Difference between revisions of "Goggles"

Revision as of 03:31, 20 April 2013

Goggle Basics

Paintball-approved eye protection only-- face (tooth) protection recommended-- at paintball facilities (Panther, North Vancouver, Richmond Indoor). Only goggles that provide a sealed space between the outside environment and your eyes protect your eyes from paintballs and BB's.

Most facilities prefer goggles that seal against your face to limit tangential shots intruding into the eye.

Dr Airsoft explains why: http://vaughanmd.com/drairsoft/answer2.html (emphasis added)

The game of airsoft is safe when played with the proper equipment, and with the right rules and enforcement. That is, if you can accept soft tissue contusions resulting in temporary welts in one's definition of safe. Eye protection is certainly the absolute precaution that cannot be compromised in airsoft. The American Society for Testing and Standards (ASTM.org) is currently developing standards for Airsoft which will require a minimum of full-seal goggles consistent with ANSI A87.1 level of protection. Do not compromise on this requirement. Many players will experience fogging during play with even expensive goggles. This will not be tolerated by players, and that is why you find them breaking rules about full-seal goggles. Some have taken to using wire mesh products that do not protect with a solid barrier. Neither the ASTM nor myself can endorse such a product because of the inherent risk of fragments of bb's passing through the mesh, even if the mesh is strong enough to prevent intact bb's from passing. That being said, I have never heard of evidence of an injury occuring becuse of this theoretical risk.

The use of three accessories can help with fogging: anti-fog wipes/sprays, thermal lenses, and integrated fans. Anti-fog products are applied to the inside surface of the goggle before play and coat the plastic with a chemical which resists the adhesion of water vapor droplets. Thermal lenses are similar to two-pane windows in a home. The fogging occurs due to a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the goggles. Thermal lenses minimize this temperature difference. Fans work by providing ventilation to blow out the hot air inside the goggle which occurs when heat radiates from the player's face and is trapped inside the goggles. I personally use a fan that comes with ESS Profile goggles. The fan has two speeds. I can often run it on the low speed, but sometimes fogging will start. All I have to do is turn the fun up to the high speed to remove the fogging. I would promote these goggles more if they were not so expensive. There are many other similar goggles on the market, and the airsoft stores sell fan kits at a fraction of the cost of the ESS goggles. I have yet to work with the fan kit and less expensive goggles to give a recommended combination.

The fan kit could probably be used with your current facemask. You may also be able to shell out around $30 for a thermal lense, depending on the type of mask you purchased. I cannot speak from experience on the thermal lenses, because I have not used them in a game.

I should also address the issue of soft tissue injury and minimum engagement distances. There is some information that I would like about the game. I want to know if there was a requirement for the guns to have a limit of muzzle velocity. There are stock airsoft guns which can shoot twice the speed of a typical off-the-shelf airsoft rifle. Care must be taken to have a reasonable muzzle velocity limit, and then test every gun with standard weight bb. Typically the limit will be 350 feet per second for indoor games, testing with a 0.20 gram bb. Even following these standards will result in a significant welt in the case of a face hit, even from across a school gymnasium.

It is difficult to always enforce minimum engagement distances during intesnse play. The players will often come around a corner to find another player right in their face. Some games will include a rule about a "mercy kill" or "bang kill" where the player is required to surrender their victim without firing a shot. I encourage you to listen to our podcast (http://feeds.feedburner.com/airsoftmedicine) titled, "bang kill," for more discussion on this topic. The ASTM is going to set a standard of no shot closer than five feet, and no closer than 10 feet with a gun firing 350 feet per second.

Face Protection

Many players have removed or modified the stock face protection on their goggles to allow better aim and limit goggle fogging. Op-For recommends you use some form of face protection to protect your teeth.

