my current hashed-together face mask does, out of that type of stamped steel.

I wear Bitter End sunglasses-style goggles, and a cheap Sansei-style face part padded on the inside, cut down a bit and strapped around the back of my neck so I can flip it up to cover my face by resting on my nose when there's danger, but can drop it to hang around my neck easily for talking, eating, panting, hydrating, scratching, spitting, communicating by facial expression and so on. It's a stop-gap but seems like a decent one. I'm with you on face covering that stays there all day being a pain.

Puding

Links for both bitter end and meshmask.Eu in this thread

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055858325

been working on a bitter end review of mask

di11on

This article nailed the mesh-goggle issue for me...

http://swatairsoft.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ideasforourforums&action=display&thread=289

The guy fired a load of bbs at a wire mesh goggle inside a bag. The bag was full of debris afterwards which included plastic bb fragments and paint fragments from the wire mesh. Any of this stuff could cause damage and/or scratching to the eye.

Interesting that the ESS ICE goggles aren't 100% safe either.

I would also like to know where people got the mesh face masks (not goggles).

Puding

That test has been talked about a lot the main thing it highlights is that the problem is manly from the paint/finish in the mesh manly from cheap models and not from bb, in fact I,ve found it very hard to find any confirm injury from bb and mesh it's normal rumour and friend of a friend

rss are great but there military line is designed for a completely differant enviroment to airsoft, as with a lot of glasses it is down to coverage also the shape of a face plays a major role

di11on

Puding wrote: »

That test has been talked about a lot the main thing it highlights is that the problem is manly from the paint/finish in the mesh manly from cheap models and not from bb, in fact I,ve found it very hard to find any confirm injury from bb and mesh it's normal rumour and friend of a friend
...

The problem is that the type of injury these fragments will cause is scratching of the cornea. This might not be discovered for some time and might not be considered a very serious "injury"... but I certainly don't want my vision affected. Just seems too risky to me.

Puding

Agree with you there but other test have been done and I,ve done them myself due to worry about bits getting on, modern bb just do not turn to powder and when/ if the bb breaks into pieces there large and the act of breaking means all energy is lost and they just bounce of as it where risk in my eyes is really from the cheap mesh, actually well a lot safer in full seal mesh and shooting glasses

but you can find reports and test to back up almost anything, best advice I can give is to buy the best you can do not he cheap and be confident in it do not sacrific safety for looks as I see this more and more

mcshape

i had a full facemask, Rubber with a mesh eye area, and the first time i took hits in the face wearing it the paint shattered on the grille and went into my eyes, no damage but a pair of red eyes for 2 days after, VERY uncomfortable, When i first started playing i work a pair of the shooting glasses i got with the aeg (i was young and stupid) and someone opened up in my face and the bbs bounced off my cheek and into the glasses hitting me in the eye, again no eye damage but welts in the face!

Stone.cold

90% of the guys on the team have those mesh mouth guards now, Rooky ordered them in. I don't have a link but I'm sure if u drop him a pm he will direct u to where he got them.

mcshape

ESS Must have had a few issues because their ICE range was a huge seller for airsoft users, Now the ICE 2X glasses with wrap around protection are in an off the field section and it says "Off the Field Eyewear" is a collection of ESS products that are compatible with the Airsoft lifestyle, but are NOT intended for use on the Airsoft Battlefield.

The Airsoft Lifestyle eh?

mcshape

Stone.cold wrote: »

90% of the guys on the team have those mesh mouth guards now, Rooky ordered them in. I don't have a link but I'm sure if u drop him a pm he will direct u to where he got them.

Cool stone cold thanks man, It was MAC i first saw them in action

Gatling

ive read stories about poeple having close calls with shooting stlye glasses in airsoft mainly arising from bbs passing through the sides and impacting on either the nose or eye lid which is a bit to close for my liking ,

ive seen mesh goggles being tested at a site using bio's again bbbs impacted on the mesh and fragmented thought the mesh (tested while not on a person)

i dont like full goggles as i tend to fog up nearly every pair ive tried ive 7 pairs of goggles here

as for full face mask's i dont like the restricted breathing space you get and find i tend to over heat in them too,

metal mesh i find i cant see when its sunny the light glares and reflects on the mesh mainly on sensi style masks,

ess turbo fans are just abit pricey on a tight budget

im looking at bitterends for senny

Stone.cold

well I have a pair of C.A shootin glasses and I swear by them the come far enough around the side of my face to stop a bb entering from the side and I test them once a month by unloading a mid cap into them from about 5 ft away have them a yr and not a mark on the lense, can't wear anything over my face so I just have to take my chances with face shoots.

sliabh

I have been looking for a mesh lower face mask for a while. But meshmasks.eu have stopped taking orders, so I was happy to see there is a bitter end equivalent. Except, how do you place an order with these guys?
** EDIT ** ignore me, I just saw you have to email the guy directly.

