for all you HSM wearers

[etn_ump]

Originally Posted by pdxblue

Those masks look totally silly. I will NEVER wear one.

Totally silly? I bet your one of those guys that has one of those sun visors on the inside of your mask. Now that looks totally silly. Why would you need the sun visor, the hat your wearing is below it and it has no affect on your vision at all.

I wear the HSM (with a 4-stitch hat) all Spring and the comfort, protection and vision is far superior to the traditional mask. However, when the weather warms up, I'm back to the traditional mask due to the heat. That is the only drawback to the HSM in my opinion.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by etn_ump

I wear the HSM (with a 4-stitch hat) all Spring and the comfort, protection and vision is far superior to the traditional mask.

Is the protection actually better? Of course the top, sides, and back of one's head is protected, but that doesn't matter at all. Has there ever been some type of study which has said that they hockey mask protects better than a standard mask? You can't say the protection is better unless you have tested it with the exact speed and location against a shot to both masks. Just saying I took a really bad shot with my standard mask, and I haven't had another bad one since doesn't mean anything, as bad shots don't occour often. You may not have taken one during that time period if you had still been wearing your standard mask.

About the same up/down view can be obtained by using a low profile standar mask. So you must be commenting on the side to side vision. But what are you using the better peripheral vision to see? I cannot think of a single thing that there is to see that cannot be seen using a standard mask.

[nickrego]

Helmet protection is far superior to a mask.

And best when you don't wear a cap under it, by design.

I have yet to see any catcher, at any level, wear a cap under a helmet.

Cooling is better than a cap and mask, when you don't wear a cap under it, by design.

Visibility is far superior to a mask, especially when you don't wear a cap under it, by design.

Has any body, besides me, figured out that Helmets were designed to be used without a cap ?

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by nickrego

Has any body, besides me, figured out that Helmets were designed to be used without a cap ?

Yes.

You are preachin' to the choir.

[nickrego]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Yes.

You are preachin' to the choir.

Sorry Steve. And Rich !

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by nickrego

Helmet protection is far superior to a mask.

What do you have to support this claim?

Originally Posted by nickrego

I have yet to see any catcher, at any level, wear a cap under a helmet.

I just saw it today.

Originally Posted by nickrego

Cooling is better than a cap and mask, when you don't wear a cap under it, by design.

I have read posts (by Rich F?) saying that a hockey mask is hotter than a standard mask with a cap. Why is it that you guys don't agree?

[nickrego]

Originally Posted by LDUB

What do you have to support this claim?

Two eyes that don't need glasses yet.

Originally Posted by LDUB

I just saw it today.

There's a first time for everything. Send me a picture.

Originally Posted by LDUB

I have read posts (by Rich F?) saying that a hockey mask is hotter than a standard mask with a cap. Why is it that you guys don't agree?

Don't know. I work in Central California, where it's hot, even when it rains. I worked with a Mask for many years before switching to a Helmet. The difference is like wearing a Motorcycle Helmet (Mask & Cap) vs. a Bicycle Helmet (HSM). The HSM has built in AC, just like a bicycle helmet. I also sweat very easily, not overweight, just sweat easy. I am much cooler in an HSM than I ever was in a wool cap. The Wool Cap is what causes the overheating, not the mask or the helmet. I guess if you wore a fishnet with a mask, it would be cooler than a helmet.

[rpumpire]

I have worn the HSM for two years now. On the hottest days, I have to switch back to my standard mask because the HSM is just too hot. Yes, it may have cooling vents, but it is still hotter than a standard mask/hat combo.

Even on moderately hot days, the sweat gets into my eyes more often because there's no hat to absorb some of that sweat and stop it from flowing down from the top of the head. This is particularly noticeable for those of us who are "folically challenged" (bald), because there's no mop of hair to help hold back the sweat, either.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by rpumpire

I have worn the HSM for two years now. On the hottest days, I have to switch back to my standard mask because the HSM is just too hot. Yes, it may have cooling vents, but it is still hotter than a standard mask/hat combo.

Even on moderately hot days, the sweat gets into my eyes more often because there's no hat to absorb some of that sweat and stop it from flowing down from the top of the head. This is particularly noticeable for those of us who are "folically challenged" (bald), because there's no mop of hair to help hold back the sweat, either.

This is why I carry a small towel in my left ball bag, the one with no pockets. In between innings or action I remove the helmet, wipe my sweaty brow, fold up the towel and put it back in the bag. 7 seconds, sweat gone. I sweat a lot in hats too. When I have the bases, I usually have to wring my hat out late in the game. It gets hot here in the low desert.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by rpumpire

I have worn the HSM for two years now. On the hottest days, I have to switch back to my standard mask because the HSM is just too hot. Yes, it may have cooling vents, but it is still hotter than a standard mask/hat combo.

Even on moderately hot days, the sweat gets into my eyes more often because there's no hat to absorb some of that sweat and stop it from flowing down from the top of the head. This is particularly noticeable for those of us who are "folically challenged" (bald), because there's no mop of hair to help hold back the sweat, either.

There is no doubt the helmet is hotter. I sweat more and there's nothing to stop the sweat. Like I've said, we'll see when July rolls around whether I stick with the helmet this season. I haven't yet once the weather gets really hot.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by LDUB

What do you have to support this claim?

Originally Posted by nickrego

Two eyes that don't need glasses yet.

Well that really isn't helping any of us out. Some people swear that dark shirts are so much hotter on sunny days. Somebody posted that they did an experiment and left different color shirts out in the sun for an hour and then checked the temperature of each shirt. After the hour, the black shirt was only 3 degrees hotter than the air temperature. Obviously it is all in their minds that the black shirt is hotter. When they get hot out on the field, it is because they have the black shirt on, not because it is a hot day out. But after reading the test results it is obvious that the heat difference was all in the user's head.

Perhaps the protection difference is all in your head. When you take a shot to the mask, I bet you are thinking "Wow, that would have been a bad one if I had on a standard mask." Maybe you are just like the guy who thinks he is so much hotter in the black shirt. Maybe the shot would not have been any worse had you had been wearing the standard mask.

[IceGator8]

HSM was designed for hockey goalies. Would you take a conventional catchers mask out on the ice and say it was equal in protection? What about if someone ripped a 120 mph slap shot directly at your face? It goes without saying that the helmet portion of the mask is more protective.

The facemask (and the helmet for that matter) of an HSM was designed in a wedge shape for a reason. The wedge allows a puck to glance off the mask in a way that minimizes direct force. A conventional catchers mask is somewhat flat in it's design and the impact from a direct shot is much greater.

I've spent three years in the HSM. Before that I spent fifteen in a regular umpire mask. Having been one who's worn both I can say that I'd much rather take a hard shot while wearing an HSM. The only shot that is similar between an HSM and a regular mask are direct shots to the chin. Those feel the same with either mask and tend to make my ears ring a bit.

HSM's have better vision period. Anyone who's spent some time in both knows the advantages.

A few words about cooling.

I've used what I consider the two best HSM's the All-Star and the Easton Stealth. While they are both great HSM's the Stealth is cooler. I personaly feel the Stealth is cooler than a wool cap and mask but opinions vary. The Easton also comes with sweat absorbers on top of the inner pads so sweat isn't as much of an issue. Many umpires in our area are also wearing an under armour style skull cap to soak up the sweat. Some leave it on between innings others remove it with the helmet. I'm bald so I've tried the skull cap and it works pretty well. Again, opinions vary on how the skull cap looks but in my area they've become accepted.

Earlier this season I tried wearing a regular cap underneath my HSM. It actually works but screws up the vision a bit. The beenie thing on the top of the cap is also annoying. I personaly will never wear a cap underneath an HSM again unless my local assoc. makes a rule stating that I must.

Just two cents from someone who's been there done that.

[briancurtin]

Originally Posted by LDUB

Perhaps the protection difference is all in your head. When you take a shot to the mask, I bet you are thinking "Wow, that would have been a bad one if I had on a standard mask." Maybe you are just like the guy who thinks he is so much hotter in the black shirt. Maybe the shot would not have been any worse had you had been wearing the standard mask.

i never thought of that, but i like it

sounds a lot like the stereotypical SUV driver of the last few years...buying a hummer because hitting telephone poles in a regular car would probably kill you, but not in a hummer. i say that as an SUV owner, im not going after people