Does anyone have an opinion on chest protectors and protection for the collar bone. I have one of the soft rebound foam protectors that sags when I squat down. There is just enough room to get a ball in there. I got hit a couple of months ago and I'm constantly pulling up to cover my neck area. Thanks

First off, adjust your straps so it doesn't sag.

+POS sells a seperate collar bone protector.

If you want a new CP, there are about 100 threads on every forum about them.

Any West Vest, adjusted properly. I got hit on CB yesterday by 16 yo. and felt nothing. I wear the cheap grey one (MLU).

my thoughts...
 

Most of the hard shells will give you good service. I have the +POS BB2000 and it has good collar bone protection. I have also worn the West Vest and it is good there as well.

Most of the CPs I've seen on my partners just need adjusted to protect better. Wearing the gear properly will increase your protection immediately....

collar bone shots
 

In my long career I have taken 9 shots to the collar bone area. The worst was a Chad Hutchinson 90+ fastball that the catcher was overmatched on and never touched. This was back in the day before the advent of the Riddell Power or the West Vest type protector. I was wearing the old POS (we know what that stands for) Charlie Williams BB204, which has very little in the way of collar bone protection.
Even with properly adjusted straps, it would shift just a bit, and expose the collar bone area just enough for a ball to find the edge. Black and blue for nearly 2 weeks from that one. Now with the hard shell type protectors, this problem is covered.

Steve

Re: collar bone shots
 

You rip on the NF and +POS? +POS has some very good items which are far superior to items offered by other suppliers. +POS sells their gear in many colors. +POS sells their leg guards and chest protectors in a variety of sizes. Many people prefer +POS pants. +POS is the only place left where you can get "normal" (not patent leather, not lightweight) plate shoes.

+POS offeres many things which one cannot find anywhere else. If an item is on backorder, it will probally take a while to get back in stock, but many of their items are second to none.

Re: Re: collar bone shots
 

IF an item is on backorder??? Try most of their stuff. And "second to none"??? I used to be one of, if not their biggest, fans; but over the last couple years, the quality of their items has gone down substantially, and their customer service is horrible. This started even before Sylvia died, too.

Re: Re: collar bone shots
 

I was joking, man you need to lighten up a little. This ain't your ball field, dude, it's a forum. The POS reference is an old joke, jeez! The Brinkman and Williams protectors were state-of-the art back then, but they sucked! I'm talking about 16 years ago for cryin' out loud. You took one in the chest, and you felt it big time, not to mention the collar bone. I got a Riddell Power as soon as they became available, and those things stopped bullets. (please don't write and tell me that no chest protector stops bullets, just to be literal.)

I buy all sorts of stuff from +POS, they have great stuff. I prefer their original 3/2/2 indicator, which everyone has now copied. I've bought probably 10 of them over the years. I've had +POS plate shoes that lasted for years. Terrific quality. All my shirts come from there!

You are going to find most umpires agree with me about OBR v. NF rules.

Steve

I went to West Vest just for the collarbone protection about 5 years ago, and would never go back to the old foam-filled, ribbed models (no matter WHAT brand they are). I figured the older I got the more brittle my bones become (Twinkies and Mountain Dew aren't the sources of calcium they're cracked up to be ;)), I need all the protection I can get. Wise move.

JJ