Gatling

This mad set up on rsov built in fans and led lights yes lights for 33us

Danin

Hi Lads,

I'm one of those people that use mesh goggles as I had tried many different types of eye protection and had constant problems within seconds of the fogging up regardless of the amount of preventive spray I put into them.
I'd never do the sunglasses thing as I think its asking for trouble but I would like to say that recently I had travelled to MAC in longford and left my goggles behind and a mate handed me these x800 style goggles

they were the muts nuts when it came to no fog issues and we did a hell of a lot of running around that day ask Stonecold ha ha and I would highly recommend them. There was no lose of vision and they were extremely comfortable to wear. I think the lads in Eirsoft have them for €40

Stonewolf

Gatling: It looks very macho but the problem with big masks like that is that they interfere with your ability to use sights (especially fixed sights).

My first mask was a lensed Scott one which was a pain for aiming with. The mask part was too hard and inflexible which meant that three outings to the Warehouse and it was done, full of holes and in some cases spalling (spalling is where a hard strike on the outside causes fragmentation on the inside with the fragments taking on the force transmitted through from the BB). The googles went in the bin as they were nearly unusable fogging up too much and prone to a buildup of grease on the lens.

I have a pair of Daisy shooting glasses with interchangeable lenses that provide good all around cover (they have rubber pads that sit against the eye rim) and nice options for whatever lighting conditions are prevalent but they have serious fogging issues.

I also have one of those fiberglass soldier face mask things which is too uncomfortable, too hot and too inconvenient. It does provide superlative protection avoiding the hardness problem by being very strong. The cons outweigh the pros though.

Because they're cheap and cheerful I picked up an imitation Sansei mask mostly so I could wear the lower part Liam Neeson style. The goggles annoy me being too big and causing more visual artifacts than I'm happy with but they provide a fallback for when I get annoyed with lens fog. The mask part works pretty well though it's not exactly comfortable, I'll need to do a little bit of chopping and filing to get a slightly better fit and may go with Shanes suggestion of moving the strap to below the ear.

The latest addition to my collection is a pair of Bolle goggles. These don't fog which is awesome but they do have a problem where water builds up and makes everything look all wavey thus confusing my eyes. I think this might be an issue with my helmet blocking the vents though and have made a little modification based on Andys advice which I hope will help.

In short my experience with airsoft and face protection is that lenses are great if you can keep them clear, mesh goggles work but are irritating, face masks need to be slimline, breathable and easily removed. At the moment my head loadout is http://s86.photobucket.com/albums/k100/Brimstonewolf/?action=view&current=DSCF0008.jpg with or without the mask depending on the site.

mcshape

god bless the chineese, Built in LED's Huh

damagegt

Danin wrote: »

Hi Lads,

I'm one of those people that use mesh goggles as I had tried many different types of eye protection and had constant problems within seconds of the fogging up regardless of the amount of preventive spray I put into them.
I'd never do the sunglasses thing as I think its asking for trouble but I would like to say that recently I had travelled to MAC in longford and left my goggles behind and a mate handed me these x800 style goggles

they were the muts nuts when it came to no fog issues and we did a hell of a lot of running around that day ask Stonecold ha ha and I would highly recommend them. There was no lose of vision and they were extremely comfortable to wear. I think the lads in Eirsoft have them for €40

I second these,iv tried everything when it comes to fogging and a good field of view,fans,holes,mesh.full head,neoprene masks, balaclavas etc and these are the best thing iv come across.they come down far enough to protect the bridge of your nose(no one like a shot there) not a hope of a bb getting in near your eye

mcshape

damagegt wrote: »

these are the best thing iv come across.they come down far enough to protect the bridge of your nose(no one like a shot there) not a hope of a bb getting in near your eye

Are they fan protected or how do they work?, This is the subject that pisses me off the most as i have never really found a pair of anything that wont fog up..... I love my loadouts but the protection on they eyes always lets me down

di11on

Damn this thread... I was happy with my ISS ICE 2.4 glasses... and now the seed of doubt!!!

damagegt

mcshape wrote: »

Are they fan protected or how do they work?, This is the subject that pisses me off the most as i have never really found a pair of anything that wont fog up..... I love my loadouts but the protection on they eyes always lets me down

sorry if were slightly off topic on the tread

Bud i have tried everything and these and fogtech wipes (not the solution in the bottle) are the only thing that lasted the day with out fogging and because in general during any activity i get fairly sweaty and hot things like full masks just didn't work.I added 2 5.5v laptop fans and that didn't work so i drilled 2mm holes around the edge and it still was fogging.This masks works by keeping the lens of the mask away from the frame all the way round by about 4mm.They wrap around so they give a great field of view too.

