Studioform equipment for your Crystal (light) report...
Review
...especially about the counter weights, they are one of the best parts and imo the most crucial for long term sessions! But one after the another, I've gotten quite some parts to write about. Which are:
- the fabric foam ultimate upgrade kit which replaces both face and back pads and also includes the velcro spacer kit (old more narrow "V1" version)
- the cushion pad set for pimax' own topstrap (urgently needed and should be default...
- the padded Apache comfort strap (should be mounted on every Crystal, even when you already own pimax' topstrap)
- the new V2 facepad
- and the already mentioned counter weight kit
I'm a big fan of the fabric cushions (the material alone), so I'll write only about this version and exclude the PU leather version.
Let's begin with the
face and back pads V1 Ultimate Kit containing the spacers.
This alone already is some serious upgrade over the existing pimax original face pads! I personally like studioforms version more because of the foam Studioform used here. It forms around your face more comfortable and doesn't produce so much heat because (I think) it is a more airy version of foam. May be the orignal facefoam pads are more dense, I don't really know what the exact reason is: but for me it's the case that they're more comfortable especially when it's very hot in your room. They are a bit thicker too (11mm pimax vs 14mm Studioform), what may be the main reason for better forming around your faces eye area. Of course this doesn't eliminate sweating but the overall (temperature) feeling is better for me.
What's better too is that with this cushion set the weight of the HMD is more balanced and pressure seems reduced, due to the fact that they're thicker and are made out of a more comfortable material. Even if they were 11mm like pimax' cushions they would be better I could imagine, as said because of the material.
The
Velcro spacer kit is really a great addition. With it you can easily adjust the foam to better fit the contours of your face, which is urgently needed especially for narrower faces. Something like that should already be included and delivered from pimax with their Crystal HMDs. Especially the sides of the cushions, no matter if pimax original or Studioform, may let some light come through which can heavily disturb your sessions, including reflections on the lenses up to the point you can't see details or even parts of the screen anymore, depending on your rooms lighting conditions.
About the
topstrap cushion: Pimax offers a comfort topstrap which alone already greatly expands the wearing experience. Unfortunately it has no upholstery and that can really produce pain on the part of your heads skin on which it holds. Here Studioforms topstrap cushion kit comes in place: flattering...! And that's it, nothing more to say here, imo it's just a precondition when you order pimax' topstrap.
The
Apache strap: I personally find it better than pimax' version, given the fact you've got more possibilities regarding its position. You can even mount it the way that it holds your HMD on the back side of your head, which means you can add it to pimax' topstrap if you already own this one.
Yes, they are absolutely usable together: these two straps together produce a wear feeling like a helmet. In roomscale games the HMD holds much better and doesn't wobble so much anymore while moving. Without it in hectical situations with fast movements of your head it can happen that your HMD isn't anymore on the position you initially mounted it to on your head. Enerving...
I personally mounted it more towards the rear, so that pimax' strap holds above my forehead while the apache strap does its job on the rear of my head, right above the cushion which covers the battery pack. And even when you play only stationary games it's a great addition, since it distributes the HMDs weight much better.
The
Facepad V2 with its higher forehead area compared to V1 produces a little bit of mixed feelings for me: imo it would be much better if it would be as stable as pimax' version. It's just that, I personally wasn't able to feel a really great addition of comfort or more distribution on my forehead since the area of it which attaches to the HMD via velcro isn't a hard shell like pimax' but much more soft. It doesn't have this harder shell but only a (still more hard than the thinner version from Studioform I think) thicker velcro part so you can bend it easily (if you want) which you cannot do with pimax' version.
It improves the staying on the forehead not so much like pimax' version but fair enough more than the smaller version of Studioforms or facepad. Since it isn't that stable it doesn't snuggle up to your forehead that great like pimax', its upper part doesn't fit so well. So if either pimax would use Studioforms foam or Studioforms pad would have a harder back material, it would be the perfect mix 😉 Otherwise still better holding than the more narrow version from Studioform!
The
counter weight balance kit! An absolute game changer! In my humble opinion this is an absolute precondition for every Crystal owner since it distributes the weight of this HMD greatly in a way that it's simply much much more balanced then (of course, that is for what it is intended 😁 but the effect is simply astonishing). From what I've read this also applies to the Crystal light btw, not only the OG Crystal. I can only tell about the OG-C.
There are people who aren't even thinking about using something like this because of the slightly misguided thought that it adds weight to your HMD and therefore neck: a big mistake of yours. Of course it is true, but not in a way it disturbs or in any other way represents a reason to NOT use it. Really, when you think that your neck isn't able to carry these additional grams then, sorry to say that, you should really think about training at least your neck a bit. To go any further and even more ... let's say 'harsh' (which of course absolutely isn't meant in an aggressive, offensive or otherwise bad mood but only to your good) you even shouldn't have bought the Crystal anyway since it simply is one of the more heavy HMDs. Every other person who has doubts about balance should just buy it since the OG Crystal unfortunately
is very front-heavy... The better way of course would be if pimax would've designed its Crystal more balanced. This would mean added weight in the battery compartment since factory. Yeah, of course, again, more heavy, BUT: the then balanced HMD just fits way more better!
I've used the two smaller weigths and mounted them to their corresponding places on the rear. I absolutely LOVE it, because together with the topstrap cushion, the apache strap and the ultimate foam pad upgrade kit it really completely changes the wearing experience. Especially when you use your HMD for roomscale VR, it's a much better experience and you can move your head much better without worrying about that it loses its position and / or wobble around. Counting in all the other parts too it together with the weigth kit finally gives you really a complete helmet like feeling.
Conclusion: I have a new much better fitting version of my HMD now 😀👌 I don't need to strengthen the wearing belt so much anymore to have a stable sitting HMD for roomscale. Instead it now is possible to have it just slightly fixed, which further means it's much more comfortable for long sessions while at the same time sitting better secured / fixed than it ever was possible in factory condition. It's, as I already wrote, similar to a helmet like experience now. Which unfortunately also can mean it is a bit more warm around your head now too since now almost the whole head is covered when you use all these additional stuff. The weigth increases a bit of course but it's absolutely no problem for persons with a normal constitution. When you have physical neck problems, then this HMD in general might not be the first choice anyway for you. That said, I may have to say sorry again for my a bit cheeky coming wording regarding the counterweigths: but it simply is true 😊 You don't need to develop any concerns about the counterweigths; and absolutely not about the other comfort increasing pads / cushions / strap, too.
I will add a picture of my HMD of how it looks now later. Until then, have a nice day and plenty of fun with your now feeling like a new / other HMD!