Lack of mask

[fader1572]

I’m not a hardcore paintball type (yet), but I want to. What’s more, I’m a big cheapskate and don’t wanna shelve out $70 bucks to get a decent mask (although I spent $200 bucks to get a gun). I was wondering if it would be possible for me to construct my own mask from various pieces of equipment, or if there was any place that I could obtain cheap, but functional equipment. Perhaps at the local Canadian tire, or Army Surplus, or even at the Quarter masters at the ship I work at. I’m up to any suggestoin.

[ry_goody]

No

[Mad Ogre]

NO!

Paintball goggles are very different from regular goggles or Safety Goggles.

To use less that certified paintball goggles is seriously to risk your eyes.
Read This:
http://www.warpig.com/paintball/articles/tyger/goggles.shtml

If you want a cheap goggle that will save your eyes and your wallet - by a cheaper PB goggle and dont be stupid.
JT Xfires, Nvaders... You can buy those for 25 bucks.
You can buy the Brass Eagle version of the Vforce Shield for 30 bucks or less. You can buy a Vforce Shield for about 30 bucks at DropZonepaintball.com. Thats where I got mine. You dont have to spend a lot of money to get a good mask... just dont be stupid about it.

One question for you:
Safety being the most important thing about sport and your eyes being the most important sense you have...
Why are you skimping on your personal safety? The single most important piece of equipment a Paintball Player has is his mask system... We might buy markers that are 10 times the price of the Mask... but the Mask is the essential key.

[iipaintballer]

You are asking a question like, can I play baseball without a mitt, or drive without a seatbelt, play football without shoes.

Paintball masks are not optional equipment. Also, safety goggles, shooting glasses, racquetball goggles do not provide adequate safety for paintball. The cheapest goggle systems out there are the airstream and x-fire, both of which you can pick up for less than 20 dollars.

These goggles provide the eye protection that you need. Your eyes and your life are not worth saving 20-30 bucks for.

[in trauma]

go to i&i's site he has good deals you can get a masl for about $35 but most guns come with them when you buy a package

[iipaintballer]

Just to add another note. Statistics of paintball players that are wearing masks, paintball is safer than basketball and even golf! Be safe, play safe, it will be more fun that way.

[Killers Are Quiet]

Or go to your local paintball store and see what they have. But if you like seeing and don't enjoy massive amounts of pain and disfiguration, get a mask.

15 bucks at iipaintballers site.

[fader1572]

Well, I was wondering if maybe if worse came to worse, if i could use some of my army equipment. I mean, my helmet can stop a 5.56mm NATO round, and the ballistic visor is designed to deflect shrapnel from grenades (though it's an optional accesory), I'm wondering if it would be good enough for paintball. It looks a bit like this:

http://www.army.dnd.ca/LF/equip/hab/images/vetements/protection1.jpg

As for buying masks,bear in mind the prices are about 1 1/2 times more for me (if your speaking of American prices, since I'm a Canadian)

[fader1572]

btw, there's an alternative reason for my asking; there's the possibility that my unit will be buying a large quantity if paintball guns for training exercises, and I'd like to know, if the OC ever asks, if our CF issue helmets will provide enough protection from paintballs.

[skippy8]

NO MASK= NO PAINTBALL!!!
That mask doesn't have adequate protection. I can see a paintball sneaking in the slit in the visor for the nose and hitting you anywhere in the face,mouth, AND EYES.
I've had paintballs sneak from behind and hit me in the ear and it felt like it blew my ear off. I dont want to imagine one to the eye....Buy a mask that is designed for Pb nothing less or different.........

[dawgs712]

if you are in a big bubble surrounded my 3 feet of bubble wrap and have helmet air tight connected to the suit that can stop a bullet and absolutely nothing can be let in, you still cant play. the mask has to be aproved my paintball

[Mad Ogre]

Hey fader1572, I know where you are coming from.
I was 11B myself. 75th Regiment. If you know the Unit - then you know what I am... Anyways, the problems those visors have is that it doesnt protect from every angle.
Paintballs can bounce and hit you from any angle. Not just direct hits... but shell fragments can "splash" up under those visors and from the sides. Paintball goggles are not just tough - but protect from all angles. More like a Scuba Mask - but ballistic protective. Yeah there are vents in the goggles system, but they are crafted in a matter that provides ventilation and protection.
If your unit buys Markers - then they HAVE to buy certified paintball Goggles. If they dont - I'ld get out of that unit pronto! Seriously.

Ask your Commander why you are not doing SIMUNITION instead.

[Edited by Mad Ogre on 05-23-2001 at 07:01 PM]

[DasBaldDog]

Hmmm.....I will pray for you. Someone who has to ask that question needs alot of prayer.

