IMO, not enough umpires use a throat protector. I bought one this year (4", plain black, velcro straps) and I only had one incident where I the throat protector get lodged between my shirt and the chest protector. Two seconds later, I was ready to go. I did not notice a single NFHS umpire with a throat protector this season, but they all seem to have metatarsal protectors on their plate shoes!
Just my two cents.