Which Mask?

[JamesC]

Thinking about getting in the market for a new mask. Wanting to go with the silver frame I think. What do you guys think about it? And I'm debating between the Diamond iX3 and the All Star System 7 mask. Any opinions?

[Welpe]

I have the All Star mask. Though I've never held the Diamond, the All-Star is quite light and the padding is very comfortable. Unlike the Diamond, I see no need to have to change out the pads.

[boyinr]

I have had both of those masks. I kept the All Star. They are both about the same weight. However, IMO the pads are weak on the Diamond. I have the All Star pads on three of my masks.

[semperfiguy]

I wear the wilson new view with the doe skin wrap around pads. I love this mask and it provides excellent protection as well as comfort. Just a thought!

Balls and strikes baby!!!

[Marcus6]

Thinking about getting in the market for a new mask. Wanting to go with the silver frame I think. What do you guys think about it? And I'm debating between the Diamond iX3 and the All Star System 7 mask. Any opinions?

Slightly off topic a bit but the Team Wendys pads are great IMO.

[ukce1861]

I have both of these masks, although I just got the All Star (only used it three times). The Diamond is a good mask, but the pads are junk. They're very thin and not very protective feeling and the micro-fiber really irritated my face on hot days. I swapped the pads out for Wilson wraparounds, which were nice. However, I also had an issue with the Diamond "picking" my shirts on my left side.

Like I said, I've only used the All-Star three times, but so far I'm impressed. The pads seem much more comfortable than the diamond pads, although I think the Wilsons are a bit more comfortable than the All-Star pads. The All-Star is super light and still very comfortable. The throat section has three bars, which does make it a little different to grab, but I'll get used to it. The frame is also very smooth, so I'm hoping the shirt issue will be gone.

If I was buying one mask right now, it would be the All-Star System 7. The price is pretty comparable, but with the Diamond, you've got to figure on buying new pads fairly quickly.

[T-Rav]

Hows the team wendy diamond compare to the allstar mask?

[scrounge]

I've got the silver Diamond with Team Wendy pads. I split about 60/40 of the time with HSM and the mask. Each has their pros and cons, but I wouldn't wear a mask without the Team Wendy pads. When it boils down to it, the name of the game is protection and attenuation of force. No matter what mask you choose, I'd put Wendy pads in it.

[jkumpire]

James,

I am going OT with my advice, but here is what I think you should do. Buy a Wilson Titanium Mask, then get a set of Team Wendy pads for it. It will cost you more than your alternatives, but your face and brain are worth it IMO. You will wear it once and never look back...

[love2ump]

thats the set up i have wilson titanium and wendys pads its so light its scary and looks and feels great love it

[kylejt]

The silver Diamond with Team Wendy pads.

It won't bend when drilled (like titanium), and the pads are currenty the best protecting on the market.

If you don't like silver, then get a black Champro magnesium.

[JamesC]

How does the silver frame look with tab pads?

[JaxRolo]

I have both. Go with the All Stars

[Thunderheads]

How does the silver frame look with tab pads?

I'm assuming by tab, you mean tan ....

There are plenty of guys rocking silver frames w/ tan pads at the MLB level ....just check out videos and pics of MLB guys, you'll find one ....it looks nice

Oh, ...BTW, .... The All-Star FM4000

[GerryB]

Let me be contrary here, Honig's silver w/ Team Wendy's

[Mike Prince]

The silver Diamond with Team Wendy pads.

It won't bend when drilled (like titanium), and the pads are currenty the best protecting on the market.

If you don't like silver, then get a black Champro magnesium.

I've got the exact 2 masks that Kyle mentions, both with black Team Wendy's pads and they are both terrific. The silver is nice as there is no glare and the Diamond is tough as nails - I've taken many shots with it and in several cases all I see is a red smear from the laces on it. Diamond has given the mask a sandblasted finish which can be tough on a baseball, but there is no paint to worry about. Some dislike the aesthetics that Diamond has chosen as far as the lower portion of the mask, but I like it.

