Best Shinguards That Never Were...

[MadMax]

... But Will Be Again Soon.

I made the move to get the shinguards that will (likely) be the last pair I ever purchase. With @UmpJeff's facilitation, we ordered in the set (UnEqual CP for him, shinguards for me), and he routed them to me hastily. I opened the box, and...

Wow. Wowwwwwwwwwwwww.

For as large-coverage as they are, they are featherweight. I currently use All-Star LGU313-17's primarily because they are low profile and rather minimal, yet do provide a patella plate. I didn't exactly bust the scale out, but they are likely lighter than the All-Stars. They look formidable too, with a huge patella plate and lots of shape-conforming syn-leather. But they are as light as can be. I am (was) looking forward to putting them right to work with games this week and a massive tournament this MDW. But... alas... I cannot...

... because I ordered. the. wrong. size. Reading some of these threads over, the advice for someone of my height is to get the Large, 18.5" size. Well, after putting these on, within 2 seconds, you can tell they are too tall (probably best for our @BigUmpire friend). I checked Force3's webpage on the guards, and the sizing guide details measuring from the top of the ankle to the center of the knee while seated. I did, and I measured... 17.5". Dead-on between the L 18.5" and the M 16.5". So I called up Force3 (which has a mightily cheerful and friendly staff working their phones), and got an exchange underway. When he heard my plight, he acknowledged that it is personal preference on which size to take when you're dead-smack between sizes, and that the 16.5" is probably the way to go.

So, back to Connecticut these go (today), and next week, I'll have new shinguards to wax ecstatic about. Beware, Wilson owners! Your time of wearing sofa cushions is about to meet its reckoning!

[UmpJeff]

Hopefully, they'll have a quick turn-around time and you get to wear them soon!  I received my Delta Flex harness last night and replaced the factory UE harness with it this morning.  I'm going to custom fit it tonight and put it to use in my game tomorrow night.  Never have I been so excited to take a shot...

[clasonater]

I happen to like those sofa cushions. I just purchased another pair. 

[gnhbua93]

I happen to like those sofa cushions. I just purchased another pair. 

​Until you try the Force3 shin guards you will keep yourself in the shin guards dark ages.

[clasonater]

​Until you try the Force3 shin guards you will keep yourself in the shin guards dark ages.

​I know I know.  The first thing that I will buy that is Force3 is the mask.  I've already decided

[kanedog]

Does Force3 sell replacement straps in case the buckles go?  Always like to have spares in my bag.

[gnhbua93]

@MadMax any updates on your shin guards?

[bighouse]

​Until you try the Force3 shin guards you will keep yourself in the shin guards dark ages.

​I guess I am one of the rare people who has tried all the force 3 gear and went back to my Wilson. Got the CP and sold it and bought a WVG/TW. Got the shins and kept them for backups but most of the time use my Gold shins. To say that you're in the dark ages I guess is subjective, and personal preference plays a big part. I bought the force 3 gear because I read on here how unbelievable it is and just came away unimpressed. To each their own, I will stick with my stone age gear I guess.

[MadMax]

@gnhbua93, Force3 was tremendously accommodating, and sent out the Medium set on spec and trust. I emailed them the tracking number of the returning Large set, and they sent the new ones here, with delivery later today or tomorrow... 

... just in time for a mammoth MDW tournament I'll be in starting Friday afternoon. 15 games in 3 days. 12U's. #BaptismOfFire

[MadMax]

UPDATE:

As mentioned, Force3 supplied me with the proper size shinguards on the quick (I measure a 17.5", and I needed and now have the 16.5"), just in time to put them through their paces. There's nothing like a 12U & 11U tournament to properly christen a new piece of gear! Oh sure, you want to show it off in high school, college, or adult baseball, but you may go several games without needing it. 50-70 baseball, mixed bag of talent? Oh yeah, you will get hit.

Putting the Force3 Ultimate Shin Guards on is a treat. They weigh, as I said, nothing. They look solid, though, and conform to your knee and shin like a casting mold. The strap buckles are a major advantage in the proper wearing of the guard, and having worked at REI and with thousands of backpacks, I trust these buckles are robust enough to survive expected use. The Kevlar is located in the guard body, just behind the plastic shell. A "fitting sponge" foam insert is attached with Velcro on the inside of the guard to conform to your leg shape, removable for washing. The ankle guard is also very well designed, with a Kevlar "knob" to protect the ankle bones. These flaps are flexible, yet substantial, and do not start to flare out like other guards tend to.

Mobility with the guards on is outstanding. You know you have them on, but you don't feel encumbered or hampered by them. They don't roll around, they don't slide up and down with your footfalls, and the convergence of your plate shoe and the bottom section of the guards is not irritating, like some other guards can be. I had to make two dashes to 2B on shots to 1BL that pinned my partner, and I had no issues at all.

Behind the plate, I use a modified HOK/Box stance (which the MLB umpires at Camp Day really liked and noted to other attendees). The only issue with these Ultimate shinguards is when you do a stance like this, you realize why the Gerry Davis shinguards are designed the way they are, with the top-of-the-knee "landing pads" and shell redoubts, for Gerry Davis's eponymous plate posture. There isn't an ideal place to put your hands, but it's not that affecting an issue – just something you do notice.

Currently, I wear combo pants (lots of tournament games on the docket) and one of the nice (few) benefits of using the All-Star LGU313's is they not only fit under combos, but you don't even see their presence under combos. Well, the Ultimate Shinguards do fit nicely under combos, and you only see their outline when running. They don't bind up your pants, either.

