Wilson Titanium mask

[kylejt]

The Diamond, Schutt, Pro9, all have the same hollow steel tube frame. I have the Schutt, and it's really light. Maybe even lighter that my old SUL mask. (the SUL is junk, and you need to get rid of it)

I've taken a few shots in it, with no visible damage. I don't like the thin padding, and will be swapping it out soon.

The question is, is the titanium frame worth an extra $70 bucks? If the Diamond is $80, plus another $40 for decent pads, so the price differential narrows a bit. And don't forget the coolness factor. The Wilson is far cooler than a Pro9.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by DG

$190 seems a bit much to pay for a mask, to me...

It protects your face, skull and brain! That's not worth it?

Originally Posted by Pensaump

I want to see a serious pounding administered to one of these titanium masks and see if the frame retains its structure.

Please say you're kidding.

You could not bend this cage if you tried with anything fired at any speed. You can drive a car over it and nothing would happen. It's titanium for crying out loud! There is a danger that its integrity would be compromised by excessive heat, however, so if you work one of those games at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, then you may have some problems.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by kylejt

The question is, is the titanium frame worth an extra $70 bucks? If the Diamond is $80, plus another $40 for decent pads, so the price differential narrows a bit. And don't forget the coolness factor. The Wilson is far cooler than a Pro9.

I sold my chrome moliben with black pads for almost what I paid, kept my doeskin chrome molly for my backup and bought the titanium. So the hit didn't feel so bad, and I still have a good backup mask, as well as a good set of backup pads.

But it's hard to imagine needing a backup mask with the titanium.

[Pensaump]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

It protects your face, skull and brain! That's not worth it?



Please say you're kidding.

You could not bend this cage if you tried with anything fired at any speed. You can drive a car over it and nothing would happen. It's titanium for crying out loud! There is a danger that its integrity would be compromised by excessive heat, however, so if you work one of those games at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, then you may have some problems.

Hey that's what I'm hoping for. I just want to replace pads from here on out for a few years. 1200 degrees? I do live in Florida...

Glad for your vote of confidence in the mask, I think it is what we all expect from titanium

[Kevin Finnerty]

You'll love it. It's so comfortable you won't believe it. It almost feels too small, but it's not.

Another added benefit: you see through the thin silver/gray bars much better than the black coated bars of traditional masks.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

It protects your face, skull and brain! That's not worth it?



Please say you're kidding.

You could not bend this cage if you tried with anything fired at any speed. You can drive a car over it and nothing would happen. It's titanium for crying out loud! There is a danger that its integrity would be compromised by excessive heat, however, so if you work one of those games at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, then you may have some problems.

Okay, I know the mask is a good one. I've seen it and worn it. I've talked to professional umpires who obtained one from MLB catchers and used it most of the past season. I have no doubt that the catcher's model with the traditional profile is one of the best and most protective on the market.

But let's not oversell it.

First, the titanium mask is made of an alloy, not pure titanium. In most "titanium alloys" titanium is not the predomiant metal. Usually that would be aluminum or magnesium. Without access to a reliable and compete manufacturer's spec sheet, it would difficult to determine the alloy used in the mask. At any rate, one can be sure it is not "military" grade.

Second, titanium, like aluminum, is corrosion resistant, not corrosion "proof."

Third, according to a sporting goods manufacturer's rep, the titanium mask can be broken and even dented by a strong impact, however, it takes more than what they believe a baseball can deliver. In testing, it was damgaged by the equivalent of a blow by a sledge hammer.

Fourth, I have had a car run over my foot without breaking a bone. Tires help cushion the impact. The fact that a car can run over a mask with denting it, while good for advertising, is meaningless.

Fifth, as the rep pointed out, "Wilson is not in the habit of making products that never need to be replaced. Their titanium tennis rackets are testament to that."

[Kevin Finnerty]

I am sorry you spent so much time with that refutation.

[MrUmpire]

Not a problem. Don't sweat it.

[MichaelVA2000]

Originally Posted by Klokard

It's been a month or so that Wilson made their titanium mask available to us common folk and was wondering how many bought it?

I've had mine since mid July. Great mask!

[Kevin Finnerty]

See...

[johnnyg08]

Many may not like the SUL, but I'm going to keep using it until I have to buy something else. I've had good luck w/ it for plenty of years now...it has more than paid for itself.

Although this Wilson or the Diamond mask sound great...I don't think I will drop the coin on the Nike one though...isn't that one in the $350 - $400 range?

[MajorDave]

from +POS. It had a big dent in the upper cross bar above his left eye. He said he was going to wear it until it broke because he paid so much for it. I have not worked with him since or seen him so I hope he isn't dead. He only worked the lesser quality teams in our area as he did not like to travel and he lives just down the street from one of the furthest high schools from our central area of the region. Funny thing is, he probably gets hit more doing those lesser quality games than I do.

I have the Wilson Titanium new view style. I love it. I sold/am selling my three other masks as I do not plan on ever wearing them again. (Black Wilson Chrome Moly New View with Amara wraparounds and Navy Honigs single bar ultralite with traditional Wilson Doeskins still available if interested).

I worked a college scrimmage this past Saturday night and one of the three catchers I worked behind had the Nike titanium. He liked it but said it was so light he did not feel comfortable wearing it yet. I tried it on between innings and looked through it and I think the weight was very close to my Wilson. It had the cloth Nike pads in royal blue and a plain harness with no shade or dangler. I have added a sun shade and a 4 inch dangling throat guard on mine and it still does not weigh down the bill of my six stitch hat.


If you can afford it, I highly recommend it.

[SethPDX]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

It protects your face, skull and brain! That's not worth it?

So does my Honig's double bar that I bought on sale. I'm completely satisfied with it and have had no problems. I certainly don't need a new mask, so no, $190 is not worth it to me. It looks nice, so maybe in a few years when the price goes down...

BUT, if you have the money and have to have that mask now, go for it. I'm not going to stop you.

[Kevin Finnerty]

And it looks nice... You're right, I didn't even mention that. The looks alone are worth 90 of that 190.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

And it looks nice... You're right, I didn't even mention that. The looks alone are worth 90 of that 190.

From 5+ feet away it looks like any other gray mask I have ever seen.