First Team Wendy's! Happy Fathers Day to me!

[mbkcoach]

@rjt6 I quit wearing it because all I was reading. I have been wearing an adidas phenom hsm. Just ordered a plus pos zero g with tan TW pads too.

[rjt6]

@mbkcoach - did you like the adidas HSM?

[Majordave]

My partner caught a foul full in the face this past Monday while wearing a Diamond iX3 with original stock pads. He still has a headache he said. Glad I never wore those pads in mine.

[BaltimoreUmpire]

@mbkcoach - did you like the adidas HSM?

That is my favriote helmet, it breathes, cools, protects and is available for a reasonable price, I just can't find them anymore, or Id but another to hold in reserve till my current one breaks, its a good value although I don't know if it should ever leave 12U ball, might not fair as well in higher level games

[mbkcoach]

@rjt6 yes have worn it ever game. I have accidental dropped it twice and it has gotten dirty. A lot harder to Keep squared away than a mask IMO. But I like it. They sell them at dicks sporting goods in my area if anyone is looking.

[mbkcoach]

So am I good with the diamond mask and the team wendy pads? Or is the mask not safe either? I'm doing pony ball.

[rjt6]

So am I good with the diamond mask and the team wendy pads? Or is the mask not safe either? I'm doing pony ball.

The Diamond with TW is fine. Just get rid of the diamond stock pads ASAP - @mbkcoach

[mbkcoach]

@rjt6 done

[Majordave]

Diamond mask is great. Looks good. Durable. Pads suck. Replace immediately.

[semperfiguy]

All I know is I've worked 200-350 games a year with approximately 2/3 of them plate jobs over the past 9 years. I've been hit in the facemask over 100 times and the only 3 I thought hurt like I had been punched in the face and the only time I've had a headache were the 3 hits total in two of the five times I worked a plate wearing 2014 model black Team Wendy's mask pads. Zorbium technology be damned. I'm not stupid and I know when something hurts and is hazardous to my health. Team Wendy's pads, the 2014 model, are dangerous as far as I'm concerned.

Major I wear the Wilson doeskin wraparound pads and I  love them. I've read slot of great reviews on the TW pads. I thought I was the last guy still using wraparound after all of the retro fit talk. Glad to know I'm not goin  it alone.

[JimKirk]

@ amb1995, a word of caution, exposing your padding to extreme temperatures, such as leaving them in the car in direct sunlight will cause the protective foam to deteriorate at a much more rapid rate.  That "super plush" feel may not be such a good thing and you could be exposing yourself to unintended risk of injury. 

[amb1995]

@ amb1995, a word of caution, exposing your padding to extreme temperatures, such as leaving them in the car in direct sunlight will cause the protective foam to deteriorate at a much more rapid rate. That "super plush" feel may not be such a good thing and you could be exposing yourself to unintended risk of injury.

I was not aware of that...Thank you! Are they safe in my trunk? They were only exposed to direct sun once and have been in the trunk since.

[JimKirk]

Unless you park under cover, I would advise not leaving your gear in your car for any extended length of time.

[Replacematt]

That makes me wonder how protective my ACH pads were after a year and a half in the sandbox.

[Majordave]

@UADirOps

Nothing personal but you have no credibility here. You are, or work for, a seller of umpire gear with a direct financial stake in the subject. The only persons I've ever heard tell us to replace any gear annually are those who sell it or are somehow related to sellers, i.e. Somebody at MLB who has a contract or relationship with a gear supplier.

I've worn Wilson doeskin traditional style pads and the black PU coated (polyurethane?) Wilson traditional pads for years and years. I keep my gear in my umpire rolling gear bag in the back of my Toyota 4Runner almost every day from late January until mid-November.

I have never had any baseball hitting me in the facemask cause me any pain or discomfort whatsoever other than the 3 hits while wearing team Wendy zorbium pads.

Others may have differing experiences but I stand by my own experience.

So, unless you have scientific data from an unbiased, unaffiliated with umpire gear manufacturer and seller source please refrain from offering such obvious self-serving comments.

Thanks.

