Elite Paintball Guns

Even though the lenses that come with most of the JT masks are good one it happens that they at some point (after a direct hit for instance) break. Or if you’re playing under really extreme condition they can sometimes fog. Something like that can ruin your day of play completely, especially if you don’t have spare lenses to replace them. Unfortunately that’s the only way of getting out of situations like that – spare pair of lenses. My advice to you is when you get the mask, spend some more money and get yourself another pair of lenses right away. Not that you can’t do it if/when your stock ones fail, but you know precaution never hurts. You can find the JT lenses easily in every paintball store, or hunting store or you can buy them online. The ones I’m gonna show you now are replacement thermal lenses for the Spectra line of masks and they differ only in their shade. Other than that they’re almost the same. You have a choice of yellow, clear, smoke or amber orange for the price of $22.94 a piece, or a pair of prism chrome mirror ones for $27.99. I know they don’t come cheap, but once you get it you know you’re ensured if something happens with the stock ones you have. The JT Spectra Thermal Replacement Goggle Lenses are more durable than the stock ones; they don’t fog at all, have no glare form the sun and are very easy to clean. The only problem may have is the change which is not always easy. But you know that’s a problem with every JT mask. With some practice you should be ok.

Now this is the real Flex-7 upgrade. This time all the things that should’ve been done are done and the final product is amazing – when speaking about the performance anyway as the design, although slightly different from the Flex-7, still makes the mask looks dull and boring. But other than that, whatever people were complaining about with the Flex-7 has been taken care of. I’m not gonna compare this one to the ProFlex 8 as they’re miles away from each other, I’m gonna compare it only to the Flex-7, because as I already said this is what a real update should look like. So to start with – the ProFlex is even more comfortable than the Flex-7, has greater protection as the soft rubber is now strengthen, but still soft enough to bounce off balls. You’ll experience absolutely no fog problems, but that has never been an issue with the JT masks. The ProFlex it’s even lighter than the Flex-7, which absolutely does not give up on the protection side – you can count on that thing to protect you well throughout the entire game. The field of vision is still the same – huge. It’s one really great mask. But still nothing is perfect, and there’s just no way we go without at least one flaw. And it is indeed only one – lens change…nothing has changed in the way lenses are changed, but that’s not a problem for this mask only as you know so let it not ruin your opinion about it. Colors are a little scanty – black and red, but if you do some more searching you might just get lucky with some others. As to the price – if you’re gonna spend more money to get a better than the Flex-7 mask, don’t waste them on the ProFlex 8, get the ProFlex. It costs $65.00 and is worth every penny of them.

So here’s the Flex-7 “upgrade”. Well, actually it is an upgrade, but one that people tend to like less (if that makes sense). So they took the Flex-7, paid attention to what people don’t like about it and tried to change it. That’s the reason why the design looks so much better. Believe it or not that’s the only good thing they’ve done to this mask…so what went wrong? Remember the soft rubber I mentioned in the previous review – yes people were complaining that it hurts when you get shot in that area, but it was also helping about bounces – they’ve changed that. Now the lower part is much harder than it used to be. Some will like it, but others will just miss those bounces. The solution is to decide which one’s more important to you – bounces or protection, and get either the Flex-7 or the ProFlex8. Now I don’t know why, but people complain about this mask being uncomfortable. With the Flex-7 there were no such complains. And also – with the design change some of the lower part of your ear is left exposed and if you get hit there…I don’t even wanna think about the pain you’re gonna experience. Again, no such problems with the Flex-7. Oh, and the lenses you see in the picture don’t come stock. The mask comes with clear ones. Also…the lens change is kinda difficult…but that’s not something new with the JT masks. On the other hand they didn’t even bother to change it. and will I surprise you when I say that the ProFlex 8 is pricier? It is an “upgrade” after all. So the thing costs $59.00 that is just a waste for me. Being cheaper and better the Flex-7 is definitely the mask you should get. Still let me tell you the colors the ProFlex 8 comes in, just in case someone demands the latest. So the colors are: blue, green, camo, black/grey, red, sand camo. There is a mask called JT Flex 8 Full coverage Paintball Goggles that is practically the same thing except it solves the ear problem, but with somehow ugly design change. It costs $54.95 and comes only in camo version. There is also the JT Flex-8 Thermal Special Edition Paintball Goggles that again is the same like the ProFlex 8, but being special edition guarantees you’ll be the only one wearing it…if you’re willing to pay $64.99 for it of course.

