Paintball mask lenses are by far the most important piece of the puzzle. Besides protecting your eyes, which are among the most vulnerable parts of your anatomy, a paintball mask lens needs to give you clear vision so you can play your best. Paintball mask fogging is the most common complaint of players who go with a cheap paintball mask. To combat this problem, paintball mask manufacturers have developed the thermal lens mask, which features a dual layer of lens material with a thin layer of air sandwiched in between. This type of lense usually costs more, but the advantages of being fog free during play are well worth it. The other way to avoid paintball mask fog is to get a paintball mask fan. These miniature fans are installed above the mask visor and run on a single battery. Some are standard equipment from the manufacturers, but you can also add them on.

While it’s important for you to be able to see other players through your lenses, it’s just as important to make sure they can’t see you. Paintball goggle lenses are notorious for giving a player’s position away when the sun glints off the material or something just doesn’t look right. That’s why paintball mask goggle skins are such a popular add-on. Skinz are simply a peel-and-stick layer of translucent camo material that you add to the goggle lense. Paintball mask replacement lenses are available if you want to change out colors and skin patterns for the day, or if yours has gotten so much play that the lens material has become scratched or cracked. JT has come up with the Quick Lock System, or QLS, which lets you swap lenses in seconds by simply twisting a knob on each side.

If you’re playing woodsball and you want to make sure the lower part of your mask is invisible, then you can add a paintball mask cover in the camo pattern you’re wearing for the day. This is simply a scarflike piece of fabric that drapes loosely around the lower half of the mask, leaving only your goggles exposed.

Paintball mask designs have come a long way since the genesis of the sport. Today’s models are easier than ever to wear comfortably all day, and to put on and take off in the field. Your paintball mask strap should be tight but not too tight. It’s smart to carry a spare strap with you during play, because if your strap breaks and you don’t have another one, you’re done for the day. Don’t forget to buy your strap in camo if you play woodsball. Did you know that the JT Racing Strap is a hot collector item? This classic strap is no longer made and is going for at least $50 in paintball forums.

If looks are important to you and you want a cool paintball mask, then go with a low profile design. A low profile paintball mask isn’t just for show. It reduces weight, sometimes by as much as 20% over a full coverage paintball mask, and as a result it’s much cooler to wear on hot days and will leave you feeling less fatigued at the end of play. Not only that, but it presents a smaller target for your opponents to hit. The Dye I4 paintball mask is the ultimate in minimalist design and is one of the lightest goggles on the market. This mask is basically a set of goggles with a mouth guard and strap, and does not come with a visor. The Empire Event 09 paintball mask is a little heftier than the I4 while still retaining a low profile. It comes in several colors and features a visor.

Paintball mask prices aren’t cheap at the top end. Ironically, less is more in terms of cost. Both the I4 and Event 09 are over $100, making them among the most expensive paintball mask. If that doesn’t fit your budget, and you want a cheap paintball mask that still gives you adequate safety protection, then the JT Alpha paintball mask is a good entry-level mask for under $25. Or look at the JT Radar, which is a decent low-end design for a whopping $15.

Remember that expensive low-profile masks only protect your eyes and a small part of your face. If you prefer full coverage, then you’ll need a mask with extended ear protection and a chin shield, or get the JT Headshield Elite to save you from the pain of taking a direct hit to the head.

Other JT models include their JT Spectra paintball mask series, including the JT Proshield, the JT Invader, the JT Proflex and Proflex Revolution, the JT Flex 8; and their QLS series, including the JT Status and the JT Reaper. Some paintballers do a lot of dogging on JT paintball masks, while others swear they’re the best thing since sliced bread. The answer, again, is to buy the mask that’s right for your needs, which probably includes low price if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on your sport.

Vforce paintball masks are single lens models that are designed to produce minimal fogging while giving you the superior vision clarity that comes with a single lens paintball mask. If you wear glasses, you’ll appreciate the roominess of these units, which are designed to let you wear your glasses inside them. Their high-end models are the Vforce Profiler and the Vforce Grill, along with the Vforce Eye which is an authentic SWAT-style mask designed for tactical play. On the low end, the Vforce Shield Pro, the Vforce Vantage, and the Vforce Armor are all perfectly good masks at a reasonable price.

Dye paintball masks are strictly high-end, low profile, high price items. In addition to their super lightweight I4, the Dye I3 paintball mask features slightly more coverage around the ears and chin and the same excellent ventilation and good looks that Dye is known for. Formerly known as the Dye Invision series, be prepared to cash out around $100 bucks for one of their products.

