Discussion Boards > Newbie Discussion

Newbie FAQ UPDATED 6/12/03

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M.S.-ARC:
E. The big one, EYE PROTECTION
Of utmost importance , eye protection.
DO NOT think that simple “safety glasses,” “lab goggles,” or “shop goggles” will suffice. These items may or may not offer sufficient impact resistance, and most do not provide enough of a “seal” around your facial bones to totally enclose your eye sockets. Several well-respected teams/clubs here in the US have already banned the use of such eye-wear at their skirmishes.
Instead, choose eye-wear that will actually “seal-in” your eyes.
Paintball goggles from JT style='font-size: 8.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>USA , Scott USA, and Brass Eagle are all highly impact resistant, and have withstood repeated testing by many clubs/teams – gaining wide acceptance for just about all skirmish events nationwide. Many would even debate that these are indeed the current “standard” eye-wear for airsoft. With paintballs impacting the lens at upwards of 12 Joules of force-energy (for a .68 caliber, 3-gram weight average paintball traveling at 300 fps.), it is easy to see why these paintball goggles more than suffice for even a very hot 3-Joule airsoft hits.
Alternatively, you can use actual “tactical goggles” that meet or exceed ANSI Z87.1 1989 impact resistance standards (this claim should be enclosed with the goggle, printed on the box, or described in the catalog you are ordering from). Made by such noted names as ESS, Bolle, Oakley, etc., these items will offer more than sufficient protection for airsoft, as long as they are truly full-sealing around the perimeter of your eye-cup area, and as long as they meet the above ANSI standard.
In any case, either going with paintball goggles or with true tactical goggles is NOT necessarily an expensive proposition – paintball goggle-and-mask sets can be had at discounters such as “WalMart” for around $20, and many such impact resistant tactical goggles can be had for under $30 from a large number of on-line tactical equipment retailers.
If you have more money to spend, spend it first on getting either a set of goggles that have anti-fogging properties, or, alternatively, an anti-fog lens for your goggle set. Should you have even more dough in your wallet, get a set that offers a built-in fog-reducing vent fan (i.e. ESS TurboCAM), or, an aftermarket miniature fan (such as the JT fan, for JT paintball goggles). These last two areas are critical for players who tend to sweat a lot (chemical anti-fogging, in the form of liquids or solid wipes, may also be necessary), and the fans are an excellent addition for those who wear prescription eyeglasses under their goggles (here, note that certain Bolle and ESS models offer a supplemental prescription lens frame insert within their outer goggle shell, and can be fitted for a supplemental prescription lens).
Actually, here’s what I recently wrote about this very topic, covering the issue of fitting goggles over the frames of prescription glasses as well as regarding the issue of “fogging” –
Much of this OTG ("over the glasses") fit issue depends on exactly what type of prescription eyeglass frame style you have.

With the large "aviator" frames, there's practically no goggle system that will fit comfortably over them.... However, if you have a smaller, lower profile set, as is what is popular "style" dictate today, you can rest assured that all but the most low-profile and highly contoured systems (i.e. Wiley-X SG-1, etc.) will work just fine for you.

Also, there are designs of USGI "combat eyeglass" frames which offer a low-profile "curve" around your face, yet still will retain a rather large (almost "aviator" in style) lens -- these items typically can be had from surplus or military-supplies stores, and includes a jig in the kit for you to take to your ophthalmic doctor or lensmaker to get a proper set of lenses with your prescription.

In terms of actual protection:

With ANSI Z87.1 1989 compliant/meet-exceed "tactical goggles," most of the ESS and Bolle systems will clear smaller-framed eyeglasses just fine. Both also further offer specific prescription insert frames (which you take to the lens-making opticians to get one made that is the same as your prescription every-day wear), should you desire a specific-for-application fit.

As for paintball goggles, most actually will clear small to even medium framed glasses just fine, with several of the larger makes offering specifically "OTG" goggle/mask systems that are cut more generously to allow clearance of even the largest-framed glasses.

If fogging is a worry for you (and every person is different), here’s an algorithm that you can follow:

First, you should look for goggles that utilize either a inner-aspect anti-fog "coated" lens or one that has a dual-pane lens setup (such as the soft acetate lenses that you see of "thermal" systems with JT USA and others' paintball goggles).

