Shin Guards

[coachump4]

l am looking to upgrade my Shin Guards for next year.  I need advice as I have heard great things about the WV platinum's and the diamonds but I am really interested in the Force3.  What is everyone's advice/opinion on the best Shin Guard for the money.

[Kevin_K]

You won't go wrong with the Force 3. Comfortable, protective, light, and no metal clips to rust. The only drawback I have seen is that the length of the straps are enough to fit around most elephants' shins and are an annoyance to me. Most people, however, probably do not care.

[BT_Blue]

I putzed around with a pair before the start of the season. But returned them with the knowledge that I would be replacing my old FinnShins with then next year.

Well, i had a small equipment malfunction (the knee cap part of the shin guard separated from the rest of it) mid game of a playoff game. My first, and only, choice to replace them was the Force3.

Get to use them for back to back plates today and I am looking forward to it.

[tpatience]

Force3 

[KenBAZ]

Force3 shins are my favorite piece of umpiring gear. I've got hundreds of games in wearing them without a problem or adjustment. They feel so much different then any other shins. They wrap around and allow you to move as if they are part of your body.

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[boyinr]

IMO the best for the money are the Honigs K2010. The come in four sizes and are absolute tanks. They are a little bulky and hot but, you will not feel a thing from a bat or a ball and they are only $60. 

[BrianC14]

Did I read that right.... there's KEVLAR in the Force 3?    (Geez, maybe I'll buy a pair and use them in the 'other' job....)  

 

[BT_Blue]

23 minutes ago, BrianC14 said:

Did I read that right.... there's KEVLAR in the Force 3?    (Geez, maybe I'll buy a pair and use them in the 'other' job....)  

 

They have Kevlar in all their stuff. Where have you been the last 3 or 4 years? Lol

[BrianC14]

4 minutes ago, BT_Blue said:

They have Kevlar in all their stuff. Where have you been the last 3 or 4 years? Lol

Not everyone's a gear head.

My stuff works just fine, from HS to D1, thanks.  

[BT_Blue]

4 minutes ago, BrianC14 said:

Not everyone's a gear head.

My stuff works just fine, from HS to D1, thanks.  

I was just giving you a hard time.

I am looking forward to using my new shin guards today. Was considering the mask as well (not because of the possibly of Kevlar in the pads but because of the technology in the mask). But I am not a fan of the chest protector and will probably never own one.

[BrianC14]

No worries, @BT_Blue.   Although I was taking a close look at that Del Crandall mask that was on ebay...       Hey, I'd be the only guy in my association with a triple-bar mask.... think of the cool factor there, huh?   Pads might need a bit of neatsfoot oil, but I could get it going.   Just have to work on the seller ... that $700 asking price.... I don't know....

[MadMax]

13 hours ago, Kevin_K said:

You won't go wrong with the Force 3. Comfortable, protective, light, and no metal clips to rust. The only drawback I have seen is that the length of the straps are enough to fit around most elephants' shins and are an annoyance to me. Most people, however, probably do not care.

Uhh... @Kevin_K? You're slighting the cankle crowd. And there are these things called scissors...   

9 hours ago, BrianC14 said:

No worries, @BT_Blue.   Although I was taking a close look at that Del Crandall mask that was on ebay...       Hey, I'd be the only guy in my association with a triple-bar mask.... think of the cool factor there, huh?   Pads might need a bit of neatsfoot oil, but I could get it going.   Just have to work on the seller ... that $700 asking price.... I don't know....

@BrianC14, do you know why items like these are sporting such high prices on eBay? Most of them will never be bought, and really, they have no intention of being bought; instead, they are put on eBay at that price for insurance and collateral purposes. If you are a sports memorabilia vendor, and are on the verge of bankruptcy, you are probably being told by your advisors to list out all your assets... So sure, you list these items at ludicrous, unrealistic prices because who really knows the value of that item on an audit spreadsheet?

The other reason they're so pricey, especially vintage sports equipment, is because of the potential use in the Film and Television production industries. We (as a culture) have become such sticklers for authentic details! There was just a news bit feature about the production of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 in which the props department had to scramble to find intact Sony Walkmans to use in the film! They contacted Sony... Sony doesn't have any surplus ones to even loan! They then combed and sifted through eBay, and managed to find 3, but would certainly have bought more had they been available! They had to resort to taking the three they purchased on eBay and make near-exact replicas on their own. So with the recent baseball-centric movies, such as 42, 61*, Moneyball, and Trouble With the Curve seeing success, there are always somebody somewhere with these items that will put them out there in the hopes a Hollywood props wrangler will contact them with an open checkbook.

15 hours ago, coachump4 said:

l am looking to upgrade my Shin Guards for next year.  I need advice as I have heard great things about the WV platinum's and the diamonds but I am really interested in the Force3.  What is everyone's advice/opinion on the best Shin Guard for the money.

