Introduction:
The Proteus is JT's top of the line paintball mask. It was designed by the engineers at JT to improve on their already popular Flex-7 paintball mask. In our review we will go over what makes the Proteus stand out "head and shoulders" above all other paintball masks on the market today.First Glance:
The Proteus stands out in the crowd. It has a very smooth and evolved appearance. The design team at JT did a very nice job on making the Proteus ascetically pleasing. The Proteus is made of a plastic polymer that has a very reflective and eye catching quality to it. Having a mask that shines on the field may look awesome in speedball tournaments... but this can be as much of a plus as it is a minus depending on your style of play. If you play "in the woods style" paintball then you may want to consider buying the smoke green mask like the one in the picture to the right. Any player can look like a pro wearing the Proteus even if you don't always play like a pro. We really liked the evolved styling on the Proteus, so we gave it an A in the appearance category. Features:
The Proteus is packed with features and comes standard with a vortex anti-fog fan, thermal lens, adjustable ear covers (to aid in hearing), sun visor, and inner foam baffles. The Vortex fan is a standard feature on the Proteus and was designed specifically to prevent the mask's thermal lens from fogging. The vortex fan has a three-way switch that allows you to 1.) push air into the mask or 2.) pull air out whenever you desire. We found that the second option seems to be the most effective at "fog bustin". JT states that the single AAA battery will last for over 30 hours of usage and that the fan blade spins at an incredible 12,000 rpm. The only disadvantage to using the fan all the time is that it makes hearing difficult. The fan is just a little louder than a whisper, but since the fan is only 4 inches from your ears.. it is difficult to hear what is happening in the game around you. Our suggestion: Only use the fan when your mask is fogging up. Usually, the fan will circulate all the air in the mask out in 15 seconds. The Vortex fan does a great job at keeping the Proteus fog free. Not only does the Proteus have the Vortex fan, but JT went the distance and also included a thermal lens. The thermal lens does a fairly good job of keeping the mask fog free, but we found out that it will still fog. The time we experienced the most problems with fogging was when we had to run to find cover, like at the start of a game. The solution.. turn on the vortex fan when you are running and leave it on for a minute or two after to make sure the lens does not fog. It really does work very well. Team PGR agrees that the Proteus is definitely the best mask available when it comes to fog prevention. Another feature, not available on any other paintball mask, are the 360 degree rotating earpieces. (Note picture on right.) The ear covers are designed to allow the player to direct his or her hearing in a specific direction. When we tested the Proteus we turned the ear pieces forward to allow us to hear opponents moving up the field toward us. We did not see any major hearing improvements, but the earpieces did work to some degree. They made it possible to allow for slightly better hearing, but don't expect to be able be able to hear better than superman. We should also note that the Proteus has foam around the front part of the ear cup to dampen the noise made while breathing in the mask. The Proteus also comes equipped with a visor. The visor is a great way to reduce glare from the sun shield your mask from rain. We know first hand that in a rain storm you can not see at all through a wet mask, unless you have a visor to keep the lens free of water. The Proteus has more unique features than any other mask on the market. The Proteus has more features than any other mask on the market so we give it an A+ in the features category. Comfort:
The Proteus is a comfortable mask for most every player. Mark tried to wear the mask with one of his pairs of glasses on and it worked out fine for him. The Proteus is the top of the line mask from JT and it feels like you would expect.. comfortable. The Proteus gets an A for comfort. Protection:
Protection is obviously the most important part of the whole mask. The Proteus does give great protection around the back of the neck and covers most of the top of the head, but lacks in protection around the chin. The Proteus wraps well around the back of the head. However, it does not cover the very top, quarter inch or so, of most peoples heads. Thus, many players choose to wear stocking caps on their heads for protection.. the Proteus was designed with this in mind and the visor has a gap under it to allow you to put your stocking cap on comfortably. The real area that the Proteus lacks in protection is the chin. We wish that JT would have added another half inch or so of protection for the lower jaw and neck. Another half an inch would have made a huge difference in the neck protection on the Proteus. We recommend that you get a neck guard if you don't like getting hit in the neck. Overall.. the Proteus is deserving of a high B in the protection category. Overall:
Everyone on Team PGR agrees that the Proteus is the best mask on the market. It is an all around great mask and it has many features that set it "head and shoulders" above any other paintball mask. The Proteus will cost more to buy... but as usual, you get what you pay for. We give the Proteus an A rating overall and recommend it to any paintball player. You will thank yourself for buying a Proteus. At least if you can't play like a pro... you can sure look and feel like a pro if your wearing a Proteus.

Reviewed by Team PGR April 2001