Should your goggle/mask system, regardless of paintball or tactical origin not have such lenses installed, you should seek replacement upgrade lenses or consider the self-installation of the "Fog City Fog" inner acetate lens (which has a foam-backed self-adhesive lined border that renders your single-pane goggle lens into a double-pane setup in the critical vision areas), which can readily be purchased on-line for around $10 per insert.

Next, if that is not sufficient to clear your fogging problem, you should consider applying supplemental chemical anti-fogging solution.

The key to making this effective is to make sure that you're applying the solution properly, and to regularly and religiously re-apply the solution every chance you get -- that means EVERY time you come back into the safe-zone after being shot-out or during breaks. EVERY TIME. Just as any chemical protective coating on a hard surface will wear off (you do re-wax your car every once in a while, right? what about lubrication for your GBB or AEG? what about remembering to wipe down your handgun or rifle and re-applying bluing solution? oiling down your favorite sword or knife blades? same idea here!), you must REGULARLY REAPPLY these solutions for them to properly confer fog-protection.

Apply to goggle lens AND your eyeglass lenses!

Playing in adverse weather conditions will greatly increase your need to re-apply such solutions, and you should be well-advised to decrease your time-intervals between such application to-match. Again, do so as often as you can, as regularly as you can.

Be careful with the inner acetate lens of the two-pane systems. They are very scratch prone, so use a proper "lens cloth" to clean and to apply anti-fog solutions to them. No, “tissues” aren't soft enough, you'll still scratch. Trust me on this.

Also, if you wear contacts, be careful -- these solutions work by depositing a physical microscopic particle barrier on the lens surface, and by their very nature, are volatile and "boil off." This often creates a vapor within your goggle/mask assembly, and can be an eye-irritant (I've found that RainX brand anti-fog makes my eyes water a bit when I first apply them, but, for example, the JT USA paintball-mask anti-fog solution does not -- depending on your own sensitivity as well as the particular chemical you use, this will differ) -- and the ability of contacts to physically concentrate through "edge-effect" the deposition/accumulation of such solution vapors on the surface of your eyes can be a serious concern.

If this still doesn't do it for you, you can next/then try ADDING forced air induction or extraction TO THE ABOVE METHODS. The ESS TurboCAM is a perfect example, and JT USA also makes a fan system that specifically fits to their brand's paintball goggle/mask systems.

Finally, as another consideration, I've found the BLOK airsoft-specific mask system to be tremendously fog-resistant. I don't know why -- just that it does work. And this will clear most small-framed glasses just fine.

--

In addition to these considerations, remember the following general principles that should always be applied.

M.S.-ARC:
(1) Inhale through your nose -- exhale through your mouth while using your lips to direct your moist exhaust air down and out of the mask, away from the goggle portion. Even if you're not wearing a mask lower portion (i.e. just wearing goggles), this will still help.

(2) Make sure that your eye-cup portion is properly sealed. Often, with African Americans, Asians, and other ethnicities that have an anatomically lower nasal "bridge," you can see/feel a gap where the goggle frame doesn't seal properly in this area. Cutting a bit of foam or other such padding to fit and block-up this area can help improve the "separation of air chambers" effect, and help keep your goggle free of the moist exhaled air, especially if you're wearing a mask lower section.

(3) Don't block air exchange holes/vents from your goggle frame -- they're there for a purpose, and the design/development staff have gone through great pains to optimize flow via these holes. Beware of any head gear (especially bandannas and hat brims) or even your long hair covering up these critical exchange holes, particularly from the top.

The exception to this is with rain/snow -- top-cover is a must to avoid water-logging....you'll have to seek a compromise based on your specific conditions and your specific needs.

(4) Consider not wearing headgear. An extraordinary amount of your body heat is exchanged through your scalp -- blocking heat-exchange from this area means that you'll start to sweat much more profusely as well as exchange heat wherever else you can. This can also lead to goggle/glasses fogging.

