[Hebiki]

April 20, 2012 Update:
No point in doing an Epic Mask Showdown Part II... once the E-Flex is released, thats pretty much game over. LOL.

January 10, 2012 Update:
I have plans to do an Epic Mask Showdown Part II. Click on link to make your mask recommendations.

December 1, 2011 Update:
Just a quick update. Ever since I've done this showdown... I try to post the link for the VS threads when these masks are involved. The E-vents have become my primary mask, but I've found myself using the i4s more and more. Why? No idea. Also, I've completely stopped using my Flex mask. Last time i used them I ate a ton of paint. No thank you. Breathability is still what I believe an industry best for the Flex. I'm now in somewhat decent shape, so having a hard time breathing after a strong sprint is no longer an issue. Something I mentioned below as a "ding" to the Profits. My Profits have been retired. They served me well, but they might come out of retirement since it is getting colder here and the added warmth will be nice. I still would like to add Grillz to my collection as well as maybe the Pro-Axis. But thats something I need to decide on.

On a contour note, I've mounted the flat surface mount on both my E-vents and i4s. Both work great. Check out my youtube channel. The ASG/speedball videos are filmed using my contour mounted on my E-vents.

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Introduction:
Some people get obsessed with markers, loaders etc.... my obsession has become masks. So once I got a 4 masks, I thought it was time to do a showdown. Based off of criteria that I came up, I picked a winner. I had 5 masks, but Profilers just didnt cut it for me. (Apologies to the Profiler fans out there). The four participants are Empire's E-vents, Dye's i4s, JT's ProFlex and Sly's Profits.

Scoring Scale:
All criteria is judged on a 1-10 scale.
1: Poor.... dont even bother.
10: Go buy it now! This is the best.

Criteria:
Here is the criteria (and a brief explanation of it) that I came up with.

• Breathability: I define this as how well I can breathe after I sprint to a bunker.
• Comfort: How well the mask sits on my face (not fits, but how well it sits. "Fit" will vary from person to person.)
• Ventilation: After sprinting, how well or how fast is heat dissipated?
• Weight: Weight of the mask in grams.
• Vision: This one is really just an estimate, so this did not affect the overall winner. You'll see why later on.
• Extras: Things that come with the mask that I would consider "extra"
• Chin Measurement: This is the distance from my chin to the mask. Measured by my fingers.
• Chin Drop: How much of my chin is exposed when I open my mouth fully to simulate screaming/communication on the field
• Chin Protection: How much of yuor chin is protected and the ability for the mask to protect your chin.
• Foam Comfort: Quality of the foam that goes around your eyes, nose area.
• Ear Comfort: Ear piece protection and the comfort it provides
• Price: All taken from Ansgear at the same time. This does not include special edition masks, etc.
• Lens Removal/Replacement: How hard or easy is it to replace the lens.

None of these criteria are measured in some secret environment controlled lab. So it's not all crazy scientific. But I did want to give some "insight" instead of just saying... "i4s are the best because you look like a BAMF". Hopefully someone finds this stuff useful, otherwise I just got to practice my typing and writing skills.

There will be a video. If there is anything you guys want me to cover in the video.. please let me know. I hope to have the video done by the end of the weekend and posted by Monday 7/11.

This post has been edited by Hebiki: 20 April 2012 - 12:28 PM

[Hebiki]

Eye candy......





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This post has been edited by Hebiki: 11 July 2011 - 11:28 AM

[Hebiki]

Criteria Scores:

E-vent

• Breathability: 8
• Comfort: 7
• Ventilation: 8
• Weight: 315g
• Vision: 170*
• Extras: Box, Bag (acts a cleaning cloth due to soft nature of the bag), Chin Strap
• Chin Measurement: 3
• Chin Drop: 75%
• Chin Protection: 10
• Foam Comfort: 6
• Ear Comfort: 9
• Price: 99.95
• Lens Removal/Replacement: 9