Other brands to look for include Empire, Proto, Master Chief, Tippman, Scott, Brass Eagle, and Invert.

Most paintballs video available nowadays is actually paintball DVD. This digital medium is perfectly suited for the next generation of HDTV, and the quality is just amazing. If you have a full digital theater in your home, then you’re going to have a luxe paintball video experience, with every sound ricocheting around your living room like you’re right there in the field.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money in order to build up a great collection. If you’re just starting out, you can build up a good general library by shopping at the big stores, both online and on the street. Sometimes great bargains can be found in the remainder bins of big chain stores or even your local food market or party store. There’s nothing wrong with these products; often they’re of very high quality but the producer ordered too many copies and needs to get rid of them to make back some cash for his production expenses.

Once you have the basic building blocks for your collection (along with a couple of odd throwaways that only cost you a couple bucks), you’ll be ready to expand and search for the best of the best. Like any other sport, the best paintball video is found at paintball video websites. These sites are devoted solely to the sport and the owners knows their stuff. Many of them take pride in assembling a huge collection of paintballs videos from hundreds of little-known sources, and they cater to specialty niches within the sport. For instance, if your favorite part of the game is the shot, then you’re sure to want to browse a selection of paintball shooting video and add a few of these to your collection.

For example, if you want a paintball headshot video, your best bet is looking for it in an online specialty store since these aren’t exactly middle of the road material. Imagine watching headshot after headshot on your HDTV as paintballers get owned and take the big ouchie right in the head, the shots that you hope never happen to you. In fact, for any kind of extreme paintball video, the best place to look is on the internet. Some sites even let you download paintball videos directly from their site and pay with your credit card. Some specialty sites have you pay for their goods using PayPal. Don’t be put off by this, because PayPal has gotten way easier to use and now takes all major credit cards. You don’t even have to sign up for membership. Some smaller sites provide a link that will take you to a paintball video download site, instead of selling to you directly.

If you’re looking for free paintball video, you should keep in mind that full-length versions are hard to come by for free online. However, paintball video clips are often available at no cost, and these can be lots of fun. Collect them if you can, but know that YouTube Paintball Video can only be viewed online, not downloaded.

If you like pro paintball video, then the paintball world cup video is a must-have item for your collection. The Dynasty team puts out a video every year. Watching the pros is like watching any other sports team. The play is on a level that you know you’ll probably never achieve, but the amazing skill these guys have is worth watching. Also, the pro teams have gear to die for, and you’ll probably see some items to add to your wish list.

If one of your attractions to the sport is the different types of guns you get to use, then a paintball guns video (or three . . . or eight) should be part of your collection. Just about every type of marker is covered, even paintball pistol video and minigun play. You can even find paintball grenade launcher videos, and paintball silencer DVDs. These videos give you the technical know-how for how to buy, disassemble, and care for your paintball markers. Not only that, but they usually include some great action shots that you can enjoy watching when you’re taking a break in your shop.

For team play, or if you just want to become a better player, a paintball training video will probably tell you at least one thing you didn’t know. These DVDs provide paintball strategy and tactics, and give helpful tips for better play. If you’re starting up a team, or working with younger players, then a safety video is a must-have item. You might even want to pick up a copy for yourself, since safety videos are usually sold at rock bottom prices to encourage better practices by people who play the game.

For the lighter side of the game, you can even find funny paintball DVDs, or you can look around on YouTube. These clips feature bad things happening to good people, most of them painful. Although you need a good sense of humor to enjoy these, at least you can feel good because they’re not happening to you. For instance, you can see the “accuracy test” where a guy’s friend lets him shoot a tin can off his head. Don’t try these at home!

Stock class and pump paintball is a challenging style of play that tests your skills in a way that the high-tech newer styles can’t. But stock class equipment is hard to find.

There’s a lot of controversy about what is true stock class paintball. Depending on how much of a purist you are, any or all of the following types of play may be considered stock class.

Basic stock class – guns have horizontal feed tube, 12 grams CO2 power, and no auto triggers, check valves, or ball gates.
Partial Stock Class- guns have auto triggers, and can have a constant air tank OR a hopper but not both
Amped Stock- guns have constant air tank AND a hopper, auto triggers, check valves, and ball gates
Open – guns have pneumatic assist and anything else, as long as they need to be pumped.