Gatling

Mcshape if you look at the lens there a gap all the way around with a rubber /foam backing keeping the glasses off the face but retaining the protection ,if they do fog up you can flex the glasses to allow more air in to clear the fog ,
there great goggles well worth picking up

Danin

mcshape wrote: »

Are they fan protected or how do they work?, This is the subject that pisses me off the most as i have never really found a pair of anything that wont fog up..... I love my loadouts but the protection on they eyes always lets me down

its hard to make out in the image but the clear lens in the front sits proud of the frame leaving a gap of a about 3mm between the frame and the lens all the way around so air can circulate behind the glass.

you might see it better with this image

mcshape

Danin / Gatling, Do you know if they have them in stock in eirsoft now?

damagegt

mcshape wrote: »

Danin / Gatling, Do you know if they have them in stock in eirsoft now?

cheers bud last time ill answer anything for you.

mcshape

damagegt wrote: »

cheers bud last time ill answer anything for you.

Lol!

I just saw your response now!!!! Soooooorry!

Danin

mcshape wrote: »

Danin / Gatling, Do you know if they have them in stock in eirsoft now?

I'd say so but sure you can just drop Shiva a post and he will be able to tell you straight away.

damagegt

mcshape wrote: »

Lol!

I just saw your response now!!!! Soooooorry!

.....................i bought from ebay for 10 sterling just make sure they say Polycarbonate on the build material and not just plastic and ull be fine.Thats if you read this post:D
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/USMC-Airsoft-X800-Tactical-Goggle-Glasses-GX1000-Black_W0QQitemZ330423314044QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Protective_Equipment?hash=item4ceec3a67c#ht_2602wt_1165

Troyad21

I just ordered the Bitterend mask and Ground Zero goggles...Got reply to an email I sent within a few hours...€75 euro all in...They look the business.

horgan_p

Lads , as a retailer i must have had every style of glassses , mask and goggle either through the shop or seen on site in cork.


Please please please believe me , you get what you pay for.


If you buy goggles off rsov or happy slappy eye goggles limited for 3 euro they are worth every cent of 3 euro.However thats also the price you put on your vision.

Look , I dont care if you buy from me , tony , rhinocharge or whoever , just dont be the guy on next week asking if he has to call it if the guide dog gets hit. Get decent quality eye protection. And in fairness a lot of sites wont let you on with crap eyewear anyway - which is how it should be.

MerryDespot

Danin wrote: »

I'd never do the sunglasses thing as I think its asking for trouble but I would like to say that recently I had travelled to MAC in longford and left my goggles behind and a mate handed me these x800 style goggles

they were the muts nuts when it came to no fog issues and we did a hell of a lot of running around that day ask Stonecold ha ha and I would highly recommend them. There was no lose of vision and they were extremely comfortable to wear. I think the lads in Eirsoft have them for €40

+1 on that Danin.

I tend to fog up even the most anti-fog of anti-fog goggles, but these ones are pure and total win - no issues with fogging (by coincidence their first outing was at MAC too) even while running like a loo la in the heat. Got a pair from Eirsoft for 40 smackers - which killed me as I'd paid a shed load for a decent pair of Bolles that fog even in cold weather (despite being supposedly 'anti-fog' with space/gaps for air circulation). I've a bitter end lower half mask on the way to cover the mouth and then that's me sorted - in the meantime I'll be doing a McShape on it.

MerryDespot

mcshape wrote: »

Are they fan protected or how do they work?, This is the subject that pisses me off the most as i have never really found a pair of anything that wont fog up..... I love my loadouts but the protection on they eyes always lets me down

McShape - I've tried everything. I'd resigned myself to using either mesh goggles (thanks for the try out Luca!) or 'shooter' style glasses - which leave too much of a gap for my liking. These glasses that Danin uses have a gap between the glass and the frame the whole way around (i.e. the glass is suspended off the frame by a small gap all around) - with no mesh or foam covering the gap. The gap will/could never let a bb through, but they give air plenty of unimpeded room to circulate, meaning that they will not fog. I've tried them in warm weather, running around with heavy kit on, and they just don't. I've fogged up everything else I've tried (and paid a bloody fortune on useless rubbish that was billed as being 'perfect') - these are the only ones that have managed to pass the Despot Sweat Monster test.

MerryDespot

mcshape wrote: »

Danin / Gatling, Do you know if they have them in stock in eirsoft now?

Yip. The lads in Eirsoft had a few up there on Saturday when I was there - as above, paid forty quid for them.

roryk1

lads for eye protection i wear mesh but i also have glasses go to a bike shop and ask for klar- pilot i have used it @ 9:00 in the morning and it always lasts the whole day and a bit longer about 12E a bottle a drop on each lens thats all you need they have it in santry bike shop it will last you 2-3 months beats the hell out of fogtech garantee that;)

damagegt

horgan_p wrote: »

Lads , as a retailer i must have had every style of glassses , mask and goggle either through the shop or seen on site in cork.


Please please please believe me , you get what you pay for.


If you buy goggles off rsov or happy slappy eye goggles limited for 3 euro they are worth every cent of 3 euro.However thats also the price you put on your vision.

Look , I dont care if you buy from me , tony , rhinocharge or whoever , just dont be the guy on next week asking if he has to call it if the guide dog gets hit. Get decent quality eye protection. And in fairness a lot of sites wont let you on with crap eyewear anyway - which is how it should be.

i totally agree with you and i was skeptical when i bought my glasses and of course was weary of the quality of them but as said by another poster i emptied an 600 ak mag on them and not a chip or stress mark to be seen on them,they maybe 12 euro but it doesn't mean they wont work or that sending 50-60 bucks will guarantee you any more safety.Only time will tell i suppose.

mcshape

Well it seems to be a universal problem, Im a foogy bastard in the field... You would be in a great position, see the enemy patrol coming towards you... get down low and line up your sights on the first victim... and BAM! Fog

evilrobotshane

Yep, I fog like crazy too. In my opinion, the danger of physical injury from using a mesh goggle isn't near as great as the danger of tripping, rolling an ankle, busting my head off something or diving down onto something pointy that comes from reduced vision from fogged lens goggles. Obviously risking neither would be safer, but that'd mean no airsoft, and screw that.

Shiva

evilrobotshane wrote: »

........ as great as the danger of tripping, rolling an ankle, busting my head off something or diving down onto something pointy that comes from reduced vision from fogged lens goggles.

Or obliterating half your team in MAC with an M60 because you thought they were Tigers

mcshape

Shiva wrote: »

Or obliterating half your team in MAC with an M60 because you thought they were Tigers

And your STILL blaming that on fog? . . . .

Stonewolf

"You must have shot a lot of tigers"
"Yes, I used a machine gun"

lochdara

I use various types of goggles and all seem to fog.

The latest most expensive was the bolle x1000. I used them from new and they fogged, I put antifog and again they fogged. I was told to wash the lenses and they still fogged. Any ideas?
I tightened them to make a tigher seal and made them loose.

I am due to get a cheap pair of used x800 to test soon. Ive being told they are way better than the x1000.

Sgt.pepper

i had a close call last sunday, A bb hit my lip, i was kinda in shock because if it was a tiny bit up i would of lost two teeth, i wear glasses because i have long hair, eitherway if i wear a mask my frindge will get into my eyes and ill look stupid, so what i do is wear a boxing mouth guard, although it prevents me from talking, i can still run around a corner or run towards a enemy without putting the stock of my gun over my mouth

Gatling

Shiva wrote: »

Or obliterating half your team in MAC with an M60 because you thought they were Tigers

mcshape wrote: »

And your STILL blaming that on fog? . . . .

AirsoftEire.com

lochdara wrote: »

I use various types of goggles and all seem to fog.

The latest most expensive was the bolle x1000. I used them from new and they fogged, I put antifog and again they fogged. I was told to wash the lenses and they still fogged. Any ideas?
I tightened them to make a tigher seal and made them loose.

I am due to get a cheap pair of used x800 to test soon. Ive being told they are way better than the x1000.

Bollé X800s are indeed better in terms of fogging up and are also ballistically rated.
Can't beat the original Guarder C4s I reckon, don't think they make them anymore though.

Steve

Troyad21

Found this site while looking at reviews of the Bitter End gear...
They look pretty cool...
The Bat one especially.

http://meshmasks.eu/

Puding

they have stopped taking orders last time i had contact and are very slow with communication, was one of the reasons i went with bitter end

Troyad21

Puding wrote: »

they have stopped taking orders last time i had contact and are very slow with communication, was one of the reasons i went with bitter end

Just read that there in the news section...
I ordered the Bitterend gear myself yesterday....made today, shipping out tomorrow.
Sounds like a pat the baker ad or somethin, haha.

damagegt

i much as i love my load out this sport seems to be a never ending shopping spree.so just wondering does anyone have any experience with these
http://www.esseyepro.com/Advancer-V-12_99_detail.html

Troyad21

damagegt wrote: »

i much as i love my load out this sport seems to be a never ending shopping spree.so just wondering does anyone have any experience with these
http://www.esseyepro.com/Advancer-V-12_99_detail.html

Yeah man, I have them since I started last July...Got the package cheap(€50 on ebay)...Worn them about 4 times...They have their good days and bad days?!(They are genuine ones too)
Even with the air holes open and fog tech they can fog when you get really sweaty.
The yellow lenses are the business though...Makes everything look 1080p HD, haha...Too expensive at full price to be worth it in my opinion but come in handy sometimes.

damagegt

well you just talked me out of them.:D when i look at goggles they fog.Are you using the fogtech wipes or solution?