Umpire Shirt Comparison Review

[Welpe]

KJump, a quick Google search reveals:

Between The Lines Officials Gear - LeTrell Polyester Traditional Weave Mesh

Happy shopping!

[KJUmp]

Thanks Welpe. I was just so excited to read that they made umpire shirts Googling just slipped my mind.

[IceGator8]

I'll try out a Smitty based on this review. However I completely disagree with the verdict on the Dalco. I have no problem with Dalco's hanging up on my Platinum and I find them to be rugged and very cool. They are my favorite up shirts by a long way.

[zm1283]

Originally Posted by IceGator8

I'll try out a Smitty based on this review. However I completely disagree with the verdict on the Dalco. I have no problem with Dalco's hanging up on my Platinum and I find them to be rugged and very cool. They are my favorite up shirts by a long way.

I wore one of my Dalcos in a scrimmage for about 2 hours behind the plate yesterday and didn't have any problems with it hanging up on my Platinum either.

You can get Smitty umpire shirts real cheap on eBay right now. Look around on there first.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by zm1283

I wore one of my Dalcos in a scrimmage for about 2 hours behind the plate yesterday and didn't have any problems with it hanging up on my Platinum either.

You can get Smitty umpire shirts real cheap on eBay right now. Look around on there first.

There is one gentleman who is selling the Smitty's for $16.00 each. They are very good shirts--much better than Gerry Davis/Cliff Keen, and vastly better than Official's Choice at the best price possible. If you buy more than one, he'll ship them all for one price.

[IceGator8]

It's just weird. My number one criteria for shirts his how cool they will keep me on a hot summer day. I couldn't care less about what could possibly show through the vent holes. I wear plain UA shirts beneath so they don't show and really don't see what the big deal is about a CP logo shining through. No one further than fifteen feet away will notice anyway.

My three year old Dalco's help keep me cool and still look new. How anyone can rate a Cliff Keen furnace above a Dalco is beyond me.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Cliff Keen is the worst for the money.

[zm1283]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

There is one gentleman who is selling the Smitty's for $16.00 each. They are very good shirts--much better than Gerry Davis/Cliff Keen, and vastly better than Official's Choice at the best price possible. If you buy more than one, he'll ship them all for one price.

That's where I got my cream shirts from. He's out of MLB blue but he has everything else. The Smitty shirts look better than the Dalcos. They aren't an "open hole" type mesh shirt and the material feels softer. I also like the Smitty because I think they fit better. The sleeves have that taper feel so they aren't baggy around your arms. My Dalcos are kind of big around the arm bands.

[Emperor Ump]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Cliff Keen is the worst for the money.

I was told they changed their shirts a few years back. I have a couple of CK shirts which have held up great over the years haven't faded a bit. My only complaint with my older CK shirts is that they are not as breathable. I understand their newer shirts may not be of the same quality.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by Emperor Ump

I was told they changed their shirts a few years back. I have a couple of CK shirts which have held up great over the years haven't faded a bit. My only complaint with my older CK shirts is that they are not as breathable. I understand their newer shirts may not be of the same quality.

Your understanding is correct. And it's not just the abrasive fabric, but the horrible workmanship.

Gerry Davis should stop selling his name to that website, because it's getting tarnished by the crap they're putting out under the GD label. The slacks are pretty good, but everything else is premium-priced crap, with the Cliff Keen GD shirts leading the parade. Their ball bags are a joke.

[zm1283]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Your understanding is correct. And it's not just the abrasive fabric, but the horrible workmanship.

Gerry Davis should stop selling his name to that website, because it's getting tarnished by the crap they're putting out under the GD label. The slacks are pretty good, but everything else is premium-priced crap, with the Cliff Keen GD shirts leading the parade. Their ball bags are a joke.

I'm going to use their ball bags until they fall apart like you guys have said. They've been fine so far in limited use. They were only about $11 apiece so no big deal. I'll get the ones from Ump Attire or the Evans bags when these crap out on me.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Whether you buy the GDs with or without the pockets, they're all single-stitched and flimsy with thin loops that bunch up and make the bags sag when you wear them. The fabric's also cheap and thin, and doesn't hold up to actual washing, so you need to sponge them off. The ones with the interior pockets have the pockets tear away from the rest of the bag after very little use. One bag: five games; a second bag: nine games.

So what did they do? They sent me two more bags. So now the four bags cost me an average of $7.45 each, rather than the $14.90 each that I paid for the first two. But you know what? Crap at half price is still crap. I am almost unwilling to use these until they're worn out--that could take the better part of a season. Maybe I'll just give them away now. (The young PONY umpires at the local league love it when I don't like a shirt or a bag or a piece of gear, because to them, it's free gear, so it's more than adequate.)

[cc6]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Whether you buy the GDs with or without the pockets, they're all single-stitched and flimsy with thin loops that bunch up and make the bags sag when you wear them. The fabric's also cheap and thin, and doesn't hold up to actual washing, so you need to sponge them off. The ones with the interior pockets have the pockets tear away from the rest of the bag after very little use. One bag: five games; a second bag: nine games.

So what did they do? They sent me two more bags. So now the four bags cost me an average of $7.45 each, rather than the $14.90 each that I paid for the first two. But you know what? Crap at half price is still crap. I am almost unwilling to use these until they're worn out--that could take the better part of a season. Maybe I'll just give them away now. (The young PONY umpires at the local league love it when I don't like a shirt or a bag or a piece of gear, because to them, it's free gear, so it's more than adequate.)

Maybe Gerry Davis makes their ballbags for show, so that umpires can wear an extra one on top of their useable bag.

[zm1283]

On the shirts topic: I saw two different types of Majestic shirts in a store today. One was the regular mesh and one was the old "dazzle" style. (It was kind of a shiny material without holes at all) Do not buy Majestic shirts. You could tell that the quality and workmanship was bad. Color on the collars was off, they looked like they had been washed 50 times already...just really bad looking shirts.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by Emperor Ump

I was told they changed their shirts a few years back. I have a couple of CK shirts which have held up great over the years haven't faded a bit. My only complaint with my older CK shirts is that they are not as breathable. I understand their newer shirts may not be of the same quality.

Your understanding is correct.