All of this comes from some decad- and-a-half's worth of paintball and airsoft play (which, if counted separately, would add up to nearly 20-year's worth of hard-won experience) -- I'm one of those guys who sweats like no tomorrow, so I FOG like no tomorrow as well. Trust me when I say I know fog.
Whatever you do, DO NOT short-change yourself on proper eye-wear. You only have two eyes, and even the loss of one will leave you PERMANENTLY impaired (loss of depth perception and a HUGE portion of your overall field-of-vision, try going around a day with an eye-patch over one of your eyes, you can get opaque eye-patches from your local pharmacy/drug-store). DO NOT FUCK AROUND HERE, SPEND THE MONEY AND GET A GOOD SET OF GOGGLES – IF YOU CAN AFFORD THE MONEY TO GET A GBB OR AN AEG (or if you can afford to get your child an AEG or GBB replica), YOU CAN AFFORD TO SAVE YOUR (or your child’s) EYES.
Proper eye protection is a – MUST – .
- Special considerations: low-light/night skirmish gear
A. Night vision gear
Night vision?
Not necessary, but definitely a consideration now that more and more hobbyists are making efforts to attend and organize night-skirmish games.
A word to the wise – this is likely the LAST piece of gear that you’ll need. Get yourself all set up otherwise before you even think about pursuing night-vision.
So what are some considerations here? Well, here’s a post that I put up on AirsoftOhio’s Forums:
I'll start this one off by saying that I hate snobs.

I hate those guys that jump on the Forums and tell everyone that their imitation body gear by Guarder/IS or MilForce is just not good enough -- that they "need" to go out and get SOE or SOTECH stuff to skirmish. I hate those guys that jump on the Forums and just start yelling that "all Taiwanese replicas suck," etc.

With that said, unfortunately, here, with night-vision devices, they're right....to an extent. And unfortunately, I have to become a snob…

Before you buy night-vision, consider for yourself what, exactly, your needs are -- as well as, even more importantly, what the opposition is bringing to the game.

Why? Simple.

If you've got a set of "starlight/moonlight"-amplification Gen.I night-vision binoculars or riflescope with you on a moonless night under cloudy skies, you'll basically be relying on your IR illuminator to help you "see" with the scope/binocs. Guess what? Everyone else with night-vision will also be able to see your IR flashlight "beam." It would be just like if you were to use your natural vision and scan the operational area with a regular flashlight or spotlight in your hands.

And what's more, if someone has a "better" night-vision device than you do -- for example, someone with "total darkness" Gen.II or Gen.III (or even higher) technology -- then he'll be able to spot you much sooner than you'll spot him, as you'll be flagging him down with your IR illuminator beacon, while he can see just fine even without.

Take into account what your opposition is using before you buy.

Also, take into account the field/event/club/team's policies regarding "tactical white lights" or other spot-light and field-lighting use and policies/rules. Think about what will happen to your night-vision device's tube when someone suddenly shines a 500-lumens SureFire directly into its lens....without overload protection, you'll have burned the unit permanently. Before you play, be sure that your item will survive its intended use -- there was some confusion about this a few years earlier on the west coast, at Operation Savage Garden II, where some players complained about their Gen.I units being burned out by players using tactical lights. If your field allows free-use of tactical lights, be sure that your night-vision device will auto-shut-off or otherwise amp down such inputs so as to prevent permanent damage.

Before you buy any Gen.I equipment, in addition to the above brightness-cut-out concern, you should also realize that among the night-gaming crowd, there is some debate as to the true usability of these units.

Certainly, being able to see even just "movement" with the aid of night-vision will help, but there are many night-vision enthusiasts who maintain that on moonlit nights, it is just as easy to use your natural night-vision (think about getting up to take a piss in the middle of the night -- the room which looked so dark as you first closed your eyes to fall asleep is now strangely "lit" and bright, isn't it? same idea, you develop natural night-vision as your eyes accommodate to the lower ambient light level) as the Gen.I units often have an excessive noise-to-signal level that makes distinguishing targets very difficult at-best. Ironically, many say that this is further worsened by the use of the IR illuminators, which tend to "flare" the surroundings, especially as reflected IR light would shine off trees/walls and other objects, making the signal too noisy to offer good use. Furthermore, this is also ironic in that using such light-amplification units will also kill your natural night-vision to a certain degree/extent.

Finally, think about the different advantages and disadvantages to be had for a head/helmet-mounted binocular unit, a monocular unit, and a riflesight unit. With the binocs, you will have better depth-perception than with the monocular setup, however, it will be bulkier and heavier, and may require a special head-mount and wear-configuration that may impede the use of your normal sighting device(s) on your skirmish "weapon." With a monocular unit, you lose depth-perception in trade for a more easily handled and lighter/more streamlined unit. With a weapon-mounted unit, you trade being able to constantly scan the horizon for an item that will be specifically well-suited for actually accurately engaging the opponent.

