Dye i4 Mask
 

I'm doing a review about the Dye i4 paintball mask, as I haven't seen one posted up yet, and I feel that I've used the mask thoroughly enough to do a in depth review about it.

Previous masks used: Dye i4, JT Flex, JT Spectra, Empire Vents Avatar, Grillz, Proto Switch EL, ILLusion bought Sykes AO2 mesh mask, JT Radar
Cost - ~$120
Extra lenses - ~$35 and readily available at local paintball stores

Time of use - 1.5 years

Packaging:
Let me start off from the packaging. It comes in a small box, which when opened, has the mask sitting on a pedestal like platform, under which has literature about the mask, warranty, etc. The mask has the amber HD lens installed, with a temporary lens protector. It also comes with a rip stop material bag to carry the mask in, to protect your mask during transportation to games. The packaging is very good, there is no way your mask is going to be damaged during shipping, some of the best packaging I've seen on any mask.

Description:
The mask is made from several materials - the jawline and mouth protector are made from a thick rubber, making it solid, yet flexible around the sides, so you can get down your iron sights, the frame around the lens is made from high quality plastic, and the foam that contacts your face is soft, and comfortable. The ear protectors are made from a spandex like material, which makes it flexible, strong enough to protect your ears from incoming bb's, but sound permeable, so you can still hear pretty well. The lens is pretty thick, making it harder to scratch. The lens is thermal, meaning there are two lenses, with a foam seal between them to prevent fogging.

The lens that comes with the mask is an amber lens, which apparently is HD, designed to make colors pop out more. Since I am a fan of clear lenses I never used the original lens so I can't confirm how good it is. The lens is built very well, the seal between the lenses is strong, I have not experienced fogging ever with this mask, in any environment (I play indoor and outdoor games every weekend. Another awesome thing about the lens is the field of view. Looking straight ahead, I have phenomenal peripheral vision, and I can even see my pouches on my vest if I look down, without moving my head.

Maintenance:
Taking off the lens is a breeze. It requires no tools, and can be done in about 10 seconds. also, the lens has only two points of contact holding it in, one under each earpiece, which means no damage to your inner lens, and no damage to the seal between your lens, which means your lens will last much longer then say, JT lenses, which have many points of contact, and removing the lens from the frame often causes a break in the seal, and fogging.

One thing to note - if you decide to buy this mask, try it on in the store to confirm that it covers your jawline.

Pros:
Very strong construction
Great face and ear coverage (again confirm that it fits your face type)
Unparalleled field of view
Great lenses
Flexible cheeks - you can see down the iron sights of any gun comfortably
Will never fog - there are vents around the mask to circulate air, the lens is thermal
Lightweight
Comes with an HD lens
Lenses are easy to find, there are many different kinds of lenses (tinted, clear, amber etc.)
Comes in different colors and camo's (the one pictured is called lizard skin, which resembles cadpat.)

Cons:
Might not fit your face type
Might be out of your price range

Conclusion
Overall, this is a great mask for airsoft. I can see myself using this mask for the next few years. I've been using the same lens that I had installed since the day I bought it, and it has almost no marks on it. I would recommend this mask to anyone who doesn't already have a mask, or to anyone who is looking to replace their "fog resistant" mask that fogs 24/7.
The mask is pricey for some, but you get what you pay for, and would you really trust your eyes to a $20 "airsoft rated" mask written in chinese that fogs as soon as you put it on? Didn't think so.

Photos:
Mask, with HD lens on the side, clear installed, with the bag
http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/v...hoto_004-2.jpg
Side view of mask
http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/v...hoto_003-1.jpg
Vents on top of mask
http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/v...hoto_002-1.jpg
Face coverage
http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/v...hoto_001-1.jpg
Ear coverage
http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/v...oy/photo-2.jpg

are the goggles detachable from the mask??

i know ive seen some ppl with just Dye goggles during some games, not sure if it is the i4 or some older model

can you wear a helmut with this mask?

Yes you can, it fits perfectly with my replica SF helmet and a couple of my teammates use Mitch2000 with it.

I've had problems before of my mask fogging when I wore a helmet because the helmet restricted airflow out of the mask. Will I have the same problem when I wear a helmet with this mask?

No fogging at all and I used it exclusively with my helmet on.

That's goodnto know! I will definitely consider buying a helmets again. It was such a shame to sell it.

Ive been looking at picking up this mask myself, how is it for looking down your iron sights?

I've had no problem looking down the sights with an M4, AK, Aug or G36. I can't see down the sights on my UMP however because they are super low.

The goggles are not detachable, however, there is no need to detach them since the lower part is tight against your face.

