Wearing a helmet visor is becoming more and more a must-have element in football these days.
We all know how intense the game can be and bad things can happen.
Choosing the right football visor is as important as wearing one in the first place.
This guide here will help you learn everything you need to know about helmet visors in football while also suggesting the best football visors you can buy in 2021.
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Reviews of Best Football Visors In 2021
Under Armour has a reputation for making excellent quality, well-priced sporting gear, and that’s just what you get with this lightweight visor.
The reason we started with this visor here is because it is one of the best football visors out there.
The polycarbonate lens on this visor has been constructed using Under Armour’s patented NXT lens technology.
The result is a high-performance visor which is unbreakable, and extremely durable.
At the same time, this visor offers a universal fit, and so it can be used with a variety of helmets.
The Under Armour UA Football Visor additionally comes with a variety of treatments to enhance its performance and durability.
These include an anti-fog coating and a scratch-resistant coating. It is also designed to block all harmful UV rays, and the clear lens design meets NCAA® and NFHS® specifications.
The installation system used on this visor is a patented tool-less clip system which allows for easy attachment and removal of the visor.
No tools are needed so that you can do so quickly and effortlessly. Each visor comes with logo stickers, and these are available in a variety of colors so you can match the sticker to your team’s jersey.
- It offers a universal fit on most helmets.
- It comes with a quick-release clip system.
- Strong, lightweight, and durable.
- It comes with custom logo stickers.
- Has anti-fog, anti-glare and anti-scratch coatings.
- It can develop tiny scratches after a while.
If you are a player who continually has to deal with the sun getting in your eyes, then what you need is this Barnett visor.
The visor comes with a UV coating to ensure you will not experience any glare, and neither will you suffer sun damage from harmful UV rays.
This eye shield comes with a clear lens that will not get in your way while on the field. Better yet, the edges are well designed, so there won’t be any image distortion at the peripheries.
The universal design is another desirable feature, ensuring that this visor will fit in many helmets.
The universal design is another desirable feature, ensuring that this visor will fit in many helmets.
The anti-fog coating applied to the visor allows you to use it in any weather conditions, even when it’s raining or misty.
Condensation will not form on your lens, so your vision remains tip-top throughout the match.
On the other hand, the scratch-resistant coating enhances the durability of the visor. It will be a long time before you need to replace this eye shield.
- Gives clear, distortion-free vision.
- It offers a universal fit on many helmets.
- Has an easy-to-use two-clip system.
- Provides UV ray protection.
- Approved by High School and Youth Leagues.
- Might not be up to standards for varsity players.
This clear football helmet visor is approved for all football leagues.
Whether you are playing at youth, high school, or collegiate level, this is the type of visor you can move with as you transition from one level to the other.
The lens is built from durable polycarbonate and features an injection mold engineered design. As a result, this eye shield is very high in strength.
It can take quite a pounding during tackles without breaking. The impact resistance offered is merely unrivaled.
Better yet, the visor provides a universal fit, which makes it compatible with many types of football helmets.
One thing to note is that when using it on youth helmets sizes XS and S; then you would require to bend the visor slightly for it to fit.
With a little bit of patience, however, you should be good to good in a couple of minutes. The visor employs a two-clip installation system, which is quick and easy to use.
You might not need to use the visor at all times, so when you wish to take it off the helmet, you can do so in a snap.
- It is compatible with multiple helmets.
- Has an impressive impact resistance.
- Fog-free and scratch proof.
- Blocks out glare.
- It comes with a 100% money-back guarantee.
- It’s difficult to attach the visor to Youth Extra Small and Small helmets.
Schutt visors tend to stand out among other brands because they have a spectacularly designed high-density shell that can stand up to any impact without as much as a tiny scratch.
This particular visor is injection molded using high-impact polycarbonate.
Better yet, the edges of the visor are structurally reinforced so that they visor can withstand hard impact without shipping or cracking around the edges. How cool is that?
Additionally, the edges of the eye shield have been engineered to have the ideal curvature so that the player doesn’t experience any optical distortion from their peripheries.
You get a wide field of view with visual clarity from side to side.
The Schutt eye shield is designed to work with all Schutt helmets. In this case, you would get optimal integration with your visor helmet for a perfect fit and performance.
The screw-in installation system provides a firm and secure fit such that the visor will not come loose during an intense game.
- Hardwearing and durable.
- Near-perfect curvature for optimal clarity.
- Has fortified edges.
- The screw-in system offers a secure fit.
- Fits in all shut helmets.
- It doesn’t have an anti-fog coating.
When it comes to sporting gear and equipment, Nike is a household name.
One vital thing you can know for sure is that they care about quality, and offer a wide array of youth size football visors.
The Nike Gridiron visor comes with shock dampening attachments at the clips.
These help in reducing the chances of the eye shield cracking at the connection points, in the event of impact or collision.
These shock dampeners come in the form of soft rubber washers.
The exclusive curved shape of this visor allows it to fit on most helmets without you needing to bend the visor.
Better yet, the curved design of the wrapped lens is perfectly engineered to reduce distortion at the peripherals while at the same time providing better protection.
The durable polycarbonate used to construct the visor is shatter-proof and scratch-resistant, as well. On the other hand, the two-clip attachment method is conveniently fast and easy to use.
- It provides a clear view in every direction.
- Very durable, high-quality construction.
- Shock absorbing.
- It doesn’t scratch easily.
- Fits most youth helmets.
- It does not offer adequate glare reduction.
Oakley makes some of the most technologically advanced optical gear, and this particular visor does not disappoint.
This football shield makes use of Oakley’s High Definition Optics (HDO) Technology.
The HDO lens helps give impeccable visual clarity without any optical distortion, thereby optimizing the peripheral view on the visor.
The geometry of the visor plays a role in this as well, seeing as it has a unique curvature.
This curvature, achieved using CAD/CAM engineering, helps with widening the field of view, all the while maintaining clarity.
Instead of using the usual polycarbonate, this visor is made from PLUTONITE, which is a proprietary synthetic material that is more durable than polycarbonate.
The patented material offers an impressive level of eye protection against helmet-to-helmet collisions, wind-blown debris, and eye-gouging.
At the same time, the tint on this helmet visor blocks out 100% of the sun’s harmful UV rays, which comprise UVA, UVB, and UVC. The tint also offers protection from harmful blue light up to 400nm (nanometers).
The lens comes with treatments that enhance its anti-fog performance as well as its scratch resistance.
- Extremely durable.
- Protects from glare, harmful UV rays, and blue light.
- Optimizes peripheral vision.
- Anti-fog performance.
- The tint levels are customizable.
- It takes some time attaching it to the helmet.
This Unique Sports visor has a nice and clean seamless look so much that one can hardly notice you are wearing a helmet.
Which is a good thing for the players looking for a no-frills, functional visor for high school or collegiate level football games.
Although it is a clear visor, it has been uniquely engineered to block out glare while offering 100% UV protection.
Now that’s something you don’t find in many clear football visors. Additionally, this visor comes with anti-scratch and anti-fog coatings applied on both sides of the lens.
The 3mm thick polycarbonate lens is very durable and strong.
Additionally, it offers a distortion-free playing experience owing to the precision wrapping mechanism which eliminated blind spots. While using this visor, players get to enjoy a wide and clear field of view.
At the same time, the curved nature of the lens allows it to fit on most youth and adult helmets, and you wouldn’t even need to bend it to get the precise fit.
Hardware has been included to attach the visor to your Hemet, and for this, it uses a two-clip installation system.
- Clean, no-frills design.
- Anti-Fog and Anti-Scratch.
- Curved lens for a precise fit.
- 3mm thick shatter-proof lens.
- Distortion-free peripheries.
- Better suited for adult-size helmets, not youth size.
This Bangerz Provu Football Eye Shield uses zip ties instead of screws.
As a result, the visor can be used with nearly all types of helmets regardless of whether they have metallic or plastic face masks.
The eye shield is made using polycarbonate material. It has the added advantage of providing extra-wide vision while at the same time eliminating distortion around the edges of the visor.
This way, there aren’t any blind spots, and so the players can have better efficiency while on the field.
This visor also serves to block out harmful glare caused by excessive sunlight or stadium lighting at night. It controls the light intensity while still offering the wearer impeccable visual clarity.
The visor comes with an anti-scratch coating for enhanced durability.
Additionally, both sides of the lens have been given an anti-fog treatment so you can play comfortably in any weather conditions even when its misty and drizzly.
- It provides an extra-wide vision.
- Eliminates harmful ultra-violet rays.
- Fits metal and plastic face masks.
- Anti-fog treatment on both sides.
- Easy installation.
- It develops scratches quite quickly.
Why Do Football Players Wear Helmet Visors?
Visors, also known as eye shields, are a component attached to the face mask portion of a football helmet.
These curved pieced of plastic are not mandatory to have while playing football.
However, they are a convenient and protective additional extra, and depending on the type of visor; they can even end up enhancing your play strategy.
The primary reason for wearing a helmet visor is to prevent eye injuries. Football is a high impact sport, and during collisions, a player may accidentally have their eyes gouged.
While a run-of-the-mill helmet tends to leave the eyes uncovered, a visor will cover the eyes and competently hold up to vigorous pokes and blows.
Besides eye-gouging, a visor would also protect the player from dirt, dust, and flying debris arising from scrimmages.
Protection from winds is another benefit that comes with wearing a visor, which in turn reduces your chances of contracting dry eye syndrome.
When playing at a professional level, be it a High school league, the NFL, or the NCAA, only clear visors are permitted.
For recreational play, however, you can get a tinted visor that will not only help protect your eyes but will also help sift out the light.
This reduces glare, thereby enhancing a player’s field of vision and in the process, giving them a competitive advantage as well.
When using a tinted football visor, the player would be able to hide their eyes from opponents. When a rival cannot see where you are looking, that gives the player the element of surprise.
This way, the opponent can only tell the player’s anticipated play by reading body movements.
Not to mention that having a big boded running back charging towards you while wearing a dark visor can be quite intimidating owing to the menacing look.