Think through these considerations VERY carefully before you buy. That $150 you're thinking of using for a Gen.I unit could just as well be spent on a very, very nice SureFire tac-light that may actually be much more well suited for your skirmish gaming goals and purposes, particularly, say, if your opponents already own Gen.II or even Gen.III+ equipment.

Be sure you think this through before you buy.
But what about something more basic, you ask? What about something like “tactical” flashlights?

M.S.-ARC:
B. Flashlights
Flashlights are what I consider essential low-light/night skirmish gear.
Why?
Not only is it useful for a variety of gaming purposes, but it is also essential for many “real-life” circumstances, such as first-aid or even helping you find your way back to the base-camp/safe-zone, should you become lost.
What is “necessary?”
Think about carrying one of today’s many “long-run time” LED-based flashlights. This can be something as small as a Photon Microlight to something as large as an Inova X5 or Lightwave 4000.
This is a basic survival tool should you become lost/hurt. It will put out enough light so that you can either see what’s sticking out of or into your leg or to help you trek back to base-camp, and will also help you signal your friends, if needed. But also, this item doubles wonderfully as a general-use light, giving you something to use when you need to go to the latrine at night or help you find things in your tent/car. Its long battery life, plus near fail-proof “bulbs” makes these items something that you should always carry.
But aside from this tool, why carry a flashlight?
Flashlights are also indispensable “tactical” instruments.
Now, before we go any further, let’s define this word – tactical – in terms of flashlight use.
The most common meaning of the words “tactical light” refers to the manner in which SureFire – what is perhaps the world’s leading manufacturer of high-speed “tactical” handheld and weapon-mounted flashlights – defines “tactical.” In this case, it’s something that’s bright enough to temporarily blind and daze/disorient a subject on the receiving end of the light’s output beam. SureFire defines this level of output to be at least between 60 to 65 lumens of objective light output.
However, “tactical,” as defined in Webster’s, means simply (1) of tactics, esp. in military or naval maneuvers, or (2) of or showing skill in tactics – which is itself defined as only “a means to gain an end.”
Now, then, what if this “tactic” is to be as stealthy as possible? Is stealth not a viable tactic of military maneuver?
In this case, then, wouldn’t the best “tactical” light be one which you can use – to, say, read a map of your Area-of-Operations or to signal your linemate – without giving up your location by “light compromise” by being overly bright, as with the “tactical” lights of SureFire’s definition?
Certainly it would!
Thus, we have two types of “tactical” lights, with two distinct and separate purposes.
Want a stealthy light?
Again, the LED’s work well, especially one with a shroud, such as the Photon Microlight III + Shroud. Get one with a red LED, and you have something that you can easily use to read maps of your AO night while maintaining your natural night vision and minimally disclosing your position to opposition squads patrolling the surrounding forest. Want something with a lockout to prevent accidental light discharge? The Arc AAA will fill this purpose just fine. Look around a bit – just about every major flashlight and tactical light maker now has a complete line of such LED-light units available, for a variety of prices. Just remember your purpose, and how you want these lights to perform as you look at their options (color, output power, lens shielding, switching, etc.) and you’ll be fine.
What about a more powerful light?
One capable of lighting up a relatively large area so that you can clearly determine threat level – one that has enough light output to temporarily dazzle, daze, and blind your down-field target?
Unfortunately, despite their claims otherwise, that Mini MagLite that you see rigged to the front of some players’ AEGs, that Tokyo Marui “Tactical Light” (which is nothing more than just that very same Mini MagLite, only in slightly different cosmetic construct), and the various LED-based flashlights all simply do not produce enough light output on an OBJECTIVE level to fit this bill.
SureFire , for good reason, defines this type of “tactical” use with the need to put out at least 60 to 65 lumens – or around 10,000 candlepower – as a minimum.