Could you wear one of these masks while wearing glasses.

Can you wear glasses with this mask?

glasses and goggles are a tough call. Some glasses will fit, others won't. It depends on the shape of your face and the type of glasses you have.
Remember too, as soon as you put glasses in any goggle system, you're adding another layer that can/will fog (the glasses lens).

You CAN wear glasses with this mask, I've worn sunglasses under them for outdoor games with no problems. You will encounter your glasses fogging when the humidity rises, but the mask WONT fog.

Great review. I was iffy about the mask until I came across this. Recently purchased it and I gotta say I fucking love it! Only problem I had was trying to snug my cheek as close as I can to the charging handle to sight down my RDS, but all in all best low-profile full face mask atm. A little paranoid about the chin and mouth exposure but that's the trade-off of low profile!

Great review. I was iffy about the mask until I came across this. Recently purchased it and I gotta say I fucking love it! Only problem I had was trying to snug my cheek as close as I can to the charging handle to sight down my RDS, but all in all best low-profile full face mask atm. A little paranoid about the chin and mouth exposure but that's the trade-off of low profile!

Glad to hear my review helped you! I'd recommend wearing a beanie on your head and a shemagh on your neck for maximum coverage.
Unless you are yelling alot you won't have to worry too much about chin or jaw shots, I've yet to be shot in the jaw or neck, it's usually my hands, neck and top of my head that get hit, which is exactly why I wear extra protection.

I cant hear anything or communicate with my team members while wearing this mask. Other then that its ok. Not something I'm going to stick with forever.

Are the vent holes in the front small enough and rigid enough to stop a BB? How about other areas around the mask?

Vent holes appear to be small and rigid enough, than again shit happens. All I can say is I've gamed mines for awhile now, playing at a handful of CQB games with some folks shooting slightly hot and I've never had an issue with a BB penetrating the vents in my mask. Been sprayed in the face (no homo) plenty of times and my mask has held up incredibly well. Only minor scratches on the lens, but no BB's getting past it or the vent holes. The only areas of the mask you should be really concerned with is the neck and top of the head area as the masks' design leaves those spots vulnerable.

I have been playing cqb style games weekly, no physical damage on the mask except small marks (dots really..) on the lens and rubber parts of the mask from bb hits. The mouthpiece is built well, it is slightly flexible, so it isn't likely to break from a hit, more likely to dent if anything. I even got shot close range at 500fps (in the lens) by a WE SCAR that spiked, no damage to the mask.

i4 w/ MICH2000
 

Thank you Boris & Noypi!! You've been able to answer questions I've had since I initially found this mask ") Woot!

some pics of the mask with some common head wear would be great. How are they when using the Comtac headsets?

Good review, picked one up myself after reading this and I must say the mask is awesome!!! It actually allows you to get a proper cheek weld to look down your iron sights, also I tested it's compatibility with some helmets I own, IBH and MICH and it fits great! As I like to be kindof crazy with the would MILSIM look and looking realistic I thought I'd wear a skull faced balaclava over the mask but was worries there might be some fogging issues so I went outside and in 3 deg C I ran around for about 20 mins trying to get it to fogg up and I am happy to report this as a non issue!!! Great mask! If you must wear paintball approved gogs this is definatly the one to get!!

Some pics:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...y/IMG_1299.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...y/IMG_1300.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...y/IMG_1301.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...y/IMG_1316.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...y/IMG_1315.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...y/IMG_1317.jpg

That looks really awesome Rockafella.

Good to know it compliments the fitting of helmets. I think I'll be picking up a FAST helmet next week.

On another note, I've got a few questions:

1) Is the radio headset just for show? Or can it actually function in spite of the DyeI4 soft ear piece that covers over your ears.

2) I doubt it would work, but do you think the helmet would allow for the fitting of an additional Contour Cam that's already been mounted to the lens? Worst case I know I can just mount the camera onto the helmet, but I'd prefer it directly on my mask. Here's some pictures of mines for your judgement.

http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_0683.jpg
http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_0684.jpg
http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMG_0686.jpg

Totally badass looking where'd you get that half mask?

that does look pretty fuckin gnarley rockafella

Just wanna share,

Dye I4 masks is indeed a comfortable mask to use with for paintball and airsoft games..

I've used both for jungle games for both paintball and airsoft.. Very light and easy to breath.

Another Paintball you guys can consider is the SLY Paintball Mask.. Its very comfortable too. :p

Check out the following link.

http://www.ansgear.com/Sly_Profit_Pa...rofit-camo.htm

That would be the Dye i3 line, they are murder to replace the lenses, but the goggle frame actually separates from the mask so you can use it as just goggles.