Officials Choice Charcoal Grey Pants

[umpirecordova]

I got an email from the Officials Choice saying that they were having a sale on there pants. $20 for base and plate each. So I picked up one of each thinking that I could use these as a spare when my Poly Wools are at the cleaners.

When I got them last week the first thing I noticed is that these pants are dark ! Very dark, they make my Poly Wools look like heather gray. also the back pockets are sown shut.

I just wanted to know if any of you had picked up a pair, and what you thought of them. They were a great price but I don't know if they are worth going on to field if it will look like I'm wearing dress pants out there.

P.S. I will put pictures up so you guys can see the color difference

[kcfan102]

Thats how they getcha!

You think...

"Hey, $20! How bad can they be for $20? I might even get two!"

That's then they give you the shaft of a shotty product.

If you're brave enough to go out there with them, I'd like to know how it goes... and what they look like.

[Umpire in Chief]

Those of you who have these please put an official review in our review section.

[kristoffae]

I got an email from the Officials Choice saying that they were having a sale on there pants. $20 for base and plate each. So I picked up one of each thinking that I could use these as a spare when my Poly Wools are at the cleaners.

When I got them last week the first thing I noticed is that these pants are dark ! Very dark, they make my Poly Wools look like heather gray. also the back pockets are sown shut.

I just wanted to know if any of you had picked up a pair, and what you thought of them. They were a great price but I don't know if they are worth going on to field if it will look like I'm wearing dress pants out there.

P.S. I will put pictures up so you guys can see the color difference

Ah, good ol' Officials Choice. My partner the other night had a pair of Officials Choice charcoals. First thing I noticed was the color. Extremely dark. The darkest charcoal I have seen yet (almost like they were a faded shade of black). I had on a pair of Gerry Davis and we were not even close to looking uniform. And then he wore the Officials Choice black shirt. The white stripes on the collar and cuffs were about 3 times as wide as any of the other black shirts I have seen out there. I told him to stop being so cheap, take a couple of game fees, spend the dough, and get some quality gear. As someone else has stated on here some time back, the Officials Choice motto is "Screwing up uniforms one umpire at a time." Could not be more true.

[zm1283]

The sad thing is that there are umpires who still swear by their pants and shirts and think they're just wonderful.

[Kevin Finnerty]

The word is distinctive.

[kylejt]

The sad thing is that there are umpires who still swear by their pants and shirts and think they're just wonderful.

I've never seen one good word written about their pants.

I like their original, black, long sleeved shirts. Lovely. It matches other shirts, and is a quality garment. At $10, it was great.

That's about it.

[Paperipper17]

I've never seen one good word written about their pants.

I like their original, black, long sleeved shirts. Lovely. It matches other shirts, and is a quality garment. At $10, it was great.

That's about it.

I have their navy with the RW trim, it's decent. Doesn't breathe as well as my Smittys, but fits my frame very well and matches other navy shirts. The powder blue is pretty much a uniform fail. It's more gray than blue, and getting it with RWB trim was a bad idea, as pretty much everyone else in the association has navy/white trim on their powders.

Is the long sleeved black still available for $10 by any chance? I didn't see it on there but I figure it's worth a shot to ask :wow:

[kylejt]

Is the long sleeved black still available for $10 by any chance? I didn't see it on there but I figure it's worth a shot to ask

Nope.

Just for the record, I will never, ever buy anything with the Smitty brand name on it. It might as well say "Dork". What a dopey marketing miscue. I don't care how good the product is, or what I'm missing, the name is just wrong.

[Umpire in Chief]

Well I have one of the earlier OC Long sleeve shirts and I like it, at the time it was like $12.00. Since I got that I saw a sale on the short sleeve shirts and got a couple, they're okay. I don't have the see through problem other guys have. But their not as nice as the Ultimate Shirt I have from Ump-Attire. I use them for other than HS games.

The Smitty brand shirts are actually okay. I don't own one but have seen them and think they look pretty nice. The Smitty pants had a problem with the clasps, but I understand that has been resolved. Smitty was a bad choice for a name, but seems to have some pretty good stuff.

[kristoffae]

Nope.

Just for the record, I will never, ever buy anything with the Smitty brand name on it. It might as well say "Dork". What a dopey marketing miscue. I don't care how good the product is, or what I'm missing, the name is just wrong.

I also subscribed to this policy as well up until this year when I picked up a couple of their long sleeved shirts. They are a great product and are much more comfortable to work the dish on those brisk days, nights than wearing a jacket. I still hate the name on them and do not advertise to any one that I am wearing a "Smitty" shirt.

[byjosh]

My mom bought me two pairs of these pants. They are sitting in my storage room now. I did not even bother to hem them. I can almost where them on the basketball court they are so dark. I have no problem with the quality but the color is too dark for most umpire pants I have seen.

[Paperipper17]

Nope.

Just for the record, I will never, ever buy anything with the Smitty brand name on it. It might as well say "Dork". What a dopey marketing miscue. I don't care how good the product is, or what I'm missing, the name is just wrong.

that was my thought process as well, but I read the review of the shirts on the midwest umps' equipment blog and he said they were great, plus I got some good reviews from guys in the organization. They were $20 each, so I got black, powder, white, and cream. They're, very comfortable and breathable, good shirts, albeit with a crappy name.

[Kevin Finnerty]

The Smitty brand shirts are actually okay. I don't own one but have seen them and think they look pretty nice. The Smitty pants had a problem with the clasps, but I understand that has been resolved. Smitty was a bad choice for a name, but seems to have some pretty good stuff.

The Smitty shirt has the best balance of cost, comfort, durability, ease-of-care, accurate sizing and appearance of ANY umpire shirt in existence. I have a few of them, and they tested out very highly.

My brand experience: +POS, Majestic, Dalco, Honig's, Cliff Keen, Logo Athletic, Smitty, Official's Choice

[zm1283]

Kyle, you won't wear Smitty (Great shirts in short and long sleeve by the way), but you like an Official's Choice shirt? Hmmmm....

[blue32]

I have 2 pairs of Smitty pants and like them very much. The only gripe I have about them is the thin belt loops. But it looks like they are addressing that according to Jim Kirk. I emailed him about it, and he said he forwarded it to Smitty, and they said were already planning to widen the belt loop fabric a-la the Gerry Davis pants for next year.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I have 2 pairs of Smitty pants and like them very much. The only gripe I have about them is the thin belt loops. But it looks like they are addressing that according to Jim Kirk. I emailed him about it, and he said he forwarded it to Smitty, and they said were already planning to widen the belt loop fabric a-la the Gerry Davis pants for next year.

I had a brutal experience with their slacks in 2008. The clasps and the bunching at the waist were the problems. They addressed both problems I had with both pairs that I got stuck with, and even had the distributor (not ump-attire) give me some shirts to compensate for the messed up slacks. That's how I got their shirts.

If they widen the belt loops, they'll be some pretty good slacks.

[kwiggie]

They were $20 each, so I got black, powder, white, and cream. They're, very comfortable and breathable, good shirts, albeit with a crappy name.

Were did you find Smitty shirts in black, white, and cream? and do they make a red... with a crappy name

[kcfan102]

purchaseofficials.com

[Paperipper17]

purchaseofficials.com

yes. Yeah, they do have red, as well as grey and three different powders. wore my black for the first time tonight, absolutely love it.

[kcfan102]

my black SS and black LS are on the way.

I have their navy and pro-powder and I love it!

Edited April 16, 2010 by kcfan102

[Kevin Finnerty]

The long-sleeve Smitty shirts are more comfortable and more durable than the Honig's long-sleeve.

[kcfan102]

I'm new to the long sleeve shirtness. I never really felt the need until last year on a pretty chilly summer evening when I busted out the jacket. Long ones look better in my opinion.

[NWA_UMP]

I love their shirts...have LS and SS in a couple of different colors. Pants are well built and look good....but I don't like the fit. I am "thick" in the legs and seat...their pants are not.

[Kevin Finnerty]

You're talking about Smitty and not Official's Choice, right?