2 products
FACE & EYE PRO
As in many other sports activities, airsoft must be played with specific protective measures. The most basic and mandatory protection is that of the eyes. A BB hit in the eye can cause serious damage, even permanent loss of vision.
That's why it's essential to follow safety instructions and, in particular, not to shoot outside the designated playing area.
The eye protection you choose should withstand an impact of at least several joules above the limit in force in your country. Because eye protection is an important issue outside of airsoft, there are various standards and regulations that you can use to check whether your glasses or goggles are safe.
There are multiple standards/regulations in the European Union, the US military, and the relatively well-known ANSI standard. It is worth understanding them, especially since you may encounter multiple certifications on an airsoft eye protection product.
Look for patterns like:
- EN166F
- EN166B
- EN166A
- MIL-PRF-32432
Simply meeting ANSI Z87.1-2010 or Z87+ standards does not mean that eye protection is 100% safe for airsoft. It may be, but it is not a given. And since eyes do not heal easily, this is not an area where you should skimp on money.
In Europe, the EN166 standard is used to regulate eye protection. This standard has many subcategories, not all of which are suitable for airsoft:
- EN166F : Gold standard category for airsoft goggles, with proven safety. ✅
- EN166B : Rated for safety glasses up to 6.2J, offering even more protection with full sealing coverage. ✅
- EN166A : For full face protection, it is rated up to 15.5J, which is more than enough for airsoft.
For the "gurus": Eyewear and protectors according to the EN166 standard are tested using a 6 mm bronze BB weighing 0.86 grams. In category F, the impact on the glasses is at a speed of 45 m/s, in category B at 120 m/s, and in category A at 190 m/s. Also, for all standards, eyewear and protectors are tested differently. Typically, eye protectors (goggles) must withstand a higher impact energy to be rated in the same category.
In the US, the current military standard for protective eyewear is MIL-PRF-32432. This standard is also perfectly suitable for airsoft, as the evaluation document shows:
"Section 4.4.3.3 (Ballistic Fragmentation Characteristics) of MIL-PRF-32432 incorporates ballistic specification test procedures from two previous standards: MIL-PRF-31013 (glasses, tested at 7.67 Joules) and MIL-DTL-43511d (tinted and polycarbonate, tested at 16.05 Joules)."
In simple terms, this means that if we have MIL-PRF certified glasses, they must withstand 7.67 Joules. If we have protective glasses (masks), they must withstand 16.05 Joules. So all good.
Often used by insurance companies, this is another standard that is not sufficient for airsoft. The full marking: ANSI Z87.1-2010 Z87+ , only tests for 1.1 Joules with goggles and 4.4 Joules with masks respectively. We do not recommend using eye protection with this certification alone.
Not all protective glasses or masks available on the market are certified to safety standards. If you have found glasses or masks without certification, it is a good idea to test them by shooting them with your most powerful gun, at close range. If they break, they are not suitable for use...
Also, if you're thinking about using mesh goggles, which are sometimes offered, don't. Meshes tend to disperse BBs upon impact, allowing fragments to hit your eyes directly.
Fog is the biggest enemy in any airsoft game and can ruin your experience. The amount of fog depends largely on the weather conditions and the individual player. However, there are ways to avoid fog almost completely.
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Invest in proper eye protection:
Buy eye protection with anti-fog coating. If you're willing to invest a significant amount of money for your basic goggles or mask, do so. Some full-face masks are known to almost never fog up. A great example is the Dye i5 mask. - Stay on the move:
Moving and running will allow air to flow through the protectors and prevent fogging. This will not only make your experience more comfortable, but your gameplay will also become more dynamic. - Use an active ventilation unit or Anti Fog Unit:
If you want to avoid the hassle, consider using an active ventilation unit or an Anti Fog device. While it requires more equipment to carry, it solves the fogging problem for you.
Face protection is not mandatory, but we consider it essential. A blow to the face can be very painful, but more importantly, it can cause broken teeth or serious bruising.
Returning home or to work with these types of injuries is not the most ideal situation, and this can affect the support from those around you for this hobby.
We always recommend wearing full face protection , either a full face mask or simply mesh masks, if you don't want to be burdened when aiming through your scope.
As mentioned above, full face/paintball masks have significant advantages. They are extremely difficult to fog, offer excellent surface protection, and withstand high impacts. Ideal protection for CQB settings. However, they also have some disadvantages.
Full face protection can make it difficult to align with your scope or a low-height red dot. To solve this problem, you can either use a red dot riser or opt for more minimalist eye protection, such as low-profile goggles with a mesh visor.