Koei Face Mask

[jond36]

I just bought this mask off a friend, but I need a pair of Goggles for my eyes. What is the most durable (and cheap if possible).

 

Edit: AKA- Sykes mask

[uscmCorps]

How strong is the plastic Koei mask? I imagine it's nowhere near as strong as the original Sykes Mask which is fiberglass. I'd consider it though, as the new Gen 2 Sykes Mask is softer in features and details kinda larger overall. So ... how strong does it feel?

[heroshark]

How strong is the plastic Koei mask? I imagine it's nowhere near as strong as the original Sykes Mask which is fiberglass. I'd consider it though, as the new Gen 2 Sykes Mask is softer in features and details kinda larger overall. So ... how strong does it feel?

 

made of the right plastic I would say its possibly stronger, but maybe heavier. The resin used in the sykes is very brittle. As seen in utty's review ,the impact on the sykes shatters the resin leaving the fibers to hold it all together .A few more hard hits on the same spot there would be nothing left but fluffed up fibers, due to its minimal construction. As seen in this review, http://www.ampair.net/e107_plugins/forum/f....php?35576.last

 

On topic .If you dont mind mesh ,try bitter end .He might mesh it for you , and if not I will .Heres one I meshed earlier

 

[Frontiers]

that review you linked is ###### review that spread when Sykes masks where on their start with Gen 1. kind of pointless to link to that review and boost your own masks on the side Sykes masks wont break like that, that review you linked even was talk of that it was fake mask in Filairsoft forums...not the real Sykes masks. many of my friends use in various countries Sykes masks and not once i have heard that it would had shattered. Even Utty states in that review i talked with him that it makes nice cool lookin spots that just lose the colour mainly its nothing that it would drill through...

[heroshark]

that review you linked is ###### review that spread when Sykes masks where on their start with Gen 1. kind of pointless to link to that review and boost your own masks on the side Sykes masks wont break like that, that review you linked even was talk of that it was fake mask in Filairsoft forums...not the real Sykes masks. many of my friends use in various countries Sykes masks and not once i have heard that it would had shattered. Even Utty states in that review i talked with him that it makes nice cool lookin spots that just lose the colour mainly its nothing that it would drill through...

 

 

I don't have to boost my masks ,they speak for themselves. I've got enough on my plate as it is. Anyhow I make nothing like the sykes If you want that type of mask, I don't make them .As for rubbish .The sykes is plenty strong enough .I was reffering to its durability compaired to a mask made with the right plastic ,like the sensei lower. Being that the masks are made very thin ,with chopped strand matte ,and a brittle resin .I belive that with a focused battering in the same spot it is very possible that you could get this sort of dammage imho .Not that it would ever happen in game .Its mearly a comparison to plastic. I think if your gonna make a mask that thin plastic is the better material. So if anything I'm backing the koei. Also, if I were trying to boost my sales, why would I point him I another direction before me

[KWP]

How strong is the plastic Koei mask? I imagine it's nowhere near as strong as the original Sykes Mask which is fiberglass. I'd consider it though, as the new Gen 2 Sykes Mask is softer in features and details kinda larger overall. So ... how strong does it feel?

It feels strong. The mask comes in skin colour (tan). That should make it really scary.

[uscmCorps]

I think it's possible that the Sykes mask has a great degree of quality control ... some are up to the task, some are not. The samples I received were decent and strong enough, but I have heard of a few buyers who were less than pleased.

 

As you can tell from my avatar, I use a Sykes mask a lot, and I had BitterEnd mesh it soon after I got it as I couldn't find a single set of goggles that'd give me a 100% secure seal to the mask. I've since used it many times, have taken many hits on the mask, and it's just kept on going.

 

From a couple weekends ago:

 

One thing I personally added to the mask was a strap that goes over the top of the head to ensure it doesn't slip at all (except, mine goes from temple to temple rather than over the forehead).

 

Thanks for the pic KWP! Do you know if the one at ebayBanned (link) is the same one as what you have? It's always hard to tell with clones ... there are so many sometimes that it's hard to say if one is the same as the next.

