umpire equipment

[jl2207]

I was thinking about the Diamond iX3 cp because it dosent look as bulky but I dont want to sacrifice not being able to go to work lol so what are your opinions on this cp

[Kevin Finnerty]

Read your private message that I sent you. I'll send you a review and a cute clavicle injury story involving that very Diamond cool vest.

[kylejt]

Junk.

Buy pro gear.

Honestly, you might be able to get away with it for a while. Years even. But that one shot will get you.

I know it's half the price of a Gold, but trust me, TRUST ME, it's worth it to save up a little longer and get the good stuff. Plus, you're going to be paying the same amount in the end. Allow me.

Buy a Gold for $140, or a Diamond for $70. Use them for three years, and sell them on eBay. You'll get $100 for the gold, and $30 for the Diamond (maybe). Net cost is the same, and you've had three years of pro protection. Plus, after three years you'll want to ditch the Diamond for something else, so now you've got another expense. You'll be keeping the Gold around for years to come. It's not even close, brother.

Feel free to cut above part out, and show it to your wife.

You need to buy the New Balance 450 plate shoe one half size up. TRUST ME AGAIN. The +POS and Gerry Davis run pretty true to size, as do the NB base shoes.

If you want to save some dough, do it on the shin guards. I use Bauer hockey official guards, and the work GREAT. $10 at my local Play it Again Sports store. Just make sure whatever you buy fits with your plate shoes.

[MajorDave]

Originally Posted by jl2207

I was thinking about the Diamond iX3 cp because it dosent look as bulky but I dont want to sacrifice not being able to go to work lol so what are your opinions on this cp

buy that vest if you ever want to work above little league level.

I had that vest when I started because it looked protective, cool and was a good price. I took a few less than full speed high school level throws (I actually let some of my students who played for our high school team where I teach and coach football throw at me-pretty cool/stupid huh?) I felt EVERY ball they threw. I then put on a WestVest-original with adjustable sizing/velcro plastic plates and let them throw at me again wearing that. Never felt one. Wore the WestVest for a season and now wear WestVest gold. Never feel a thing, ever!

Buy the good stuff. It's your money, do what you want but if you ever wish to work higher level ball you will need better protection than that iX3, I promise and you will end up spending the money again. Why not spend it now, once?

Same for plate shoes-get steel toe and metarsal protection. I recommend NB 450 for lightweight and comfort. They shine up nice with liquid kiwi.

Just my two cents....your mileage may vary.

[jl2207]

yeah I understand I was pretty leary about it that is why I was asking about it before I spent any money

[kylejt]

Originally Posted by jl2207

yeah I understand I was pretty leary about it that is why I was asking about it before I spent any money

I wish someone would have had this talk with me ten years ago. It would have saved me a lot of money on marginal gear.

More gear.

Undershirts. Depending on the color shirts you wear, you'll need a few. The Under Armour are okay, but you can get some others that are nearly as good, or even better. Me, I love the Adidas Climacool shirts. Not cheep though. My next favorite comes from WalMart. It's actually cooler than the UA shirts on me.

[bossman72]

Originally Posted by jl2207

yeah I understand I was pretty leary about it that is why I was asking about it before I spent any money

JL,

Kyle puts a lot of cash into his equipment, which is a good thing. For starters though, you'll want to go economical on a few things. Here are some cheaper alternatives to people's suggestions:

---Buy $4 cotton undershirts from walmart instead of getting under armor... although walmart does have cheap imitation under armor if you want it for $12 - I think it's Athletics Wear brand.
---You can get away without buying a designated equipment bag. If you have a big duffel bag at home you can use it, but a bag is not a necessity since you'll rarely have to take your stuff into a locker room (except in kyle's area... lucky!). Plus bags generally run kind of expensive.
---You'll be fine with 1 indicator for the whole year, but you should have another just in case. You can also get away with 1 ball bag, but having 2 is so much more convenient (and I think it looks a little better too).
---Combo hats are fine to wear for both plate and bases for the first year or two. Eventually, you'll want to accumulate some base hats, but my first year I bought 2 combo hats - 1 wool and 1 micro-mesh from Richardson.
---Get 1 pair of good combo pants for the year. Don't go cheap on the pants, but you can get away without buying plate pants and base/combo pants for your first few years. Again, you'll probably want to get a pair of plate pants in the future.

Having said those suggestions, you should not go cheap on things like your chest protector, mask, and plate shoes. Like I said in my original post, go with the Wilson MLU. It's 99 bucks and is a fantastic protector for the money (you won't have to fork out $150+ for a gold or platinum and it should last you many many years). Also, don't cut corners on your uniform. Buy everything from an offical's supply store (so don't be getting your pants from macys or using old baseball cleats as base shoes. That's just sloppy).



Here is a link to the MLU
http://pa.purchaseofficials.com/prod...&cat=63&page=1

[Umpmazza]

I did the same thing Major Dave did. buy the cheap stuff.... Wrong. Spend some money and buy good stuff. Like said here

CP...West vest gold or platinum. Only way to go...

Mask any single bar. But get some thing real light, schutt makes a mask that is really light and cost about $80...

Shoes... NB 450 best i have ever had, comfy and look great. base shoes NB 350 but hard to find now so the 995 are looking good.

Shin guards well I have some honigs ones that I really like that cost 50 bucks..

Shirts. Cliff kleen are really good and so are the honigs.. but you will pay a little more. Of course all of these are just my opinion...LOL

[Kevin Finnerty]

I think the approach is different if you are sure you will stick with it. It's also different if you jump in right at the high school level with no youth ball.

It amounts to $200.00 for crap you'll replace after one season or less of unnecessary risk; $335 for suitable comfort and protection for years of competitive umpiring; $550.00 for the ultimate in comfort and protection:

Cheap mask: $50.00; Good Mask: $80.00; Great Mask: $200.00
Cheap Chest Protector: $50.00; Good CP: $100.00; Great CP: $150.00
Cheap Leg Guards: $40.00; Good Leg Guards $75.00; Great Leg Guards: $100.00
Cheap Plate Shoes: $60.00; Good Plate Shoes: $80.00; Great Plate Shoes: $100.00

[Kevin Finnerty]

As far as the equipment bag:

I agreed with Bossman about the bag at first. I just emptied out my son's catcher's bag and loaded all my umpire gear into it and hauled it away. And I struggled to keep things organized and clean, and I had to employ a system of other bags to segregate and carry all of my accessories and undergarments.

Then, I sucked it up and bought the Diamond Wheeled Umpire's gear bag.



Good grief, you wheel the thing out to the SUV (Standard Umpire Vehicle), throw it in the back, and aside from your slacks and shirts, absolutely everything you need to umpire a game is in one bag! (I keep the pressed duds on hangers.) The big gear (plate shoes, leg guards, chest protector, two masks and an HSM) is all situated in the bottom compartment. In the top section there are three main compartments, which hold two cap keepers with six caps and a travel kit on the left; a dozen compression shirts, two pairs of tights and a cup in the middle; knee, thigh, back and ankle braces, belts, socks and ball bags in the right section (I don't put my uniforms in it like the picture shows); and in a separate vented compartment: base shoes. The top flap has mesh pockets for your brush, wallet, indicators, stopwatch, sunglasses, etc. And it has several zippered pockets for your other supplies and accessories. It's awesome. Wilson makes a similar one, but, despite being a Wilson man, I went for the Diamond. And it takes a beating.

It helps you stay all managed and prepared and eliminates a great deal of the stress and anxiety about having everything you need when you're going to a game. It's not cheap ($120.00-$150.00), but it is easily the best investment in organization and peace of mind that I have made as an umpire.