Unfortunately, this is a level of objective light output that no current LED-based flashlight can measure up to. Even the “brightest” of the bunch, such as the SureFire KL3 head (1W LuxeonStar emitter) fitted 9V-systems (producing a total of around 20 lumens, max) or the LightWave 4000 or the Inova X5 (both of which fall far short of this mark) is simply insufficient to fill this job description. [Note, as of 05/2003, we are still awaiting the introduction of SureFire’s promised 80-100 lumens 5W LED-based systems; similarly, Streamlight, which has come forward with several LED-based “tactical lights” – note the similar tone of the claim as Inova puts on their products – has ironically and cryptically not disclosed the lighting output of their lights, thus making one wonder exactly how applicable or capable their lights are in this context.]
To truly go “tactical” in this sense, at this present day and time, outside of custom-built LED projects, we are left with incandescent lighting as our one and only choice.
But exactly how bright is such as system?
To figure this out, one has to realize several different considerations.
Remember first that lumens and candlepower are two separate measures, and that they cannot be either mathematically nor realistically/practically converted.
Candlepower, as defined by Streamlight, is “a measure of the brightest spot in the focused beam. It is a function of both the output of the lamp and the efficiency of the reflector.”
Lumens, meanwhile, is a measure of “the entire light output of the flashlight regardless of beam focus.”
But to us, the end-users, neither figure really means all that much.
Instead, to get a better picture, we have to take into account both how much light there is, as is seen with the above two measures, as well as how “focused” the light happens to be. This is the only true way to get a useful practical measure.
Think of it this way.
That 60-Watt desk lamp that you’re using to help you read this post?
That lamp puts out over 800 lumens.
It lights up your room pretty well when you remove the lampshade, right?
But look outside your room door, down the hallway. I bet that after about 30 ft. or so, you can barely even see your German Shepard sneaking into the bathroom for a quick drink from the toilet.
As such, we have to rate these lights according both to how much light they throw out, as well as exactly how they throw that light.
Have a look here, at Brock’s excellent comparison page:
http://www.uwgb.edu/nevermab/flash.htm
Look specifically at the “Focus” and the “CP@ 7 meters” columns. To judge a light for our use, it becomes imperative that we consider both how much light is thrown out towards our target at a distance (the latter measure), as well as exactly how that light is dispersed (the former).
With that in-mind, let’s look at some of those lights.
First of all, let’s get a good feel for what, say, one of the “standard benchmarks” of this genre – the SureFire 6V system, with their standard P60 (65 lumens output) lamp and reflector unit can do. Scan down until you find the entry that reads “SureFire D2/P60” and now compare that with some entries right below – the MagLites. See how the “relative brightness” of the SureFire unit, which is about ½ to 1/3 the size of the corresponding 3 “D-cell” and 5D MagLites, slots in? That, my friends, is how “powerful” such a small SureFire light can be. It has the “lighting power” that, for all intents and purposes, is the same as a 4 “D-cell” MagLite.
Does the 4D MagLite attain “tactical” levels of brightness? By SureFire’s own definition, certainly. But at somewhere near 3 times the size, the MagLite is going to be awfully burdensome to drag around with you during skirmishes, and furthermore, it is going to be an absolute bear to mount to your AEG or even GBB when compared to the svelte SureFire!
And have a look at this:
To wit, the Mini MagLite that is also the basis of the Tokyo Marui “Tactical Light?” That only has an objective light output of 2,200 candlepower – the Mag 2AA on Brock’s page doesn’t even register a “relative brightness,” does it? That’s why these items are totally a joke when it comes to being used as “tactical lights” in the SureFire coined sense of the words.
So, with all that said, what, you ask, is a suitable “tactical” flashlight?
If you used Brock’s chart, basically, we have an arbitrary cut-off at the 10 CP @ 7M mark, and that will do it. Everything above that, OK. Everything below, no go.
Out of these, currently, perhaps the absolute “best deal” that you’re going to find for such “tactical lights” is the SureFire G2 Nitrolon. This polymer plastic bodied light is a near carbon-copy of SureFire’s legendary original P-series, and will support either the P60 (65 lumens) lamp (with about an hour’s run-time per set of 2 CR123 lithium batteries) or the high-output P61 (120 lumens, with about a half-hour run-time) lamp/reflector units. At under $25, this is an incredible bargain. Add to this an el-cheapo one-inch diameter Weaver-based scope ring, and for less than $30, you can have a nice, hard-mounted tactical light on your AEG (the P61 lamp will cost you about another $15 extra). Getting a little fancy, spend another $20, and you can easily buy the G&P remote pressure-pad tailswitch assembly, which will give you the ability to use a pigtail to actuate your light.