[BaltimoreUmpire]

@UADirOps

Nothing personal but you have no credibility here. You are, or work for, a seller of umpire gear with a direct financial stake in the subject. The only persons I've ever heard tell us to replace any gear annually are those who sell it or are somehow related to sellers, i.e. Somebody at MLB who has a contract or relationship with a gear supplier.

I've worn Wilson doeskin traditional style pads and the black PU coated (polyurethane?) Wilson traditional pads for years and years. I keep my gear in my umpire rolling gear bag in the back of my Toyota 4Runner almost every day from late January until mid-November.

I have never had any baseball hitting me in the facemask cause me any pain or discomfort whatsoever other than the 3 hits while wearing team Wendy zorbium pads.

Others may have differing experiences but I stand by my own experience.

So, unless you have scientific data from an unbiased, unaffiliated with umpire gear manufacturer and seller source please refrain from offering such obvious self-serving comments.

Thanks.

i feel like he might be saying not to for liability reasons, he is saying he cannot recommend keeping gear in a car, doesn't mean much to me other than the seller saying "I cant recommend doing that" just my 2 cents

[gnhbua93]

@UADirOps

Nothing personal but you have no credibility here. You are, or work for, a seller of umpire gear with a direct financial stake in the subject. The only persons I've ever heard tell us to replace any gear annually are those who sell it or are somehow related to sellers, i.e. Somebody at MLB who has a contract or relationship with a gear supplier.

I've worn Wilson doeskin traditional style pads and the black PU coated (polyurethane?) Wilson traditional pads for years and years. I keep my gear in my umpire rolling gear bag in the back of my Toyota 4Runner almost every day from late January until mid-November.

I have never had any baseball hitting me in the facemask cause me any pain or discomfort whatsoever other than the 3 hits while wearing team Wendy zorbium pads.

Others may have differing experiences but I stand by my own experience.

So, unless you have scientific data from an unbiased, unaffiliated with umpire gear manufacturer and seller source please refrain from offering such obvious self-serving comments.

Thanks.

After that 100+ MPH pitch I suggest to lock this thread. Ouch!!!!!!

[JimKirk]

Majordave has a point.  My apologies for misspeaking above, I should have said "could" instead of "will."  Unbiased, unaffiliated scientific data?  No, just a cautionary word of advice based on 15 years experience working in and around 100+ temps.  In the future I will stick to remaining a JAFO.

[Majordave]

I promise it isn't anything personal. It's just a thing of mine with sales and marketing. Puffery and biased opinions get in the way of well-reasoned decisions. It's my personal opinion that the opinions on this site are better stated by those without a financial stake in the outcome. Now your personal experience with 100+ degree temps and game experience do count but are better stated and more valuable when offered personally and not as the rep of a manufacturer or seller of equipment we are discussing.

Thanks for understanding.

[JimKirk]

@UADirOps

Nothing personal but you have no credibility here. You are, or work for, a seller of umpire gear with a direct financial stake in the subject. The only persons I've ever heard tell us to replace any gear annually are those who sell it or are somehow related to sellers, i.e. Somebody at MLB who has a contract or relationship with a gear supplier.

I've worn Wilson doeskin traditional style pads and the black PU coated (polyurethane?) Wilson traditional pads for years and years. I keep my gear in my umpire rolling gear bag in the back of my Toyota 4Runner almost every day from late January until mid-November.

I have never had any baseball hitting me in the facemask cause me any pain or discomfort whatsoever other than the 3 hits while wearing team Wendy zorbium pads.

Others may have differing experiences but I stand by my own experience.

So, unless you have scientific data from an unbiased, unaffiliated with umpire gear manufacturer and seller source please refrain from offering such obvious self-serving comments.

Thank

 

@UADirOps

Nothing personal but you have no credibility here. You are, or work for, a seller of umpire gear with a direct financial stake in the subject. The only persons I've ever heard tell us to replace any gear annually are those who sell it or are somehow related to sellers, i.e. Somebody at MLB who has a contract or relationship with a gear supplier.

I've worn Wilson doeskin traditional style pads and the black PU coated (polyurethane?) Wilson traditional pads for years and years. I keep my gear in my umpire rolling gear bag in the back of my Toyota 4Runner almost every day from late January until mid-November.

I have never had any baseball hitting me in the facemask cause me any pain or discomfort whatsoever other than the 3 hits while wearing team Wendy zorbium pads.

