8 Best Football Helmet Facemasks and More about Facemasks

Protective gear should be worn every time you play contact sports. Helmet facemask is one of the vital gears that protect and prevent players from injuries.

In this article, we’ll tackle the 8 best Football helmet facemasks and some other information about these protective gears.

What Can a Helmet Facemask Do?

When playing football, wearing a helmet facemask is a must. A facemask protects a player’s face.

It should be durable and agile, but it should still be potent for protection to ensure that the facemask is well matched to the helmet when acquiring it separately.

Helmet facemasks are intended to secure the player’s face and teeth without compromising the player’s field vision and performance.

Wearing a helmet facemask prevents a player from possible injuries.

Facial injuries, head concussion, or even brain damage are some of the possible injuries players can get when playing football.

Selecting the Ideal Helmet Facemask

There are various kinds of helmet facemasks from different brands that you can choose from.

Before picking your choice, consider these important factors to be able to choose the right helmet facemask for you and your preference.

Types of Football Facemask

There are two basic types of football facemask. The facemask is made depending on the player’s position and task on the field.

Open cage facemask

On-field visibility is essential to certain positions in football. Open cage facemasks have parallel bars at nose level and under but have ample space around the eye area to boost the player’s vision on the field.

This type of football facemask is very suitable to skill players like quarterbacks and wide receivers.

It is necessary to them to see the ball and the whole field at any point of the game. This also fits well with kickers and punters that demand sufficient vision to aim.

Some open cage facemasks are made to have additional protection for skill players that need open visions.

Several brands of these facemasks have extra vertical bar in the eye area that provides eye protection or in the jawline to provide oral protection.

This kind of facemask renders an excellent balance for the player’s safety and vision.

Close cage facemask 

This type of football facemask amplifies the security of the player’s face without affecting the vision.

These facemasks usually have plenty of horizontal bars along the lower part.

It is excellent to football players seeking remarkable security for their face, eyes, mouth, and jaw from the opponent’s hands and elbows.

Close cage facemask has more bars that provide additional protection and toughness. This means that it will decrease the player’s vision on field.

This facemask is ideal for linemen and linebackers because they encounter hard physical contacts all the time without needing full field vision.

Material

The material of a facemask may not affect its appearance, but it affects the helmet’s overall strength and weight.

These are the three standard materials that facemasks are made of:

• Carbon steel is the most common and the cheapest material available. It is heavier from any other steels. It’s also strong and durable.
• Stainless steel provides strong protection on a lighter weight. It costs more than the other.
• Titanium steel is the superior material integrated with lightweight fabrication for agility and remarkable toughness for protection of the players. It is mainly used by pro players like those in the National Football League (NFL) and elite college and high school football teams.

The Position of the Player in Football

The ideal design of the helmet facemask will depend on the position of the players. Here are the designs corresponding the different positions in football:

Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, and Defensive Backs (Oral Protection only)

These football positions require the full court vision of the field ahead of them. It is vital that there are no objects hindering their vision.

Select a football facemask that has oral protection and provides a wide area of vision for the players.

Running Backs and Tight Ends (Jaw and Oral Protection)

These football facemasks provide additional protection during physical plays of the players.

Numerous facemasks even have vertical bars on the interior part to protect player’s eyes from unwanted reaching ad poking.

Receivers (Nose and Oral Protection)

Receivers should have full field vision while playing just like the quarter backs and defensive backs.

They demand additional nose protection as they tend to be tackled or blocked for making plays.

Linemen (Nose, Jaw, and Oral Protection)

These players are usually absorbing tough hits. It is important that they have all the facial protection to assist them on field because their hands are always on their faces, chest, and shoulders of the opponent.

Other Position (Eyeglass and Oral Protection)

As Football players who always encounter hard contact, they must protect their eyes and mouth from any injury.

Additional Accessories

Additional accessories like eye shield and visor are extra protection to the eyes without hindering vision.

It is not mandatory to equip these accessories in the facemask. They can help filter out blaze and can make it hard for the opponents to read the eyes during plays.

These are usually made of polycarbonate which makes it no hindrance to the player’s vision.

Leading Manufacturers of Football Facemasks

The most respected brands of football facemasks are Riddell, Schutt, and Rawlings.

Riddell has been designing and making football gear since the early 1900s and is the official brand of helmet facemask for the National Football League (NFL).

Schutt isconsidered as one of the top leaders in this industry when it comes to safety football gear.

Many professional football players are using protective gear that is made and designed by Rawlings. This brand has been a well respected sports brand for over 125 years now.

Other brands such as Nike, All-star, and Xenith are also well respected brands that sell high quality protective sporting gear at fair price, including football facemasks.

These brands are ideal for those who are beginners in this sport, for those who are younger, and for those who have to follow their budget.

8 Best Football Helmet Facemasks

Football is an extremely physical sport. Players literally have to hit somebody in the name of victory in the game.

