Airsoft Masks: Failure Tests!Written by scout99 Had a few extra so I decided to test what these china brands can do:
Item 1: Fidragon Sansei Replica (bnew, 250~350php)
Failure threshold:
20+ shots of .2 at 350fps from 3 metres (no penetration, very dented, lower middle part)
8 shots of .2 at 500 fps from 3 metres (penetration, upper middle part)
4 shots of .2 at 400fps from point blank (penetration, left part)
1 shot of .2 at 500 fps from point blank (penetration, right part)
Plastic faceguard: 1 shot at 600 fps from point blank
Verdict: Good for maybe a dozen stock games or playing with friends whom you trust.
Item 2: Bell Goggles (bnew, 600~800php)
Failure threshold:
50+ shots of .2 at 500 fps from 3 meters (left side of mask, no penetration)
15 shots of .2 at 500 fps from point blank (penetration, see second pic)
Verdict: Surprisingly resilient. A good beginner's pair if you don't mind the lack of face armor. Fog can be managed by removing the foam covering on the top and bottom to reveal big ventilation holes...if you want to risk ricochets...
More to follow as my curiosity takes over
Part II
Moving up the perceived protection scale...
Item 3: "Eagle" Full face mask (bnew, 700~1200php)
Failure threshold:
CQB scenario: 10 shots aimed, 20 shots full auto with .2 at 400fps from 3 meters
Field scenario: 10 shots aimed with .2 at 500 fps from 9 meters
Notes: Mask is heavily dented but still holding
5 shots with .2 at 500 fps from point blank
(Note: Interestingly, I retested the mask with this test on the opposite side, but this time it withstood 8 shots. I think it's choosy, for example if a BB finds a space between the steel mesh, it allows the mask to withstand more, because force is distributed to the adjacent bars. If it strikes a direct hit on just one steel bar, it fails sooner)
SPECIAL NOTE
There have been concerns of this mask possibly letting shrapnel through since it has bigger holes than the average sensei. To test this, I wrapped the mask with cloth, only letting the face plate show. The tests for CQB and Field were then conducted. The result is the shrapnel you see above, from 30 short-range and 10 medium-range hits.
Faceplate withstands 13 shots with .2 at 500 fps from point blank (right) and 21 shots .2 at 500 fps from point blank (left)
Verdict: A popular item, stronger than the generic sensei and extended armor is convenient. Still, mask strength is so-so and the shrapnel effect is quite disturbing...
Item 4: Classic Army skirmish mask (bnew, 900~1200php)
Failure threshold:
CQB scenario: 50 shots of .2 at 400 fps from 3 metres and
Field scenario: 20 shots of .2 at 500 fps from 9 metres
Mask has negligible to nill amount of damage (right hand side)
Point blank test of .2 at 500 fps from point blank took 150 shots to inflict just this much damage.
A different angle shows this better.
Faceplate withstood 18 shots of .2 at 500fps from point blank.
Verdict: Excellent. I had to rest my motor after the 50th and 100th shots because it was overheating and I could smell grease (maybe I should visit a gunsmith soon...). The impact point also got hot to the touch after testing. Shrapnel was flying everywhere as BBs were smashing against the front.
Vents a bit small though, so it fogs fast.
Item 5: Extreme Range Paintball mask (bnew, 2100~2500php)
You've got to be kidding me...
The lens on this is thicker than CA's so...I think I'll prolong my aeg's life and say this one will last quite awhile.
Ok ok, in the interest if science (and curiosity) I fired 80 shots of .2 at 400fps from 3 metres, 20 shots at 500fps from 9 metres and 10 shots of 500fps from point blank.
There was no discernable visible or tactile variations on the mask surface save for lumps which I guess was BB residue.
Verdict: You get what you pay for, over all excellent everything protection-wise. Still, I don't use this because I find I can't aim down my sights properly (the face guard gets in the way) and it's a bit bulky.
