Visor

A visor (also spelled vizor) is a surface that protects the eyes, such as shading them from the sun or other bright light or protecting them from objects.

Nowadays many visors are transparent, but before strong transparent substances such as polycarbonate were invented, visors were opaque like a mask with small holes to see and breathe through, such as:

  • The part of a helmet in a suit of armor that protects the eyes.
  • A type of headgear consisting only of a visor and a band as a way to fasten it around the head.
  • Any such vertical surface on any hat or helmet.
  • Any such horizontal surface on any hat or helmet (called a peak in British English).
  • A device in an automobile that the driver or front passenger can lower over part of the windshield to block the sun (sun visor).
  • Some modern devices called visors are similar, for example:

  • Visor (ice hockey)
  • Types of modern transparent visors include:

  • The transparent or semi-transparent front part of a motorcycle crash helmet or police riotsquad helmets
  • Hockey helmet

    A hockey helmet is worn by players of ice hockey and inline hockey to help protect the head from potential injury when hit by the puck, sticks, skates, boards, other players, or the ice.

    Construction

    Hockey helmets grip the head from inside by cupping the back of head, or the occipital protuberance. Helmet manufacturers will have a chart that relates their helmet sizes to head measurements.

    Most helmets have tool-free adjustments, but on older models, the helmet size is adjusted by loosening the screws on the side to slide the front portion forward or back.

    The shell of a hockey helmet is generally made of a substance called vinyl nitrile that disperses force from the point of contact, while the liner may be made of either vinyl nitrile foam, expanded polypropylene foam, or other material to absorb the energy, to reduce the chances of concussion.

    Helmets in the National Hockey League

    The first player to regularly wear a helmet for protective purposes was George Owen, who played for the Boston Bruins in 1928–29. In 1927, Barney Stanley presented a prototype of a helmet at the NHL's annual meeting. It was quickly rejected.

    Visor (armor)

    A visor was used in conjunction with some Medieval war helmets such as the bascinet. The visor usually consisted of a hinged piece of steel that contained openings for breathing ("breaths") and vision. Visors protected the face during battle. Most knights or warriors who wore visors usually were spotted on horses during war, and more specifically in tournaments. The word beaver is sometimes used interchangeably with visor, as in Shakespeare's Hamlet, when Hamlet and Horatio are discussing the Ghost. Hamlet says: "Then saw you not his face?" to which Horatio responds "O yes, my lord. He wore his beaver up [i.e., his visor raised]".

  • Early type of visor known as Klappvisier

  • Early type of visor known as Klappvisier

  • The prominent visor of a bascinet, c. 1400. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria

  • The prominent visor of a bascinet, c. 1400. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria

  • Double visor (first appeared for armets and close helms mat 20s of 16c)

  • Double visor (first appeared for armets and close helms mat 20s of 16c)

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