Others may have differing experiences but I stand by my own experience.

So, unless you have scientific data from an unbiased, unaffiliated with umpire gear manufacturer and seller source please refrain from offering such obvious self-serving comments.

Thanks.

 

 

Really Dave? I don't think anyone was being self-serving here. As sponsors of this site, we are simply trying to helpful. Paul, who is VP at Ump-Attire.com (and someone I have a great deal of trust in, not to mention someone I believe you've met in person) was simply providing the kind of advice that we provide all the time - advice that comes from multiple places including many customers, various manufacturers and other experts.

 

On the contrary, if we were trying to push more umpire gear we'd be saying "keep things in your car", "keep it out in the sun" and "don't wipe it down after it gets wet". That way it won't last as long, and you can come back and buy more stuff. From reviewing this post, it appears he's trying to do the opposite.

 

Maybe in the end you're right on this particular subject, and he's wrong but the tone in your response is not something I would have expected.

[MidAmUmp]

@UADirOps

Nothing personal but you have no credibility here. You are, or work for, a seller of umpire gear with a direct financial stake in the subject. The only persons I've ever heard tell us to replace any gear annually are those who sell it or are somehow related to sellers, i.e. Somebody at MLB who has a contract or relationship with a gear supplier.

I've worn Wilson doeskin traditional style pads and the black PU coated (polyurethane?) Wilson traditional pads for years and years. I keep my gear in my umpire rolling gear bag in the back of my Toyota 4Runner almost every day from late January until mid-November.

I have never had any baseball hitting me in the facemask cause me any pain or discomfort whatsoever other than the 3 hits while wearing team Wendy zorbium pads.

Others may have differing experiences but I stand by my own experience.

So, unless you have scientific data from an unbiased, unaffiliated with umpire gear manufacturer and seller source please refrain from offering such obvious self-serving comments.

Thank

 

@UADirOps

Nothing personal but you have no credibility here. You are, or work for, a seller of umpire gear with a direct financial stake in the subject. The only persons I've ever heard tell us to replace any gear annually are those who sell it or are somehow related to sellers, i.e. Somebody at MLB who has a contract or relationship with a gear supplier.

I've worn Wilson doeskin traditional style pads and the black PU coated (polyurethane?) Wilson traditional pads for years and years. I keep my gear in my umpire rolling gear bag in the back of my Toyota 4Runner almost every day from late January until mid-November.

I have never had any baseball hitting me in the facemask cause me any pain or discomfort whatsoever other than the 3 hits while wearing team Wendy zorbium pads.

Others may have differing experiences but I stand by my own experience.

So, unless you have scientific data from an unbiased, unaffiliated with umpire gear manufacturer and seller source please refrain from offering such obvious self-serving comments.

Thanks.

 

Really Dave? I don't think anyone was being self-serving here. As sponsors of this site, we are simply trying to helpful. Paul, who is VP at Ump-Attire.com (and someone I have a great deal of trust in, not to mention someone I believe you've met in person) was simply providing the kind of advice that we provide all the time - advice that comes from multiple places including many customers, various manufacturers and other experts.

 

On the contrary, if we were trying to push more umpire gear we'd be saying "keep things in your car", "keep it out in the sun" and "don't wipe it down after it gets wet". That way it won't last as long, and you can come back and buy more stuff. From reviewing this post, it appears he's trying to do the opposite.

 

Maybe in the end you're right on this particular subject, and he's wrong but the tone in your response is not something I would have expected.

I agree with Jim. He's always been a straight shooter with me...even if it was go somewhere else, they have a better product. You can always claim any study is biased. I'm skeptical of government studies, and so on, but when it comes to my personal safety, I'll error on the side of replacing pads and other items every couple of years to be on the safe side.

As far as TW pads being stiff/hard, I just ordered some the other day (yes, from Jim) and the first week they were pretty stiff, but they've loosened up a little bit (or I've become used to them) over the last couple weeks. It's kind of like getting a memory foam or sleep number bed. They want you to keep them 30 days before sending me back. It takes that long for your body to adjust. We hated our Tempurpedic for about 25 days, now we love it and can't sleep well anywhere else.

