Empire E-Vents (08) Mask Review

An important note on buying a new paintball mask:

A paintball mask is not just another piece of equipment in your gear bag. Not only does it protect your eyes and ears and face, it can be the deciding factor in enjoying a day of paintball. Before you buy a paintball mask, TRY IT ON. This is the best advice one can give when you are shopping for a new mask. A mask will fit everyone differently, I may like a mask that you hate, but that does not make it a "bad" mask. A paintball mask is personal preference, get out to your local Pro-shop or paintball store and try it on before you buy. 

Some background information: 

I have used numerous paintball masks including:

-Many "lower end" masks (Examples are Tippmann/Scott etc.)

-V-Force Grill

-JT Proteus, Proflex

-Dye I4

-Vents Avatar

I bought the E-Vents when they came out for around 90 dollars. I was primarily using a V-Force Grill before I bought these. I used these for easily over a year.

How does it look?

This is something you must decide for yourself. Personally, I believe it looks good. If you don't, that's fine too. This is all a matter of opinion.

Field of vision and fog issues:

The E-Vents have a great field of vision. It is comparable to many of the other "high end" masks out there like the I4's and Proflex's. I have never had a problem with the field of vision on a "higher end" mask. This mask fogged once on me over the whole time I used it. It was an extremely hot summer day (100+ Fahrenheit) and the humidity was awful (to the point I was dripping in sweat). Other than that day, I never had issues with the lens fogging or not being able see.

Weight and Overall Comfort:

E-Vents are by no means heavy, though I have never had a problem with the weight of a mask, this is just something I hear many people complain about. It makes sense considering the weight does affect how the mask feels on my head though. For comparison, it is not as light as JT proflex's, but it is not far behind. I found it to be more comfortable (for me) than the Grill, but not as comfortable as the Proflex.

Ventilation and Sound:

In both aspects this is a top performer. Simon did a very good job making sure when you are breathing hard the air is still directed out of the mask. When yelling there was no "echo," and I could hear teammates talking to me fine as well.

Changing the lens:

Some paintball masks can be slightly time consuming and annoying to change the lens. This is one of the places where the E-Vents come into their own. It is extremely easy and fast to change the lens, I could literally do it in under 30 seconds with ease.

What does it come with?

When you buy a set of E-Vents, they come with a Microfiber bag, single pane clear lens, and a dual pane smoke/black tinted lens, which also comes in another a small microfiber bag for the lens.

A cool plus about the bags that they come in, is that they can be used to clean the lens, and work VERY well. Microfiber is the best material I have found to clean the lens after being "gogged."

Overall Quality:

I never had a chance to doubt the quality of the E-Vents. They never failed me, never fogged, the foam never tore or became unglued etc etc. Overall 10/10 in this category.

Other Information:

This is the same as the Vents Avatar mask, but with soft ears. You can buy different soft ears, different lenses and straps to customize the way you want it. You can also swap some of the parts (the pieces that retain the lens and have the colored Empire logo on them) with other colors if you want even more of a different look.

Should you buy E-Vents?

The first paragraph of my review has this covered. Try a set on and see for yourself.

A couple pictures of me using E-Vents with a mirror blue lens: