I bought this balaclava to replace one I lost towards the end of winter. I use it primarily on winter bike rides to protect my ears, face neck, and (on really cold days or long rides) nose. My previous balaclava was a C9 by Champion one from Target, which I liked much better because it was thicker (thus warmer) and more comfortable, but apparently stores don't feel like selling winter clothing in February anymore, so I had to look elsewhere. That's where this one came in.

When I first got it, I was immediately surprised by how thin it is. I don't think I could use this in the middle of winter; I'd need something thicker and warmer. However, for short rides or warmer temperatures (say, 20s or 30s) I've found it acceptable. It is very tight, so I could see people with larger heads having problems with this. There is some stitching down the middle that other people noticed and I thought might concern me. If I wear it only around the perimeter of my face, it's fine, but if I pull it up over my mouth or nose, is is noticeable (not quite irritating in my opinion). The "neck" portion is also very long, which I find nice on this one because I thought it was actually too short on my old one. Like my old one, it's also fairly "adjustable" in that I can wear it to cover just my neck, my chin, my mouth, or my nose and whole face except the eyes.

On the bright side, it's cheap. It's not horribly constructed from the looks of things, but within weeks a thread from the middle stitching came loose. Nothing else has happened since cutting that off, and I don't even notice much if any damage from this. I just wish it was a bit warmer, but for this price I can hardly complain. I do know that I'll go back to my old brand next winter when they are hopefully in stores again, but I'll definitely keep this one around, perhaps a second under-layer to use on particularly cold days.

UPDATE: Lasted through the rest of that winter and the first part of this one with no problems. I did replace it with my thicker one once stores started selling them again. Unfortunately, I lost it but really want a second layer (this) under my thicker balaclava for the sub-zero days we've been having lately, so I think I'll order one of these again. Again, it's thin, and maybe a tad tight, which is the primary reason for my rating, but it's cheap enough that I'm not sure you can expect much more.