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The combos work OK for me. I have a few pairs of those, plus a couple of pairs of base-only and plate-only pants. Which I wear on a given day might depend on if I'm working multiple games, switching back and forth, or if I'm working a game where I know for sure ahead of time if I'll be working the plate or bases.
The deciding factor, more often than not, is which pair happens to be laundered and pressed!
Our state high school association has approved the darker grey (charcoal) pants for softball and no longer requires heather grey. Either is acceptable for regular season. All umpires must match in playoff games. ASA in these parts is all navy blue pants.
I have a couple of pairs of Cliff Keen heather grey combos that I love, but after a few seasons they have taken on that "pinkish" hue. They fit great, are structurally sound, but if the light hits them just right they look pretty bad. I hate to retire otherwise great pants and looked into options of having them dyed to either restore the heather grey color or match the darker grey. Unfortunately, polyester cannot be dyed using normal dye available to the average consumer. They require a special dye and temperatures near boiling before polyester will absorb the dye. The process is nearly impossible for someone to do at home.
I recently bought a pair of the Smitty charcoal combo pants and they aren't bad. They are definitely darker than heather grey, but a shade lighter than the Cliff Keen pants, so they still aren't a perfect match if your partner is wearing the CK's. I like the "expandable" waist band as it takes some of the guesswork out of ordering pants through the mail. I wear a 36" in jeans and dress pants. The CK 36's are pretty snug and the Fechhiemers I can barely button. I'm forced to "size up" for those brands- 37" in the CK's and 38" in the Fech's.
Smitty pants had some really big quality issues a couple of years ago. These pants were regarded as junk, with bad color fading, poor seams and construction and metal hooks that ripped out. They have addressed these issues with their manufacturer and, from what I can find, their quality issues are a thing of the past.
I did have a problem with the Smitty navy blue pants I recently ordered. They were advertised as also having the expansion waistband, so I orderd a size 36. However, when these pants arrived they did NOT have the expansion waistband. They are on the snug side for fit.
I contacted the seller with my concerns, and they in turn contacted Smitty. The story I got was that there was a pre-season change to the design of these pants. A last minute decision was made to produce these pants with the western-style pocket. Somehow, the story went, the last minute change precluded their ability to produce these with the expansion waistband. Their pre-season advertising materials had already been released, touting the expansion waist, before these pants hit the market.
The umpire supply store that I ordered these from- and whose own website advertised these as having the expansion waistband- was less than accomodating. They offered to exchange the pants if I returned them at my own expense for shipping, or I could exchange them in person at their store for no charge- other than the gas it would take to complete the four hour round trip from my home to their store!
So now I'm stuck with a pair of usable, but not quite optimal, otherwise decent pair of Smitty navy blue combo pants. Has anyone else bought the navy blue Smitty's? Did they have the expansion waistband? I can't help but wonder if this supplier just sent me a pair of "last year's" pants.
One thing I hate about buying gear and uniforms on-line is the issues you can have with fit. There is one umpire equipment store here in town, just a few minutes from my house and it's nice be able to try something on before buying it. But they exclusively carry Cliff Keen pants and shirts, so there isn't much option on what brands you can try.
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