Advice from a doctor who plays airsoft:

http://vaughanmd.com/drairsoft/answer1.html

(eventually we will put the quotes in wiki format)

Recognized Brands

JT (Pro-Flex allews most flexible configuration)
Dye
Scott
V-Force
Empire
Invert
Save Phace
Leader
Brass Eagle
Tippman
Extreme Rage
Proto
Sly

Recommended Models

JT Spectra Thermal
JT Flex 8 Pro
any JT paintball goggle (Flex 8, Flex Flex 8 Pro, etc)
any dual pane (thermal) paintball goggle with removable face mask
Scott Voltage XP - http://www.pbreview.com/products/reviews/3092/

Practical Testing

Airsoft Safety recommendations:

http://vaughanmd.com/drairsoft/topics.html

Some of Dr. Airsoft's practical testing videos:

520 ft/s rifle:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmaMqrv6yAA

Wire Goggles:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoPc6Je-7Tg

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 <blockquote>The game of airsoft is safe when played with the proper equipment, and with the right rules and enforcement.  That is, if you can accept soft tissue contusions resulting in temporary welts in one's definition of safe.  Eye protection is certainly the absolute precaution that cannot be compromised in airsoft.  '''The American Society for Testing and Standards (ASTM.org) is currently developing standards for Airsoft which will require a minimum of full-seal goggles consistent with ANSI A87.1 level of protection.  Do not compromise on this requirement.'''  Many players will experience fogging during play with even expensive goggles.  This will not be tolerated by players, and that is why you find them breaking rules about full-seal goggles.  Some have taken to using wire mesh products that do not protect with a solid barrier.  Neither the ASTM nor myself can endorse such a product because of the inherent risk of fragments of bb's passing through the mesh, even if the mesh is strong enough to prevent intact bb's from passing.  That being said, I have never heard of evidence of an injury occuring becuse of this theoretical risk.</blockquote>
 <blockquote>The use of three accessories can help with fogging: anti-fog wipes/sprays, thermal lenses, and integrated fans.  Anti-fog products are applied to the inside surface of the goggle before play and coat the plastic with a chemical which resists the adhesion of water vapor droplets.  Thermal lenses are similar to two-pane windows in a home.  The fogging occurs due to a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the goggles.  Thermal lenses minimize this temperature difference.  Fans work by providing ventilation to blow out the hot air inside the goggle which occurs when heat radiates from the player's face and is trapped inside the goggles.  I personally use a fan that comes with ESS Profile goggles.  The fan has two speeds.  I can often run it on the low speed, but sometimes fogging will start.  All I have to do is turn the fun up to the high speed to remove the fogging.  I would promote these goggles more if they were not so expensive.  There are many other similar goggles on the market, and the airsoft stores sell fan kits at a fraction of the cost of the ESS goggles.  I have yet to work with the fan kit and less expensive goggles to give a recommended combination.</blockquote>
 <blockquote>The fan kit could probably be used with your current facemask.  You may also be able to shell out around $30 for a thermal lense, depending on the type of mask you purchased.  I cannot speak from experience on the thermal lenses, because I have not used them in a game.</blockquote>
 <blockquote>I should also address the issue of soft tissue injury and minimum engagement distances.  There is some information that I would like about the game.  I want to know if there was a requirement for the guns to have a limit of muzzle velocity.  There are stock airsoft guns which can shoot twice the speed of a typical off-the-shelf airsoft rifle.  Care must be taken to have a reasonable muzzle velocity limit, and then test every gun with standard weight bb.  Typically the limit will be 350 feet per second for indoor games, testing with a 0.20 gram bb.  Even following these standards will result in a significant welt in the case of a face hit, even from across a school gymnasium.</blockquote>
 <blockquote>It is difficult to always enforce minimum engagement distances during intesnse play.  The players will often come around a corner to find another player right in their face.  Some games will include a rule about a "mercy kill" or "bang kill" where the player is required to surrender their victim without firing a shot.  '''I encourage you to listen to our podcast (http://feeds.feedburner.com/airsoftmedicine) titled, "bang kill," for more discussion on this topic.  The ASTM is going to set a standard of no shot closer than five feet, and no closer than 10 feet with a gun firing 350 feet per second.'''</blockquote>

Difference between revisions of "Goggles"

Revision as of 03:31, 20 April 2013

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Goggle Basics

Face Protection

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Recommended Models

Practical Testing

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