Guide to Buying Your First Paintball Mask
So far in this series of “firsts,” we’ve covered buying your first paintball gun, buying your first speedball paintball gun, and buying your first hopper. In this article, we’ll cover different things to consider when buying your first paintball mask as well as some great options to buy. The mask is one of the most important pieces of protective equipment because it protects the most vulnerable parts of your body during paintball–your mouth, eyes, and ears. There may be different considerations with price when it comes to paintball guns, loaders, and air tanks. However, one thing we don’t recommend skimping on is the piece of equipment that protects your vision. With that in mind, let’s jump into some different considerations and different masks.
Dye SE Mask
The Dye SE Mask is a great mask to get you all the essentials and keep you safe on the paintball field. This mask costs about $30 and is a basic molded mask whose only job is keeping your face safe. You won’t find any fancy extractor fans or thermal lenses, but if all you need is to keep your face safe on a budget, this is a great mask to do just that.
As a quick note to the reader–the Dye SE Mask is literally the cheapest mask to get you out onto the field. Many people look on Amazon for flashier masks that they can find at a lower price but these are NOT SAFE for paintball. We tested a popular knock-off mask on a YouTube video and the third shot actually broke the lens which is dangerous for two reasons. First, it will not protect your eyes from a paintball strike. Second, the broken plastic will shatter and turn into shrapnel which can then be blown into your eyes making it more dangerous than if you didn’t have a mask to begin with. Take a look at the shocking full-length video below:
HK Army HSTL
The HK Army HSTL mask sells for about $45 and comes with a dual pane thermal lens. The great thing about thermal lenses is that they minimize temperature differences inside and outside of the lens which helps reduce much of the fogging that can occur while playing paintball. One of our favorite features on this mask is the number of straps that you can find on it–a head strap, a chin strap, and a top strap to make sure that everything stays in place. This makes it a great option for younger players or players with smaller heads. The HSTL mask also comes with removable foam which is very important after you’ve been wearing it for some time. The foam will eventually break down, but, since it’s removable, you can remove the foam and simply replace it with new foam. This mask also has great ventilation which helps keep you cool and fog-free.
JT Proflex
The JT Proflex Goggles are the first goggles on this list that start to get into more advanced features. Priced at $85, these goggles are less rigid than the HK Army HSTL and the Dye SE which is important to reduce the likelihood of ball breakage. The other two goggles were made out of a single piece of rigid plastic. However the JR Proflex goggles have a rigid plastic section around the ears and eyes but the mouth and chin guards are made of a flexible composite. While this does provide moderately less protection, it does reduce the likelihood of ball breakage which becomes a greater concern than safety at higher levels of the game. In fact, most masks above this price point will have some sort of flexible protection or even minimal protection around the chin and neck to reduce the breakage. In addition to a more flexible protection, these goggles are also the most customizable on the market–you can change out the straps, lenses, ear protection, and more!
Virtue Vio Ascend
The Virtue Vio Ascend goggles retail for $100 and are loved by players because of how easy the lens-swap system is. These goggles are very modular, so in addition to the lens swap, it’s easy to switch out the foam inside of the goggles whenever it gets worn out. For players who wear glasses while playing, these are an excellent option because of the foam configuration which allows the arms of the glasses to rest on your head without being pushed into your head. Furthermore, for those players who want an intermediate step between the rigid plastic and the flexible plastic, the VIO Ascend is a great option. The plastic neck and chin protection on these goggles is more rigid than the proflex, offering more protection. However, it’s not as rigid as the first two goggles on this list which still allows for balls to bounce off the neck guard rather than break on it.
HK Army SLR
The HK Army SLR mask is a great option for those who want some more features over the Vio Ascend. Retailing for $130, these goggles have a magnetic chin strap and a silicone pad on the back of the head strap. These two features help keep the goggles in place whenever you’re on the field. As for the flexibility, the SLR is about as flexible as the Vio Ascend which provides a good balance between flexibility and rigidity. There are also tons of different colors of lenses available to purchase and changing these lenses out is a breeze with the easy change system. This goggle system also has two-piece foam around the eyes and nose, making it ideal for players who wear glasses as well.
Empire EVS
The Empire EVS goggles are a big step up in quality and retail for about $180 and are a great workhorse of a mask. The first thing you’ll notice on the inside of the mask is the tri-layer foam which offers great impact resistance. For many paintballers with glasses, this is their #1 favorite paintball mask because of the comfort level provided.
The neck and chin guards on the mask are also fairly flexible–like the other moderately flexible masks on this list. Breathability is also fairly solid on this mask and additional accessories such as visors can also be purchased with this mask.
Dye i5
The Dye i5 starts at around $200 and is one of the most popular paintball masks on the market. A note for players with glasses and larger noggins, this mask may not be the best selection for you since they tend to run a little tight. Like the other masks on the list, the foam is clip-in and interchangeable and might be the most comfortable foam on the marker. On the head strap, there is also a padded silicon section that helps with grip and to hold the mask in place during gameplay. The ears on this mask are also nice and flexible and the neck and chin guards are also semi-flexible. Finally, this mask comes with a camera mount so that you can record all of the action in POV.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of different considerations when purchasing your first paintball mask and other accessories. Above all, make sure that you don’t skimp on the paintball masks since you’re entrusting your vision to them–saving $15 by going to amazon is simply not worth it. So whether you’re looking for your first speedball paintball gun or any other paintball outfitting, head on over to our online paintball store. At Lone Wolf Paintball, we have the best selection of markers and accessories you’ll find anywhere. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our knowledgeable team who will point you in the right direction.
Happy paintballing!