Pants deal-Official's Call on Ebay. Reviews?
 

I don't have any experience and can't find any reviews on Official Call pants, but 75 shipped for plate and base pants isn't a bad deal if the pants are decent quality. Anyone ever seen them? Here's the link for 34s--Their store has other sizes at the same price.

2 Pair Brand New Umpire Pants - Plate & Base Sz 34 - eBay (item 280321197027 end time Apr-08-09 07:46:43 PDT)

They state in the description that they are heather gray. Check with your assoc. and make sure heather is still an acceptable color to wear. Here in CA the now acceptible pant is dark or charcoal for HS and College. Most LL districts still accept heather. Good price none the less. The alternative is to spend the money on quality Honigs wooly pants and they will last for years if cared for properly. Another alternative is to buy the Gerry Davis pants in a combo set up and it will cost the same. Hate to have you get a deal and only have them good for a season.

Heather is still accepted in KSHSAA, but the charcoal is allowed as well; they're not making everyone switch until charcoal becomes "the norm" I'm guessing.

The only other thing with these is that they say the belt loops are 3/4", which doesn't say that they accomodate a 3/4" belt with ease. The loops may be a bit snug for the bigger belt widths. I'm not sure if they meant the loops will accomodate a 3/4" belt, or the loops were precisely 3/4". Most companies specify that the loops are extra-wide to accomodate 3/4" belts.

I noticed that. All my belts are 1-3/4" so 3/4" wide belt loops wouldn't come close to working. I'm guessing they left off the "1" in 1-3/4"

I'm guessing that 3/4 is the width of the sewn fabric loop, not the capacity of the loop itself.

Why not
 

just send the seller a question. They would know more about the pants than anyone else. That way you will get what you're looking for from the horse's mouth.

Width, Not Height
 

Correct. The 3/4 width - not the height of the loop - indicates that it's a wide-sturdy loop (vs. a thin loop) that is typical on umpire pants. If umpire pants don't have loops tall enough for a 1 3/4 belt to fit through, then you can't really call them umpire pants.

Jim Kirk
Owner
Umpire & Referee Equipment & Uniforms

I thought about that, but the picture must be deceiving. They didn't look that wide in the posted photo (at least not to my tired eyes).

Yeah, 3/4" did sound a bit small. I was thinking 1 3/4" but the 3/4" threw me.

These are supposedly maufactured by Smitty.

Met the guys that own the company at a clinic here. Bought some of their stuff, and it seems to be good quality. Didn't buy pants so can't speak directly to that. They didn't have part of what I wanted with them so shipped it separately, and it was done quickly enough.

I'm glad we aren't restricted to charcoal gray here yet because mine are still on backorder with Honigs.

I just happen to live not too far from the Officials' Call, and since I had a DH near by today, I stopped and said hello.

Evidentailly the OC boys have come up with a new lighter mask, made of Magnesium. They showed me the mask, and the thing is as light as a feather. Since I use an HSM I really don't know what is light, or not light these days, but... Other than the awful Champro pads they put on the thing, I was impressed with the mask. It weighted almost nothing in my hands, and they said it was stronger than the Titanium masks. Compared to my old single bar from the late Cretaceous period, there is no comparison.

Evidentially these guys have connections with some Chinese factories who makes gear for them. They said that they had a first run of 72 of these new maks and just about all of them are spoken for at $129 per mask. Get 'em while they are hot I guess.

Also, the pants they sell are also branded as Smitty's pants. I assume that means they came from the same manufacturer.

The Official's Call shirts- sold under their own label- also appear to be identical to the Smitty shirts, judging from the photos and descriptions on their website and on eBay.

Besides the mask, they are also selling chest protectors and shin guards branded with their own logo. Haven't figured out yet if these are designs exclusive to Official's Call, or "re-branded" equipment from another manufacturer (maybe Champro?) in the same vein as the shirts and pants are re-branded Smitty apparel.

I like the OC guys, but
 

If all these businesses are selling the same stuff, something is wrong. I like the OC guys, I have known them for several years. But I would sure like to see some US made stuff instead of stuff made in China. And some stuff that is different than everyone else's gear.

It seems like everyone is getting their stuff from the same 4 or 5 cheap labor factories in Asia. Not good.