[Dräko]

Haha i can just see it. Were fighting WW3 and the Russians are throwing grenades at us and shooting like crazy and our masks will protect us, but wait... whats this. That rusian has an agel! Dear God! Everyone run for your life! AAUUUUGGGHHHH! hahaha

[iipaintballer]

There is no way around it. YOu must have paintball goggles to play paintball. Sure you kevlar helmet can protect your head but not your eyes. Also the shield does not provide adequate eye protection as well. I agree shell fragments and ackward<-sp? shooting pbs can reach up under the mask.

Getting a cheap mask is better than getting something not approveed for pb.

[green_goblin]

You could even rent one at your local field if you needed to

[Magnus55]

Just close your eyes when people shoot at you. j/k don't ever play without a mask, unless you think the 'one eyed I was too stupid to protect myself properly' look will be in fasion this summer.

[Savior]

That won't work. Plus it makes a big target to hit. It also looks kinda gaay... (for paintball) I mean, if you walked onto the feild wearing that thing, you would look like the newbie of all newbies... Image means a lot to me. (Thats why I'm a newbie but I wear a Jersey, and sometimes that Renegade, the black ones) Just buy goggles. Or buy bb guns and have bb gun wars!!! Honestly, i dont know what your training for, but Airsoft (not as fun) is closer to real life 'combat' why... because flatter trajectory. Plus the feel of a real gun. But if you wanna have more <b>fun</b> go with paintball.

[Magnus55]

Airsoft is not better than paintball. Sure the guns look real, but who ever heard of a baretta you have to re-cock after every shot? Paintball is much more realistic. First, everyone has a semiautomatic weapon made out of metal, not like the plastic toys known as airsoft. Those who have pump guns do it for increased accuracy. Second, Paintballs hurt. What is more realistic than pain? The little plastic beebee's may sting for a second, but that is nothing compared to paintballs flying at 300fps. Third, the range of airsoft guns are only a fraction of their real life counterparts, while a paintball gun can get range comperable to that of a real gun. These facts are important because many strategies center around the fire power and range of your weapon, thus with its superior range and the ability to shoot multiple rounds (the average airsoft gun can't do that) paintball is much more realistic.
One more thing, in paintball, when you are shot it is clearly visable to yourself and everyone else, but Airsoft is solely based on the honor system, thus making any kind of real competition impossible seeing as it is in human nature to do any thing to win, unfortunately, even to cheat.
Don't get me wrong, I play airsoft too(like when my mom confiscates my paintball gun ;)). I just perfer paintball over airsoft.
Ok guys, I think I've restored the honor to our sport.

[Ded]

just as an example of how bad it would be to not be protected from all angles. I was once playing and shot a guy wearing a certified mask and it went up and under the mask and hit him directly on the upper cheek area. I couldn't hit his eyes because of how the goggles were but if a mask that is approved for paintball can still make mistakes I would hate to see one used that wasn't approved.

[Magnus55]

Whoa...I'm sorry savior. I totaly misread your post. What the hell was I thinking?

[Jake]

70 bucks might seem like alot but what you can get for 49.99 paintballgear.com is a JT spectra flex 7 thermal black/clear. It looks sweet and works awesome. A mask without thermal is a pain in the ***. Especially if you live in high humidity like me(nc born and raised). But it is well worth it

[ganman]

u can get a used mask for like 20$ (candian) here

http://www.nt.net/paintball/orders.htm

(at the bottom)

[harrysacks]

i got my JT alpha 2000 mask at wal-mart for only 20$

[Jake]

Yeah but thermal is so aweosme and you don't realize it until you are getting shot up and walk into a treee because you can't see anything. It is so awesome compared to non-thermal

[fader1572]

ok ok, i capitulate... I gave in and bought a Brass Eagle one at walmart... It's the cheapest one I could find, and even then, was $42... Oh well... tommorow I get to try it out...

[Mad Ogre]

You coulda got an Nvader for 25 or 30... Shop online some times.

[fader1572]

25-30 Canadian or US?

[Magnus55]

I purchased my Invader through my dad's gun magazine. It was $21.99(American) but that was not counting shipping and handling. Anyways I got a good deal, but I'm not sure if you did.... jeez $42 for a BE mask. I hope that wasn't American. Are there Wal-Marts in Canada? Well, the most important thin is that you are playing safe. That's what counts.

[fader1572]

yes, that's Canadian, and yes, in Canada there are Wal-Marts (no K-marts to my knowledge) and unfortunatly enough, there are no places other than walmart that sell Paintball equipment. I never order online, because of charges, too... Freakin, extra 15 bucks AMERICAN, which works out to about another 22 Canadian. Plus, my folks would find out if i did, which is bad...

