umpire equipment

[jl2207]

Hello guys I officiated football for the last few years now I think its time for baseball I have been looking at all the different brands of equipment so I thought I would ask for some opinions on what brands are good and what brands isnt so good and if there is a place you prefer to buy from I seen the thread about the combo pants vs plate pants which was helpful I see that with combos most guys wear single knee shin gaurd i guess? well I appreciate any help you guys would provide THANKS

[bossman72]

I haven't found much that was "bad" in my days as an umpire. Here is a list of equipment that I have and a brief review of it:

Shirts - I like the Cliff Keen shirts the most. Smitty's "comfort tech" shirts are ok, but the local supplies store only sells Smitty, so I'm limited on selection.

Hat - Richardson hats are very good

Mask - I have the Wilson Dyna-lite mask and it has served me very well. There are lighter masks, but this one doesn't bother me and it's not that expensive.

Chest Protector - I have the Wilson MLU. I think it is the best value out there for a chest protector. If you buy one, you should get one that is hard shelled.

Pants - Smitty pants are fantastic. I've had my pair for about 3 years now and they are JUST starting to show some color fading. I had a pair of Cliff Keen combos and they lasted about 1 season before turning pink. Stay away.

Shin guards - Dime a dozen. Not really important which ones you choose. I have wilson shin guards and they work just fine (I cut the metatarsal flap off of it because it's useless with my plate shoes).

Shoes - I have the Tanel 360's and I love them. They are very light and comfortable. I also like the look of them (as opposed to the frankenstein Spot Built shoe). But there are many different brands of shoes out there to try. I have spot built base shoes and they are very good as well.


I hope this review was helpful!

[kylejt]

Buy professional gear. Even if you have to save up a little longer, it will pay off in the long run.

First priority: Chest protector. West Vest Gold or Platinum. You won't go wrong, nor lust for anything else with these. The Douglas isn't bad, and I use one now and then with my plate coat. (Don't buy a plate coat until your five years into it).

Mask: Most of the West Vest single bars work great. Honig's single bar. The Diamond/Schutt/Pro9 etc. light weight is good IF you swap out the pads. I'm not sold on the low profile masks. I'd like the ball to defected from, instead of absorbed into my brain. That's just me though.

Shoes: The New Balance 450s are great plate shoes. Not nearly as pretty as some others, but very comfortable. If you can find a pair of +POS plate shoes, they will last you a very long time. The NB 350 base shoes are not too shabby either. An all, or nearly all, black athletic shoe with a sole with good traction is what you're looking for. No need to go overboard here.

Cup and supporter: I like the McDavid ankle legth tights, but have switched to the Shock Doctor brand for this season. The cup is all yours, friend.

Pants: Find out what color is used in your area, charcoal or heather. Every one is built differently, so it's tough to make a recommendation.

Shirts and Jackets: Ditto above. Find out what the locals wear.

Accessories: Black ball bags. Black belt. A good gear bag with wheels. Garment bag for shirts/pants/jackets. Several indicators. Spare shoe laces. A damp cloth in a ZipLock bag for cleaning off shoes in between games. A small key ring with just your car key on it. Line up folder. Several pens. (Most guys will put the pen in their front shirt pocket. Good idea, until it gets cracked by a ball, and leaks on your shirt.) The tiny pencils are cute, but not for me.


eBay, Honig's, your local sporting goods store can order most of the Wilson stuff.

[TussAgee11]

I will add that whatever you get, a few things to consider...

If you have a cap caddy from your football bag, use it for baseball.

Any spandex long pants you may have for cold weather games, if there is a cup pouch, use them! If you do alot of games, its easy to start rashing on your legs from the straps, particularly if they are hairy. Even in 95 degree heat, I go with long spandex underneath.

Check with your local association about patch placement for your shirts. I'm sure you're used to this concept coming from football.

Lastly, you NEED two hats. Your plate hat needs to have a smaller brim, at least 4 stitch. Otherwise, have fun taking a ball right off the cranium. The brim, if pushed up against the mask and if its hard, will give you a nice headache.

Some will say go a half size bigger on plate shoes. I'd just go with what you are comfortable wearing, if they are steel toed your piggies aren't going to get bit anyway.

I'm about to start a thread on a new reference material, but the musts are the FED and OBR books, and the JEA will be a nice addition for your OBR material.

Enjoy!

[Blue37]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

If you do alot of games, its easy to start rashing on your legs from the straps, particularly if they are hairy.

Now, my straps are fuzzy when new, but hairy?

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by Blue37

Now, my straps are fuzzy when new, but hairy?

Apparently he's a college student. (Not an English major, I assume.)

[TussAgee11]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

Apparently he's a college student. (Not an English major, I assume.)

History with Teacher Liscensure, for the record. I plan on extending my grammatical inaccuracies to another generation if this whole crazy umpiring thing doesn't work out...

[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