Whichever way you look at it, a football player wearing a helmet visor will have some form of advantage over other players on the field.
Better yet, a player may choose to wear a visor as an expression of their personal style and individualism.
Types of Football Visors
Clear Football Visors
Clear football visors serve the sole purpose of shielding a player’s eyes from injury. At the same time, some visor lenses may come with a prescription for vision correction.
Of course, this only applies to the players who wear spectacles or corrective lenses.
The visor should be made from shatter-resistant material so that even if it happens to break, then it will not break apart into small pieces that can get into the player’s eyes.
At the same time, the high-quality clear visors come with anti-glare properties to help the player play without distractions on a sunny day or even on a cloudy day where the sun could be dipping in and out.
Visors often get covered with moisture resulting from sweat and the player’s breathing.
When this moisture content is too high, it could fog the visor, thereby reducing visual clarity and making it hard for the players to see.
As a result, it is preferable to get a visor that comes with an anti-fog coating.
Regulatory bodies concerned with football at any level only allow the use of clear visors. This is because a referee can easily see the player’s face and eyes through a clear visor.
So, if the player is unconscious or has suffered a concussion, the coaches and referees can immediately pick up on this in good time and give the player the necessary medical attention.
Smoked / Tinted Football Visors
Besides offering eye protection from injury, tinted football visors additionally help reduce the glare of the sun, thereby shielding the player’s eyes from direct contact with sunlight.
This way, the player can clearly see what’s going on around them, but without the distraction of glaring light.
At the same time, smoked visors are very good for a player’s strategy. The opponent cannot see your eyes, so they cannot tell where you are looking or what you are thinking of doing next.
Tinted visors are not the regulation, seeing as leagues go for clear visors. However, if a player happens to have eye problems, then they may obtain special permission to wear a tinted visor.
Polarized Football Visors
When it comes to UV rays and harmful blue light, polarized visors are much better at reducing glare than tinted visors are.
Exposure to glare not only reduces the player’s visibility, but it can also affect the player’s eyesight in the long run. Hence the need to wear a visor.
Visors not only offer protection from injuries, but they also prevent potential long-term eye damage arising from other factors such as glaring lights, for instance.
These protect not just from the sun’s harmful UV rays but also from damaging night lights.
If you are playing in extremely hot weather conditions, then a polarized helmet visor would be just what you need to get a better field vision.
The only problem is that a polarized visor can reduce your visibility quite a bit when playing at night.
Colored Visors
Colored visors are quite stylish, but they are not very popular, and neither can they be used for competitive play.
Such visors tend to reduce a player’s field of view, and they can also darken one’s vision a lot.
How Do I Choose A Visor for Football?
Helmet Fit
Some visors are designed to fit on a youth helmet while others are intended for an adult helmet. At the same time, other visors are designed to offer a universal fit on all helmets.
Visors come in two basic shapes: 3-prong models and 2-prong models. A 3-prong model results in a more secure fit in the helmet, as well as enhanced eye protection.
However, the downside is that they are not compatible with most helmets. On the other hand, 2-prong models are more versatile as they can fit in any mask and helmet.
The visor you choose should not only fit your helmet, but it should also be compatible with your league rules.
Some leagues restrict certain types of visors, so it is worth finding out what’s allowed and what isn’t.
Lens
Always make sure you check your peripherals while wearing the visor. Some visors have the edge of the lenses poorly designed such that you end up having distorted vision around the peripherals.
Do you want a clear lend or a tinted one? At the same time, check to make sure the anti-glare coating isn’t too dark for your liking, such that it will impair your vision while on the field.
Material
The material is the visor determined hoe durable and hard-wearing the visor will be. Most visors are made from polycarbonate, which is very durable and offers excellent performance.
However, this is not to mean that all quality visors are made from polycarbonate.
With technological advancements, brands may opt to use certain patented materials and synthetic formulas that perform just as well or even better than polycarbonate.
An example of this is HDO from Oakley, NXT from Under Armour, etc.
Ultimately, the visor should be made from a material that is strong, durable, and resistant to flaws such as scratching – all the while, allowing for high visibility and lightweight comfort for the player.
Coatings & Protections
Desirable properties on a football helmet visor include anti-fogging, scratch resistance, shatter-proof, and UV ray protection.
These may come in the form of treatment, a coating, or in the very nature of the material used to construct the visor.
Additionally, a visor that provides clear visibility and a wide field of view is always preferred.
If the eye shield you are purchasing does not have an anti-fog treatment, then do not despair just yet.
There are anti-fogging products such as creams, sprays, and moist towels, which you can buy separately and use on your visor.
With the correct application, such products tend to work impressively well.
Ease of Installation
Be sure to check the installation system on the visor so that you do not end up disappointed in your purchase.
The most popular installation systems involve the use of quick release clips and standard fasteners. These are quick, convenient, and easy to use.
Some visors may come with an installation system involving screws, T-nuts, zip ties, etc.
These systems are a bit more tedious and may take the player a slightly longer time to attach or detach the visor.
However, they do result in a more secure fit of the visor, and you can tighten the screws as tight as you wish so that the visor doesn’t move around.
