REVIEW: Sly Profit Mask

Sly Profit, Woodland Camo

       Period of use: Only trial, and I might add that if you very much love the Sly Profit that you skip to the end paragraphs.

       I've been using a V-Force Grillz mask and switching between two lenses I have for it for two, going on three seasons now and it appears the Grillz comes with an expiration date as the one I currently own is not holding up to the test of time. I'll review the Grillz soon but for now lets stick with the mask in the spotlight: the Sly Profit. I'd heard good things about it, and heard that it was very much like the Grillz in size, protection, and comfort level so I thought it might make for a good replacement mask. After doing a fair bit of digging around the internet, I was sold, there were an awful lot of glowing reviews on forums touting its amazing comfort level, acoustics, etc. You can literally go read a product description of the Sly Profit mask and find all the same glossy vocabulary in the reviews made by happy buyers.

       I am not one of those happy buyers....

       I purchased this mask in the woodland pattern at the end of August expecting it to arrive in the mail from ANS Gear after about 1-2 weeks and then being able to use it for the last three months of reffing here in the great white north but, sadly, this was not the case, and it actually took a phone call to customs to tell them to find the package containing the mask and release it from customs. My mood was sullied from the month and a half waiting game but I still had very high hopes for this mask, even though I was sad at the prospect of only being able to use it for another month's time. I wore it all around the house the evening it arrived and even wore it into a shower where I figured it would fog for sure but nothing! No condensation except on the outside of the mask; I was highly impressed. It did feel a little funny on my face and every time I put it on it felt like it was sitting slightly different than the last time, never the same twice. It also never sat in a way that allowed all the foam around the eyes to come in contact with my face, there always were gaps. Ok, I was nit picking, it was a new mask, it couldn't be that bad, I just need to get used to it like I did every other mask, right?

       But what's this? OH GOD, YUCK, EWW, EWW! The mask has a 'C' shaped mouth area which goes out from the lense, down, and back in around the chin. What does this mean? As you breathe you accumulate condensation from breathing in and out and being that it's like a scoop at the bottom it accumulates here and gets transferred to the chin ever time you open your mouth, scraping along your chin, and then your spittle dribbles down your neck every time you try to talk. Nasty. Another word on the mouth area is that I could open my mouth and see not only my teeth but a good vacant area of mouth exposed underneath where mask coverage ended. Nothing at all like the coverage on the Grillz. Maybe this could be a back up or loan out mask or I could finally find a way to make the mask sit right and the problem would be solved? Aggravating point number one.

Hundreds of Nearly Indiscernible holes

       The following day of reffing arrives. It only took two games of wearing the mask to turn me off of it completely. The previous day's fog test of wearing it around the house and even into the shower did not hold up on the field. Perhaps it was a pressure or humidity difference that caused it, but the Profit was fogging after 10 minutes on a hot, dry day and as a ref I was not exerting myself nearly as much I as I would have been as a player. Perhaps I needed to be moving more to get air flowing into the mask ventilating it? Not the case, this was some powerful condensation that likes to hang out longer than a little fog. The holes in the masks “revolutionary” ventilation system are also too small to do any real ventilating in my opinion. Fewer, larger holes would provide more adequate ventilation than the plethora of tiny ones the mask currently sports, air just cannot travel through them fast enough or in a great enough quantity to eliminate the accumulation of moisture. Aggravating point number two.

       By the end of the third game of reffing that day, whenever I took the mask off at the end my ears were throbbing in pain. Though the lower part of the mask is a softer rubber material, the top is still super rigid and was holding my head like a vice and the padded ears were only exacerbating the problem and the slightly compromised hearing some people have noted while wearing the Proift was particularly pronounced for me, I was even having trouble hearing players who needed me on the field. Aggravating point three... I'm actually not going to count anymore.

       Was I nuts? This mask couldn't be that bad, I needed a few second opinions but no one wanted to try it on when they saw the spittle that had dribbled down and deposited on my ref jersey from the chin area of the mask. A few did though, most notably the other refs and my manager. All but one person disliked it, citing the acoustics as the biggest problem, the padding of the ears dulling noises and the C shaped mouth causing an echo which really bothered other refs when I tried to use a radio while wearing the Profit. I lucked out with one thing though: that guy who actually liked the mask really, REALLY liked it and actually bought it from me that day, praise be.

It Does Look Slick...

       So I've really torn the Sly Profit mask a new one here but let's look at a few things it has going for it. Looks for one thing, it's a pretty slick looking mask and it's nice to see companies also taking some aesthetics into account int their designs. Field of vision, definitely one of the better I've encountered aside from a slightly more pronounced nose that on some goggles. The lens does sit very nicely and has a wicked locking mechanism. The double strap deal for the back of your head is awesome, I would love to see more of that. The velour material on the ears and on the foam around the lens feels delightful but the experience was quite thoroughly ruined for me on account of the overkill padding in the ears. I also like the gradient lens but you can tell it was made for people who play in open fields who have the problem of sun always shining on them, it's really not needed for playing the shade.

       What would make me buy this again? Bigger holes for ventilation! Lose the C shaped mouth area and some of the padding in the ears too. And lastly make it a bit bigger for folks with big heads like my own! “But Kris, It's your own fault for buying before trying.” I couldn't try it, there was no pro shop in all of BC carrying them at the time that I could find and a lot of the issues I recognized after wearing it for more than an hour, not something I'm going to sit in a store and do. I do have to order a lot of gear and pray it works out, 99% of the time it does, this was not one of those times.

       Verdict: The speed at which it fogged suggested it was only a good choice for a game that lasts a short period of time, it's super speedball oriented and not very versatile for other play types. Not only is it designed for speedball but it's also designed for the ideal speedball player whose a smaller target and has a smaller cranium. No matter the camo color options, this is not a purchase aptly suited for extended play time in the woods. Definitely try this one before you buy and if you're not floored by comfort they claim it has, then you'll probably be encountering the same issues I did down the line.