First Fullface (/w mirror lens)

[protech33 0]

I know that there was plenty of such threads before but I have few special requirements.

I am choosing beetwen Cookie G3 and Phantom X.
I have only 20 jumps now. I'd like to learn Free Flying first rather than RW so it's important that visors wiont open at higher speed. I've read some reviews and both helmets seem like a solid choice.

The last thing I want is a completely mirrored/black lens that it wont be possible to see my face.
(The last - refers to the final criteria on my 'to have' list)

Phatnom X has a mirrored lens version and Cookie G3 has tinted one. How do they compare?

I currently own Akando googles - dark mirrored version and i would like to achieve same effect.

thanks for help :)!

[davelepka 4]

Quote

The last thing I want is a completely mirrored/black lens that it wont be possible to see my face.

Why?

Being able to see each other and make eye contact is a huge part of jumping with others. You put a real limitation on the amount of non-verbal communication you can achieve in freefall if you obscure your face.

Also, what happens when the sunset load turns into the 'just after sunset' load?

[protech33 0]

Quote

Quote

The last thing I want is a completely mirrored/black lens that it wont be possible to see my face.

Why?

Being able to see each other and make eye contact is a huge part of jumping with others. You put a real limitation on the amount of non-verbal communication you can achieve in freefall if you obscure your face.

Also, what happens when the sunset load turns into the 'just after sunset' load?

Well I will have two lenses either way coz none of those helmets come with mirror/tinted as defeult so i will be able to change them whenever i feel like.

I really like Akando Dark Mirror comapred to clear Flex-Z or Parasport Italia clear. It's much more comfortable because sun is not a problem anymore.

The main reason is probably that dark mirror seems much more comfortable then clear version of googles for me.

[davelepka 4]

Quote

I really like Akando Dark Mirror comapred to clear Flex-Z or Parasport Italia clear. It's much more comfortable because sun is not a problem anymore

Great, I'm sure you know better than me. I only have 5500+ jumps without tinted anything, and humans only existed for 1000's of years before the invention of sungalsses, but I'm sure you have it all figured out.

[blueblur 0]

I bought a Phantom X and the extra dark shield. (skip the mirror, it will flake off and look like shit later) I have used the dark shield once. I open the visor under canopy to avoid fogging, yes it will fog on you under canopy. I wear the clear shield and sunglasses. Plus what Dave said about eye contact is 100% correct. I'm not a freeflyer by any means, but it matters.

In every man's life he will be allotted one good woman and one good dog. That's all you get, so appreciate them while the time you have with them lasts.

- RiggerLee

[Mr_Polite 0]

Good for you Dave, just because you don't like something that really doesn't mean anything. You admit you never tried one and sunglasses do have major health benefits for your eyes.

To the OP, I have tried the mirrored and the tinted. I prefer the tinted but beware of jumping on late sunset loads with that.

[crazydiver 0]

Quote

Quote

I really like Akando Dark Mirror comapred to clear Flex-Z or Parasport Italia clear. It's much more comfortable because sun is not a problem anymore

Great, I'm sure you know better than me. I only have 5500+ jumps without tinted anything, and humans only existed for 1000's of years before the invention of sungalsses, but I'm sure you have it all figured out.

The OP states that the LAST thing he wants is to not be able to see his face. What did I miss?

And don't be a dick to the guy. He wants tinted. Matter's of taste are not to be disputed.

Cheers,
Travis

[Joellercoaster 6]

Quote

Matters of taste are not to be disputed.

Sure (I have a really ugly jumpsuit I bought early on despite good advice to the contrary, and I still love it). But it's also possible he just hasn't thought it through yet.

Tinted visors and goggles look really cool. But to the OP, if you intend to jump with others in a meaningful way, then your jumping partners (FF or flat) will thank you to go clear. Your eyes are maybe your biggest communication medium in freefall.

At least buy both!

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[davelepka 4]

Quote

The OP states that the LAST thing he wants is to not be able to see his face. What did I miss?

