JT Proflex Paintball 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 many different masks. Everything from the lower end Scott and Tippmann Masks that came with my first 98 Custom to the Empire E-Vents, V-Force Grill and Dye I4's with almost everything in between. 

I have been using the JT Proflex almost exclusively for the past couple years (since I first tried them on).

How does it look and "making it yours?"

This is all opinion, what do you think? The Proflex has more options to make it look different or more the way you want than any other mask I can think of. Every part is interchangeable with a different color or option. 
Below is one of my Flex's; Chrome lens, pink bottoms, blue frame, blue and pink checkered KM strap, Black soft ears:

Field of Vision and Fog?
As with the other high end masks, the field of vision is excellent and rivals its competition. I have also never had an issue with fog. I have used the above mask in Massachusetts for almost 2 years, as well as a hot summer day of play in Florida and not one fog issue. 


Weight and Overall Comfort:
This is a very light mask. For comparison, it is lighter than the E-Vents I used to use. This is the most comfortable mask I have ever used in paintball. I don't have any complaints here. The foam on the lens frame has held great over the course of my use, and shows no sign of wear yet. The picture below is the frame (upside down) showing the foam has yet to show any issues.

Ventilation and Sound:

Ventilation could only be better if the face protection wasn't there. You can see just by looking at it how well it vents. Row after row of holes all around the mouth (and whole bottom for that matter) allows the air to dissipate quickly in all conditions, even heavy breathing. 

Also, when yelling to others on the field, there is no "echo" as with some other masks. The only way it could be improved would be to have nothing in front of your mouth (and we could all guess how that would end up). 

The Proflex utilizes "soft ears" meaning instead of hard plastic covering your ears (grill, vents etc) you have a piece of foam attached to the mask and held in place by the strap. These are pictured below.

These soft ears allow you to hear excellent. This means a lot to me, as my hearing isn't too great in the first place. Some companies also offer soft ears with designs or in different colors.

Lens Changing:

Changing the lens. This is the downfall of the Proflex for many people. Think about it, between games you don't want to be wasting those few minutes struggling with a lens. V-Force, DYE, Empire and others have a far faster system for changing the lens quickly. If you are looking to get a Flex, you have to face the fact you won't be changing your lens in 10 seconds any time soon.

To some, this is the make or break feature. To me, its no big deal. I don't mind taking a minute or two to change my lens. The first few times, it will be mildly difficult. After that, it tends to get easier, because you now understand how to do it better, and the part has gotten a bit "softer" around the clips, allowing you to do it faster.

The Proflex uses little clips around the lens to attach to the frame. You insert these "clips" into holes in the frame to lock it into place. It is a very secure system and the lens will not come loose.

You can see in the pictures the "clips," in the picture above you can see "clips" on the underside (2 near the nose area, two near where your cheeks contact the foam).

Coverage and Safety:

The Proflex provides excellent coverage for everyone I know who has tried it on. Unlike some others (I4...) you don't need a small head to wear it. You will have to get used to a couple features though if you are coming from another mask.

For one, the soft ears. They are.. soft. I know who would have thought, right? This means when you get hit in that soft ear, you will feel it a bit more than the hard ears or the thicker soft ears on others (in my experience, DYE uses thicker ears). 

The second is the mask bottoms:

The whole  black part you see is much softer than most other masks. Yes, this promotes bounces. But once in a while you will get a hit farther down on that piece and it will flex a bit much and you feel it more than you want to.

As you can also see in the pic, the Proflex comes with a non-removable (without modification) chinstrap. I know most people prefer just to cut this off or drill out the rivet, but I like it there. I had a nasty incident with barbed wire on a renegade/outlaw field that pulled my mask off, and since then... you get the point.

What does it come with?

If you choose to buy a Flex brand new, you will receive the mask with a clear lens. You will also receive a visor (not pictured, I prefer to run without one) and a drawstring bag to keep the mask from getting dirt/dust on it or the lens from being scratched. The bag I received was not the same material as the Empire ones though (which was microfiber, excellent for cleaning paint off your mask).

Overall Quality:

Again, not a bad thing to say after all my use of it.

Other Information:

Like I said above, everything on this mask can be customized the way you like it. This is one of my masks and I am about to build another. I prefer KM straps based upon quality and what is in this image:

At the moment, I can't see myself switching to a different mask as long as parts are still being made for the Flex and I can get a new lens once in a while.

Below are a couple pictures of me "in action" with the Flex (a cooler way to say "I am wearing it"):

Center in the multicam. This is one of my other Flex's (black with a rose lens)

Eclipse Distortion Pants Review

Coming soon.

Special Ops SC Forearm Guard Review

This Review is by "maniac3641." As always if you have questions or comments etc, feel free to comment below.

When I first started playing stock class, I would run around the field with 10 round tubes and 12 grams in my pockets. Predictably, it caused quite a bit of ruckus and wasn’t comfortable.  Often times I would reach for a tube and find my paintballs had spilled and burst.  As I got more serious about stock class, I looked into different harnesses and found two products I was very interested in.

The Review: 

These Forearm guards are custom made from Special Ops. As expected, custom products take more time to make and ship. but it is well worth the wait. 

Special Ops states: “Most orders will ship within a week or 2 but we guarantee that all orders will be shipped within 30 days from order placement. 3 day and 7 day RUSH options are available.” 

Features & Specifications:

• Great for carrying 12 gram CO2 cartridges or 10 rd tubes. Also can hold tubes of Tiberious “First Strike” rounds.
• Padded and comfortable.
• Lightweight
• Available in 5 different camouflages: ACU Digi, Coyote, Crye Multicam, MarPat, and Woodland. 
• Made in the USA by a great company with great customer service.
• 18 slots, 6 slots on each strip to fit up to 18 12 grams, or six 10 rd tubes and six 12 grams.
• 3 Elastic bands secure the forearm guards to your arm (These are meant to be worn over clothing or even pads, so it will a little loose on your bare arm).
• It has also has slight padding to protect your arm from paintball impacts. (Not meant to bear the brunt of a dive/slide, this would put all your 12 grams and 10 round tubes in the dirt anyway).
• The guard also extends and tapers, configuring to cover your hand up to the base of the fingers, adding sting protection on hands.

  I have owned other wrist and forearm carriers and was not impressed.  First off, I like how the SpecOps guards look, and they fit into the rest of my gear nicely. They carry what I need onto the field dependably. Depending on what you have loaded onto them, you will barely notice the weight on your arm. It is very secure and distributes the weight evenly. 

As long as you have some layers on your arm (one or two shirts etc), they stay right where they are supposed to. I ordered them in Crye Multicam, which matches the rest of my gear. Many companies have yet to offer genuine Crye Multicam, so this was excellent. I find these are a fantastic product at a great price.

Cons:

   As stated above, the forearm guards are a superior product compared to what I have used before. However, carrying a load on your forearms and getting it to conform and really stay put on your arm is really quite difficult. As such, they has a few general cons to be addressed.

The biggest con (could be a pro as well) is having to wear a layer or two under this forearm guard, or allowing for the larger forearms. I have “average” size forearms. As a result, if I was to wear these with no sleeves, it would be too loose to bother with. My solution is simply to wear arm pads underneath. 

The only other problem is that while carrying the heaviest load possible (18 12-grams), they tend to shift and move while running. But again, that is a natural con to these products and can’t really be helped too much. 

My last small con is that it was advertised with a loop to go around your finger to secure it. The product I received didn’t have that. To me, it is no big deal, and if more of a personal preference than a defect. Since I  wear this with armpads (that secure the same way) I don’t use it anyways, so it wasn’t a big deal to me.

*Note: I did not contact the company to get this remedied as I like it better this way. If I did, I’m sure they would correct it with no problem.

In conclusion, this is a great product that I would definitely recommend to stock class players. I have always been a fan of Special Ops work, and they continue to produce quality and innovative products at good prices. 

Rating: 4.8/5.0

If you are interested in them, check out this link:

http://shop.specialopspaintball.com/index.php/special-ops-stock-class-forearm-guard.html

Note by Justin: Before ordering, you may want to contact Special Ops about them. Considering they are custom made, chances are, you can order them to fit a better if you don’t want to wear pads underneath. For him, it works fine. If you don’t want to, this may be a better option.

BT Apex Barrel Review

Background information:
This review is of the first generation Apex barrel. There is a newer generation that has been aesthetically improved and advertises the same abilities: Click here for link to Apex2.


I received this barrel with an A-5 I bought from another player via the Special Ops Forums. I used the Apex for a period of about 6 months (alternating with a few other barrels). 


The Apex barrel is meant to give you an advantage over another player. It allows you to "curve" the paintball around a tree, over a bunker or other obstacle. 


This advantage is nice to have, but it is not something you can just think to your paintball "curve over there" and it will happen. The user needs to manually spin the apex tip as well as adjust the angle of the rubberized ramp located in the end of the barrel (using a tab located on the Apex).


I found this barrel a blast for "plinking" at targets in the yard. Though in practical applications (aka a game) it was more of a hinderance to keep adjusting. It is very hard to get the right combination of backspin/distance to curve balls around a bunker, but it did do as advertised.


The only competition for this product is the Tippmann Flatline barrel, which pales in comparison. It is pickier on paint, can not be "shut off," It also can't do any of the other features of the Apex or Apex2 (removable tip etc). 


The Apex Tip can also be adapted to other barrel tips using something commonly known as the "tape mod" or an adapter. 




Pro's:
-"Flatline" or "backspin" effect can be shut off
- tip can be removed and put on a better barrel with an adapter
- allows you to shoot farther
- Works best during scenarios where you can hit masses that can't reach out to you

Con's:
- The "curving around a bunker" effect is not as great as it seems, and is almost pointless (in my opinion), although, when set for distance, it works fine.
- Not tourny legal
-Added distance, but more bounces at this distance.
-The stock barrel for an Apex tip is almost identical to the A-5 stock barrel, same porting and length. It leaves much to be desired. (


Recommendation:
If your are set on improving the distance of your paintball gun, and are thinking about purchasing a Flatline or Apex/Apex2 barrel, I have to recommend the Apex. It is a cheaper and (in my opinion) better product. I would rather not use one at all and just have a decent barrel bore/paintball match, but if you are set on it this review will hopefully help you choose between.

V-Force Grill Review

Background Info:
The only mask I had used before I bought a set of V-Force Grillz was the stock Tippmann/Scott mask that comes in the "Tippmann 98C Power Pack." I had decided that that mask just didn't cut it, and I needed something that performed much better. I did some research, and decided to buy the V-Force Grill.

Looks:
Some people say you look like a "bug" or an alien of some sort when you put it on, but most love the aggressive styling of the Grillz. A lot of the newer, higher end masks are starting to have a more "agressive" style to them. I used Reverse Green/Black Grillz (Pretty much Olive Drab/Black) with an amber lens. I must say it looked good. 

Comfort:
The Grill beat out that old Tippmann/Scott mask in every area by far. Comfort was a massive step up, as was everything else. Although I prefer my Proflex over anything right now, who knows what I will try next. Every high end mask I have used has been comfortable, this is really a matter of personal preference.

Field Of Vision/Lens:
The Grill offers a good field of vision. Not the best, but still an excellent field of vision (exactly how it should be with a nice mask). Something everyone must know about all V-Force masks, and (in my opinion) a large downside is that V-Force masks are not equipped with true thermal lenses. They are coated instead. I found this coating wore off after a couple months of use and had to be replaced to avoid a good deal of fogging issues.

Ventilation: 
The V-Force Grill has good ventilation. I wouldn't give it "five stars" in this category, simply because I know there is better. When breathing hard in this mask, it was easy for me to tell that ventilation could have been better.

Lens Changing/Maintenance:
Extremely easy to change the lens. The E-Vents are just as easy, but you don't do it in the same way. The removable foam is also an excellent idea, and allows you to quickly change out sweaty foam between games or replace old foam if you choose to.


Protection/Coverage:Many of the newer masks are getting smaller and smaller. The Grill is an excellent choice for many people because it is not made for only people with tiny heads (*cough* I4). It gave me enough protection to be more than satisfied (as well as any friends who used it).


Sound/Hearing:
Sound and hearing are something I have been hearing more about these days when considering a mask. I found that while wearing the grill I could hear my teammates just fine and they could hear me. I have only heard of being impaired with a couple masks, and haven't experienced it myself.


 Final Recommendation:
I definitely recommend this mask. It is an excellent choice, and you definitely get your moneys worth. Though I was happy to switch to E-Vents, and even happier to switch to a set of Proflex's. As always, if you are planning to buy a high end mask, try some out at your local pro shop first. What works for me may not be your best choice.




As usual with my reviews, if there is anything I could add or you have comments or additions, feel free to post up.


EDIT (22OCT2011): VForce has released a dual pane lens for the Grill. I haven't had a chance to try one but now this mask can really compete with the others I have reviewed.

AGD SuperKnife Review

I bought this from the user "BenoitOWN" on MCB. It is basically a private label "SuperKnife." It is the exact same as the company product except that it has the AGD engraving on it.

There isn't much to say as it is simply a utility knife. I have already found it handy in many situations. I usually carry either this, a Kershaw Leek, or my Leatherman around daily, or a mix. I use it mainly when I know I will mess up a normal blade. It is far easier just to pop a new razor into this than ruin a good edge and/or replace the latter.

The only product I can compare to is a Husky knife I used to carry around. It was the same concept, but the locking mechanism wasn't as "smooth" as this, and it was awkward to hold; as well as slightly more bulky.

Definitely a knife I look forward to keeping around for a long time.

Field Review: Danger Zone Paintball

Danger Zone is located in Pensacola, Florida. It is close to where I am at the moment, although most of my gear is back home (sadly). For the first time in my life, I had to rent a marker. Thankfully I had a mask and a couple other small items. This is owned by MWR (Military Welfare & Recreation) and as such is technically a military base, so be sure not to use your cell while driving etc.

Danger Zone has a good amount of bunkers around the "front" of the field, but only a few in the "back." This makes it a very challenging field to play. To be honest it really makes me miss New England where a tree was large enough to use as a bunker. There are only a few here that work like that. The bunkers in the front are arranged in no particular way, but still makes for a fun day of play. Once you learn the field a bit, it becomes more fun. The rear has a couple "forts" which are a couple small (around 15' by 10') plywood bunkers.

Gameplay and the people are the best parts. Many of the fields I have played had the crowd who felt the world would end even if they lost, even on rec days (that may be a small exaggeration). There was a small amount of people today, around 20 tops. The caliber of the people were excellent though. I played with fellow Navy, Marine,  Air Force and civilians. Everyone had great sportsmanship, played honorably and had a great time. The field has a very laid back feel to it.

Now for the bad: The whole "laid back feel" transfers right into safety. Safety was almost non-existent. I say almost, because the players were adamant on policing each other. A player who tilted his mask back to see better was immediately told to pull it back down by a teammate. Another who was walking back to the staging area was told by another to put a barrel condom on and did so without complaint. The good thing is barrel condoms were abundant. If someone didn't have one, they were promptly given one without a second thought.

In all honestly, this is one of the few places I can see the above (safety portion) working. No one had problems when told to correct an issue, and did so without arguing.

Rental equipment was not too bad. As said, this is the first time I had rented in my life, so bear with me. There was 70+ Tippmann 98C's; some older, and some the newest versions. They were kept in relatively good order and when I had a problem I was issued a new marker without complaint. The masks didn't seem half bad, though I used my own (wouldn't play without it).

Pricing:
Admission: $15
Paint: $50 Per case (Premium), $15 for 500, and prices in between.
Compressed air fills: free with admission*
Co2: Unsure as I used CA with the rentals all day, most likely well priced

The field has a very laid back/old school feel to it. This is not only its downfall (safety), but it is also the best part. The caliber of customers could not be better. I haven't played since September and I could not have asked for a better time today. No overgrown ego's, just relaxed people and players having a good time.

*Compressed air tanks can only be filled to 2000 PSI as they are filled out of large tanks, not a compressor

Note: I also found another review on www.pbreview.com that sums this field up very well. If you would like to search type in "32508" as a zip code in the field finder.