My fear is that I'll order the one on ebayBanned and end up getting a cheap, thin, weak POS mask that sucks compared to the one you're describing. Of course, I can always pick it up myself when I go back to HK in September ... but I'm impatient and I need a couple of them NOW !!!

 

Edit: a couple more pics:

Before mesh:

 

After mesh:

 

Edit:

I guess I can order the Koei mask directly from RSOV.com

 

Edit:

I find it pretty ironic that the Japanese cloned something!

[Frontiers]

How strong is the plastic Koei mask? I imagine it's nowhere near as strong as the original Sykes Mask which is fiberglass. I'd consider it though, as the new Gen 2 Sykes Mask is softer in features and details kinda larger overall. So ... how strong does it feel?

 

what i've heard from some retailers who stock these, Sykes have improved his masks with every batch he has made. The Koei mask has 3 different makers in china also copies, all in hong kong i think is chinese copies not the original Koei mask but its ok i've tried it just dont have much padding or is not so soft to use as Sykes masks but its cheap alternative and not bad if you fix it little yourself. Surely is strong i don't think from that hard plastic nothing would come through.

[heroshark]

but I'm impatient and I need a couple of them NOW !!!

 

 

dont know what its like ,but have you considered this ? http://www.airsoftpost.com/matrix-tactical...al-p-30030.html

[Frontiers]

I don't have to boost my masks ,they speak for themselves. I've got enough on my plate as it is. Anyhow I make nothing like the sykes If you want that type of mask, I don't make them .As for rubbish .The sykes is plenty strong enough .I was reffering to its durability compaired to a mask made with the right plastic ,like the sensei lower. Being that the masks are made very thin ,with chopped strand matte ,and a brittle resin .I belive that with a focused battering in the same spot it is very possible that you could get this sort of dammage imho .Not that it would ever happen in game .Its mearly a comparison to plastic. I think if your gonna make a mask that thin plastic is the better material. So if anything I'm backing the koei. Also, if I were trying to boost my sales, why would I point him I another direction before me

just felt with linking to that ###### review which is not real was kinda low blow to try to talk them down and such. but good luck for you aswell i heard there is new competitor from Thailand making new design masks so it evolves

[heroshark]

just felt with linking to that ###### review which is not real was kinda low blow to try to talk them down and such. but good luck for you aswell i heard there is new competitor from Thailand making new design masks so it evolves

 

what I do is more a hobby, I could never compeat with mass produced masks like these .Especially with the price of foreign labour .Theres alot of masks and makers about .Another UK maker too ,doing his version of the ao2, persian, and a gow inspired mask

[Armourdillo]

.Another UK maker too ,doing his version of the ao2, persian, and a gow inspired mask

 

That'll be me ......my masks are not copys of the cactus masks tho....as are alot of masks that have appeared lately......mine are a completely different design in terms of materials and coverage. My AO2 masks for example cover the entire head.....more like a helmet really.

I have seen your masks in your thread and i think they are cool......and with the materials you are using they will be strong as fook and will def be able to take a pounding!!

As far as mesh goes tho....i'm not a fan of the woven mesh you use as the bb's tend to split on impact and the paint tends to vaporise.....i use perforated steel sheet.....not like the stuff in this thread above.....as mine wont even dent after a full mag has been unleashed at point blank......paint will come off.....but only on the outside......the inside of the mesh is rubberised so you dont get paint shrapnel in your eyes.

 

http://www.popularairsoft.com/british-made...-airsoft-market

[uscmCorps]

Frontiers, thanks for the info. Guess I'll give them (RSOV) a try.

 

dont know what its like ,but have you considered this ? http://www.airsoftpost.com/matrix-tactical...al-p-30030.html

 

Yeah, I've seen them before. They're supposedly modeled after the Hulk mask, a notion I always found amusing given that I worked on the VFX for the movie. I'm kinda more interested in the Sykes style as it's the design I've gotten used to and I know it works for me. The problem is that the version 2 Sykes masks I've seen appeared very soft in the details which I'm not a big fan of, plus they appear a bit more flared. If I can't find a version 1 Sykes mask, it looks like the Koei is my next best bet.

