Newbie joining

[PoddyMcQ]

Hello all.

Took abit of time to get confirmed on the site, didn't like my primary email address.

Pádraig here, also known as Poddy.

I'm 27 and popped my paintball cherry on Saturday.
Now im hooked and want to play more.

Living in Northern Ireland seems to be abit of a drawback as Airsoft seems more popular and i can't seem to find any shops that sell Paintball gear.

Looking to get some gear starting with a mask and gloves, i like the look of the Sly Profit and the JT Flex 8 seen reviews and they seem decent enough just don't want to buy one online to find it doesn't fit perfectly and will then have to return it.

Any advice help or tips you guys can provide will be greatly appreciated and returned if i ever get the opportunity to

 

[Bolter]

Hello all.

Took abit of time to get confirmed on the site, didn't like my primary email address.

Pádraig here, also known as Poddy.

I'm 27 and popped my paintball cherry on Saturday.
Now im hooked and want to play more.

Living in Northern Ireland seems to be abit of a drawback as Airsoft seems more popular and i can't seem to find any shops that sell Paintball gear.

Looking to get some gear starting with a mask and gloves, i like the look of the Sly Profit and the JT Flex 8 seen reviews and they seem decent enough just don't want to buy one online to find it doesn't fit perfectly and will then have to return it.

Any advice help or tips you guys can provide will be greatly appreciated and returned if i ever get the opportunity to

Welcome welcome welcome!

 

[Sid Sidgwick]

Welcome aboard, paintball is a great hobby although prepare to have your wallet raped for many years to come. As for masks the Sly profits aren't a great mask to be honest current favs of many people are;

Empire E-flex
Virtue Vio
Dye I4s
JT proflex (pretty much the same as the eflex just harder to change the lens)
HK KLR

They are pretty much the top dogs of masks. The I4s and KLRs suit a smaller head/face and on some can leave the chin/jaw a little exposed but it depends how fat your head is.

My personal favs are the Vios currently but I have a trusty pair of E-flex's that are great too
If you are buying second hand make sure that the lens is in great condition and the foam and strap are both in good nick

 

[avituk]

Welcome. id say that try some on before you buy so that its not a waste of money as you will swap and change these all the time till you find the perfect pair.

 

[lulemurfan]

Hiya, Having been in NI since I've got the bug I know the pain!! I can say for sure I haven't found anywhere on this island in terms of shops. For me I used amazon as they have a free returns policy and ship to NI without extra charge (its luck to what they have though - I got my mask from there!). I've found that most of the GB shops say they charge extra to NI but depending on what you get they sometimes send it via Royal mail so there no extra charge.

The best advice I've had is try try try. Since I've been here I've gone down to Dublin nearly every other weekend to Capital Paintball for training - I know the A1/N1/M1 all too well!! They are a nice group of guys and quite a few come down from Belfast once a month or so if you need a lift. Most of them have different bits and bobs for sale, ask away. They have a facebook page/group.

I hope it helps somehow!

 

[PoddyMcQ]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Me and my GF are heading to Paint Fest at the end of July, maybe meet a few of you there

 

[Kazary]

Welcome! Wait until you get your first marker instead of that cheap gun they let you rent on the field. haha then you'll be hooked!

You've made a good call to go for masks first. I'd personally say try and see what get-togethers on fields are close to you, like Lulemurfan has just advised you and then ask the guys if you can just try on their masks to see how it fits.

If you don't want to go through all that, then yeah amazon sounds like one of your best bets. TBH no matter what mask you get you'll probably find it fits. Its just if you have a larger head then you'll find that the i4's and maybe some other googles don't cover your whole face and leave cheek area's exposed. But for the most part you can't go wrong. Just check out the different designs, see what you like and go for it. If you do go second hard, check the lens. If it looks in bad condition you should be able to get a replacement lens quite easily.

Pretty old video but might have some names of masks still kicking around today and good channel for buying tips even if they're old, most of the info still holds up strong :

 

[Jamie McCallum]

Welcome to the forum i look forward to reading what you manage to put together :-D

I'm also new and bought a brand new mask. (Dye i3 Pro)
I then decided why not just buy loads of other stuff too . So I found a Dye Rotor on eBay and picked it up for £42 and then the same guy sold me his Proto Rail + Tank for £60.
I would recommend buying a mask new. Everything else second hand if you can.

 

[Lloydie]

Hello and welcome .
A good mask is the starting point .
Can't see can't play !.

 

[DNewman]

hey man! welcome! I'd definitely recommend a good mask!