Your Mask is the most important thing in your paintball gear for one heck of an obvious security reason.
The second reason just like the first one is alone enough to say it the most important piece of gear you need to invest in. The reason, is allowing you to see clearly or being blinded by a foggy or easily scratched lens and having an inch somewhere on your face every fifteen second. You will soon realize the day you wear a bad mask. It is the worst annoying thing in the world. Having the first class paintball marker and over upgraded top pieces of equipments is pointless if you cannot see 3 feet in front of you.
So word of advice of all pieces you should consider investing extra money in; your mask should be on the top of your list.
See it as an investment and believe me, I had four different model of mask so far and getting fog in your field of view. You will regret your decision at the shop of going with super economical version.
It will really easily and totally ruin your pleasure of playing because you cannot see who friendly, who not, not seeing this tree root and tripping, where am I going? And what I am shooting? Oh it the referee not a player. Do!
Personal Preference to get this nightmare out of your life? My actual Mask a JT Flex Spectra Thermal Paintball Mask. It a great choice because it budgets friendly, around sixty bucks, comfortable to the skin, and it got double paned lens, which means it treated to not have fog build-up in the lens and it goddamn work I never had any problem ever since.
Plus you can change from various lens models made to fit in a JT frame. I actually use three different one; a clear one for filming and taking pictures because I need normal color’s visualization, a light yellow tinted lens that doesn’t reduce the luminosity caught by your eyes but still reduce the sun blinding light like sunshades for playing in normal outdoor’s fields and a very heavily tinted mirror style lens for sunny summer’s days in open and urban fields.
Most JT masks are not a single-piece mask. You can detach some of them and replace them by other versions to customize it the way you like. You also can only keep the goggle frame, although I don’t recommend playing paintball in this set up, a hit in the teethes really hurt and can be dangerous. However, you can use it for other things; I actually use it for snowboarding, and it working better for me than goggles frames specialized for this and way more comfortable for the wallet.
Here an Example Image of a Spectra Lens with the bottom mask part removed
Of course like everything in this world it has weak points. A thermal lens means it, in fact; two lenses sealed to one another with an air pocket between them. However, it is not waterproof so if, for some reason, a great quantity of water like having your lens submerged, liquid can infiltrate between the two lens seal. Results, the water will then become vapor and will ultimately become fog but in the worst nightmare version, you can imagine since it will be locked inside your lens, and you will not be able to get it out. You basically scrapped it and you will need a replacement. be careful and if your lens is dirty, don’t put it under the water of your sink or in the bath. A humid piece of cloth and a little rubbing will perfectly do the job. And if you are scared of rain don’t be a simple solution is to keep the top cap part of your mask it will block and prevent water drops to enter in contact with your lens but try to minimize the time or consider additional solution as a back up simple lens mask for games in the rain only under the rains or use a bonnie hat large enough to cover the vent hole in the goggle frame to deny water drop a way to annoy you and give your clear vision a need for replacement. You can also buy a hooded camouflage raincoat and keep your person dry, including your head.
So in conclusion, for a good-quality price ratio, that is my recommendation. It an excellent quality and performance all around customizable mask who if taken care properly and work around the weak spot will last for a long time and avoid you, vision-related problems in the field.
