Protecting your face when playing paintball is a must. Wear a paintball mask to make sure you are protected.
The protective gear worn during play in paintball is called a paintball mask. It prevents paint and paintball markers with speed up to 300 feet per second from hitting your face. It price ranges from less that $20 to $100. It could also be installed with accessories like headbands and visors to shield you from the glare.
A paintball mask basically protects your face from paintball markers. It also prevents paint from getting in your eyes, nose, ears or mouth. Paint in a paintball marker is toxic and must not be ingested. It also prevents paintball markers from hitting any sensitive part of your face like your nose or your eyes or any part that can be irritated by the paint.
Head injuries when you fall or you trip are prevented when you wear your paintball mask. Padding on you paintball mask should help your head fit snugly. It should mold itself on your face and revert to its original form when you take the mask off. It should also have solid glue on the plastic of the mask.
The straps must be adequate for you to loosen or tighten them without stretching the traps out too much. You must be able to fully look down when wearing a mask. Your chest and mouth guard must not touch when looking down.
A good paintball mask must be equipped with a thermal or anti-fog lens. This consists of two lenses with a space filled with air acting as a barrier between the temperature near your face and the temperature outside the mask. This prevents the moisture on your face from condensing on your lens.
There are also fans that help prevent fogging on your lens on your paintball mask. They are installed on top your lens (but not all masks are fan-ready, so to speak). They help moisture on your face evaporate. These require batteries to operate. They can make considerable noise and are not very durable. They are also expensive.
Cleaning your paintball mask is important. First, take out most of the paint by running a rag over the mask. You can spray water on the paint to loosen it a little. Chemicals and lens cleaners can damage your paintball mask. So it is not advisable to use them.
Clean the little spaces and creases in your paintball mask. Take out the detachable lens on your paintball mask and clean its edges as well. This prevents paint from building up in these little spaces and trickling on you or down your lens later on. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe your lens. It helps absorb all the excess oil on the lens and give you a good view of the you opponent and your field during the game.
Before you purchase any paintball accessories, check out what Donald writes about the best paintball mask with fan and paintball tactics.