Eye protection, face masks and helmets
Eye protection is the one piece of airsoft kit where getting it wrong has a permanent consequence, and it is also the piece people buy on price. This is what the markings mean and how to decide - but the rules that bind you are your site's, not this page's.
Start with your site's rules, because there is no national one
There is no UK-wide legal standard for airsoft eye protection. Each site sets its own rules, and those rules are what you have to satisfy.
That is worth stating plainly because a great deal of writing on this subject implies a single requirement that does not exist. Almost every source on it is a shop selling eyewear, and they do not agree with each other.
So: read the rules page of the site you are playing at, or email and ask, before you spend anything. If you are borrowing or hiring on your first day, they will provide eye protection and that is the right way to start.
What the markings mean
Two standards come up. ANSI Z87.1 is the American impact standard. EN 166 is the European one, and on EN 166 eyewear a letter grade indicates the impact level it was tested to.
The practical advice is the same either way: look for a standard actually printed on the lens or the frame. Marketing words - shatterproof, tactical, ballistic - mean nothing on their own, and anything with no marking at all should be treated as no marking at all.
Being honest about the limits of this: these are impact standards from general eye-protection regimes rather than airsoft-specific certification, and sites differ on what they accept. The marking is a floor to look for, not a guarantee your site will pass it.
Sealed lenses against mesh
A sealed lens keeps everything out, including fragments if a BB breaks up on impact. Its problem is fog, because your face is warm and the air inside is not moving. Anti-fog coatings, fans and twin-pane lenses all exist to fight this.
Mesh cannot fog, which is its whole appeal, and it is cooler to wear. The argument against it is that mesh is a grid of holes, and a BB that shatters can send fragments through one. Opinions on how real that risk is vary considerably, and some sites will not accept mesh at all - another reason to check before buying.
If you wear glasses, say so when you are choosing. Some goggles are cut to fit over frames and most are not, and prescription inserts are a thing.
Your teeth are not covered by goggles
Goggles protect eyes. A BB to an unprotected front tooth can chip or break it, and dentistry costs rather more than a lower face mask.
The options are a full-face mask, which covers everything in one piece and is the usual recommendation for younger players, or goggles plus a separate lower mesh mask, which is cooler and lets you aim down a sight properly. A balaclava or shemagh over the mouth is comfort and concealment rather than protection, and should not be mistaken for it.
Full-face masks have a known problem worth knowing about: the lens sits further from your eye and the mask fouls the stock of a rifle, so getting a proper cheek weld is harder.
What a helmet is actually for
Not protection from BBs, and certainly not ballistic protection. An airsoft helmet is a mounting platform and a bump hat.
What it genuinely does: carries night vision mounts, torches, cameras and counterweights, takes a cover so you can match a camouflage pattern, and stops you opening your scalp on a door frame or a low branch in a building.
Replica helmets sold for airsoft are not armour and are not tested as such. Genuine issue shells sometimes turn up second-hand, and a helmet that has done service may have taken impacts you cannot see - which is a reason not to treat any second-hand helmet as safety equipment.
Most of the helmet kit that passes through here is covers, counterweight pouches and NVG mount accessories rather than shells.
What is on these shelves, honestly
Helmet covers, counterweight bags and mount accessories, balaclavas and lower face masks come through regularly. Complete helmets and eye protection appear only occasionally.
Eye protection in particular is something to buy new rather than used unless you can see exactly what you are getting. A scratched lens is a weakened lens, and you cannot tell from a photograph what a pair of goggles has already been hit by. That is an odd thing for a second-hand shop to say and it is still the right advice.
What this guide does not do
It does not tell you what your site will accept, because only your site can. It does not certify anything, and nothing here should be read as a safety approval.
Questions
- Do I legally need rated eye protection for airsoft in the UK?
- There is no UK-wide legal standard specific to airsoft eye protection. Sites set their own rules and those are what bind you, so check the rules page of the site you are playing at. Most expect a recognised impact standard marked on the product.
- What rating should airsoft goggles have?
- Look for a standard printed on the lens or frame - ANSI Z87.1 is the American impact standard and EN 166 the European one. Treat unmarked eyewear as unrated. These are general eye-protection standards rather than airsoft certification, and sites vary in what they accept.
- Is mesh eye protection safe for airsoft?
- It is popular because it cannot fog, but mesh is a grid of holes and a BB that shatters on it can send fragments through. Views on the real risk differ and some sites do not allow mesh eye protection at all. Check before you buy.
- Do I need a lower face mask as well as goggles?
- Goggles do not protect your teeth, and a BB can chip or break a front tooth. Either a full-face mask or goggles plus a separate lower mesh mask solves it. A balaclava over the mouth is not protection.
- Can I wear glasses under airsoft goggles?
- Some goggles are cut to fit over prescription frames and most are not, so check specifically. Prescription inserts and prescription airsoft goggles both exist.
- Does an airsoft helmet protect you?
- Not from BBs in any meaningful way and not ballistically at all. It is a mounting platform for night vision, torches, cameras and counterweights, plus a bump hat for low door frames. Replica airsoft helmets are not armour and are not tested as such.
Sources
In the shop
Head and face kit on the shelf:
Written by the person who sorts the stock, not by a copywriter. Corrections are welcome at [email protected].
The other guides
- Airsoft and UK law: what the rules actually say
- MOLLE and PALS: working out what fits what
- MTP, Multicam, DPM, CCE and BTP: telling the patterns apart
- Osprey MK IV and MK IVA: which is which, and what fits
- Buying a second-hand airsoft gun: what to check
- British webbing: 58 Pattern, PLCE and MOLLE
- AEG, gas or CO2: which airsoft gun to buy
- Plate carrier, chest rig or battle belt