Bolle x1000 for $20 - Too good to be true?

[Sandbur]

I don't normally do this, but you should look around the commerce section for deals. Coletrain's got some ESS goggles for $20 shipped. That's a good deal and he's a good seller to boot.

Coletrain's post

[Knief]

It didn't look like anybody has answered this conclusively yet, so I will. The Bolle X1000s on Botach are definitely legitimate.

I rotate through a few different sets of goggles, including Bolle T800s, Bolle X1000s, ESS NVG Profiles, and ESS Turbofans. The Turbofans are easily the most fog resistant, but since you're looking at finding a deal I'm going to assume that you're not interested in hearing much about them. Out of the other three, I've found that the Bolle T800s are my favorites, and by quite a wide margin. They fog the least out of the bunch and de-fog the easiest when they do start to fog up. On top of that, removing the lens for cleaning is so much easier than on the ESSs and X1000s. They're light, too, which is great. My only complaint is that the strap is relatively large, and despite being elastic, often doesn't feel secure on my head if I'm not wearing a helmet or hat. A little sewing could fix that, but I'm a lazy lazy man (and I wear a helmet or hat pretty much every time I play). The downside is that the T800s were discontinued a couple years ago and there are a lot of crappy fakes on the market to watch out for (Lion Claws doesn't allow the fake T800s at their games because many of them are not ANSI Z87.1 compliant, something to watch out for). However, Bolle recently released a new line that looks almost identical to the older T800s called the X800s. Last I saw, they were scarce at retailers and still selling around $80. I haven't tried them and couldn't tell you if they live up to the T800s. But that's at least something to look at. I like my T800s so much that I just bought a second set used from another member on the board just so I have a back-up for when my lenses get too scratched and I can't find a replacement.

My least favorite of the three are the Bolle X1000s. They're also light--heavier than the T800s and lighter than the ESS NVGs--and they're the lowest profile of the set. As a result of that low profile design, however, they fog significantly more than the other two. I've removed the foam around the frames and that helps a lot. Still, even with an anti-fogging solution, I can't wear them on a hot day without going blind within in hour. I wouldn't recommend these unless you want the smallest traditional goggles you can get or you only play in very dry and mild climates. In Michigan, I think they're not a very viable product considering their primary competition.

Their primary competition has to be the ESS NVGs now that the Bolle T/X800s are hard to get and expensive. The ESS NVGs are ubiquitous thanks to the surplus market, and once you tear out the foam and use some anti-fog compound or spray, they perform pretty well. They're a bit bulkier than the X1000s and about the same size, dimension wise, as the T800s. Because the lens sits further from your face than the X1000's lens, the air between the lens and your skin cycles more keeping it a bit dryer and cooler. The results are pretty distinct: much less fogging in the NVGs compared to the X1000s. The T800s still have better ventilation than either, which accounts for the superior anti-fog performance. The ESS NVGs are pretty much the standard goggle now and I'd recommend them to anybody. You can get them for cheap, they're durable, replacement lenses are easy to find, and they work well. You can get better performance from Turbofans for sure, and if you want spend the money to never see fog again, then by all means go for it. If you can't afford the Turbofans and can't find the T/X800s, then the ESS NVGs are a great third (and much more realistic) option.

[Vic (Rattlehead)]

[EDIT]

Feb 15, 2014 16:53:24 GMT -5 Knief said:

It didn't look like anybody has answered this conclusively yet, so I will. The Bolle X1000s on Botach are definitely legitimate.

I rotate through a few different sets of goggles, including Bolle T800s, Bolle X1000s, ESS NVG Profiles, and ESS Turbofans. The Turbofans are easily the most fog resistant, but since you're looking at finding a deal I'm going to assume that you're not interested in hearing much about them. Out of the other three, I've found that the Bolle T800s are my favorites, and by quite a wide margin. They fog the least out of the bunch and de-fog the easiest when they do start to fog up. On top of that, removing the lens for cleaning is so much easier than on the ESSs and X1000s. They're light, too, which is great. My only complaint is that the strap is relatively large, and despite being elastic, often doesn't feel secure on my head if I'm not wearing a helmet or hat. A little sewing could fix that, but I'm a lazy lazy man (and I wear a helmet or hat pretty much every time I play). The downside is that the T800s were discontinued a couple years ago and there are a lot of crappy fakes on the market to watch out for (Lion Claws doesn't allow the fake T800s at their games because many of them are not ANSI Z87.1 compliant, something to watch out for). However, Bolle recently released a new line that looks almost identical to the older T800s called the X800s. Last I saw, they were scarce at retailers and still selling around $80. I haven't tried them and couldn't tell you if they live up to the T800s. But that's at least something to look at. I like my T800s so much that I just bought a second set used from another member on the board just so I have a back-up for when my lenses get too scratched and I can't find a replacement.

My least favorite of the three are the Bolle X1000s. They're also light--heavier than the T800s and lighter than the ESS NVGs--and they're the lowest profile of the set. As a result of that low profile design, however, they fog significantly more than the other two. I've removed the foam around the frames and that helps a lot. Still, even with an anti-fogging solution, I can't wear them on a hot day without going blind within in hour. I wouldn't recommend these unless you want the smallest traditional goggles you can get or you only play in very dry and mild climates. In Michigan, I think they're not a very viable product considering their primary competition.

Their primary competition has to be the ESS NVGs now that the Bolle T/X800s are hard to get and expensive. The ESS NVGs are ubiquitous thanks to the surplus market, and once you tear out the foam and use some anti-fog compound or spray, they perform pretty well. They're a bit bulkier than the X1000s and about the same size, dimension wise, as the T800s. Because the lens sits further from your face than the X1000's lens, the air between the lens and your skin cycles more keeping it a bit dryer and cooler. The results are pretty distinct: much less fogging in the NVGs compared to the X1000s. The T800s still have better ventilation than either, which accounts for the superior anti-fog performance. The ESS NVGs are pretty much the standard goggle now and I'd recommend them to anybody. You can get them for cheap, they're durable, replacement lenses are easy to find, and they work well. You can get better performance from Turbofans for sure, and if you want spend the money to never see fog again, then by all means go for it. If you can't afford the Turbofans and can't find the T/X800s, then the ESS NVGs are a great third (and much more realistic) option.

I forgot to refresh the page before writing the update located below, my bad. That was a very detailed answer, Knief, and it's much appreciated! I'll look into the X800s, because I can't find any T800s(as you'd mentioned), and the ESS NVGs of course, but whatever conclusion I come to will be benched for a bit, as mentioned in lower conclusion.

Feb 15, 2014 13:12:47 GMT -5 Sandbur said:

I don't normally do this, but you should look around the commerce section for deals. Coletrain's got some ESS goggles for $20 shipped. That's a good deal and he's a good seller to boot.

Coletrain's post

I looked at the thread, but eye-pro's something I don't want to buy used, let alone the fact that I'm running an OD/Digi-Woodland load-out, so tan goggles wouldn't fit the bill. Thanks for the mention though, I never tire of looking through the Commerce section, there's some good deals in there!

[/EDIT]




[UPDATE] I've decided to postpone my upgrade to a mesh mask/goggles/helmet setup because of the sheer price of the upgrade($20 mesh lower, $40+ goggles, plus possibly a $50+ helmet).

For now, I've decided that i'll focus on what will enhance my game, which right now I believe is a Reflex sight, possibly some midcaps and some magpuls, and some other odds and ends. Thanks for all the input guys, I'm going to bench this conversation for now, and when I think I'm ready for the upgrade I'll come back here and look this all over, so expect some necroposts in the future!