Under Armour Sportsmask Review Part 2: Original VS. Featherweight

Under Armour Sportsmask front of packaging

I have good news and bad news, guys. Bad news first: I lost my Under Armour Sportsmask. The good news is that this gives me the perfect opportunity to review the next generation model, the Sportsmask Featherweight.

Extra good news: Pat wound up getting his own, 1.0 Sportsmask, which means I still have the OG version to compare it to.

But first, a couple notes: 1. Pat wears a M/L, and I wear a S/M. Therefore disregard any size differentials you may see in the photos; they’re not relevant. UA says all sizing remains the same for both models. 2. Under Armour had nothing to do with this post. I made all purchases myself and all opinions are my own.

Now let’s get down to it! How does the new Featherweight Sportsmask stack up against the first iteration?

Under Armour Sportsmask back of packaging

According to UA, the featherweight is “40% lighter, sleeker, and more comfortable.” I thought that would be hard to quantify, but the second I opened the packaging I knew I was in for something different.

Under Armour Sportsmask

If you own or can even picture Sportsmask 1.0, you can already tell that is WAAAY tinier. A lot of the cheek coverage has moved out of the main mask and into the ear straps.

Under Armour Sportsmask

The material is also appreciably smoother and thinner. The original had a plush, quilted feel, but the Featherweight does not. Compare against these photos with Pat’s mask (remember, some allowance should be given for the sizing differential):

Under Armour Sportsmask
Under Armour Sportsmask

The Featherweight felt smaller on my face too, although I didn’t feel insufficiently covered and – crucially – the mask still stands away from my mouth, which I REALLY appreciate. And the wire segment that molds over your nose feels more secure, oddly enough.

Like the first time around, I didn’t find the fabric particularly cooling, nor did it pull the heat of my breath away from my face as it claims. Admittedly I’m in Puerto Rico, where that’s going to be much tougher to pull off.

I went ahead a pulled a photo from my review of the original Sportsmask; clearly, the profile is noticeably less bulky on the featherweight. While this doesn’t automatically speak to performance, it may be of importance if you’re concerned about aesthetics.

In conclusion, the Featherweight is just as comfortable as the original – but not, in my opinion, appreciably more so. If you’ve already got a Sportsmask from the first drop in your arsenal, I don’t think you need to replace it. But if you’re in the market for a new one, the Featherweight is a more streamlined update worthy of your attention.

Get the first generation Under Armour Sportsmask here and the Featherweight here.

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.comSee ya real soon!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>