Bent Mask
 

Took a foul ball off my Dyna-Lite this afternoon and put a small bend in the horizontal bar above the right eye. Im no expert but I always remember hearing and being told that WHENEVER a mask bar is in the slightest way bent the mask needs to be replaced and should not be worn anymore because the strength & integrity of the frame has been compromised. Is this correct?

I wouldn't trust my face behind a cage that's been compromised. Trash the mask and get a new one. The safety of your face and head isn't something to mess with.

The only mask I have that got bent was straightened out with a little force in a vise grip and is still going strong.

There's no way I would wear it again until it's replaced. I'd call Wilson and see if they'll replace it if it's new at all. If not, there are some frames on eBay right now for a decent price.

I took four shots in the mask (Wilson titanium) in two plate games on Saturday. Three of them spun the mask off my face, the other hit right in the middle of it and it didn't move. My jaw is still sore from that one. It was nasty.

Good advice, buy something on Ebay you know nothing about vs. work on your existing mask.

I have been struck dead center many times and never had a sore jaw. If I did I would get a new mask, but probably not on Ebay.

Bending a mask bar back to its original shape, or wearing a mask that has been compromised, like Don so wisely said, is not a wise option. In fact, it is absolutely foolhardy.

Get a replacement cage from one of the reputable dealers, or get a whole new mask if your pads are worn. If it's new, there is a chance that you'll get it swapped out. But do not, under any circumstances, trust a bent or repaired mask frame.

As everyone else has said, it is dumb to "work on" your mask frame. I would trust a never-bent Wilson frame/mask from eBay over my own "repaired" mask any day.

I was using a Wilson titanium that I just got, so I don't think I'll get a new mask.

Is it the low profile, New View model?

Are you talking to me about the Wilson? Yes, it's the low profile.

I would do both options, purchase a new mask (anything more fun then buying new gear), and bend the old one back into place and keep it as a back-up. Great for when something else breaks on your new #1 mask (harness, pads) also good for when your partner forgets or realizes that they lost their mask, and you don't want them to wear yours.

-Grant (#85)
Assistant Chief Umpire
Bloomington Athletic Association

"Repairing" a bent mask makes it weaker due to metal fatigue. The repaired mask has now been bent at least twice.

You must be kidding. Wear a compromised mask as a backup, or worse, let someone else endanger themselves unknowingly.

Wow!

To each their own. I am not necessarily saying you have to wear the mask, but if you get the same model, then you have replacement parts with you when you need them most. And as for unknowingly endangering someone else, I would never not tell them that it is a repaired mask. (Unless maybe I just don't like them, ;) )

I think I would keep it in the bottom of my bag to loan to the guy who also wants to borrow ball bags, a cap, and an indicator. :rolleyes: