Go Navy Beat Army

I wonder if said coordinator actually works as an umpire or just coordinates. I can't keep track of how many balls zip pass the outside of my mask when I'm in the slot. This coordinator's suggestion puts you IN the line of fire. The slot gives us an element of safety (prayerfully, we're behind a good catcher) as well as a good view of the plate. Just my opinion. You gotta do what works for you.

@TheLovejoy I fully understand. Maybe we can start a support group. I'm just glad that @DerekGDS is slow walking the shin guards with D30 to market. I'm getting another season out of my Force 3's until he stops playing with our emotions....I think it only fair that they make/market a patch for the front of our masks. Why should the Big Yellow W have all the fun?

I can arrange that. I haven't put them on Ebay yet, but that's next. What price were you thinking?

I decided to decrease the amount of gear at my house by selling some at good prices prior to the upcoming season. @DerekGDS is partly to blame for my sell-off. I bought some new gear last year, and this stuff was downgraded to Back-up duty. So, here goes: All Star Magnesium Mask with Sun Visor, Throat Guard and extra set of pads. There is a powder coat chip on the front. Plus, I painted the magnesium guard to match the mask: $175 plus shipping. SOLD All Star Cobalt CP; great shape. I replaced the plastic buckles with G-hooks: $125 plus shipping SOLD Mizuno Wave Plate Shoes, size 15. Shoes are in great shape. However, they just aren't for my feet. $75 plus shipping Champro Gear Bag: great shape. $95 plus shipping. SOLD

Same. Looking forward to their arrival.

Just figured I'd add more positive feedback after having the D30 prove itself once again. Foul ball to the shoulder in a high school summer game. No pain or issues whatsoever. Thoroughly please.............still.

I'm just glad that everyone collaborated on a top-notch product. From comfort to fit and protection, this thing is SOLID. Others may be a ball repellant; mine is not. Took a foul ball. It was loud. Felt no pain. Deion said, "if you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good." While we may not do this for the money, there is a direct connection between our comfort/confidence level with our gear and our performance in a game. Thank you all for a great product!

This is just like your wife giving you that "come to bed" look; only to tell you, "not tonight."

I'll say this respectfully; hurry up!

So, I received my Mirage in the mail this past Friday. Although I ordered a new harness (Ump Life) and pads (All Star LUC pads) for it, they weren't here yet. So, I had to temporarily reallocate resources from my Mag to give this new mask a proper introduction for a Saturday double-header. I'm SOLD! I have one of the old Magnesium throat guards on my All Star mask. I love not having to wear it and still being protected. Between this mask and the D30 Enduro CP, I truly love the new gear available to us umpires from Gerry Davis! Thank God my wife doesn't ask what I spend on gear when the boxes show up at the house........

Ordered mine as well. I'll be rocking All Star pads until I can get my hands on the new Gerry Davis ones.

If you use the All Star Cobalt CP, do yourself a favor. Go to your local big box retailer. You have 2 choices, team orange or team blue. Buy some blue loctite. Unscrew the 2 binding post screws holding each pauldron to the main vest. Make sure you don't lose the back. Add a couple drops of blue loctite to each screw and reinsert. If you use the lower extension, do the same thing for the 2 binding post screws in the center. Golly gee, why should you do this? Allow me to explain. Thursday, I was going through my gear and realized that one of the binding post screws, which holds said pauldron onto my cp, was missing. Did I have blue loctite in my workshop? YES. Did I use it? NO. I did, however, order replacement binding post screws from that online shopping company that has the smile in their logo. They arrived Saturday, while I was on the field....which brings me to why you should do this and thank me. During the third inning, I feel something sliding down my shirt sleeve. What could it be? Oh yeah, the pauldron that I thought would be OK until I got home to add the screw back onto it. Lost the other screw. Had to switch out my CP mid inning. Glad I had a backup. Just loctite the screws. You're welcome. That is all.

I'm a firm believer in supporting companies who support us. Plus, you haven't steered me wrong yet. I just so happened to be looking for a back-up to my All Star Magnesium mask when you posted this gem. I like the longer throat extension. It appears to be long enough to protect the throat without requiring a dangling throat guard. As one who has taken a shot to the throat (freshmen game, thank God), I always protect mine. Fool me once....

Y'all are trying to take my game checks!

Is there a new release date?