[Majordave]

Sorry to offend. Again, not trying to make a personal attack. But, the ONLY people telling us to change pads are those with a personal financial stake-sellers of the gear. I'm sure there are valid reasons for buying new ones but not every year. I stand by my personal experiences which is the basis of my opinion.

I'm sure you think you are helping. But there simply is not one shred of supported research evidence offered by anyone making recommendations to replace your pads annually or Bi-annually.

I just we will have to just disagree on the matter. And no matter what you say your intent in offering the advice is, those who sell the gear still stand to gain from their advice. Isn't that the definition of self-serving? I'm entitled to my opinions as a member and consumer and I'm not in favor of sellers and sponsors offering "advice" that may result in financial gain, especially when there is no research to support their advice and opinion.

My .02........I'm entitled to it. Nothing personal Jim and Paul. I'm glad you're on these forums. Feel free to post away. Feel free to take opposite positions of my opinions. I'm not offended when I'm challenged. It's healthy discourse to disagree and discuss. Maybe, there is some research evidence to support the advice and opinions and we just haven't seen it yet. Maybe this will spark someone with the info to post it and enlighten us.

But as it stands right now, for me, based upon painful personal experience (3 of them) Team Wendy pads are the single worst umpire gear purchase I've ever made. And the advice and opinion that mask pads need to be replaced annually or on some schedule just doesn't hold water either. I choose to challenge it.

I'm done. No further personal rants or offerings on this subject. Now if someone has research to offer.......that's a different story.

[JimKirk]

Apology accepted. 

 

First of all, sorry for your issues with Team Wendy. Always hate to here any umpires getting hit and hurt by wearing any equipment, whether we sell it or not.

 

Whether it is foam in a running shoe, in a mattress or in umpire protective gear, there is a susceptibility for these foams to break down for a variety of reasons - UV rays, heat, chemicals (including salt), ozone - are all things that can break down foam in different ways. 

 

From my limited understanding of foams, there are different types. Some apparently are higher grades, if you will, and more resistant to degrading. Foams traditionally used in umpire protective gear have been basic types. So, I assume, that translates to being more susceptible to degrading vs not. 

 

What I can't say for sure if how often you should replace your umpire pads; as much I can offer advice on often you should replace your running shoes. That, I would think, would depend on varying degrees of types of foam used by different manufacturers, frequency of use, amount of UV exposure, amount of sweat and other factors. And, no, there is no specific data in relation to umpire padding.

 

What I can say is that I've been around to hear all the conversation about time frames for mask padding replacement. Those conversations did not start with the manufacturers or the retailers. It started on the MLB level as a matter of umpire safety and within a year was both a point of emphasis at the MiLB level and discussed at length at the pre-season NCAA meetings.

 

So how often should you replace your umpire mask padding? 1 year? 2 years? 5? 10? I think the prevailing thought is that because it depends on all the factors I mentioned, the safe recommendation is to put a time frame on it that covers the range of possibilities. MLB, MiLB and NCAA all say every year. We have always said "at least every few years". Given a specific circumstance, it certainly could be longer. I can't disagree with you on that subject.

 

So who is right? I think that it is up to the individual to decide. There are lots of factors that dictate safety besides padding replacement, including padding thickness to frame shape to frame metal to how tight you wear your mask to where you stand in relation to home plate. I say given that you've got the potential of 2,400 pounds of force coming at your very important head, you should err on the side of caution in all these areas. That includes keeping your mask out of your hot car, as a precaution, as Paul mentioned in his original post in his thread.

 

Good discussion. Hope everyone is having a good summer.

[Chris Hickman]

I have a friend who has a Power with the original pad. I keep telling him to get a retrofit and he says" it's ok, it doesn't smell.." There is NO WAY in 20 years that the foam is still going to give you good protection. As far as mask pads. Depending on how many plate jobs you do I think a good pair of pads will past you 2-3 years.. IMHO. Any retailer needs to keep clients coming back. I don't think you need to change your pads every year. I think Jim is a good guy and he offers sound advise...as well as Aaron from Honig's.

BWT, my homey with the Riddell lives in Michigan and drives by Team Wendy in Ohio ALL THE TIME!! I always give him sh!t for that!

[gnhbua93]

How many years The Officials Locker Room should last before it need to be replaced?