Lastly, the most important test of all – impact. Previously, with the LGU313's, I felt the thud of a ball on them. Nothing that would be painful, or be beyond what I expect from some of the kicks I've taken while playing competitive soccer. This weekend, though, I've taken five or so shots off the guards, and I haven't noticed them! Usually, when you take a hit to an extremity, your natural reaction is to recoil. With the Ultimates on, because you don't feel that impact (it's more like a dull tap), you don't recoil, keeping you more stable in your stance, and yes, that pitch, despite crossing up the catcher and going uncaught, was a strike.

[clasonater]

Sorry to change the subject for a moment, but what is the HOK/box stance?  I searched for it but couldn't find anything.

[Mr Ump]

Sorry to change the subject for a moment, but what is the HOK/box stance?  I searched for it but couldn't find anything.

​HOK=Hands on Knee (lock) Box Stance. I'll let someone else describe it because the last time I described a stance all Hell broke loose around here....lol.

[clasonater]

Haha thanks. Now I know whats going on.  I feel like a freaking idiot because I couldn't figure out what HOK meant .  I have learned a lot of abbreviations on this site.

Please nobody feel the need to describe it because I know what it is, and I don't want to start a pissing match. 

[umpstu]

​HOK=Hands on Knee (lock) Box Stance. I'll let someone else describe it because the last time I described a stance all Hell broke loose around here....lol.

​Because you use the advanced one for college umpires. Ha.. It was a lively discussion.

[umpstu]

Haha thanks. Now I know whats going on.  I feel like a freaking idiot because I couldn't figure out what HOK meant .  I have learned a lot of abbreviations on this site.

Please nobody feel the need to describe it because I know what it is, and I don't want to start a pissing match. 

​lmao

[Mr Ump]

​Because you use the advanced one for college umpires. Ha.. It was a lively discussion.

​Yeah it was....lol. Got to stay basic.

[HuskerUmp22]

I'm going to purchase these soon, but I need to order the right size. I am 5'9 so I'm thinking either the 16.5 or 14.5 would be good. How do you guys determine the right size?

[MadMax]

I checked Force3's webpage on the guards, and the sizing guide details measuring from the top of the ankle to the center of the knee while seated. I did, and I measured... 17.5". Dead-on between the L 18.5" and the M 16.5". When he heard my plight, he acknowledged that it is personal preference on which size to take when you're dead-smack between sizes, and that the 16.5" is probably the way to go.

As I wrote above, @HuskerUmp22, sit down and measure the span from the middle of your knee (the soft'ish hollow) to the top of your ankle (the curve between foot and shin).

If you're between sizes, it's personal preference and plate shoe preference. If you have the Zigs, or another low-top plate shoe, you may opt for a longer size (if you're between). I have the mid-cut NB460's, so took the shorter (to me) size, and they're nearly perfect.

[Majordave]

 I'm 5'9" tall and I wear the 18.5 inch.

[amb1995]

I'm 5'7" and wear the 16.5. They stick just a bit up over my knee cap but all the pads fit and fall into place perfectly.

[ruralump]

I'm 5'11" and bought the 16.5. 

To add some more feedback on the shins. I just bought these and used them today. I have used a Diamond leg guard for the last seven years, but was buying new gear(the UE CP, and mask) so I figured I would get shins too. 

At first I didn't like them as they stuck up a little above my knee in my HOK stance, and my pant leg "hung up" on the top of the shin in a way that my Diamonds didn't. The Diamonds have an additional cap/pad just above the knee.

I always tuck the inside flap from the Diamond in my NB460 over my ankle because I don't like how it sticks out. The outside flap doesn't bother me as much. 

I wore these with the flap out of the shoes. Turns out, I like the way the shin sticks up past the knee, as I was able to "tuck" my thumb behind it on the top of my leg, as my fingers are usually pointing down by the side of my leg. 

Although my old shins did a fine job, I think these new ones are just a bit better. Being able to remove the inner pad to wash is a bonus. 

YMMV

[johnnyg08]

Got blasted straight to the knee cap today while wearing my Force3's.  

Paid for them right there.  Didn't feel a thing and the ball ricochet'd into the dugout!!  

Awesome!

[HuskerUmp22]

I'm 5'11" and bought the 16.5. 

To add some more feedback on the shins. I just bought these and used them today. I have used a Diamond leg guard for the last seven years, but was buying new gear(the UE CP, and mask) so I figured I would get shins too. 

At first I didn't like them as they stuck up a little above my knee in my HOK stance, and my pant leg "hung up" on the top of the shin in a way that my Diamonds didn't. The Diamonds have an additional cap/pad just above the knee.

I always tuck the inside flap from the Diamond in my NB460 over my ankle because I don't like how it sticks out. The outside flap doesn't bother me as much. 

I wore these with the flap out of the shoes. Turns out, I like the way the shin sticks up past the knee, as I was able to "tuck" my thumb behind it on the top of my leg, as my fingers are usually pointing down by the side of my leg. 

Although my old shins did a fine job, I think these new ones are just a bit better. Being able to remove the inner pad to wash is a bonus. 

YMMV

​I just received mine in the mail and used them today. They are really nice, but I also felt them to be a little uncomfortable because the top of the shin guard was above my knee. I'm wondering if I ordered the wrong size or it may just take a little while to get used to. The protection is top notch and I like the straps. 

[Richvee]

Got blasted straight to the knee cap today while wearing my Force3's.  

Paid for them right there.  Didn't feel a thing and the ball ricochet'd into the dugout!!  

Awesome!

​I've taken plenty off the shins with these and every time I'm amazed how you don't feel a thing. It was just this week I took my first real hard shot directly to the knee. Wow! Didn't even feel the impact. Nothing. Ball eneded up near 3rd base. 

[Majordave]

@HuskerUmp22

they will loosen up. Takes four to six wearings max.