Chrome- The Good and The Bad

What we love

Wearing a chrome facemask is one of the easiest ways to stand out on the field- it’s unique and eye catching. It almost seems like a no-brainer to switch up the look of your helmet, it’s guaranteed to gain attraction and attention. Chrome provides your gear with an elevated look that reflects its worth. 

The reality

Although chrome looks great on any helmet, it’s not ideal for a football player with their head in the game (literally). An item in chrome that is getting roughed around during field use will not survive an entire season in one piece. Chrome coating is very brittle and not as resistant as our colored powder coat. It tends to decay much faster, showing the layers underneath after one game.  

When customizing to chrome, you’re looking at spending up to $300 on top of the purchase of the actual facemask. We outsource for our chrome options, so it tends to be more expensive than our regular dipped facemasks.

Our advice

We love the look of chrome and think that the attractive quality itself is worth the money, but we would not advise wearing a chromed facemask on the field. This material is better suited for customized, collectible helmets. They will bring even more life to your helmet and keep their integrity best being on display. A helmet hanger will do the trick, showing off your beautiful helmet creation on any wall in your home. 

Chrome-coated gear is fragile, but this does not mean that you can never wear it. If you understand the terms that come with chrome and you are willing to sacrifice it to the wear and tear of the sport, you are going to look good playing football. At Green Gridiron, we powder coat our facemask orders with a coordinating color first so that when the chrome does wear off, the bare metal underneath is not immediately exposed. This helps the mask continue to look decent from afar. However, we suggest sticking to a powder coated facemask in your team colors to get the best durability for the season. We offer reconditioning services to keep your facemasks looking fresh after every season. 

Check out these helmets

As you may know, we like to change up the look of team helmets. We have done full decal wraps, created custom 3D bumpers, and even decked out gear in full chrome. We have a few examples on The Heads Up Show that prove how chrome can really make a helmet pop. 

We want to know

Let us know what you think about chrome-detailed football helmets. Do you like the look? It’s definitely a statement, so we know it’s not for everyone. Have you detailed your gear in chrome? Share your experience with chrome in our comment section.