I just got certified to be an umpire in Mich. and I was wondering if anyone had any advice about good quality equipment for a reasonable price.

Check ebay....otherwise, I get all my equipment from Honigs.com. You can also try searching for specific model number items on amazon.com, I got a brand new wilson facemask for $45, it retails for about $65 normally. Good luck and welcome to the club.

If you really are serious, dont go cheap...it will only make you spend more in the future. I recommend the Honig's equipment package for $230-ish. Its all good stuff.

[Edited by mrm21711 on Sep 18th, 2005 at 07:56 PM]

This is a lot like opening Pandora's box. What works for one umpire doesn't necessarily work for another and there will never be total agreement amongst umpires. [Just skim through the helmet vs. mask thread.]

Get what works for you and within the price range you feel comfortable with. One of the best methods is to try and borrow some of your buddies' equipment so you can see exactly how it works for you.

Pro-9 has a line of umpire gear that gets generally very good reviews from its users, and is quite affordable. Their chest protector is compared favorably to the Honig's K-1, and can be bought for around $60 I think.

I second the ebay recommendation. I purchased my first set of umpiring gear on ebay and got a great deal on a good set of gear. I sold it a year later and made all my money back, plus a couple of bucks.

If you set up an ebay search for "umpire" you will see the stuff that comes around and know about what you should pay. Guys are always selling their used gear because they, retired, didn't like umpiring, or upgraded their gear.

Good deals can also be found if you are willing to look. I got my All-Star hockey style mask for $50. You can't touch it for less than $100 retail. I bought a set of shin guards that the catcher on last years OBR was wearing, for $28 total. I cut off a couple pieces I didn't need and I have a great pair of shin guards for a $100 less than retail.

Gotta love ebay!

I'm with MRM on this one. Honigs has excellent equipment at reasonable prices. The nice thing about Honigs as opposed to +POS for example is the fact that they ship very quickly. Usually within two business days. They also have an excellent policy on returns. They will take anything back unused that has not been personalized.

Buy on e-bay if you like, but the thought of putting on someone elses old sweated up used equipment, has no appeal to me. I say, invest the $$$ if you are sure that umpiring is not just a passing fad for you. The equipment will eventually pay for itself.


JMO-

Tim.

If one is skeived out by wearing someone elses equipment, don't buy used on ebay.

If you are smart about your purchase, you will buy from someone who has good pictures and descriptions and has taken care of their equipment. Remeber, equipment can be washed. The stuff I bought was well taken care of and I sold it in the same manner.

I recommend ebay for someone new into umpiring who doesn't know if it is something that he is going to stick with. If you just want to give it a try, you can get all your protective equipment for under a hundred bucks. It is a smart way to start.

You would be amazed how much equipment goes up on ebay from people who tried umpiring and found that they didn't like it.

The stuff that I now use was all brand new equipment when I bought it on ebay and I saved a substantial amount of money.

If you know you are going to stick with it, buy good new equipment. Just be aware that you really won't know what is good, or good to you and that your opinion of that equipment might change. Which is just another reason to start off with a minimal investment at first. No matter where you buy the equipment from.

Eric,
I live in Michigan and have plenty of equipment I can sell you. Email at [email protected] if you are interested

Buy pro gear. You'll never regret buying the best.

Ebay is great, lots of great deals. New, used, you make the call. West Vest, Honigs, +POS, etc. don't cheap out. If you continue, you'll not wish for better gear next year. If you choose to retire, pro gear brings top dollar on ebay.

The true cost of anything is what you paid for it, minus what you can sell if for later. I bought used +POS plate shoes on ebay, used them for two years, my son used them for one, and then sold them for a profit. You can do that with quality gear. I couldn't have done the same with Riddle plate shoes. Save your pennies, and go with the best.

Kyle

gerrydavis.com sells really good stuff. They are typically a little higher priced than most, but very good comfortable stuff.

Just don't ask to borrow his cup....

Pheew!!!

<i> Originally posted by Eric 26 </i>

<b> I just got certified to be an umpire in Mich. and I was wondering if anyone had any advice about good quality equipment for a reasonable price. </b>

Look at the first year as an investment. I do not know about Michigan, but here in NY certain attire is mandatory.

Ie; Fechheimer Grey pants. Even if you get the Combo pants you still need at least 2 pair to start. That will run about $40./$45 a pair.

Then there are the shirts plus the NY State insignia. We are required to wear the Cliff Keen Navy Blue for Spring ball and the Powder Blue for summer. The shirts sell for about $30.00 a piece and it is recommended that you buy at least 2 of each.

For the cold whether we use the Navy Blue pullover jackets with NY insignia - $50.00

Plate Shoes - anywhere from $85.00 - $130.00 depending upon your taste.

In a nutshell before you even get into the BULK equipment, the uniform and accessories will run you about $350.00

Depending upon the level of ball you are going to call, I would not go "cheap" on a chest protector. It only takes one or 2 straight on "shots" (which we have all taken) in which to get a serious injury. I personally like the West Vest but as others mentioned, the "top of the line" Honigs and +POS vests are similiar.

As mentioned, use your first year as an investment year. Then each year you only need to buy one or 2 things like new pants, etc. The reason I receommend buying a top of the line chest protector is ultimately it will save you money.

Ie; even if you are only going to call Modified HS ball (7th/8th graders), eventually you are going to move up and you will have to upgrade anyway.

Pete Booth

Equipment
 

I will agree with the others that said to not go cheap on your protective gear. Personally I have the West Vest CP. I know several people who got the +Pos body armor and just hated it, said it was too bulky & heavy. If you can afford it, get a good pair of shoes. With you being on your feet the whole game, you will want something that is comfortable and will provide good protection. I recently got a pair of Gerry Davis patent leather high tops. Love them!! Feel great and easy to clean up after a game. They will run around $140 though.

Good luck!

Wow, Pete, that is alot of gear for a first year umpire!

You first year, you can officiate with one pair of combo pants, one dark blue shirt and one hat.

I have never been cold enough to need the windbreaker but I love the cold.

I still only own one pair of combo pants. Wash them every week and you'll be fine.

Invest in plate shoes when you are sure you are going to stick with it. You can buy shin guards that have extended metatarsal guards that will save you money the first year.

I have four shirts now, but I still have not bought the powder blue shirt. I just don't like the color. I'll probably buy one for next year though.

I have to disagree. If you only have one uniform, you will have to wash it much more. I think two or three of each is good (outside uniform) is good if you can afford it. If you get one uniform you better have a washer and dryer in your home, because you might have to wash after every single game under the right circumstances.


Well that might apply to you but not everyone else. I do not like to get cold at all and I use a jacket all the time when I am working the bases. Now this of course depends on what part of the country you live. Living in the Midwest it is difficult to get decent weather during the spring and fall to not be somewhat cold.

Peace

Hey, to each their own. I made it through my first year with one shirt and one pair of pants. If the shirt started to smell, it got washed. If the pants got visibly dirty, they got washed. Managed a full season that way with no problems.

And most guys here have the jacket. I am the exception, but I rarely get cold.

I understand that that might be the cheap way to get a uniform. I do not know about you I could make around $300 easily in a week working baseball. I think any umpire can afford easily a couple more pair of pants and shirts for a uniform. If looking the part is not a priority then buy one uniform. Part of what we are doing as an umpire is to look like we did not just crawl out of a hole. One of the ways to do that is to have many uniforms ready for use. I know a lot of umpires that have one uniform as well, but they look like it. You are right, to each his own.

Peace

Kaliix Wrote:


"Invest in plate shoes when you are sure you are going to stick with it. You can buy shin guards that have extended metatarsal guards that will save you money the first year."




This is just plain bad advice my friend. The first year I umpired I thought the same thing. That was until I was hit on the front of my foot by a pitch fouled sraight back and down and broke 2 toes. The cost of the medical care alone was almost 4 times the price of a pair of plate shoes.


I now recommend to our new umpires that if they don't want to spend the money on a pair of good plate shoes, they should at the very least buy a workmans type tennis shoe with a steel toe. The cost is the same as a good training shoe, and the look is the same.


Tim.

can i say something? italians umpires use from the first year plate shoes, first of all for safety, and also for a good look. the shoes for all the umpires are ONLY black, i use +pos shoes, heavy but protective. we put much attention in our look, nobody use colored socks, like red or yellow. everybody have black or blue socks, like the shirt. first thing that teams watching in an umpire is uniform aspect. a good umpire take care of his equipment, also little particulars. better if you have more than one uniform, especially for double games or tournaments. i am umpire in a2 league in italy, teams have always double game, usually we are 2 umpires and have 1 game at home base and 1 game on base. so we neeed 2 uniforms, 'cause we have always, in the season, hot temperature and is necessary to change uniform at the end of the 1st game. sometimes we are designed for 2 games on saturday and 2 games on sunday, so we need minimun 4 uniforms. my first think in the day before umpiring, is for my equipments. remember, if managers don't know you, first impression of you is coming from your uniform. take care about .
p.s. excuse me for my bad english, lol.

Jeff, if you are making $300 a week doing games, you definitely need more than one uniform. My first year, I did 13 games in the high school season. One or two a week in mostly cool weather. For someone in their first year, who is not sure they are gonna stick with it, one uniform will work for the kind of schedule a new umpire is likely to get, at least in my area. My uniform never looked dirty, but I took care to store in properly.

As far as the plate shoes go, that is an individual choice. I bought a pair of plate shoes early in my first season but I don't like taking chances and I didn't have the extended guards on my shin guards. But I also didn't take a shot on the foot all of last year. If one is looking to save money the first year, you can. You are however tempting fate.

All these decisions are "personal" choices. No one is holding a gun to your head to take any of our advice here. You also cannot assume that every official is that indecisive about whether they want to work baseball. Most new umpires I run into want to work as much as possible. Sorry I was not answering this question for a small percentage of people getting into this. I still think it is important to look as professional as possible and most of us have jobs or other things in our lives. We all cannot wash uniforms after every game because we have other things going on in our daily lives. So if you want to cut corners do that. I just think new umpires that want to work more than once a week will find out that washing uniforms all the time can be tedious. I know when I started working I would get called every day to cover a game somewhere. You have a right to do what you want. I just do not feel your advice on this issue is solid as it relates to the every day umpire.

Peace