Masks

[UberGeek]

I have a pair of Proto Axis right now and I think their a great pair of googles and my only gripe with them is my ears start to hurt after a long day due to the hard plastic covering. So awhile ago my friend let me try on his Events to see how the vision was in comparison and I was amazed at how much more I could see through and with the soft ears I would think the hurting wouldn't happen.

Now I've just been looking into other masks and how people think of them and which do they prefer over other they have tried in regards to FOV, protection, and comfort.

[Sumthinwicked]

jt flex 7 , 8 or the proflex are all i use well the whippersnapper to for reffing i dislike others

[t0nnn]

yep JT flex 7...only mask i've used for the past 7 years, I just picked up a proflex as well. Theyre comfortable, good vision, and never fog. For the price now you can't beat it

[jade_monkey07]

me and all my friends play with the vforce line. profiler, shield, grill. the range of vision is great. they breath well and super comfy.

[dstud2000]

I prefer the Ventz Avatar over the Events. Basicaly the same mask, but with different ears. I had soft ears on a previous Pro Flex and the soft ears don't do much when you get hit there. both are fine, plus the lens is much easier to change out than the JT line of masks...atleast the spectra line of masks.

[KevinA]

I have the Proto Switch goggles, and I thought they were the greatest thing on earth, till they started fogging up on me when I wore my glasses to play. Then my buddy suggested I try his profilers... they worked great... I highly recommend them and the ear protection area is VERY soft. Good luck.

Kevin

[trevorjk]

Profilers and the new model are simply amazing! light and very comfy.

[B-Pow]

posted this response to the same question elsewhere

Honestly, try on a profiler...there is a reason that some players who are sponsored by V-force prefer the profiler to the grill. I believe that reason is becaus V-force got it right, very very right...and only made the grill to give people more options and make more money. (There is nothing wrong with the grill I just don't think it's any "better" than the profiler, just diffrent, but both are excellent for weight, FOV, and other things)

I'm not a fan of JT's or DYE's because I don't like the looks and lense changing can be a little rough. I have an origional dye invision and I've dammaged the lense retaining tabs by the nose on almost every set of lenses I've owned for them just by taking them out and putting them in to clean them properly.

I opted away from the vents because they lack "cheek venting" the only venting is in front of the mouth. Which is fine for most but I overheat really easily....and no I am not a fat guy. Aside from my consern about the venting they seemed like great masks and I have heard nothing but good things from people who own them.

I chose the profilers over the grills because the profilers cover more area of the facial region (I work in a cubicle last thing I need is to come into work on a monday with welts on my neck and jawline). The other "issue" I've heard, and noticed when I tried them on, with the grills is that they tend to reflect a lot of your voice back into your ears...which can lead to shouting softer and ruining communication. The profilers I didn't notice that so much. On the classic profilers the colored (non black sections) are a soft rubber and the black is a hard plastic so that the mask has structure (the reverse colored versions are the opposite, and both are still in production and I would say it's safe to say will be for some time).

Give the profilers a try, I really fell in love with them...and their price dropped considerably since the grills hit the stores. And I still think they look great, they also have photocromatic lenses you can get (I don't think anyone else does that...which is supprizing) for the profiler or the grill. The lense goes from clear to tinted based on the ammount and type of light hitting the lense...and they are only a few dollars more than the non photocromatic lenses (I keep one photocromatic for outdoor play and one clear for indoor play). That and cleaning and lense removal is easy, which is really nice when you get tired of fighting with the jt/dye lenses.

When it's all said and done, we can only give you advice as to why to try on and why we like them. Masks are all personal prefrence and confort for the end user. What might be right for me, may be completely wrong for you.

[SkinnyHare]

im still using the original black JT spectra thermals i've had for years and years. i've had to replace the foam, lenses, visor, and straps many times, but will never give that thing up. i cut the ear panels down so they look like the soft ones, but give the protection of the hard panels. for my noggin, it's just the perfect fit.

when i'm at a place that doesn't require a full mask i still use my old whippers. i couple them with a thick T-shirt tied over my head like a sandana to protect my neck and ears. the field of vision is a little less than my spectra offers, but i can't tell you how nice it is to be able to actually hear what's going on around you.

i did try the flex-7 when it first came out. vision wise, they were just as nice as my spectras. the reason i didn't keep them was that they just felt so much heavier than the others and it seemed like the face shield part stuck out a lot more and would get bumped up and to the left by my tank a lot.

[Ruler_Mark]

i really like the profiler. very comfy. however for fog the jt googles are the best

[Empyreal Rogue]

I've been a profiler user for a while now. Don't think I'd use any other mask. It's just that great.

[DanMan]

me and all my friends play with the vforce line. profiler, shield, grill. the range of vision is great. they breath well and super comfy.

i have to second this

[zeroex]

using flex 8s. the main problem with the flex/JT line, at least for now, is that taking the lens off is a real b*tch. other than that, the foam on the mask is by far the best, very comfy. also, if you have glasses, the JTs are wide enough to fit the glasses. the flex 8 is a semi-hard plastic, so it'll give protection all around. i'm plannin on switching to events or avatars cause of the ease of switching out lenses. other than changing the lenses however, JT flex series is solid.

[Dawg047]

I have a camo Flex-8 and the new Urban Camo E-vents, best of both worlds here. I love both masks. They are equal in my opinion. My E-vents are lighter but both are sweat. Both have thermal lenses, never fog up and I wear glasses underneath. The JT has more vents, but the e-vents are just as easy to breath in. I do like the Fex-8's because on a hot summer day, you will catch a breeze and it seems like it goes right through you mask. However, lens change sucks and that is where the E-vents come in. Easy to change and I like the soft ears. So, when I play, I just close my eyes and pick a mask. Both are sweet. BTW, I do like the V-force Profilers. I would sport one of those also but I haven't got any into my store for a while now. V-force, why are you not sending me free products to my store?
Also, having multiple masks is sweet. I feel like Predator off of AVP. I just walk in and choose the one I want to kill with today!

[mpsd]

I've used JT's Flex 7 for almost 10 years, only changing lenses and straps every once in a while. When I came back to tourney play here in Brazil, in 2006, I thought that I should look at the new masks that were appearing and bought a set of Profilers. They were great concerning field vision, fog, ventilation and breathability but, as the lenses are so big, vertically speaking, I started to have a problem with sweat coming into my eyes, something that never happend with the Flex 7. So, in general terms, I preffer the Flex 7 than the Profilers, even though the Profiler is extremelly easy to change and clean lenses.

So, after six months with the Profilers, I sold it and bought the Grillz. This mask is amazing! It combines all the great features of both the Flex 7 (comfort) and the Profilers (usabillity). I've tryed the Vents on but never played a game with it but I felt more comfy on the Grillz than on the Vents. I also think the Vents isn't so good in communication, since the mouth holes are fewer and smaller, compared to the Grillz.

Anyway, that's my personal experience. Before the Flex 7 I only had old JT masks, like the X-Ray (I think that's the name) and the other small mask that only covered the front of your face.

I would recommend you to try all the masks you can, playing with them a full day long. Remember the mask is the most important item of your equipment and always use the best one you can.