M.S.-ARC:
The only downside?
You can’t keep the unit on for long – especially with the high-output P61 lamp. The heat generated will literally blister and then melt the plastic lens that’s on the G2s. Also, your on/off switch will not lock-out, so you must be careful not to incur accidental light discharges, which can easily compromise your position in low-light situations.
This unit serves just as well as a handheld as it does a weapon-mounted light, and is a bargain to-boot. I own three, with one mounted to my loaner AEG that I give to my friends, one that I give to them as a handheld, and one that I keep for myself as a backup light to my SureFire Z2 Combatlight.
Other options?
In terms of low-cost lights, those that fulfill the above minimum performance criteria (but are not cited already in Brock’s comparison, i.e. the Streamlight Scorpion and the Brinkmann Legend LX are both not mentioned here as it already has been cited above) include:
- Various “generic” tactical lights offered by both airsoft (i.e. “Walther,” G&P, G&G,
Guarder/IS, ICS, etc.) and generic hunting-supplies makes (such as the products that
you’ll find in the “Cheaper Than Dirt” or “The Sportsman’s Guide” catalogs)
- Copia products (incandescent, remember the LED units are not bright enough), usually
purchased through airsoft retailers like Wargamer’s Club Shop (WGCS, Hong Kong ),
for between $60 to $120, depending on options and configuration
- Smith&Wesson Magnum Force Spotlight, ~ $60-$70
- Galls HALO and Shooter Light, between $60 and $100, with various options
- Tac-Star WLS-2000 (6500 cp), which has an integral pigtail remote, ~ $90
- TACM-III (100+ lumens), bundled kit with a pigtail remote and mount, ~ $110
- AimShot TX65 Nova Tactical Light (6500 cp), kit with pigtail remote included ~$60
Mounts:
The TACM-III has a proprietary set of mounts.
Other than that, most mounts, you’ll see, especially for the 1-inch diameter lights, can easily be had by using a single or a pair of Weaver (thus Picatinny compatible)-based 1-inch diameter scope rings (for those who fancy a Q/D design, yes, high-dollar ARMS rings will work – and as a matter of fact, SureFire’s MU system is based off of such a design). Alternatives?
Lite Mount Technologies : http://www.pages2go.com/lmt/order.htm
Fobus
Knight’s Armament
SureFire
Various airsoft-specific flashlight mounts (including those which clone the items cited above) – FIRST Factory, Just, G&P, G&G, ICS etc. Some of these even offer very specialized mounts, such as the FIRST Factory Front Sight Post Mount (note here that their lasersight unit of this designation is actually usable as a stable lasersight mount platform, as it is much more secure than the shoddy Tokyo Marui unit).
If you don’t mind their size being a bit bigger -- for example, if you’re going to use these units as handheld units only and not “weapon-mount” -- you can try any of the options that Brock’s mentioned in his chart already. This means that all of the high-powered (and high cost! unfortunately) SureFire units such as the Millennium M6, M3T Turbohead Combatlight, etc. (all of these can cost upwards of $200, easily – but you should try on eBay and surf the ‘Net for “specials” and sales that may drop the price of the lesser-performance units down into the $150 range) and even the brighter MagLites 4D (and above, which would be a more economical approach).
As for batteries, yes, the 3V CR123 lithium cells – commonly known as “camera batteries,” are expensive. But if you are smart and shop around a bit, you can get them very easily for around $1 per cell, which is not bad at all, considering that your local drugstore/pharmacy or supermarket grocery store probably charges 5 to 10 times that cost! Regardless, if this $1 per cell seems a bit high for you, you should remember that these batteries, by their physical nature, will “self recharge” during non-use cycles. This means that with the typically rapid “on-off” blinks (and for that matter, more “off” than “on”) of “tactical” usage of these lights, your average true run-time is greatly extended from the above estimates by SureFire. Besides, compared to D or C-sized cells, these diminutive CR132 units are cost-matched, and are much lighter and smaller in size, giving you additional benefits.
Are rechargeable units available? Certainly, specialty recharge units are available – and are a favorite of many law-enforcement agencies due to continued issue-spending. However, these units are going to be costly as an initial investment (with the trade-off being, of course, that they’ll be much more economical in the long-run, particularly if you take good care of their battery cells). Items to look at here include:
- SureFire 10X Dominator (unfortunately, easily upwards of $300)
- SureFire 8AX and 8NX models ~$130 to $170, depending on model (note that if more
power or longer run-time is desired, a 9AN version is also available for added cost)
- MagLite MagCharger, ~$100
- Streamlight
Stinger HP and XTHP ~$100 to $150, depending on model and charger options
UltraStinger ~$120
Stinger, with optional XT bezel unit ~$120 altogether
SL-20X and SL-35X ~$110 to $160, depending on model and charger options
Pelican M11
- Copia (various units – again, look at their incandescent lighting units)
Whatever you choose, remember, these lights also are vulnerable to BB attack, just like your scope’s lens. Some protection in the form of a sacrificial lens or a lenscap will help you avoid such damages, but may alter the performance of your light – so keep this in-mind as you shop for such lens protection.
Finally, remember that in the field, an “accidental light discharge” is just about as bad as lack of fire-discipline with your replica or lack of fieldcraft. Look for models which offer a lock-out on-off switching device or, alternatively, use various means to effectively disable/contain light output from the lens should your light be accidentally tripped. There are plenty of makes of specialty “flashlight holsters” out there, from SureFire themselves to nearly all of the various tactical gear makes ( BlackHawk, Eagle, Spec Ops Brand, etc.) to specialty Kydex products makes (anything from the big manufacturers such as Fobus to the high-end “little guys” like Cen-Dex and Blade Tech), just fire up your favorite Internet search-engine and have at it! These products will not only help you securely carry your high-dollar tactical flashlight, but will also, many times, be designed so as to specifically either “contain” or outright avoid light ADs.
- For further gear references and reading
http://www.airsoftplayers.com/gear/index.asp - An excellent article, “Gear, the Paco Way ,” hosted on AirsoftPlayers. Paco is a friend and a well respected airsoft enthusiast and long-time skirmish player, belonging to the MAA.
http://www.airsoftplayers.com/webbing/webbing.asp - Yet another nice load-bearing equipment digest on AirsoftPlayers.
http://www.wolfpackairsoft.com/projects/lbe.htm - An extension of the above, this time, by enthusiast, fellow player, and gear-nut MadMorbius at WolfPack Airsoft. Excellent companion read.
Additionally, I would urge you to consult the following threads on the AirsoftPlayers Forums for information regarding the load-out of various players:
http://www.airsoftplayers.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10563
and
http://www.airsoftplayers.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10564 - Are a pair of excellent sister-posts which detail the looks and the why’s and how’s of various players’ load-out kits.
http://www.airsoftplayers.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=106 - And this is what started the above two threads – and from here, you can literally visualize the “evolution” of many players’ kit……newbies, take heart, this is why you should go easy on gear and body wear until you know for sure what it is that you’re looking for. Look at some of the well-known names on this thread, we’ve got my friends and noted gear-nuts The_Edge, Haji, and others who’ve changed their load-outs many times as they’ve “grown” as players. This stuff is expensive, and unless you have a good deal of funds to devote to constantly change your setup, you’d be much better off to simply play a few games with just simple USGI surplus gear that you got from the local flea-market, and figure out exactly what it is that you like BEFORE you spend the big bucks.