I'm selling a few nice pieces of gear due to my acquisition problem. All gear is in great shape. I just got too much. ALL STAR SYSTEM 7 CP - $100 shipped (continental US) - SOLD CP was used for a few seasons. I did the Greyhawk mod to it to keep the shoulder caps in place. I used a sharpie to color in the logo.270B75D1-8229-40F0-82E2-66BBF760A37F_1_201_a.heic270B75D1-8229-40F0-82E2-66BBF760A37F_1_201_a.heic I also added one of Ray's harnesses to it. The harness says "Beat Army 96"; I'm a U.S. Naval Academy grad..class of 1996. I have an 18.5" neck and got tired of the rubbing on the side of my neck. I'm also not a small guy (52" chest). I could never get the shell to shape to me the way I wanted, even with a heat gun. This is what prompted my CP experiment (expense). FORCE 3 V3 CP - $225 shipped (continental US) - SOLD I thought this would be my "go to" CP to replace the All Star System 7. I bought the V3 last year and wore it about 50/50 with the System 7 last year. Then, I decided to buy the Cobalt. No real issues with the CP, but I find myself reaching for the Cobalt more. I only work about 4-5 games a week during the season, so I don't "need" to keep multiple CP's in my garage. FORCE 3 Defender Traditional Mask with Force 3 Throat Guard and Force 3 Sun Visor - $200 shipped (continental US) This mask was only used for a few games this season. Also has the Ump Life harness on it. I bought an All Star Magnesium as well as the Cobalt skull cap. The only issue I have with the mask is that it's heavier than the magnesium. However, protection is awesome. I had an older Force 3 mask that took several shots. Never had an issue with it. Decided to give it another go because I liked the protection so much. This one hasn't been hit. I just prefer the magnesium with the skull cap. I'll include an All Star mask bag with mask as I ordered an Ump Life mask bag for the magnesium. 4BD18964-A7EF-48D0-82C6-5802F5E75674_1_201_a.heic 8A8F43F9-D5B1-4125-9A14-67BC4BFAA5AD_1_201_a.heic 8BAB9C03-D654-4E4B-80B8-E137C58F1F4D_1_201_a.heic 1A20B3A8-08E8-41E0-AF3A-4170B25987AF_1_201_a.heic 1A20B3A8-08E8-41E0-AF3A-4170B25987AF_1_201_a.heic

Got happy this year and treated myself to a new CP after not doing any games last year due to changing day jobs. Got hit a couple of times before (high school varsity) and didn't feel much. Friday night, took a shot right at the collarbone. No bruising. Definitely felt the impact. It was a combination of pressure mixed with a little pain. It didn't affect my performance after that, but the area is still sore (somewhat tender to the touch) 3 nights later. I "might" give it another go before I make up my mind to keep/sell. Although it doesn't look as sleek, I feel that my All Star cp offers more protection. It handled similar shots much better. Glad it's still in the garage.

@MadMax good idea. I was thinking of just putting the holes far enough apart that I (hopefully) wouldn't have to worry about the carapace cracking. If i used an array of holes spaced at 1.5 inches (center to center), I should still have enough plastic left to protect. Just a hunch.

I added elastic straps to my System 7 using Chicago screws. I've also had the pleasure of taking several shots (rookie high school catchers) with it. Very pleased with it. The one thing I do before putting it on is bend that large center plate a little. Basically, I grab the neck opening and the bottom of the cp and flex them together to give it a little curvature from top to bottom. Here's the question: Can I drill holes in that center plate to (a) improve airflow, (b) make it a little lighter, and (c) make it more flexible and easier to get a good fit while (d) NOT compromising the integrity of the materials and, ultimately, my safety? Sorry for the long question. This might be a good question for @MadMax.

I've got personal reasons as well. I took a foul ball to the throat my first season of high school ball. Catcher never touched it. My old mask had a throat extension. However, in my stance, there was enough room for a ball to get through. I felt it graze the bottom of my mask just before impact. The only thing between me and a trip to the ER (or worse) was the little foam baffle at the top of my chest protector. Had a knot in my throat for the next couple of hours. Just buy one. You're welcome. @Thatsnotyou, I also used to play men's league hockey. During my last season, I showed up for a game to hear that a player on another team was in emergency surgery after a deflected puck to the eye. They weren't able to save it. Horrible way to learn a lesson. I wore a visor once....until my own teammate hit me in the face with his stick.

Magnesium is a bit darker. However, it has no coating. It's also light as a feather.

Here's one in silver. The coloring doesn't exactly match the mask, but I like it. I had an All Star magnesium on there, but the clanking was extremely irritating. Before every pitch, I'd hear "clink....clink....clink" as is gently swung back and forth. This one is very quiet. I think I'll keep it.

Good point. I looked at a review and saw that the D30 was for impact protection as well. I figured, "if it can stop a puck, it can stop a baseball". Kinda like, "if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." However, avoiding the impact all together is likely more beneficial than dissipating it.

In transitioning back to a traditional mask (Force 3), I was exploring ways to protect my neck. One thing that stuck out to me was the newer hockey style throat protectors. Since some guys are gravitating to mock turtle necks any way, this one wouldn't look too far out of the ordinary. An additional feature of this one is D30 foam in the impact zone. It provides protection for the larnyx and carotid artery. I wonder if this provides better protection than a dangling throat protector. Here's the link. I think it's interesting. https://www.hockeymonkey.com/accessories/protective-accessories/neckguards/aegis-hockey-neck-guard-interceptor-with-bib.html

@Thunderheads please lock it up. Mask is going to a new home.