I read it differently. I read the 'last' as meaning it was the last thing on his list of 'wants' in a helmet. The paragraph above states some of the things he wants, and the sentence I quoted is stating the final thing he wants.

You read it as a concealing face shield is the 'last' thing he wants, as-in, he would never want that. While I agree that it could be read that way, I chalk it up to poor word choice or sentence structure and that the OP did indeed mean that he does want a concealing face shield, and it was the last item he stated.

I base this on the idea that he specifically sates in the thread title that he wants a mirrored shield, and repeats the same in the post. Now a mirrored shield can only be fully concealing, so I'm led to believe that he does want a fully concealing shield.

If he was asking only about tinted shileds, and different levels of tint, in that case he might not want a full concealing shield, and might have meant the statement the way you read it, but once you introduce the mirrored shield into the mix, it's clear (no pun intended) that the OP is not opposed to his face being fully concealed.

[protech33 0]

Dave is right, I am sorry for the poor choice of words. It was meant "The last thing on my 'want' list".

@Dave
I know that you have much more experiance than me and that you are probably 100% right. That is why I am intending to buy fullface with two lenses but I really want to have one that is fully concealing. It's just my whim.



Anyways, which lens is more face concealing, mirror or dark for Phantom X?
Maybe the tinted one from Cookie G3?

[theonlyski 3]

Quote

Anyways, which lens is more face concealing, mirror or dark for Phantom X?
Maybe the tinted one from Cookie G3?

Clicky

This is FAR more concealing than a mirrored finish and will be FAR more mirror like!

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[SEREJumper 1]

On the note of changing face shields, I don't know about the Phanton X (probably easier), but the G3 has 6 screws to unscrew before the lens can be switched out. It's not that hard to change out, but I wouldn't want to be doing it every day depending on the time of day it is.

We're not fucking flying airplanes are we, no we're flying a glorified kite with no power and it should be flown like one! - Stratostar

[babz 0]

Takes about 30seconds - 1min to change a visor on the phantomX. No tools needed to do so either just push two tabs.

Rather than thinking visors, have you tried both on to see which fits your head better?

[CarpeDiem3 0]

Quote

I want a completely mirrored/black lens so that it wont be possible to see my face.

"When will they ever learn..."
- From "Where have all the flowers gone?", by the Kingston Trio

[davelepka 4]

Quote

I really want to have one that is fully concealing. It's just my whim.

Lesson one in being a licensed jumper, skydiving doesn't give a shit about your whims, what you want, or how you feel. Things work a certain way, and you can either work within those terms, or expose yourself to undue risk.

I'm not saying that this is neccesarily one of those situations, but you set a bad precedent for yourself when you give in to your 'whims' at such an early stage.

Think about this, picture the hand/arm/head motions for 'something is wrong' and 'I'm having a great time'. They really aren't that different, and could easily be interchanged with each other.

Now take those same motions, and add a scared and concerned facial expression and then a happy, laughing-out-loud expression. Suddenly what you're expressing becomes instantly recognizable, and couldn't possible be mistaken for the other.

With your face fully concealed, your ability to communicate non-verbally with others in a quick and effective manner is greatly reduced. I'm not sure why you would want that as a facet of your skydiving.

[scottd818 0]

i have a g3 and i bought the tinted lens but only used it for a few jumps and went back to the clear. Being able to see each others faces and expressions is much cooler than a tinted lens. I just wear sunglasses if its really sunny. with the full face you can wear any sunglasses without worry. so save your self the money and just go with clear.

[JackC1 0]

Hmmm, I don't like to see some of the bashing that goes on around here but neither do I like to see a 20 jump newbie who wants to bypass the life saving RW stuff and head straight for the fast and dangerous FF stuff while hamstringing his performance with inappropriate gear choices.

[adamUK 3]

Get this if you don't want to show your face. How much more badass can you get?

[NeonLights 0]

If you are worried about the visor moving on you, maybe check the bonehead revolve. I really like the ratchet locking system on it. No cool guy lenses though, maybe go into a car window tint shop