PLus POS mask

[Stan W.]

I have a Honigs mask that has that rattle as well.............didnt when i got it, but probably dislodged some of this when i took a shot....

[Maineac]

I have a Honigs mask that has that rattle as well.............didnt when i got it, but probably dislodged some of this when i took a shot....

My Honig's rig also has "the rattle." Picked up on it after I used it the first time. Annoying, but doesn't seem to have any effect structurally.

[NC Umpire]

My All-Star fm4000UMP had a rattle in the hollow cage when I bought it from UA this year. I sent it back and they sent me a new one. It would be real annoying hearing that rattle eveytime you turn your head.

[slo8140]

When I first got my MVP4000 it had a rattle as well. I upgraded to a Ti a couple of years ago and I think when they did the swap they sent me a hollow steel back without the loose debris. It was kind of annoying.

[Welpe]

I picked up my FM4000 last night while spraying my gear down with Febreeze and noticed that it rattles. I probably wouldn't have noticed if you all hadn't said any thing. <_<

[3rdGENump]

I have worn my 4000UMP for about 10 plate games so far and have taken a few shot off the mask and have not noticed any rattle. I hope it stays that way because it is really annoying. I recieved another email from Dan with +POS last night and he said he has a new shipment of ZRO-G TB coming in next week, and will send me one from the new shipment to replace the one with the rattle. This weekend I am going to use the ZRO-G TB that he sent, it is supposed to me 93 degrees Saturady and I am working an all day tournament. This will put the moisture wicking pads to the test!!

[Mike Prince]

OK, I will finish up my input on the ZRO-G mask. I wore it again last night, but with two-tone Wilson wrap-arounds installed. The pads do add quite a bit of weight but I was not a fan of the stock pads, especially after I got a headache from a hit the previous game with them. The Wilson pads were a decent fit (I had some problems getting the chin pad set up correctly), but I forgot to readjust the harness so I had to make some in-game adjustments.

I didn't take any mask shots last night, but again had no issues with the mask. The more I wear this mask the more I like it. The one Dan sent me has no rattles and looks to be well-constructed.

Summary:

Pluses - light frame, well constructed, unique mask color (which I did not like at first but it grew on me). I think this is a good-looking mask with the rounded throat guard.

Minuses - Pads. You may like them, I did not. They are more substantial than the Diamond pads and look very nice in this mask, but the microfiber just didn't work for me. It has been mentioned in this thread that the pads are virtually the same as the pads in the All-Star mask and I don't see complaints about those so maybe it is just me. If I were to wear this mask long-term, a set of black Team Wendy's pads would look great in this mask and IMO add a degree of protection. I would not recommend putting in the Wilson two-tone pads, they didn't look very nice with the charcoal cage, all black pads would be the best.

Nitpicks - I was not a huge fan of all the +POS branding on the harness, and in my game last night I managed to pull my hat off a couple times while removing the mask (I haven't had this happen in a few years). However, I think it may have been an adjustment issue vs a harness/mask issue.

Would I buy/recommend this mask? I found nothing with the mask that would cause me not to recommend it to anyone. If I were to buy it, I'm ditching the stock pads out of the box. So the options are to order it with the leather pad upgrade or do a 3rd-party pad replacement to the 'base' mask. To me this makes it a better choice than the Diamond - full retail on the Diamond is $85 (!) and you can get it at Ump-Attire for $70 (and less elsewhere) but you "have to" (IMO) replace the Diamond pads - so add at least $25 for that. +POS gives you an option to get the Zero Gravity with leather pads for $70 (price with the fabric pads is $60). I did not test with the +POS leather pads but I would imagine they are a true upgrade over the fabric pads.

OK, so of the masks/pads I have here is how I would rank them:

1. +POS with Team Wendy's pads

2. Champro Mag/TW pads

3. Diamond iX3/TW pads

4. Champro/Wilson wrap-arounds

5. Diamond/Wilson wrap-arounds

6. +POS/Wilson wrap-arounds

7. Champro/stock pads

8. +POS/stock pads

9. Diamond/stock pads

+POS beats the Champro because it is nearly as light (3oz heavier) and I think it will be more durable over the long haul (the magnesium corrodes easily). The Diamond is likely relegated to be my backup mask as long as I have it for a variety of reasons.

As commentary, I wish someone other than Honigs' had the "menu" philosophy for ordering a mask where you have choices for the 3 components of the mask. +POS's pad option on this mask is a step in the right direction.

I appreciate Dan's generosity and great service; I thank him for giving me the opportunity to test and review the mask. Hopefully this has helped someone who is in the market for a new mask or was on the fence about +POS. When I started umpiring a few years ago, I noticed that all of the experienced umpires wore +POS gear and clothing and swore by it. It's nice to see the brand making a comeback and giving us another option when we go to buy new stuff.

[NC Umpire]

I got my package from Dan today( had a issue with my address). I recieved a ZRO-G TB mask, 2 scraper brushes and a MLC24 BLK jacket. The mask is very similar to my All-Star FM4000UMP mask. The mask had a rattle in the cage(so did my FM4000 mask from UA). Dan is gonna replace it for me. The jacket is very nicely made. Can't wait to wear in the fall. I really like the look of the scraper brushes also. It will come in handy to scrape mud from the plate and the brissels are stiff(good thing). I can't thank Dan enough for his generosity. He seems to be a class act guy. I look forward to ordering from +POS in the near future.I will have more info on my thoughts of the mask when the new one arrives and I try it out.

[Chris Hickman]

All these reviews are going to put Pete @ Midwest Ump out of business!

[midmoump]

Hooray for reviews! I started reviewing products because I couldn't find good information on umpire gear, or objective opinions. I like reading the opinions of others because I am a consumer too!

Speaking of rattle, the only time I have encountered this is when I bought a new Honig's mask off eBay. I assumed it was a "second" that Honig's rejected from the manufacturer. If the solder is rattling around in the cage tubing, then it is not holding the weld together, right?

Pete

[Cajuncubsfan]

I'm looking to get two new shirts and a new pair of plate pants. I have been looking at the +Pos stuff because of these posts. My partner last night had a pair of +Pos plate pants and they looked good and tht made me a little more confadent in ordering the pants (Not to crazy about the big +Pos on the front pocket tho).

My question is about the shirts. Are they good quality like Honag's?

[johnnyg08]

My question is about the shirts. Are they good quality like Honag's?

Are they like Honigs? No. Are they good quality? Yes. In fact, after reviewing the +POS shirt, my next shirt purchase will be a +POS. I liked the length and the breathability of the black +POS shirt. Buy that one with confidence. Good luck.

[3rdGENump]

Review of my ZRO-G TB after use:

I used the mask to do 3 games on Saturday. The temps were in the mid 90's with NO breeze. The moisture wicking of the pads worked great, the pads never felt wet or uncomfortable.

The vision from this mask was very good. I did not notice any blind spots and did not have my vision obstructed in any way.

As reported in my initial review of the mask, when I recieved the mask from Dan it had a rattle in the hollow bars. I did not notice the rattle while I was using the mask. I would not consider the rattle being a distraction while using the mask.

Many of the other umpires working games on Saturday looked at the mask between games and they were also impressed with the contruction and weight of the mask.

Overall I have been very impressed with this mask, I will continue to wear it and will do a mid season and end of season review.

Thanks again to Dan for sending out this mask and other equipment for my review. He has been very good to work with and has responded quickly to all emails I have sent to him.

If anyone has any specific questions about the mask feel free to message me or ask the questions here and I will do my best to answer.