_____Which mask is really the right choice for me? There are more choices than most people can deal with when choosing paintball masks: hard or soft plastic, small profile or full head coverage, quick change lenses or regular, what color? As a recreational player and a local tournament player I wanted something with a small profile that didn't fog up. Several other local players recommended the Dye Invision, so I picked up a new one at the local field.
_____On first inspection the Invision was much smaller then any other masks I have used in the past. Dye designed the Invision mask so that the lens and face protector would sit extremely close to the face. The sides of the mask are made of a softer plastic that sits close to the head and ears. The Invision meets all the goals of the typical paintball mask; it fits snugly around the face and ears, provides good head and jaw protection, creates a small profile, and gives a field of vision found only in the very best masks. When on the head, the Invision feels small and a bit weak, but safety tests have proven that the Invison can withstand impacts of more than twice the force that paintballs can produce.
_____Personally, I have always loved taking things apart and putting them back together, I do it way too often.
I also believe that every player should be familiar with every piece of their equipment So within 5 minutes the brand new Dye Invision was in six different pieces on the table. It is made to break down into six specific pieces; lens, goggle frame, strap assembly, front mask, ear pieces, and visor. 
The lens is rounded horizontally and vertically to create a wide field of vision, cause less lens distortion, and produce a closer fit to the face. The lens is not easy to remove; this is because of Dye's "Forward Tab Retention System". The goggle is designed to hold the lens more securely than any other mask. Around the lens is the goggle frame which is made of very strong rubber and is colored according to the vents. The foam on the back of the goggle frame is very soft and made of several different layers. The strap assembly fits onto the goggle and can be adjusted to fit any head size, this piece is also color coded with the rest of the mask. The strap is not easily removed and it is recommended by the manual that you don't remove it, oops. 
The goggle frame, with the strap attached, connects to the front of the mask which is made of hard plastic. This hard plastic is flexible but not to any significant degree. It is fitted with 8 colored vents and a number of small air holes in order to provide better communication. The front part of the mask protects the nose, the mouth, and the bottom of the face. The ear protector is made of soft plastic which molds to the head and has a number of holes for ventilation and hearing. The last piece, the visor, is optional. It keeps the sun, rain, and snow off of the lens. Without the visor you have an even smaller profile, but chances are if a ball was going to hit the visor it would just hit you in the head instead. Well with my Invision put back in one piece I was on to the field for a few games._____On the field I fell in love with the Invision right away. The mask is light so when I was popping in and out of bunkers I didn't feel weighed down at all. The soft plastic at the back of the mask is really nice, I didn't have any problem at all hearing through it; the ear piece even took a couple of bounces later in the day. The strap held the mask perfectly still when running and the foam around the lenses stayed comfortable all day. I found that the sun bothered me when I took the visor off and even when I put the visor back on I wished it was just a little bit longer.
_____For its level of protection, the Dye Invision gets a score of 8/10. It gives excellent protection to most of the face, but it fails to offer good protection to the very top of the head. Even with the visor on I would still recommend wearing a baseball cap on backwards to add a little cushioning. If you don't use the visor, then it pretty much cuts off protecting your head from the eyebrows up.
_____I have to rate the lens an 8/10: no fogging at all, excellent clarity, and tons of different options (2 different reflective outer coating colors, 4 different colors that fade from the top down, and 3 different standard colors plus clear). The dye invison loses two points in the lens category because it is hard to remove.
_____I rate the appearance of the mask a 9/10; it comes in tons of colors (yellow, red, blue, smoke, clear and olive), small profile and it just plain looks cool.
_____I give the ability to communicate though the Invision a 10/10; the vents let your voice be heard load and clear, and the soft plastic sits close to the ears but muffles very few sounds from the game.
_____I give the profile a 9/10 for the smallest profile I have ever seen, but recommend that people wear a backwards baseball hat to soften the impact of any paintball hits to the top of the head.
_____I rate the Invision a 9/10 for comfort; you get an extremely comfortable feel around the eyes, where the soft foam of the goggle meets the skin on your face. The head strap is also comfortable and doesn't change sizes when on your head.
_____Everything has a down side, and the Dye Invision has two, first the vents at the front of the mask protect well but if you take a paintball in the center of the vents, a lot of the paint goes right into your mouth. Second, the cost, at $64-$74 the DYE Invision carries a hefty price tag, however you need to consider that you often get what you pay for.
_____Overall, I rate the Invision a 9/10 and recommend it to anyone that is looking for a small profile and a light weight goggle system. Your best option as a player is to go to a local pro shop and try a few paintball masks on, think about how comfortable they are, what kind of size/weight you are looking for, and what your price range is.
Dye Invison Ratings:
_____Protection: 8/10
_____Lens: 8/10
_____Appearance: 9/10
_____Communication 10/10
_____Profile: 9/10
_____Comfort: 9/10
_____Overall: 9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment