The most expensive mask
 

Another one. Here it is:

http://www.honigs-canada.com/detail....ub=36&Item=790

Even for a mask that gives the best view, protection, comfort, and appearance (if you like HSM's), would you be willing to pay this much?

no...the only way I could justify it would be if I had brain surgery or something like that.

I think my head is worth $545... but I bet my wife doesn't!

I do not wear helmets, so no, a helmet priced at 444 USD would not be worth it to me.

So would you spend $550 on the mask cardinalfan? There are thousands of umpires out there who don't use it and are safe w/ their < $200 masks...

Certainly it's 100% your choice..but it seems like an unnecessary expense for no guarantee that it's any safer than a $100 mask.

I have a Shock FX that I have only tested, but never used in a game. I would use the HSM if I was injured, like Johnny said (although I wouldn't require surgery first), or I would get the All-Star if it was lighter and more effective, which it probably is (I was at Honig's on Tuesday; I should have tried this thing on). If I was into skiing or golf or tennis, I would drop a half a grand pretty quickly and pretty often. My pastime is baseball, and I get to keep the crap that I buy to equip myself. I was the best-equipped coach with the best-equipped kid; now I'm the best equipped umpire. (My dad's one of those bass players with five custom-made basses---it's genetic.)

There was a kid who was the catcher on our travel team in the early 2000s (he's a D-I freshman now). He was taking a pitching lesson from the late Dave Smith in 2003, was working without a screen, and took a liner in the side of the head. He suffered an eggshell fracture of the skull and was airlifted right off the San Diego State mound and hospitalized for a month. He hung it up as a pitcher, but re-emerged as a catcher months later wearing the super duper $500.00 All-Star HSM. It was sweet then; I am sure this one's even sweeter.

Effin' Kevlar, man! And for only 7.6 game fees!

Guarantee?!?

Come on, Johnny ... The strongest materials, the best coverage---of course it's safer than any mask. We're not going to start this again are we?

I'm an old school mask guy like you, but I am not going to assert that a mask could possibly be as safe as a HSM.

nah...didn't intend to start an argument/debate over what's safer (although when I reread my post...it does lean that way)...I agree that the HSM has better protection than traditional masks...i don't want to hijack the thread down that path...

Geez, when I re-read your post, you seemed to be saying HSM, but didn't specify. ;)

Nice of them to go to the trouble of posting a picture of the $500 mask.:rolleyes: What, not in the budget?

The one thing about Honig's is that they couldn't care less about the photos.

Of course the HSM protects more of the head, but for a straight on shot do you have some type of information to back up your claim that a HSM is safer than a standard mask? If you don't then you have no way of knowing which is safer.

After decades with various masks, I've used that Kevlar All-Star helmet for the past four seasons. Although the link doesn't give a model number, it's undoubtedly the UMP2000. Incidentally, $545 is pretty steep. It listed for $395 when I bought it, and the selling price was $320.

All-Star makes a couple of much less expensive helmets that look very much like it. The distinctive difference might be the color of the cage, but I'm not sure. The MLB catchers' helmets are identical, except that they don't have the "Pro-Tanium" cage and do of course have the team artwork.

At any rate, it's a superb piece of equipment. Not heavy, great vision, total protection. Engineered to deflect almost every shot, so jolts are rare. Another advantage is that it always cleans up to look new (except the pads, of course).

Disadvantages are those inherent in helmets. A bit hotter, despite the advertising claims. Hard to pull it off and keep your hat on. If you don't wear a hat, you have to find a way to keep the sweat out of your eyes. And shots that hit the "Pro-Tanium" cage sound like a firecracker going off.

One other point: the vision is so good that you really don't need to take it off. I always do, though, just because that's the custom.

By the way, I've never personally seen another one in use by any umpire not in the pros.

I answered this, but I guess my response violated some kind of rule about how you can respond to certain insiders, irrespective of how they treat you or others.

Well, let's see ... no, I don't have any scientific studies. The protection is just superior, sir, with all due respect. But if you don't feel that's the case, then, of course, I no longer believe that's the case.

How's that?

Heck no. Just a joke.
I alternate between a Wilson Shock HSM and a conventional mask.

I would like to see a picture of the mask, though. Just curious.