+POS Mag-T Mask

[BigUmp56]

I got this in the mail just a few days after ordering it. The service from +POS appears to be much improved when it comes to delivery. I have to say that for right at $100.00, this mask is a pretty good buy. It looks very much like the Nike Titanium and is easily as light, at less than a third of the price. .

Obviously I haven't been able to battle test it yet (No Fall Ball for me this season), but it feels sturdy enough to stand the test of time; we'll see.

Tim.

[Kevin Finnerty]

A new titanium retails for $200 or so at most places. They're going for between $100-to-$160 new on ebay. So it's not really close to $300 for a Wilson.

Interesting mask.I would like to handle one. A little too shiny. The Wilson has a non-glare powdery gray finish.

And I always figure a set of Wilson wrap-arounds into the cost of any alternative frame. I'm just hooked on the look and feel of the leather Wilsons. So it wouldn't be a $100 mask, it would be a $140 mask.

[BigUmp56]

A new titanium retails for $200 or so at most places. They're going for between $100-to-$160 new on ebay. So it's not really close to $300 for a Wilson.

Interesting mask.I would like to handle one. A little too shiny. The Wilson has a non-glare powdery gray finish.

And I always figure a set of Wilson wrap-arounds into the cost of any alternative frame. I'm just hooked on the look and feel of the leather Wilsons. So it wouldn't be a $100 mask, it would be a $140 mask.

I thought the Nike Titaniums were going for at least $300.00 a pop, Kevin. In fact, I've seen them much higher on ebay.

Tim.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Oh, wow! You said Nike! Why did I read Wilson? My bad.

Anyway, this is what Wilsons are going for:

This is generally what they're going for right now.

Here's another one.

That magnesium is still a good buy. It's probably as light or lighter than the titanium, and probably even stronger (I'm working with my third titanium; I've bent two in three years.)

[kylejt]

That's good to hear, Tim. I love my Champro magnesium frame, and have taken a few good shot to it with nary a mark. That +POS was going to be in my next purchase lot, along with an All Star c/p.

How substancial are the +POS pads? I'm kinda hooked on the Team Wendys, but any time I can save 40 bucks, that's a good thing. And is that frame powder coated, or is that metal we're seeing?

[zm1283]

Don't care for how shiny the frame is.

Most of those Wilson titaniums on eBay are the low-profile.

[BigUmp56]

That's good to hear, Tim. I love my Champro magnesium frame, and have taken a few good shot to it with nary a mark. That +POS was going to be in my next purchase lot, along with an All Star c/p.

How substancial are the +POS pads? I'm kinda hooked on the Team Wendys, but any time I can save 40 bucks, that's a good thing. And is that frame powder coated, or is that metal we're seeing?

I'm surprised at how shiny and metallic the frame looks in the images. The frame is a bit brighter than the Wilson, but it is powder coated and has more of a dull finish than the pictures suggest. The pads appear to be very similar in structure to the pads I use in my +POS Zero Gravity. I've taken some serious shots in that mask and I think the pads worked well.

Tim.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Don't care for how shiny the frame is.

Most of those Wilson titaniums on eBay are the low-profile.

That's right; I should have seen and mentioned that.

And I'll bet that shameless rip-off artist who uses the ebay seller name of Kevin Curt sold that sham Nike with a low-profile Wilson frame.

[NWA_UMP]

My mag has taken several shots and I have the dents, dings and chipped paint to prove the battle damage. Any mask should bend when hit with sufficient force. I don't want one that won't bend when hit. I would like the mask to take some force away and not send it all thru my noggin!

[Kevin Finnerty]

The first one that bent, I sent it in to Wilson and they sent me another one---pads and all. Then I exchanged that one for a standard profile from Jim at UA. That one dented slightly a couple of times on the upper U-bar, which was no biggie, so I lived with it and it got me through over 18 months of year-around hardball, which is like a several years of seasonal hardball. When that one that was slightly dented got seriously dented on a recent shot, it was no longer under warranty, but I had long since gotten my money's worth. I retired it and bought another one from Jim.

So, I've been through two in a little over two years, but one was covered. The third one will carry me through a couple more years from now, so it's effectively a two or three year mask---very worthwhile.

I just love these ultralight titanium masks. Once I got over the astonishment that it could dent like that, and adopted your point of view, I have been just delighted with the comfort and ease of handling. Taking it off and running with it is drastically easier than working with a standard weight mask, not to mention the lessening of the strain on your neck when wearing it.

And with all-black pads, it looks really badass:

Thanks to Ump-Attire for use of this picture

[Umpire in Chief]

When that one that was slightly dented got seriously dented on a recent shot, it was no longer under warranty, but I had long since gotten my money's worth. I retired it and bought another one from Jim.

Here's a great tip:

Purchase your items on a credit card, not a check or debit card. The reason being many/most credit cards will double the manufacturers warranty up to another 12 months some up to 24 months.

[rth54]

That's a good tip...never thought that would apply to gear

[Kevin Finnerty]

I thought that turning in Titanium No. 1 was fair, because I used it for two months and it dented. I read on another forum from a NCAA guy who owned one of the first wave of Wilsons that you could send it back and they'll send you a new one. But when my second one dented in a way that was too slight to be a problem, I just rode it out until it got to be way over a year, and when it dented again really badly, I just shelved it.

I'm not sure if the Wilson warranty is so ironclad that those terms would apply. I got the sense that it was more of a courtesy. And I also was told of a way that they could tell the date of manufacture of a mask, so if you were to buy a "brand new" or unused Wilson on ebay, it could already be way over a year old to begin with and not covered in any way for a return/exchange.

So I always go legit and buy the titanium from Jim at Ump-Attire. Wilson can see when you originally bought it that way, and can match it with the code on the mask to tell when it was made. Jim offers it at a competitive enough price, and has that magnificent service, which makes it well worth avoiding the risk of a private-party purchase. Plus, he's the only guy who offers it with those bada$$ black pads!

[rth54]

I had an early one that dented and ump attire steered me to Scott weber at Wilson. I sent him photos of the damage and they sent me a new one ( without requiring me to return the old one)but it was a low profile version. although the customer service was outstanding from umpattire and Wilson was very responsive, the experience left me personally leary of the wilson titaniums,

Your post is helpful in that it does suggest that perhaps some expectations re: the Wilson TI are perhaps errant. Additionally, the idea of credit card usage possibly extending the warranty was something I had not considered.