=======================================

i4

• Breathability: 7
• Comfort: 7
• Ventilation: 6
• Weight: 285g
• Vision: 170*
• Extras: Box, Bag (acts a cleaning cloth due to soft nature of the bag)
• Chin Measurement: 2
• Chin Drop: 100%
• Chin Protection: 6
• Foam Comfort: 7
• Ear Comfort: 6
• Price: 109.99
• Lens Removal/Replacement: 9

=======================================

Profit

• Breathability: 4
• Comfort: 9
• Ventilation: 3
• Weight: 390g
• Vision: 170*
• Extras: Box, Bag (acts a cleaning cloth due to soft nature of the bag), Dual Straps, Chin Strap
• Chin Measurement: 1
• Chin Drop: 90%
• Chin Protection: 8
• Foam Comfort: 9
• Ear Comfort: 10
• Price: 89.95
• Lens Removal/Replacement: 10

=======================================

ProFlex

• Breathability: 10
• Comfort: 6
• Ventilation: 9
• Weight: 265g
• Vision: 170*
• Extras: Chin Strap
• Chin Measurement: 3
• Chin Drop: 50%
• Chin Protection: 7
• Foam Comfort: 7
• Ear Comfort: 6***
• Price: 62.95 (build your own)
• Lens Removal/Replacement: 7

And the winner is.....................

Empire E-vents

Score Totals:
E-vents: 57
i4: 48
Profit: 53
ProFlex: 52

Some last thoughts..........

i4: This is a great mask..... but lack of chin protection plus the fact that I have a big head, doesn't make this the ideal mask for me.The lack of ear protection/comfort hurt it with a rating of "6". But it faired well in foam comfort in relation to the other masks. Another thing that hurt the i4s is the cost. Being the most expensive but with a limited range of fit (see big head syndrome) hurt this mask. But I gotta admit, it's one BAD ASS looking mask. IF this mask if it fits you, then you're golden. It truly feels like a pair of sunglasses with a mouth guard. It feels that light and has that small of a profile. This is my scenario mask...when im all decked out in Dye Cam (Hi Latsabb!).

ProFlex: Many expected this to win the showdown. But after gettting my CHIN BLOWN OFF last Saturday and eating a lot of paint (Thank you Pinokio Army for warning me prior) did not help its cause. Etekgirl27 made an awesome recommendation with the i3 ears. But this mask was soon climbing in price. You can easily lose yourself in customizations. That can be good, or it can be bad. So a $62 mask quickly turns into an $8x mask when you have to go shop around for i3 ears. The great benefits of this mask was also its main downfall. Lightweight, but felt cheap. Best in showdown breathability, but I ate paint and I have a huge welt on my chin. etc. etc. This is my "walk on... just getting warmed up mask."

ProFit: The HALO helmet. If you ball where its cold, you NEED the Profit. Best in showdown ear protection and comfort. Best in showdown for lens removal. Best mirror lens yet (I don't have the Dyetanium mirror lens). But boy, this thing is a beast in weight. It weighs the most out of all the masks topping the 400g mark. Breathability and ventilation is not its strongest attributes. In fact, it has the lowest scores by a long shot. It is nice to have dual straps and a great spot to mount a ContourHD camera. Breathability improved once I made additional vents with an xacto knife, but ventilation still suffered. The best winter mask to have. Problem is, Southern California BARELY has a winter. It may be sold... who knows?

The Winner...and my PRIMARY mask now... The Empire E-Vents. This mask didnt really excel in a specific area like the others (ProFlex was king in breathability, Profits king in ear protection and i4s were king of the "feel" and how it sits on your face).... but the E-vent was consistent. Fit my face nicely. Not super lightweight like the Flex, or ultra low profile like the i4s. And not exactly a face warmer like the Profits. It was just "right". Good breathability...and since this mask sits farther away from my face, ventilation was good as well without scarficing visibility. Chin protection and distance was good. Right after I got my chin blown off wearing the ProFlex.. I wore the E-vent.... I swear the same guy was after me... because he hit me in the face again. I ate paint again, but this time, my chin was protected.

It has an easy enough lens removal process (best were the Profits), but the potential to lose those clips only earned it a "9" instead of a perfect 10. The E-vent also has a nice spot for mounting the ContourHD camera using double sided tape. This will help it retain its resale value unlike the Profits... but thats up to the owner on how they want to mount the camera.