Oh, and @coachump4? The Force3 Ultimates are the best shinguards for the money. You may get something else, at a lesser price point, so as to hold you over in the meantime, but invariably, it comes down to these being leaps and bounds better than anything else out there, and provided you take care of them, you'll never have to purchase another set.

[BrianC14]

 

[ElkOil]

10 hours ago, BrianC14 said:

My stuff works just fine, from HS to D1, thanks.  

No it doesn't. You need Force 3.

[Mr Ump]

14 hours ago, Kevin_K said:

You won't go wrong with the Force 3. Comfortable, protective, light, and no metal clips to rust. The only drawback I have seen is that the length of the straps are enough to fit around most elephants' shins and are an annoyance to me. Most people, however, probably do not care.

Agreed the Force3's are the truth.....none better

[BrianC14]

7 minutes ago, ElkOil said:

No it doesn't. You need Force 3.

Can you buy them for me?

[ElkOil]

30 minutes ago, BrianC14 said:

Can you buy them for me?

There, there. No more questions.

[coachump4]

Thanks everyone for the replies looks like it will be the Force3 I go with. This season I upgraded my CP from a diamond Ix to a WV Gold which I bought for $50 used and I upgraded my all star helmet to a Wilson Shock FX 2.0. I am now complete on my upgrades for a while.


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[BT_Blue]

Used my force3 shins yesterday for two games... yup, best thing out there. 

Oh, and I would content going from an All Star to a Wilson bucket is not an upgrade. It is barely a sideways movement.

[KenBAZ]

Used my force3 shins yesterday for two games... yup, best thing out there. 
Oh, and I would content going from an All Star to a Wilson bucket is not an upgrade. It is barely a sideways movement.

Not surprised by your reaction to the Force3 shins. I wish you a long career with them.
Regarding the move from the All Star HSM to the Shock FX; I made the same change about four years ago. Typically, you wear a HSM because you think it provides greater protection, particularly against concussions. The Shock FX and the Force3 I also wear, have a spring system to deal with balls taken on the cage. They are not any lighter or cooler the the All Star. The Wilson is an upgrade if it helps you avoid injury on a ball the All Star would not have.

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[catsbackr]

The Wilson Platinum shinguards are bullet proof.

[GerryB]

Love my Douglas, except for the squeak!

[Stk004]

Just now, GerryB said:

Love my Douglas, except for the squeak!

The squeak drove me mad. The hard foam bar in the middle also put a lot of pressure on my shins that would start to hurt after 90 minutes or so. 

[MadMax]

8 hours ago, coachump4 said:

Thanks everyone for the replies looks like it will be the Force3 I go with. This season I upgraded my CP from a diamond iX3 to a WV Gold which I bought for $50 used and I upgraded my All-Star helmet to a Wilson Shock FX 2.0. I am now complete on my upgrades for a while.

 

3 hours ago, BT_Blue said:

Used my Force3 shins yesterday for two games... yup, best thing out there. 

Oh, and I would contend going from an All Star to a Wilson bucket is not an upgrade. It is barely a sideways movement.

Outstanding, good to hear. Just be sure to get the proper size of the three sizes Force3 offers. They're very good about exchanging should you get the improper size, but if you're in-between sizes, it is my opinion and experience that you should undershoot rather than overshoot.*

Now see, that's the way it should be done. $50 for a quality, reliable, proven hardshell CP is a no-brainer. The only reason I slam Wilson so much has nothing to do with the physical CP you have in your hands there; no, it has to do with the fact that Wilson hasn't done a thing with the design in fifteen-or-so years, still use sofa cushion foam, and still charge $209 (their cost on their site). Eerily, the one in your hand and the one sitting on a warehouse shelf somewhere, with a $150+ price tag, were likely made at around the same time. 

I agree heartily with @BT_Blue on the HSM. They are two different design solutions to the protection problem. If you had an All-Star 2200 or 2300 that you were using previously, then I would say you made a good decision in upgrading. If, however, you had been using a MVP2500 or higher, then you're in the realm of one of the most advanced pieces of gear in sports. All-Star is fully pursuing protection-by-geometric shaping instead of by mechanical means (as the Wilson and Force3 HSMs are pursuing), steadily and frequently improving it as their equally frequent research and testing yields new data. By contrast, Wilson does very little in product development, and just recently terminated the Shock FX line, not because mechanical protection is a dead-end design (Force3 proves that otherwise), but because Wilson is losing market share to All-Star, Easton, Rawlings and Mizuno because they all make shaped catchers masks. The Shock FX will no longer be sold nor supported.

[Richvee]

On 05/21/2017 at 10:13 AM, Kevin_K said:

You won't go wrong with the Force 3. Comfortable, protective, light, and no metal clips to rust. The only drawback I have seen is that the length of the straps are enough to fit around most elephants' shins and are an annoyance to me. Most people, however, probably do not care.

 

20 hours ago, MadMax said:

Uhh... @Kevin_K? You're slighting the cankle crowd. And there are these things called scissors...   

 

This ^^^ and a little black electrical tape on the cut ends.