Although JT Flex-7 Thermal is not the latest JT goggles they definitely deserve your attention. This is not one of the prettiest masks on the market, but looks are not everything and JT Flex-7 is doing its job (to protect you from those nasty head shots) perfectly. It is one comfortable mask that’s not gonna give you any fog trouble. The range of view is very wide and you don’t have to worry about echo or the thing falling off your head easily – JT got all of those covered. But what really put those goggles over the others are the bounces you get from them. Thanks to the soft rubber it is made of it is probably the only mask that gets so many bounces off. Check the features:

• Tournament level paintball goggle
• Dark tint lenses
• Provides superior face protection using JT’s unique insert molding technology.
• Rigid upper mask for ultimate protection with a soft lower to conform and move
• Accepts Spectra lenses
It is really a nice mask, but it also has its flaws. Starting with that same soft rubber it is made of. It does help with the bounces, but you know it can’t be all good, right? Sometimes it happens the ball to bent the rubber in a level that it hits your lip or chin and although it takes some of the hit strength, it still gonna hurt. There are some other minor negativities the mask is getting, but I find them more of a personal preferences than being common ones – like for some the mask is kinda wide, or the others don’t like the visor, but you know that what’s bad for one is good for someone else so let’s skip that part. As to the price – we’ve seen cheap, but we’ve certainly seen pricier, so I got to classify this one as middle priced mask (meaning that the newer ones after it I put between the pricy ones). The price is $49.98. The colors you can find it in are: olive green, clear and black. Not too many, but the basics are covered. It is a mask worth buying, but still check out the next couple of reviews before making your pick (if not for something else just to be sure that this one is better).

The Proto Axis is what should be the Proto Switch S.F upgrade. But there comes a moment when companies do a great mask and when trying to upgrade it all they do is change the design a little bit and if there are some complains on the previous model do some work there. There were no complains about the Switch though, so guess what proto changed so they can call the Axis an upgrade for the Switch. The design and the price of course. It stays a great mask, no second opinion there – and now it looks even better, but paying 10 bucks for a slight design change is not something anyone can afford. So to make this short – those of you who can afford the Axis get it…those who can’t get the Switch S.F. Features are almost the same, but here they are anyway:
• Deluxe woven goggle strap for comfort and durability.
• Tiger tooth strap buckles will allow you to adjust your strap for a custom fit and bite down to secure the strap.
• The multi-ported ear piece provides unrestricted audible transfer to take place without sacrificing any ear protection.
• Incredibly simple 1/4 turn buckle (patent pending) makes the hassle of changing lenses a thing of the past. Simply turn the locking tabs to the right to unlock your lens frame. Pop out your old lens, drop in a new one, place the frame over the lens into position, and turn your tabs back again to lock it in.
• Multi-directional venting drastically reduces re-ventilated fogging. The venting also assists in keeping you cool and breathing easy.
• Self venting, low profile and removable, the Switch visor is able to pivot up and down for easy lens replacement.
So for those of you haven’t read the previous review the Proto Axis costs $59.95 and is exactly 10 bucks more that the Switch S.F. the colors it comes in are blue and grey and for those who like yellow and are not ashamed of wearing it the yellow ones come at a price of $34.95 (I’m not kidding). That’s it. Everything has been said – your job is to decide.

No paintball mask is perfect, but this one gets pretty damn close. it is not that much different than the previous one reviewed judging by the given features, but there are some major differences which take its performance on a higher level. The main difference is that the thing is not made as one-piece construction and is softer than the Switch L.E. What’s the difference – with this one you can count on bounces and it definitely feels more comfortable than its predecessor. Many of the things as kept the same such as the great performance, the wide range of view, the clarity of the lenses, the strongly made construction, the easy lens removal, but there are some things that have been improved – like the comfort level, the fogging problem (although we said that the Switch L.E fogs in extreme conditions it still fogs – this one does not fog at all), even the design although it hasn’t changed that much. Overall they’ve cleaned up the bad things we found in the Switch L.E. See the features:

• Silicone woven rubber goggle strap. The retention strap is design to be adjusted to fit your head and stay fitted to your head.
• Tiger tooth strap buckles will allow you to adjust your strap for a custom fit and bit down to secure the strap. Just set it and forget it.
• The multi-ported ear piece provides unrestricted audible transfer to take place without sacrificing any ear protection.
• The incredibly simple 1/4 turn buckle (patent pending) makes the hassle of changing lenses a thing of the past. Simply turn the locking tabs to the right to unlock you lens frame. Pop out your old lens, drop a new one in, place the frame over the lens into position, and turn the tabs back again to lock it in.
• Uni-directional venting drastically reduces re-ventilated fogging. The venting also assists in keeping you cool and breathing easy.
• The first triodial lens in the world of paintball. Giving the player the ultimate in vertical and horizontal peripheral vision. All Switch lenses have perfect optical clarity, setting a new standard in visual performance.
• Self venting, low profile and removable, the Switch visor is able to pivot up and down for easy lens replacement.
And if you think after all those modifications they’ve boosted up the price – you’ll be half right. How come? You would’ve been right if I was writing this review 2 years ago. The price then was around 85 bucks – which believe it or not are so worthy for this mask. Still if you think that now, you’ll be totally wrong – the mask costs $49.98. Make the math. And it comes in green and black and if you put up with a grey color you’ll pay less - $39.98. That is if you don’t dawdle too much and get one right now. It is indeed a good product on a normal price.

The Proto Switch E.L is one of the cheapest masks on the market. It costs only $29.95, but don’t be fooled by the price and consider it cheap crap – the mask is actually pretty good. It performs very well and although it doesn’t look awesome it’s not some ugly thing. And now that we covered the visual part, let’s move to the better one – performance. Believe it or not, this mask performs better than some of the much expensive ones out there – it is toughly built and unless you’re purposely scratching the thing it will last you for quite some time looking like new. Ok, it’s not the most comfortable mask, but there are crappier ones, trust me – the most irritating part is the chin strap that tends to be quite difficult to adjust, but once you do it will keep that thing on your head so tightly that you won’t have to worry of loosing it somewhere on the field. The lenses are awesome – those are the clearest lenses ever (that come stock of course) and you get really, really wide view range. Venting works fine, too, although when put in extreme conditions the lenses may fog a little bit. The lens change is the easiest – there are just two knobs you have to twist and pull out and the lens pops right out – with some practice you can get the time for doing that down to 15 secs. Features include:
• Deluxe woven goggle strap for comfort and durability.
• Tiger tooth strap buckles will allow you to adjust your strap for a custom fit and bite down to secure the strap.
• The multi-ported ear piece provides unrestricted audible transfer to take place without sacrificing any ear protection.
• Incredibly simple 1/4 turn buckle (patent pending) makes the hassle of changing lenses a thing of the past.  Simply turn the locking tabs to the right to unlock your lens frame.  Pop out your old lens, drop in a new one, place the frame over the lens into position, and turn your tabs back again to lock it in.
• Multi-directional venting drastically reduces re-ventilated fogging.  The venting also assists in keeping you cool and breathing easy.
• The first tirodial lens in the world of paintball.  All Switch lenses have perfect optical clarity, setting a new standard in visual performance.
• Self venting, low profile and removable, the Switch visor is able to pivot up and down for easy lens replacement.
• Solid, light weight, one-piece construction face mask protects you from paintball impacts.
The thingy comes in black and green and is really something worth considering if you can’t afford something pricier. The goggles have their flaws, but as I already said there are much worse ones out there on an even higher price. Oh, and for those of you who don’t know it – those are a Dye products…for 30 bucks. Do you really need more convincing?

