UNITS AFFECTED:
Xtreme Vision 280
Model No. 7472 All serial numbers and lot numbers
POTENTIAL HAZARD:
Brass Eagle has received five reports of the lenses of the Xtreme Vision 280
paintball masks cracking or breaking when struck by a paintball, thus creating a
potential for injury to the paintball player. No reports of injuries have been
received.
Recall Instructions:
1. Immediately cease using your Xtreme Vision 280 lenses.
2. Return all old lenses freight collect to:
Recall Department
Brass Eagle Inc.
303 Cedar Street
Granby, Missouri 64844
OR
Call Brass Eagle at (800) 354-8841.
3. Please include your name and address for free replacement lenses.
4. We have notified the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission of this
recall.
|
In addition, Brass Eagle is advising field owners to contact Steve Cherry at (800) 861-6095 for recall information. Brass Eagle has set up incentive programs for fields which participate in the recall process by replacing customer lenses, ensuring that only the newer, certified lenses are in use on the fields. Distributors and store owners to contact Dan Obergfell at (800) 861-6095, for information on how to identify the older lenses, and return their inventory, freight collect, for credit.
This has caused quite a flurry in the paintball community surrounding the ASTM standards and how they are measured and enforced.
The ASTM is a not for profit organization which is funded and operated by members of the industry it serves. In the late 1800s it became clear that certain accepted standards were needed in industry. If the Pennsylvania Railroad (one of the corporations involved in the formation of the ASTM) were to order some steel rails, what did that mean? Who defined what steel was? What percentage of what metals could be mixed in, and still be called steel? In 1898 the ASTM started meeting to write standards just such as that. Today, the ASTM has 132 committees (each with its own subcommittees) to write definitions and standards for all sorts of products, including paintball. For a more complete history of the ASTM click here.
ASTM Subcommittee F08.24 deals with the sport of paintball, and is chaired by Worr Game's Products founder Bud Orr. The paintball subcommittee is developing paintball standards. This committee has developed three standards to date.
So who enforces these standards? At the present, no-one. It is at the discretion of a field operator and their insurance company as to what equipment they allow on their fields. It is up to a manufacturer to choose whether or not they will comply with these standards, and how they will test them. Unlike other sports (ice hockey for example) there is not a governing board for paintball to make sure that products and protective gear live up to the claims of their manufacturers.
As the Brass Eagle press release points out, the safety of their Extreme Vision 280 goggle had been called into question. The goggle, manufactured by Leader was shown in February of 1997 to dealers and the WARPIG staff in Las Vegas, NV. It was given its first major public showing in August of the same year at the Zap International Amateur tournament. In April 1997 a paintball publisher circulated a report from a testing facility claiming that the Extreme Vision goggles tested did not meet the ASTM standards in a number of areas. Some of the minor areas were the fact that the lens did not include a manufacturing date, and were too dark to not include a warning about use in low light conditions. The major area involved the goggles failing impact tests. This report, according to the publisher was commissioned after they had received reports of injuries from Extreme Vision 280 goggles which failed.
Leader maintains that their lenses have been impact safe all along. At the Skyball tournament in Toronto Canada, Leader publicly demonstrated their impact testing apparatus - an enclosed box with a paintgun which pelts their lenses at 400 fps. As a part of their normal quality control procedures, random samples are tested from each batch of goggles produced, and if samples fail, the lots are destroyed.
In response to the published test results, Leader immediately added the date stamp, and corrected the lens tint, to make sure they were in full compliance with the ASTM guidelines. To make sure that their goggles met the impact requirements, they backed up their in-house testing with independent lab testing.
Brass Eagle, which is the exclusive distributor of the goggles also has commissioned review by an independent laboratory which has certified that the Extreme Vision 280 goggles, as presently manufactured do indeed conform to the ASTM standards.
To ensure that customers who have bought the Extreme Vision 280 which was advertised to be in compliance with the ASTM standard would get what they had paid for, Brass Eagle is voluntarily recalling all Eagle Vision 280 lenses which do not include the date stamp. At the time of this writing, Brass Eagle had not yet announced how the recall would take place.
How is the industry reacting?
In the interest of player safety, the American Paintball League (APL) intitially issued a statement (for the latest APL news see their web site at www.paintball-apl.com) barring the use of the Xtreme vision goggles on APL insured fields while they asessed the sitution. On April 30th the APL officially announced that the only the Brass Eagle recalled lenses would not be allowed on their fields, and recommended that field owners contact Brass Eagle for full information regarding the Recall. In addition the APL has been providing information, via their web site, on how to identify the recalled lenses.
If you are not familiar with the APL, they have a long history in the sport of paintball. To date, they have insured over 1200 fields, and were the first to require that paintball fields meet certain safety requirements as a part of their insurance program. The APL has been actively involved in the development of the ASTM standards.
These standards, and a ban on non compliant goggles bring up a serious question. What about other brands of goggles? There are goggles on the market, which do not meet all of the ASTM standards, such as full ear protection, or the date stamping of the lens. There are other brands of goggles on the market for which the insurance companies have not been requiring independent certification of ASTM compliance.
When asked if the lens ban would be extended to other goggles which have not been shown to be in full compliance with the ASTM standards, Bob McGuire of the APL replied "I am sorry to report that at this time I am unable to comment on the Brass Eagle recall, or any matters involving ASTM compliance. I hope to be able to respond to your questions soon." It is important to note that this should not be taken as a blow-off answer, there is much to be considered, research to be done, and legal consultation to be obtained in making these sort of policy decisions.
Larry Cossio represents the National Paintball Association. While a relative newcomer in the paintball insurance scene, Cossio estimates that the NPA presently insures 45% of the fields in the US. The NPA is issuing a statement to all of its fields that Extreme Vision 280 goggles will not be allowed unless they have the new lens in place. To facilitate the recall, the NPA has provided a list of their fields to Brass Eagle to make sure proper recall information is sent out as quickly as possible.
Cossio also reports that as both the insurer of Brass Eagle, and as a field insurer, there have been no claims made for injuries caused by failures of the Extreme Vision 280 goggles to protect a player.
When asked how the NPA plans to handle the issue of goggle compliance, Cossio explained that this problem has brought an important issue into the spotlight. The NPA will be contacting the three goggle manufacturers (Leader, JT and Scott) and requesting independent lab verification that their products meet the ASTM standards. After an appropriate time to comply, the NPA will be allowing only independently certified goggles to be used on NPA insured fields.
How can you tell if your Extreme Vision 280 lens, or one you are about to buy needs replacing under the recall? With the lens removed from the goggle, the new, ASTM compliant lenses have the manufacturing date stamped on the right side (from the mask wearer's point of view ). The date stamp looks like a small wheel with an arrow in the center pointing to the month. If your lens lacks this stamp, it should not be used. Additional recall information will be forthcoming shortly as Brass Eagle implements their recall plan.