question about west vest platinum.

[Iowa Ump]

so i am looking to buy a new CP for the upcoming season. i am about 6 feet tall 220lbs. i am in good shape, im just thick, not saying that i dont have a little bit of a belly.

i currently have a soft shell champion CP it does the job, but i am looking to upgrade. i want to upgrade because i feel the Champion soft shell has a lot more protection than i need, the extra thick padding makes me look a lot wider than i really am.

so here is my question will the WV look better? are there any other CP that have a lower profile to help making me look less wide? other than the WV?

[BaltimoreUmpire]

Well depending on if its in your cost range the Douglas is very low profile, the Champion P200 is also low profile at a lower cost. The Platinum I couldn't tell you the profile of it, I had one but never used it I'm a short guy with a bit of a gut and it didn't cover me enough so it never even got tried on with a shirt over it. The UE might work for you but again price and some people(myself included) question its protection.

[Majordave]

Platinum is like football shoulder pads. NOT a low profile at all. In fact, you may need larger shirts just for plate.

Low profile is UE, Champion, Honigs K1. System 7 I think is.

[conbo61]

I am about the same size as you and use a Platinum. I am very satisfied with the CP and have never wondered "does this CP make me look fat?". It works, I am confident in protection it provides and that is good enough for me.

[JimKirk]

Platinum is like football shoulder pads. NOT a low profile at all. In fact, you may need larger shirts just for plate.

Low profile is UE, Champion, Honigs K1. System 7 I think is.

I agree with Dave and will add that I'm concerned the Platinum also will not be long enough based on your height and weight.

I'd give the Champion hard shell a try just based on price compared to the others he suggested and go for the 15" to err on safe side. That Champion is the lowest profile, lowest priced hard shell that I'm aware of.

If that isn't comfortable, send or take it back then spend extra money on something else such as one of the ones Dave suggested. Champro has a new hard shell on market I like as well.

[bam]

How about you lose some weight?

You sound like everyone's girlfriend who wants to know if their cp makes them look fat.

If you're concerned about you're appearance, do something about it

[Iowa Ump]

Platinum is like football shoulder pads. NOT a low profile at all. In fact, you may need larger shirts just for plate.

Low profile is UE, Champion, Honigs K1. System 7 I think is.

I agree with Dave and will add that I'm concerned the Platinum also will not be long enough based on your height and weight.

I'd give the Champion hard shell a try just based on price compared to the others he suggested and go for the 15" to err on safe side. That Champion is the lowest profile, lowest priced hard shell that I'm aware of.

If that isn't comfortable, send or take it back then spend extra money on something else such as one of the ones Dave suggested. Champro has a new hard shell on market I like as well.

thanks jim, very helpful.

[kylejt]

The All Star System 7 is anything but low profile. I've got that, and the Platinum as my 1/2, and it's far bulkier than the Platinum.

 

That said, they're the only two that have superior collarbone protection, so I'm not that concerned about how slimming they make me appear.

 

If you want to slim down the Platinum, get the Team Wendy treatment.

[Majordave]

Damn Bam! Why you gotta go there? We aren't fat. We are fluffy! I'm working on it though. Like @Jocko. Getting to be best buds with that gym.

[Hawkman]

I wore a Platinum for about 3 years and can echo what others here have said, it is definitely NOT low profile, although it is a fine protector. I've never really cared about how bulky a protector looks, I just want it to do its job well. I'm 6'2 260 with very broad shoulders and chest and the Platinum fit me fine with the exception of being too short. It didn't cover my bottom rib. I have an old Honigs K-1 that I still wear and have for about 10 years.The newer K-1 is thicker and bulkier than my old model. If I were going to try a new protector today I'd probably order a Schutt XV, seems like it might be more low profile than the Wilson models while still providing good protection, Looks are secondary though, fit and function are primary.

[Iowa Ump]

the thing i like about the WV Is that it does not cover the belly area.

i have no idea what i am going to do.

[Majordave]

How much you wanting to spend?

[KenBAZ]

The UE has me covered top to bottom with the optional pads. I have an umbilical hernia so I leave the bottom panel on the UE.

