I’ve had my vest in hand for about a week or two now so I wanted to give a review to Mr. @Umpiresrock74. First off, this was my first time interacting with him and can tell he geeks out over everything umpiring. I saw that he was a special guest at one of my assigner’s camps. He texted me probably everyday he had my Power, if not almost everyday. He was very excited to work on it and I appreciated his enthusiasm. He sent me a bunch of progress pictures and I was able to talk with him about any tweeks I wanted or any improvements like the fidlocks, removing the excess wings, etc.
The materials used were closed cell foam on the outer most layer, unequal Kevlar in the middle layer, and a thin layer of closed cell foam on the inner most part of the protector. It totals half an inch thick.
To compare this, I have a number of chest protectors: Force 3, an original Douglas West Vest (1996), All Star Cobalt (Main vest for last year), and recently started using a Team Wendy West Vest. The feel and responsiveness of the materials reminds me very much of the team wendy. The appearance is also very similar. One of the most important things to me with this project is that the materials would contour to my body and form, Mike really did accomplish that. The profile when I tried it on, was very good and maybe even a little better than the other chest protectors I use.
Mike did a good job of putting this all together for me. He used a professional seamstress and cut all the materials himself with love. I am super happy with how this turned out and he gave my Power a new life. Thanks a bunch, Mike!