Helmet facemasks should be worn throughout the game.

Pro-players, college players, or high school players must choose the right helmet facemask to assure their safety. These are some of the best choices:

Xenith Prowl Facemask

The Xenith Prowl Facemask is magnificent for football players who need an open mask to maintain clear vision of the field.

This facemask is fabricated out of steel that is carbon fiber.

​It ensures that it can endure hard hits that you may encounter. It guarantees great vision and additional protection.

This helmet facemask is good for any position on the field. It is one of the most flexible kinds of facemasks.

This facemask is a product of Xenith. It’s the latest addition to their line of trusted products.

Pros:

• Array of facemask colors available
• Impeccable toughness and quality
• Superior protection for players
• Affordable price
• Permits great vision to players
• Has easy and simple instructions
• Created for all players
• Visor / Eye-Shield can be installed
• Has ideal weight for facemasks, made of carbon steel

Cons:

• Facemask not applicable to small helmets
• Don’t fit with the other brands of helmet

The Revolution Speed Facemask, produced by Riddell, is one of the leading football facemasks.

Most of the pro-players in NFL use this facemask. The design of the facemask is an S-Bar that gives additional visibility for the wearer.

It is made out of carbon steel that has extra toughness and strength for every hit taken.

The Riddell Revolution Speed Facemask is an excellent product that is worth the price.

It has high standards and excellent firmness that make it one of the best.

Pros:

• Can be used by both adults and youth
• Provides excellent vision to players
• Outstanding protection
• Can install visor

Cons:

• There is no mechanism for adjustment
• Expensive

The Xenith Varsity XRS-21 is among the excellent facemasks available in the market today. This is best for running backs and quarterbacks.

It gives you superb visibility and it is very light. It is made of Carbon steel, making it affordable and durable.

This kind of facemask cannot be used with other brands.

Make sure you only use Xeneth products. Infused with strength and agility, this would be an excellent choice for football players. There’s no disappointment in this product.

Pros:

• Popular among varsity players and pro-players
• Gives agility to the players
• Provides clear vision

Cons:

• Not applicable for young players
• Is not suitable for small Xenith helmets
• Cannot be used with other brands

The Rawlings Youth EG Facemask is created using carbon steel, making it strong and durable.

This model possesses a double wire pattern that gives extra security for the player's eyes and nose.

This is appropriate for some positions like the Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive and Defensive Lines, and a lot more.

There is an additional thick surface for intensified toughness.

Pros:

• Has wide range of colors
• With added eye and nose defense
• Satisfactory for a lot of playing positions

Cons:

• Doesn’t fit an adult’s helmet
• Not made for all players

Xenith Prime Facemask is made of carbon steel to guarantee toughness and has similar weight with other top carbon steel facemasks.

The Prime can be used by all positions, especially for well-rounded players.

It is made particularly for Xenith’s varsity football helmets, particularly sizes in M, L, and XL. Prime gives versatility, vision, and protection at its best.

Pros:

• Has polyethylene powder coating that gives great toughness and durability
• Can be used for all positions
• Guarantees exceptional field vision
• Eye shield and visor applicable

Cons:

• Does not fit size small helmets
• Does not work with other brands

This facemask is truly as good as anyone expects it to be. It possesses a 2-bar configuration style, making its installation stress-free.

If you are looking for a durable and a high-quality model, this is the most suitable type for you.

Pros:

• Cost efficient
• Easy installation process
• Amazing durability and great quality

• Has easy and simple instructions

Cons:

• Does not come in various colors
• Not made for all positions

This product is mainly fashioned through top-quality carbon steel with an open-wire style to provide the player an unusual toughness and a one-of-a-kind flex technology.

This grants the user to wear and take off the helmet without struggling. This thing has been produced to offer a great vision to protect the mouth of the player.

Pros:

• Presents a traditional design
• With high performance and excellent durability
• Provides an open vision to players

Cons:

•  Focuses much on oral defense only

This version is especially formed from carbon steel. It is suitable for the Schutt football helmet.

The playing positions fit to use this are the tight and defensive ends, running backs, and wide receivers.

This possesses a wide brow pattern that is totally helpful for better vision and for less severe frontal strikes.

This facemask has 17 bars that give a low chance for the defender to try to get all his fingers through with the goal of pulling the wearer down.

Pros:

• Impressive defense from frontal hits
• Offers a great vision and a strong oral protection
•  Fantastic style

Cons:

• Not intended for all playing positions
• May not fit all helmet sizes

• Don’t fit with the other brands of helmet

Final Thoughts

These are just 8 best football helmet facemasks that are available in the market today.

There are definitely more products for you to choose.

Select what’s suitable for your needs, know what you really desire, and research well before buying one to avoid regret in the end.

While there are a lot of things that you should consider when buying football helmet facemasks, one of the factors that you must focus the most is your comfortability.

After all, it’s hard to get your head in the game if you’re out from the lines of comfort.