[Iowa Ump]

200

[Razzer]

I have a brand new Douglas 15" (Black) never worn, my spare I would let go for the right offer

[Majordave]

You can do very well for that amount of cash. Pretty much any normal CP is within reach for you. I'm an Unequal guy. But I've tried many others and worked with a lot of guys who've had various products. I've not seen the new Schutt or the new +POS. But really you're like a kid in a candy store holding a $50 bill at this point. As KenBAZ said, the Unequal has a lot of lower abdominal coverage that is removable. A 15" Douglas would also do that. But, in my mind, the Douglas is very much like a West Vest only longer. West West unmodified is not low profile. Unless you get a small which is only 10.5 inches and will not give you lower rib coverage and forget about your belly. It's gonna have to defend itself. Ouch! Been there. Done that. Bruises do heal eventually.

[Thunderheads]

Douglas is lower profile than either Wilson

[GreyhoundAggie]

I use the platinum. Have every game for 7 yrs. I echo the sentiments. Great protector, Never been hurt. I will swear by it.

[Stan W.]

I wear the Platinum........its not low profile....and that's not why I wear it.......I wear it because for its superior protection, if I look a bit like "roboump"...well so be it.....I will be sending it off to be TW refitted and as many state that refit will affect some of the bulky part as the TW padding is thinner......

 

I will be wearing the +POS until my plat returns......

[Rulekeep]

I hated the platinum.

I really don't like bigger name gear for some reason and NO, I'm not a hipster.

My Smittyesque Champion is just fine even though it gives me the shoulders of a six foot man. I would really like to start using Schutt on a regular basis.

[Majordave]

Oh Schutt up! They won't ship to Alaska.

[Rulekeep]

Oh Schutt up! They won't ship to Alaska.

I KNOW IT'S SO SAD. I once put in my zip for a shipping quote and it said "NO."

I'm waiting until this summer when I'm down south for a month and I'm gonna have it sent there.

[MadMax]

To expand on what @Rulekeep mentioned, the Schutt line of CP's are a consideration.

 

The latest model is the Schutt XV, using the same EVA foam Schutt employs in their NFL / Collegiate / & High-School caliber football shoulder pads. The padding is well-ventilated (not so in the Wilsons), and the hard shell components are quite resilient. What I have found is the shell panels are fairly pre-formed, with the ability to conform even more with training. I've used evenly-applied medium heat to coax the plastic to form and then hold it while it cools and sets. In this way, and after hundreds (I'm now over four hundred games with my AiR Flex) of wears, it has conformed to a very sleek shape... ... other than the shoulders. The shoulders are still fairly broad.

 

But this is telling another point – the CP not only conforms to you, but it is so much lighter (noticeably) than other comparable CP's, it floats on you.

 

https://www.ump-attire.com/Baseball-Umpire-Equipment/Gear-Footwear/Chest-Protectors/XV_Schutt-XV-Umpire-Chest-Protector

 

The preceding model of CP from Schutt, the AiR Flex II, is still available. This, and the original AiR Flex I (which I have) use Brock Beads as their padding, which look like corrugated, aerated foam tubes. The hard shell panels got updated between the Flex I and Flex II (they're more pre-formed, more trainable, and charcoal instead of gull grey), and the Flex II received the soft abdominal extension. This extension is also on the XV (but with EVA foam instead of BB's).

 

Behold how I've shaped the AiR Flex.

 

My umpire colleagues marvel at how light these CP's are, without compromising on hard shell protection. I have to acknowledge the insight of a few umpires on here, who aren't entirely sold on the Schutt... but to their credit, they rely on CP's that themselves are progressive in their protection (All-Star System 7, West Vests _with_ TW pad treatment, Champion). I myself am going to get another Schutt XV soon, sell/pass on my AiR Flex I, and call some games before I make the investment in an Unequal.

[Majordave]

Great write up Max. I like the look of the new Schutt XV. Looks like something a Roman gladiator would wear.

I've only seen one Schutt CP in person. The one you have. When Pete Reiser, MidMoUmp was on here and doing his review blog we worked some Pastime showcase tourney together in St. Louis and he wore that CP. He liked it okay I think. I remember it being very light. I was a WV Gold man back then. Unfortunately I've not had one single partner since then wear one. Marketing must be the reason because except for guys like Max mentioning and discussing it on this website it hasn't shown up in any media or venue I've seen or heard. That doesn't mean it isn't good. Hard shell anything is hard to beat. Some are just better fits for differing body tyoes or cooler/warmer than others.

[umpmk70]

I love my WV Platnum.  It just covers my ribs.  No belly coverage, but I have enough natural padding there already.  Only problem I had with it was the harness.  Once I refitted it with a system 7 harness, everything was good.  It now stays right where I want it to be without movement.