 

[uscmCorps]

As far as mesh goes tho....i'm not a fan of the woven mesh you use as the bb's tend to split on impact and the paint tends to vaporise.....i use perforated steel sheet.....not like the stuff in this thread above.....as mine wont even dent after a full mag has been unleashed at pont blank......paint will come off.....but only on the outside......the inside of the mesh is rubberised so you dont get paint shrapnel in your eyes.

From what I recall, Heroshark has never used woven mesh. He's always used perforated sheet metal (either aluminum or steel, can't recall which), but definitely not woven mesh.

 

My biggest issue with some of the meshed masks I've received over the years was the perforation thickness and space between the holes. The original Dizon AO2 masks I got from Cactus Hobbies had that problem. The hopes were too big and the space between the holes too wide making visibility not optimal. They've since changed the mesh they used and when I get my new sample I'll review that too. The best mesh I've ever seen used in a mask was the perforated steel Bitterend used in his goggles and that he installed in my Sykes mask. To me, it had the perfect balance of visibility, clarity and strength. After seeing what he used I went and found nearly the same stuff at my metal supplier and that's what i used in my Heat Hockey Mask conversion:

http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums/inde...howtopic=160089

 

Mesh strength and overall safety is one thing, clarity is another. And I've been using mesh for over 17 years now.

[heroshark]

I have seen your masks in your thread and i think they are cool......and with the materials you are using they will be strong as fook and will def be able to take a pounding!!

As far as mesh goes tho....i'm not a fan of the woven mesh you use as the bb's tend to split on impact and the paint tends to vaporise.....i use perforated steel sheet.....not like the stuff in this thread above.....as mine wont even dent after a full mag has been unleashed at point blank......paint will come off.....but only on the outside......the inside of the mesh is rubberised so you dont get paint shrapnel in your eyes.

 

http://www.popularairsoft.com/british-made...-airsoft-market

 

 

Cheers bud .Yours look good too, but as said I don't use woven mesh .There is one at the end of my thread someone else has made with woven ,which you've probably saw .Anyway back on topic .I think the problem is all these face shape masks have to be larger than the average face .Making most goggles too small to make a good contact with the mask

[jond36]

Edit:

I guess I can order the Koei mask directly from RSOV.com

 

Edit:

I find it pretty ironic that the Japanese cloned something!

 

 

I looked into it a while ago and found RSOV is the cheapist. 2 masks $12 w./ $6 shipping. Can't beat it.

 

Anyhow, it looks sturdy enough. It is the green mask. It looks just like the one shown.

 

On topic, I try to stay away from mesh. Bio bbs tend to shatter through them. Any other suggestions

[jond36]

dont know what its like ,but have you considered this ? http://www.airsoftpost.com/matrix-tactical...al-p-30030.html

 

 

These are called solider masks. Ebay is cheaper. About $17 from Ebay. No goggles though.

[galactica]

Since we're on the subject, I skirmished my Heroshark half-mask yesterday for the first time and it was absolutely brilliant. By far the best made mask i've had, extremely comfortable, not sweat-inducing and very very breathable. I speak as an owner of both a Sykes and an original cactus hobbies rios. Heroshark is *the* daddy.

[jond36]

is that like this?: http://www.rsov.com/index.php?target=produ...product_id=2984

[Armourdillo]

but as said I don't use woven mesh .There is one at the end of my thread someone else has made with woven ,which you've probably saw

 

Sorry man....my bad...you are right...it was one that someone else had done.

[heroshark]

Since we're on the subject, I skirmished my Heroshark half-mask yesterday for the first time and it was absolutely brilliant. By far the best made mask i've had, extremely comfortable, not sweat-inducing and very very breathable. I speak as an owner of both a Sykes and an original cactus hobbies rios. Heroshark is *the* daddy.

 

your too kind

 

Sorry man....my bad...you are right...it was one that someone else had done.

 

no problem bud

[Frontiers]

is that like this?: http://www.rsov.com/index.php?target=produ...product_id=2984

 

this mask is POS dont get this one, very unconfortable to use, get the KOEI or Airsoft Soldier or whatever name they use, that EBaybanneds Army of two clones are not very confortable either