Blindfolds are one of those things that have never really satisfied me, mainly because I can’t seem to find one that actually performs the job that it’s supposed to.
I guess the most efficient blinding device I have is the rubber hood with detachable blindfold, but it’s not always what you want for every scene. Amongst others, I have an inflatable rubber blindfold, but whilst it’s pretty good at stopping you from seeing; it does look pretty rediculous (you end up with a rubber ring round your head!) and can be a bit painful on the eyes, especially if you’re face down.
RoB have always done a leather blindfold, but I found the cut to be inadequate – it let light in where the bridge of your nose is. The fastening was also a bit difficult to put on; it uses a double buckle affair which has the advantage of not digging into the back of your head but is a bit difficult to put on in a hurry.
On my recent trip to Amsterdam, I paid a visit to the big RoB shop there in a search for the perfect blindfold. I did find the best yet, however it’s still not perfect… It’s essentially a refinement of the older design, that’s cut better around the nose and has a bit more padding over the eyes:
The lighter grey is the old design, the darker grey is the new one. Not a great difference, but it’s sufficient to actually make it work now!
The slightly fiddly fastening is still there, but you can’t have everything I suppose!