M.S.-ARC:
Section Ten – Shopping Advice:
- Research first, buy later
Do NOT first buy an item from a retailer or bid on an item on eBay and -then- come on-line to ask “Hey, I’ve just bought X AEG or Y GBB, is it any good?”
You’re too late.
If you’ve lucked out, you may have made a decent buy. But if not, you’ve already made a mistake that you cannot undo.
Research and do your homework FIRST and THEN shop and buy.
Anything else is outright stupid .
You wouldn’t buy a car without first test driving it or reading in the magazines what they thought of the car, right? Same idea here.
- Who’s got the best prices?
Finally, having done all of your homework, you’re ready to make the purchase. Now, then, who has the best prices?
Again, here, a simple-minded “can anyone tell me who has the best prices” post will only land you in more trouble.
Prices change rapidly in today’s highly competitive airsoft market – retailers and private re-sellers/brokers are now in the practice of running “specials” all throughout the year. As such, you can never be guaranteed of getting the best price if you simply trust someone’s word for it (it may have been the cheapest place for him a month ago, a week ago, or even just a day ago – but the prices may have already changed in the interim).
Use the “Soft Links” on the AirsoftZone, the www.AirsoftPlayers.com “Seller Ratings” section, or the Arnie’s Airsoft (UK) “Web-Links” page to take you to the various retailers’ commercial websites. Spend a moment and look through their pages and note down their prices on a piece of paper (don’t forget cost of shipping!), and then, e-mail a few for a complete price quote, including shipping – and to check for item availability. Only by doing your own leg-work can you be guaranteed to get the best prices.
- Which retailer can I trust?
AirsoftZone offers a “Retailers” section. Fire up the AirsoftZone Forum search-function to help you locate past posts in this “Retailers” section that bears your interest. Remember, it does no good to just post a question asking about a particular retailer – by doing so, you’re at the mercy of a few members who deem it worth their while to respond to you. Instead, take the time to search the past posts to see what has been posted about these retailers IN THE PAST. It’s the history of each retailer that counts.
Similarly, check out AirsoftPlayers’ “Seller Ratings” section. It’s on their pull-down navigation menu off the main page. Give each of your potential retailers’ ratings section not only a cursory look to see how many positives and negatives they’ve accumulated, but rather, pay attention to what has ACTUALLY BEEN SAID about them within those rating posts.
Regardless of where you get your opinions from or where you eventually decide to shop from, remember that there will always be those who complain about retailer X or Y. It’s an unavoidable part of business – no one can satisfy their customers 100%, all of the time. This is particularly true of the Internet, where everyone and their uncle can come in, stand on the soap-box , and put their own two bits out for everyone to hear, no matter how right or how wrong.
Just look at on-line reviews of even top-notch hotels like The Ritz Carlton and The Four Seasons.
World renowned service, yet, people still complain. Why?
Because you always remember that one red traffic light that you hit on your way home from work or school.
Same idea here – the negatives, no matter how small, tend to stand out – while unless you get absolutely stellar service, you just don’t seem to remember, as clearly, your positive experiences.
Look not only at the individual complaints, but rather, look at the larger picture.
If a retailer has had 100,000 orders filled, and has 1000 complaints, is that any worse than a retailer who has only filled 1000 orders, but has had a 50-complaint history? The first case has a error-rate of only 1%, but the second retailer has had a 5% complaint history. Lower number of complaints doesn’t mean much – it’s how many complaints were made against how many orders were filled that’s the true concern.
Sure, you may hear that Wargamer’s Club Shop, RedWolf, or DEN Trinity may have had a number of complaints against them, but considering that they’ve been in-business for so many years and have served so many hobbyists to their complete satisfaction, the few complaints that you hear is next to nothing in terms of significance. So what if a smaller retailer has their entire past history of 100 orders perfectly? These larger retailers have filled tens of thousands of such orders without trouble.
Remember this difference during your research.
- Buying off eBay or off hobbyist Forum or other enthusiast website “classified” pages
When buying off eBay and other such auction pages, the same rule would apply to your airsoft purchase as any other purchase. Look at the seller feedback ratings.
When buying from a website “classified” page, check the AirsoftZone “Arms Deals Seller/Buyer Reviews” sub-Forum and JayKay’s Airsoft Buyer/Seller Review Forums (at: http://www.jkcns.com). Both will offer feedback on potential sellers and buyers.
Don’t skip this homework – failure to research your seller/buyer is the surest way to get scammed.
- Legal concerns
A. Purchasing overseas and importing
First and foremost, currently, import purchase of any type of airsoft replicas is fully legal for the United States at the federal level.
The less-scrupulous Stateside retailers will tell you that such import may be illegal (i.e. within the past year, a well-known US retailer was noted to have cited that GBB replicas are illegal – which is completely and utterly false) or may be very high-risk. That is just simply not true at all. Airsoft is legal, in all forms, for import into the US by individual retail purchase. And provided that the items satisfy US import codes (covered briefly and basically below), their entry is virtually guaranteed.
The only provisions required for legal importation of these goods, purchased from overseas retailers, is that they bear muzzle orange (with respect to color, depth/length, and "permanency") and that their offending trademarks are properly covered or obliterated to-specs.
However, much of this compliance with barrel/muzzle orange paint and trademark coverage issue depends highly on the variable interpretation of such laws by individual Customs inspection officers.
Example?
Western Arms actually has a true “International License” pertaining to their Strayer Voigt Infinity, Beretta, and Wilson Combat replicas. These goods bear trademark rights that actually are truly “international,” and should allow their entry into the US . However, from most retailers, they are still are covered-up. Why?

Although *_WE_* might know that the goods carry actual licensed trademarks, and the individual retailers might know, too – the Customs Inspector checking through our replicas may not be aware of such a special circumstance.

Unless something can be done to improve their knowledge, I truly do not think that having such items pass-through with full trademarks is a worthy risk for any consumer here in the US .

Legal or not, your inspecting Customs agent just might not know better -- and this has happened many more times than I'd care to count. As such, when importing goods, always ask your retailers to properly cover the trademarks (if desired, most of these coverage methods, just as with most barrel-orange painting, can be 100% “restored” to “collectors’ condition” once you’ve received them).

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