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Football Facemask Buyers Guide

Which facemask fits my football helmet?

Football helmets and other helmet accessories can be an expensive investment and facemasks are among the most important parts of your football gear. So whether you're looking for and adult facemask or a youth facemask, it's vital to your health - and to your wallet - that you buy the correct fitting helmet and similarly fitting facemask for that helmet.

It's important to know that the major football manufacturers, Schutt, Riddell and Xenith, design their facemasks to only fit their specific helmets. This means, that if you buy a Schutt football helmet, you're going to need a Schutt facemask. The same goes for Riddell. If you get a Riddell SpeedFlex helmet, only Riddell SpeedFlex facemasks will fit on the shell.

Some facemasks, like the newer and more advanced SpeedFlex facemasks, are designed specifically for their respective helmets, and will NOT fit any other shell.

Other facemasks will fit a variety of shells. Below is a short list of popular helmets, and the facemasks they will fit:

Helmet Facemasks
Schutt Vengeance VTD II  Vengeance facemasks
DNA facemasks
Super Pro XL facemasks
Schutt Vengeance Z10 Vengeance facemasks
DNA facemasks
Super Pro XL facemasks
Schutt Vengeance Pro Vengeance facemasks
DNA facemasks
Super Pro XL facemasks
Schutt Air XP Pro VTD II Super Pro facemasks
Super Pro XL facemasks
Schutt Air XP Pro Super Pro facemasks
Super Pro XL facemasks
Schutt Air XP Super Pro facemasks
Super Pro XL facemasks
Schutt Recruit Hybrid (+) Youth DNA facemasks
Schutt XP Hybrid (+) Youth Flex facemasks
Schutt Air Standard V Super Pro Universal facemasks
Riddell SpeedFlex SpeedFlex facemasks
Riddell Revolution Speed S-Bar facemasks
Riddell Victor (-i) S-Bar facemasks
Xenith Epic Xenith facemasks
Xenith X2E Xenith facemasks
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Which facemask is right for my position?

A facemask's bar configuration determines its performance, protection, and appropriate position on the field.

For instance, a facemask with a lot of cross bars higher across the eyes is going to protect the player, but it's also going to obscure visibility. That probably wouldn't help a quarterback or wide receiver too much, who rely on their wide field of view to get the job done.

On the other hand, a more open bar configuration would allow for great visibility, but wouldn't protect the mouth and eyes from hands and fingers. Lineman would be in a lot of trouble if they wore them, and had the other line's hands in their face. You can negate some of this with a helmet visor, but lineman normally prefer more bars in the facemask itself.

The facemask, then, has to balance protection and performance. The more closed your bar configuration, the less visibility you have, but the more your face is protected. So to determine which facemask is right for your position, it's a matter of finding the bar configuration that gives you exactly the protection and visibility you need.

See below for a list of each facemask configuration, and their suggested positions.

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How do I tell one facemask apart from the next?

Facemask choice can be a confusing venture. Most of them look the same, and all the acronyms can get outright maddening. But thankfully, we're here to clear up all of that confusion.

Below, you'll find a list of each facemask bar configuration, its related acronym, an explanation of what it means, and a list of the positions they're designed for:

Schutt Facemasks
ROPO
ROPO
Reinforced Oral Protection Only
Designed for: RB, WR, DE, TE
RJOP
RJOP
Reinforced Jaw & Oral Protection
Designed for: OL, DL, FB, LB, QB
JOP
JOP
Jaw & Oral Protection
Designed for: OL, DL, FB, LB, QB
EGOP
EGOP
Eyeglass & Oral Protection
Designed for: RB, WR, DE, TE
EGJOP
EGJOP
Eyeglass, Jaw & Oral Protection
Designed for: OL, DL, FB, LB, TE
NJOP
NJOP
Nose, Jaw & Oral Protection 
Designed for: FB, LB, TE
NOPO
NOPO
Nose & Oral Protection 
Designed for: FB, LB, TE
OPO
OPO
Oral Protection Only
Designed for: QB, WR, TE, DB, K, P
Riddell Facemasks
2B
2B
Designed for: Skill Position, QB, RB, TE, WR, DB
    2EG
2EG
Designed for: All-Purple, RB, FB, TE, WR, LB, DB
3BD
3BD
Designed for: Linemen
2BD
2BD
Designed for: Hitting/Skill Position, RB, FB, TE, LB, DB
2BDC
2BDC
Designed for: Skill Position, QB, WR, TE, DB
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Which facemask metal is right for me?

Facemasks are typically made with one of three types of metal, carbon steel, stainless steel, or titanium. These metals determine the facemask?s durability, weight, performance, and ultimately, price.

Carbon Steel Facemasks $: The industry standard. They?re the heaviest facemasks, and relatively inexpensive, which makes them great for beginners and youth players.

Stainless Steel Facemasks $$ : Noticeably lighter than carbon steel, but are also slightly more expensive. That drop in weight will give more advanced players an edge, and improve speed, so we recommend them for more serious youth and high school players, as well as the casual adult player.

Titanium facemasks $$$: Far and away the lightest and strongest facemask in the game, titanium gives players a notable on-field advantage, keeping them faster, more agile, and better conditioned for long games. Titanium is actually 60% lighter than your traditional carbon steel facemask, and much stronger than steel. It?s also the most expensive facemask in the game, meant for college players, NFL pros, and maybe some high school players with their sights set on the pros.

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What are the benefits of the latest, specialized facemasks?

Modern, advanced facemasks designed for next-generation helmets offer improved performance and protection for the serious youth, high school, college, or pro football player. From innovative facemask designs to the latest in flexible metals, modern facemasks work to absorb more impact force while keeping you lightweight and fast on the field.

Lightweight Facemasks

Developed by Riddell, and found on advanced helmets like the Revolution Speed, lightweight facemasks deliver the strength of a traditional steel facemask, with a 14% reduction in weight, for improved mobility, agility, and speed. These facemasks offer the strength of steel, and the lightweight performance of a titanium facemask, at less than half the cost!

Flex Facemasks

Found in both Schutt and Riddell next-generations facemasks, developed uniquely for the Schutt Vengeance and Riddell 360, flexible facemasks offer incredible protection, with a slight amount of flex in the metal. This flex absorbs more impact energy, preventing this force from hitting the face and head.

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