This is the cheapest goggles in the Empire menu and surprisingly they get better reviews than the Cylus ones. Actually this is something very different than the Cylus and its inheritors. The Helix is a hard plastic mask and has absolutely no rubber features like the other ones presented. Many people like it as being hard plastic does not mean it is uncomfortable. It is padded with dual density foam which makes it really comfortable to your face. Being hard plastic does make it a little bit heavier, but it’s not something you didn’t expected, right? It’s tough dough…also something that’s expected. It actually comes in 3 versions - thermal, single and field and all models come with a Vents “Browser” (combined Visor and Brow Shield). Features:
• Lightly tinted thermal lens - dual paned lens will not fog
• Dual density foam - Long-lasting, comfortable foam
• Hard mask
• Plastic lens clip
• Visor
Just like with the other Empire goggles those ones simply don’t fog, so no worries there.  But still its biggest advantage before the others is its price. The Helix costs $24.95 which you have to admit, when compared to the other Empire goggles, is like a present. Being so cheap makes it very affordable to people unable to buy something pricier. It’s a little bit sadder that the only color you can find it in is green, but for all of you who like green guess this is good news, right. And in conclusion – for all of you who can’t afford pricy goggles this is something you should consider getting. It’s not the best, but hey do you really expect it to be?

This is actually the first of the Empire Vents goggles series. Only by saying that you have to guess that the previous two goggles reviewed are much better ones. But it all has to start from somewhere and in this case it starts with the Cylus. For the time those were very good goggles no matter the somehow weak performance and the problems they caused. Right now I would not recommend getting the Cylus and I will explain why – not they are bad goggles, but they have some major weaknesses like the crappy venting. It may be ok in colder weather, but in hot one it seems like it’s not even working. Basically you don’t have problem with the air coming in, but when it comes to it coming out of the mask…well most of it doesn’t…causing the hot air to get caught inside… it’s not something nice trust me. They too cause echo in the mask like with the Avatar – it is something you can get used to, but still. It’s not that flexible and bounces are not something you can count on (the Avatar and the E-Vent get a lot of bounces). The ear protection simply sucks…it is plastic with absolute no padding inside and totally uncomfortable (luckily this pretty well upgraded with the next two masks). Well that’s about it on the bad side. Check the features:
• One piece dual molded Mask
• Clear Lens (Thermal)
• Brow Shield
• Dual Density Foam
• Metal Forehead Logo
• Grey and Black Vents Strap
• Micro fiber goggle bag
I forgot to mention that they come with clear lenses only, but you can always get lenses in addition if you so insist on it. But if we leave the disadvantages aside this is a really comfortable mask – the foam padding is the same as with the next two and fits really nice and comfy to your head. It never fogs and it looks good too although the next two designs are upgraded towards the better. It is also very cheap costing only $34.95. As to the colors – green, black, grey are the only choices you get (now that the next versions are out. But as I already said I won’t recommend you getting this, especially with the Avatar and the E-Vents on the market. I know they are pricier, but are also a lot better. And if you really can’t spend some 30 more bucks I suggest looking for some other mask. There are better ones out there on almost the same price.

The Avatar is the predecessor of the E-Vents goggles, and as I was thinking there are not too many differences between the two of them. The E-Vents are an upgrade of course so they are better, but not by much. The Avatar mask is pretty good one, too. It possesses most of the advantages of its inheritor which is only natural, but there are some stuff here to complain about that are bettered or even removed in the newer version. But I’ll mention those after I tell you some of the things I think I skipped in the previous review – like the fact that lens changing is a kids game (big in the advantage list). This can also be said about maintenance, too – it’s easy and fast (another big one on that same list. So before the bad stuff see the features:
• One piece dual molded mask
• Dark smoke thermal lens
• Micro fiber bag with 2nd lens (clear single)
• Dual density foam
• Includes brow shield and visor
• Color matched strap
• Color matched metallic logos
So the problems here are (once again they’re all taken care of in the E-Vents): echo – the venting system these goggles have tend to change your voice quite a bit and leaves an echo in them which can be pretty irritating, but once you get used to it, it won’t bother you that much. The fact that the lens stretches out to the side may also cause you problems because if you drop the mask you can scratch the lenses (this is something that stays with the next model, too). Other than that, it is just the same mask – a good one. It, too, comes with a package of goodies - 2 lenses (1 clear, 1 dark), 2 visors (1 full, and one reversed visor), 1 lens microfiber bag, and 1 goggle microfiber bag. But the thing here is that now (as the next version is out) it is cheaper – costing (I just have to say “only” as for the goodies you get it is “only”) $64.50. Colors are available, too. Not as many as with the E-Vents, but you get to chose from: red, blue, black, yellow (costing $44.95), green and gray. So as I said in the previous review this is a mask well worth your money – it is not cheap, but it’s the best for its price.