Paintball Face Masks

Never play paintball without covering your mug!

The first thing anybody needs to learn about paintball is that you never, ever play the game without wearing the proper face protection. Paintballs may not be hard enough to seriously hurt most of your body, but if a pellet hits you in the eye while it’s traveling over 200 miles per hour it can literally take your eye out! Face masks are mandatory when playing at commercial paintball parks, and when playing privately they’re just common sense. Don’t try to wear anything else - such as ski goggles, safety goggles, or sunglasses – in place of a face mask. Paintball masks are built specifically for paintball because they meet and adhere to strict industry standards.

Paintball face masks are sometimes referred to as goggles, but they don’t just cover your eyes, they also protect your mouth, ears, and nose. Some models even come with throat guards. Paintball masks sort of resemble gas masks because the eye lenses are built to stop paintballs traveling at speeds of up to 300 feet per seconds. Obviously it’s important that no player sets their gun’s velocity any greater than this speed.

You can also get face masks that have double layered, or thermal lenses, which won’t fog up during play. These masks stay clear because the inside lens and an outside lens are separated by an air chamber, which allows for temperature differences between the inside and outside of the mask – and stops condensation from forming. Most lenses are made of polycarbonate or Lexan, which provide impact resistance. However, these materials can be scratched by dirt and debris. If your face mask lenses are cracked or scratched, you should replace them before they weakened and break under the stress of a paintball pellet.

Some types of paintball face masks even come with electric fans built into them, to cool you down during play. Most top-of-the-line masks are built smaller, which gives the opposition a smaller target to hit. These masks are generally more comfortable, and have more interchangeable parts.

Make sure your mask fits you properly and doesn’t move about on your head. It should be comfortable, and shouldn’t hamper your vision or hearing in any way. It should be well padded and adjustable, and should keep the sun and the rain out of your eyes. A good face mask should also keep the paint from dripping onto your face. If you wear eyeglasses, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a good mask to fit over top of them. However you may want to get a thermal mask to keep your glass lenses from fogging up.