With that said, the Champro/Team Wendy's is my everyday mask this season, mostly because I am letting 2 apprentice umpires use the Diamond this spring. This mask is also superb, the only negative (easily fixed) is that there can be a bit of glare off of the extremely shiny black paint. I thought I saw somewhere that someone is selling this mask in a silver version now (which now puts the thought into my head that I must track this down and buy one...)

The only piece of All-Star equipment I own is a metal indicator and a Delta-Flex CP harness, so I can't comment on their mask.

My view is to not put too much stock into the pads that come with the mask when buying (although the Diamond pads do suck). The frame lasts a long time, the pads not so much. I would buy the frame that works for you and consider a Team Wendy's pad upgrade. Honig's is the only place I've seen that lets you do this without buying the mask/pad and then the Wendy's pads separately.

[kylejt]

I dulled the glare off my Champro with some steel wool on the bar below my eyes. Not much, but just enough to take the shine off of it.

The light weight Honig's masks, with the pre-loaded Team Wendy(TW) pads, are another great choice.

I like all of the All Star frames I've had. Very light, and stout.

Fit is also a big factor, not to be over looked. It's a function of the shape of your noggin, the frame shape, and the pads. Find what works best for your particular grill. What works for me, won't work for others.

ump-attire.com is selling the TW pads, now.

[NWA_UMP]

I took a shot last night at our local AA affiliates ball park. Two HS teams were playing a game at the park. F1 was throwing in the low 80's by the radar display on the scoreboard. Foul straight back that caught the right side of my Champro magnesium with team Wendy's black pads. Did I feel it, yes. Did it hurt, not really. Did it sound and look bad, yes. The only complaint I have with the team Wendy's and the champro is the distance it sits away from my face. I have gotten used to the view so it's not a huge issue now. I will NEVER have another mask without the Team Wendy pads again....

As Kyle said...find your fit and stick with it. I love my Champro due to the weight and sturdiness of the frame. I don't like the fact that I have had an issue with corrosion that has eaten through the paint. I now repaint the frame 2 time a season. I will see if I can find a local guy to powder coat it in the off season or better yet I'll buy a new one and pass this one down to my son.

[Kevin Finnerty]

The silver Diamond with Team Wendy pads.

It won't bend when drilled (like titanium), and the pads are currenty the best protecting on the market.

If you don't like silver, then get a black Champro magnesium.

The Diamond doesn't bend, but it does crack. I have seen one too many do this to call it a freak occurrence. It may be safe from this at low velocity pitching, but I would deem it unsafe at high speeds.

The other one to avoid is the +POS magnesium, which dents with virtually any impact. I have now seen two of my brothers go through three of these masks, and all three dented with the first blow they took. One of them took a second shot and it made a second dent.

And when these two guys tried to contact that Parsons character for some sort of remedy, of course he wouldn't respond.

And as we all saw a week ago, he's selling those unsafe resin masks on ebay---the same mask whose epic failure doomed the company originally. Truly unbelievable.

I do own a +POS official's tote bag that has proven to be safe to use so far.

[mmiller32]

.

I do own a +POS official's tote bag that has proven to be safe to use so far.

Like that back handed complement to close out that thought !

[pastor ump]

Let me be contrary here, Honig's silver w/ Team Wendy's

Great mask.

[zm1283]

Any of them will dent with the slightest impact. I'm just going to start buying cheap masks so they're cheaper to replace after they dent.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Not true. A quality mask needs a certain blend of angle and spin and velocity to make a dent. A horsesh!t mask will dent rather readily at standard velocity, like the +POS magnesium I described.

[zm1283]

Not true. A quality mask needs a certain blend of angle and spin and velocity to make a dent. A horsesh!t mask will dent rather readily at standard velocity, like the +POS magnesium I described.

Or like my Wilson titanium that dented last week with a high school pitcher throwing low-70s. That is rather readily at standard velocity if you ask me.

[JamesC]

With a lot of different opinions, is the Honig's option a good option? I do like the fact I can order the silver mask with the Team Wendy's pads already on it. And a very affordable price.