These masks are a lot more similar to each other, the the biggest change being the soft ears added the the Grill 2. These make the sides of the Grill 2 more rigid and hopefully prefer the folding in that the sides of the original Grills do.
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The Grill 2 is a little heavier than the original Grill, but the Grill 2 has the visor on (it is difficult to remove).
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Straps are the same, with the dual band of silicone on the back for grip.
And the strap clip is the same and is interchangeable between Grill and Grill 2 masks.
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One of the biggest difference is the where the hard and soft surfaces are on the Grill mask. The Grill 2’s harder plastic is the red coloured plastic. On the original Grill it is the black plastic. On the original Grill the hard
plastic comes down lower across the cheek bone area. In the Grill 2 the hard red plastic comes down from the lower eye slight onto the cheek bone. I assume this change it to reduce the hard plastic areas on the cheek with softer more pliable plastic to held encourage more bounces. Will it work? Who knows! But by feel the Grill 2 has a more solid feeling nose section and softer feeling mouth and cheeks than the original Grill.
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Finally made it to the field to give these masks a try…. Well at least one of them. Started with the Profiler 2, as it’s the mask I was the most interested in. That was a mistake though, as I didn’t want swap back to the Grill 2.
Going back the the Profiler 2, which used the standard Profiler lens, provides a significantly better point of view. The Grill lens is just so small and tight, with the visor further reducing the view. No such issue with the Profiler 2. Nice wide view with excellent optics. I also didn’t notice the mask vents reflecting on the lens, something that happens with my Push Unite.
The mask itself was comfortable over multiple games. No issues with the lens fogging, as one would expect. I took several shots to the mask which broke near my mouth but no paint or shells hit me in the mouth.
I’ve been looking for a better mask for a while, having tried a fairly wide variety of masks. While masks, such as the Push Unite are have a higher quality feel than the Profiler 2, the Proflier 2 offers the best combination of coverage, comfort and field of view. It’s been the mask I’ve been searching for basically since I retired my original profilers. This will be my go to mask going forward and hopefully they’ll release some special edition versions with various colours and patterns like they have with Grill madk
TLDR: Great mask. Balanced protection, visibility and comfort. Will be my go-to mask.
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Circling back to this review. Played a big scenario game this weekend and used my Profiler 2s for the full event.
The event was played on an all day, cooler in the morning and warming up to about 20+ degree Celsius in the afternoon. Nice cool breeze in the afternoon as well. I was wearing a toque with a headband and was running quite warm. I’d dose my head and toque in water to cool off. So definitely sweating, but I’m not a very sweaty guy.
For the scenario there were to long 1 hour plus games, and then a final battle for the last hour. So extended field times playing with my mask on.
Comfort: They were comfortable all day. No pressure on my ears, which get sore if something is pressing on them all day. I felt no pressure on my ear. The foam was comfortable and not scratch, sealed well and I have zero fogging issues all day. I found the Profiler 2 to be very comfortable.
Protection: surprisingly I didn’t take any mask hits despite all the paint in the air. Took a head shot just about my mask only. The mask covers
my face well and does not leave my jaw exposed, like in so many other masks.
Breathability: excellent. I was breathing heavy for most of the day while running around the field. I took particular note of how the mask affected my huffing and puffing. The masks had ample room in front of my mouth, so I did not feel like I was breathing into a wall. My breath was mostly directed downward away from the lens.
Echo: This is a little harder to gauge. I am loud and often shout positions of opponents on the field. I shouted a lot and did not find the mask echoey. Was in louder in my own ears than if I was yelling without a mask on? Likely.
I had honestly been on the verge of buying a Virtue Vio but playing a full day with my Profiler 2 has changed my mind. I just hope they come out with a few interesting themed masks like they have for the Grill. Then I may be buying another Profiler 2.
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I just wanted to say that this review was really helpful and add my personal opinion having tried all 4 now.
I'm an OG Grill die hard. Curiousity got the best of me (and my guilty pleasure of lowballing in FB BST groups paid off) and I bought the Grill and Profiler 2.0.
The Grill 2.0 was shockingly terrible. Of course mask opinions are highly personalized but I couldn't stand to wear it for more than a few minutes. The ears were so uncomfortable and it didn't feel anything like the original to me.
I was never big on the Profiler. Something about how it sits in front of my mouth I never liked. The Profiler 2 for whatever reason though was perfect and is my new favorite mask. The field of view is incredible as it was with the OG. I have 3 gripes about it and none of them have to do with the function. They are the cost of the lenses, no stand alone replacement foam kit available, and I'm not huge on the looks.
Itll sit in the box until I can find some yellow and Phantom HDR lenses on sale but I'm excited to use it. I won't ditch the Grill unless foam becomes available though. I wouldn't have gotten one if I didn't read this review!Comment
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I bought a Grill 2.0 before this review was posted up. The ears are fine for my small head, but the mask foam is....scratchy! Whatever happened to the dual-density foam the Profiler 1 has? Are they going to release new foam options for the Grill 2? -
I'm glad the ears work for you, I really wanted to like them. Unfortunately, the rumor is that production has stopped for the Grill and Grill 2.0 line including lenses. I don't have a solid source on that, but the Grill 2.0 isn't listed on the GI website so maybe there's some truth?
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I'm just annoyed that GI isn't selling any Profiler foam right now, despite selling the mask itself. They don't have any, and could not give me an answer of if or when they will ever have more.Comment
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