In conclusion, these are four awesome masks. Its really splitting hairs with these four masks. If you live in the cold and have a big head... grab a Profit. If you have a small head and wanna look BAMF... grab an i4. Wanna go custom happy, Proflex is for you. Or if you just want a good all around mask... get the E-vent. Or whore yourself out like I did, and have the best of all four worlds.

This post has been edited by Hebiki: 12 July 2011 - 03:16 PM

[Latsabb]

TTD

[andrewthewookie]

Latsabb, on 08 July 2011 - 02:16 AM, said:

TTD

With three posts reserved, this better have lots of pictures, or I demand a refund.

[Bravo Sierra]

That is one hot Profit!!

This post has been edited by Bravo Sierra: 08 July 2011 - 02:28 AM

[Schuppert3]

I demand you post this up now!

[Beavfan94]

Wow cool write-up. Looking forward to you choosing the proflex as the winner.

[Striker]

We all know E-vents are for BAMF's.....since they are #1

[oldnewb]

I'm glad you left "Looks" out as a catagory. Way too subjective. I hate it when reviewers set an asthetic score... let the readers judge THAT for themselves, I say!

Might want to include a mention for "Ease of lens replacement". For anyone who actually takes their lenses out and properly cleans them after each day of play, it makes a big difference. Also for those who swap lenses between games.

Please list price of replacement lenses, too. I always felt that should be a purchasing factor. Some companies with some products are willing to price their initial product lower, and jack the price up of consumables required to maintain that product (computer printers and toner, cough cough).

This post has been edited by oldnewb: 08 July 2011 - 10:39 AM

[Cookybiscuit]

i4 because you look like a BAMF Anyway, looking forward to this (and the controversy it will cause) even though we all know the one and only mask worth buying is the i4.

[Hebiki]

oldnewb, on 08 July 2011 - 10:36 AM, said:

I'm glad you left "Looks" out as a catagory. Way too subjective. I hate it when reviewers set an asthetic score... let the readers judge THAT for themselves, I say!

Might want to include a mention for "Ease of lens replacement". For anyone who actually takes their lenses out and properly cleans them after each day of play, it makes a big difference. Also for those who swap lenses between games.

Please list price of replacement lenses, too. I always felt that should be a purchasing factor. Some companies with some products are willing to price their initial product lower, and jack the price up of consumables required to maintain that product (computer printers and toner, cough cough).

COMPLETELY forgot about the price of lens replacement and the actual act of replacing a lens. great suggestion, thank you.

since im a HEAVY HEAVY user of mirror lenses.....

[Schuppert3]

I see you have the I3 soft ears on your proflex please please please please please please put a video up on how to mod them and put them in?

[oldnewb]

Hebiki, on 08 July 2011 - 11:49 AM, said:

COMPLETELY forgot about the price of lens replacement and the actual act of replacing a lens. great suggestion, thank you.

since im a HEAVY HEAVY user of mirror lenses.....

You're welcome. I'm glad to see someone do up a super comprehensive mask showdown. I'd rather have the ultimate mask system and a crappy marker, than the ultimate marker and a crappy mask. It's good to see that someone else values masks every bit as much as I do (4 masks in my current collection).

[Hebiki]

Schuppert3, on 08 July 2011 - 04:56 PM, said:

I see you have the I3 soft ears on your proflex please please please please please please put a video up on how to mod them and put them in?

noted...and will be covered.

[hogzilla88]

Hebiki, on 08 July 2011 - 06:17 PM, said:

Schuppert3, on 08 July 2011 - 04:56 PM, said:

I see you have the I3 soft ears on your proflex please please please please please please put a video up on how to mod them and put them in?

noted...and will be covered.

Here's one:

[THETUNK]

maybe you could add something for bounce factor

[sameagol26]

Sweet! Great job Hebiki

[Vaellis]

To the bounce factor.......no

We all know the i4s are the best, mabye if you actually PLAYED WITH THEM you would know

[TECHDP=)]

Let's face it guys profits are the best. If they had pro flex breathing...... its just amazing