Airsofters in humid climates are all too familiar with their goggles fogging up in the middle of gameplay. Even with innovations like thermal lenses, double-lens assemblies, and more this problem continues to be an annoyance. In the “real world”, you could just take your goggles off and wipe them down but, in an airsoft game, you can’t remove your eye protection as it is a serious safety issue – a projectile traveling at 400 feet per second will shred your eye. The ExFog Antifog fan system is meant to combat the issue of fogging by blowing cooler, not-so-humid air into your goggles or mask and prevent that condensation from building up. A big promise, to be sure, but can it keep it?
The ExFog Antifog system features a main fan assembly, two different manifold styles, a headband, and a long section of clear tubing. The main fan assembly body is made of a black plastic material with decent durability. It can easily stand up to BB hits without cracking. On one end, the main fan body features a power/speed button as well as a battery indicator light. On another side of the fan body, you’ll find the charging port as well as a connector that the manifold attaches to. One of the manifolds features two output nozzles that face left and right of the wearer’s head, and the other has two output nozzles facing straight down. Swapping these manifolds out is very quick and easy and, using either one depends mainly on your particular setup.
Again, setting up the ExFog Antifog System is dependent on what kind of eye protection/head gear setup you will use. For those of you looking to use the ExFog with a full airsoft mask or goggle with one of those one inch thick bands, then you’ll want to order the ExFog with the “T-Band”. If you are using the ExFog on a Velcro section of your helmet, a cap, or boonie then it doesn’t matter what ExFog variant you purchase as they both come with a piece of Velcro to attach to the back of the fan housing. Finally, you could choose to go with the “headband” ExFog variant, which comes with a standalone headband, similar to one of those headband GoPro mounts, to mount the fan body to. One of the things this system is, is versatile. You will be able to use the ExFog with just about any setup. You may need to find interesting ways to route the clear tubing or mount the fan assembly body, but it can be done.
The ExFog Antifog System charges via micro USB cable and the battery seems to last forever. In my testing, I could easily get a day’s use out of the unit so long as I monitored how much I used the system. I would turn it off or to low power mode until it started getting more humid in my mask, then up to full power until the fog cleared. One of the things you’ll notice when using the ExFog unit is that, even on the highest setting, it doesn’t push a huge volume of air out its tubes – and that is by design. The ExFog is more about temperature control rather than drying out your eyes with lots of output. Don’t let this lower output fool you, however, as the ExFog is very adept at removing fog from your goggles or mask. There are other fan solutions out there that seem to work with the “hare approach”. That’s fine until the batteries run out. The ExFog takes the “tortoise approach” and works all day!
Now, if I had my druthers with the ExFog, I’d like to have seen the low output be the “normal” setting with the high setting pump up the power when needed and just let the user regulate which output they want. One of the negatives about the overall low air volume is that you will probably not be routing one of the tubes into your helmet or hat as the low output volume won’t cool your head down much – but, for its intended use of dealing with goggle fog it is more than up for the challenge. One of the benefits of the ExFog system is that it isn’t very loud, which is nice when stalking through dark corridors and trying to remain stealthy.
Overall, the ExFog Antifog is an excellent solution for preventing and removing fog buildup from your goggles or airsoft mask – even construction goggles! The ExFog retails for about $80 dollars and is available now on their official website.