[Mad Ogre]

Parents? WTF?

You mentioned being in the Military and your worried your PARENTS WILL FIND OUT YOU PURCHASED PAINTBALL GEAR?

Explain that if you can as your credibility just went down hill.

[dawgs712]

yur buying yur paintball stuff at walmart? uh oh....that stuff kinda cheep.

[Magnus55]

Would you rather him play without a mask? I was under the influence that Fader was an enlisted man. So, I was wondering: how is it possible that a G.I. Joe could have parents influencing his paintball habbits?

[Congobongo]

just think is 30 bucks worth your eyesite? because you cant replace eyes and its worth 30 bucks to keep your eyes if you think about it...

[fader1572]

sigh, if you must know, I've enlisted in the Communications reserves, a component of the army, now, during my grade 12 (graduating) year of high school such that during University, I will have guarenteed employment, and when i graduate from University, I will be able to become an officer, but having had some experience as an NCO, I will be able to be emphatic with those whom i command (if ever). The Canadian army treats it's soldier's right. There's a new program to pay for University with minimul commitment, we get some of the highest pay internationally in terms of daily wage (Privates get paid roughly $65 a day, don't sound like much, but working at McPuke's part time you make roughly $50 a day for the same amount of work), we recieve the most well rounded amount of training (that being every member is trained well enough to do a whole multitude of tasks, due to our lacking numbers), we play alot of pool, phooseball(however the hell thats spelt) and watch reruns of Saterday night live while eating our lunches which are provide for us for free, and it allows us to purchase liquor CHEAPLY. (FYI, the legal age to enlist is 16, and I'm 17)

What's more, my paintballing habit is extremly dependant upon my usage of my parents car, as without the car, I can't drive to the arena, half an hour away. However, if my parents sense that i'm blatently "wasting" money (my folks are Chinese, you'd have to be Chinese to understand: simply put, any expense, other than buying rice, is wasteful and unnessesary, especially for the "children") my insurance is revoked and my "gas allowence" is kaput, I'm car-less, and in a world of ****. Other options, eg: Carpooling, Public transit, walking, etc. are completly unfeasable, as I live in the Hamptons - which is on the fringe of the city, far away from everything. Noone likes paintballing to the extent that i do, and blargen blargen blargen... Basically, I pay nothing to have access to a car; no insurance, no gas expenses, no car payments, so long as it seems that i'm doing "respectable" crap...

And FYI again, I'm a little bit drunk right now (even though i drove home heheje) and in Canada, the legal age of majority is 18, thus you can have sex, drive (16 years old to drive where i live), vote, purchase/consume alcohol, buy firearms (including paintball equipment), and fight in wars if enlisted in the military, LEGALLY. ugh *vomits*

[Congobongo]

hahaha im chinese to i hate it cuz my mom is a stingy jew, but what is cool is that they bought me a nitro tank cuz my sister plays club soccer and they paid 700 bucks on her, they said they would be willing to pay that much on me as long as i keep my grades up(which i dont like doing)

[Mad Ogre]

Ah - the Canadian equivilant of JR ROTC.

Got it.

Best of luck in that.

[fader1572]

thanx... i don't know what that is, but i'm going to assume it's American (thus explaing why I don't nkow what it is)

Nevertheless, time to plan my next outing... see if i can get some of the *******s from school going next week. Every single one of them welched out of it this week, the damb *******s, but i'll try to get them going next week...

[Magnus55]

ha ha good luck...:)

ROTC is an extacurricular activity for students in high school interested in joining the armed forces. I have no idea what the letters stand for though. Anyways, they wear uniforms and learn how to march and stuff. Also, they get to play with fake swords and carry flags and run around the place yelling garbled chants, while pretending to be a bunch of hardcore military enlisted men and women.

[Jake]

Reserve officer training corps

[fader1572]

God no, the Comm Reserves are actually a component of the army, and since, in Canada, our regular force is unacceptably small, reservists are called upon to perform tasks and functions that the regular army are qualified to do. Unfortunatly for me, I havn’t learnt any drill in the 6 months I’ve been in, although I have fired the C7 (basically an M16 with a 500m site), C9 (light machine gun, like the M60 or M249, also with a site), I’ve learnt radio procedure, teamwork, and done real military stuff. I’ve also been issued real Army issue equipment. The guys you’re talking about would probably be similar to the Cadets. They’re basically stupid 13 year olds who pretend to be in the military. But… yeah… uh… paintball

[Jake]

yeah your cadets are like the ROTC at my school. Those kids are really weird sometimes