System 7 CP Mods

[gnhbua93]

14 hours ago, grayhawk said:

After much running around trying to find what I needed, I was able to make a permanent modification with new straps.  Joann's fabrics has a nylon strapping they sell by the foot at $1.00 per foot.  I bought 2 feet to ensure I had enough.  Couldn't find any rivets, grommets, or other fasteners that would work, so I took the whole rig to a shoe repair place and he was able to use rivets made for leather, but he added small washers so they would hold better.  I decided that I didn't need elastic because I have enough range of motion with straps that don't stretch.  Shoe repair charged me $20.  Here are the photos:

You used any coupons at Jo Ann?

[grayhawk]

4 hours ago, gnhbua93 said:

You used any coupons at Jo Ann?

Didn't think about it.  The strap was only $2.

[gnhbua93]

$1-$1.20 before tax beat $2 before tax any day of the week.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

[Mudisfun]

On 11/13/2016 at 0:02 PM, gnhbua93 said:

$1-$1.20 before tax beat $2 before tax any day of the week.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

After working a few games @grayhawk should be able to make up the difference in the coupon/no coupon pricing. 

[grayhawk]

@Mudisfun, I would definitely recommend this mod.  Easy to do and inexpensive.  If there isn't a shoe repair near your house that will do it, the guy that did mine is in Mission Viejo so it's not far from you.

[BT_Blue]

I am almost considering this a another protector for myself. Might even see about a market for a trade for my XL Gold. Will see.

[grayhawk]

Update on this mod.  I have used the CP twice since installing the non-elastic straps and it has performed well.  The shoulder caps stay in place and I have confidence that my shoulders are well protected.  If you own a System 7 CP and have had the same issue I had, I fully recommend this $20 mod.

On the padding, I am going to hold off for now.  I just don't know how much of a benefit it will be since the stock padding really isn't that thick.  It's just not worth the money or effort.

[MadMax]

@grayhawk, I would encourage you to notify All-Star of this, or at the very least @JimKirk, so as to pass that along to a VR Rep at All-Star. I'm endeavouring to do the same with Schutt in regards to my own (extensive) mods addressing their woeful, completely ineffective and unnecessary harness. The XV is hamstrung by it.

You may very well have in your hands the next "WestVest". UnderArmour is the anointed successor to Majestic as the official supplier to Major League Baseball, and UnderArmour does campaigns like this full force. It won't be limited to uniforms, it will translate to gear. New Balance may have to broker out a deal so as to cooperatively exist in the MLB realm with the Official Endorsement, but UA will be dictating terms and likely rolling out their own footwear soon, players first, umpires (including plate shoes) second.

Wilson may still have the Official Endorsement on their catchers and umpire gear, but UA will gleefully present the ratio of users to MLB marketing brass. The overwhelming majority of MLB catchers wear Nike, All-Star / UA (because they have a partnership!) and Rawlings. Heck, more catchers wear Mizuno instead of Wilson! UA is so progressive and aggressive in their brand deployment, they will likely put a lot of pressure on MLB regarding the presence of the big gold W, and will trot the System 7 in front of brass, complete with a UA logo on it, to present it as an easy replacement to the WestVest. The majority of MLB umpires have already demonstrated they'll use whatever is given to them; UA has _very_ deep pockets, or is very candid with its money, while Wilson is very miserly and downright tight-fisted.

UA would tell the already forward-thinking folks at All-Star to develop the next generation of protective gear – System 8(?) – and have it ready to go, full dispersal, for the 2019 season. How nifty would that be if the CP had the "Grayhawk Wing Strut"?

[grayhawk]

Interesting stuff @MadMax.  I think this mod is a good improvement for the S7 as this sliding shoulder cap is really it's only flaw (unless you need something much lower profile).  I suppose you've already notified @JimKirk, so if you have any questions, Jim, please let me know.

[MadMax]

Oh, @grayhawk, I wanted to follow up on the fasteners... While that shoe place did an ideal job by using rivets, they are using a tool that is usually beyond the domain of our common umpire. So, I favor Chicago Screws / Binding Posts. They are internally threaded bolts of various lengths, with a head on either end. They come out of the bookmaking industry (hence, book bindings), and because Chicago was a large-scale printing and publishing city, the name was hooked to these fasteners. By using a substance like LocTite, I can make them permanent, but I favor leaving them as is so I could remove/exchange the parts they fasten in the future, if needed.

[Thunderheads]

On 11/21/2016 at 6:36 PM, grayhawk said:

Interesting stuff @MadMax.  I think this mod is a good improvement for the S7 as this sliding shoulder cap is really it's only flaw (unless you need something much lower profile).  I suppose you've already notified @JimKirk, so if you have any questions, Jim, please let me know.

Just contact Brad Jurga .... product development at All-Star,......family run by the Jurga family!  bjurga@all-starsports.com  

[BT_Blue]

On 11/22/2016 at 1:44 PM, MadMax said:

Oh, @grayhawk, I wanted to follow up on the fasteners... While that shoe place did an ideal job by using rivets, they are using a tool that is usually beyond the domain of our common umpire. So, I favor Chicago Screws / Binding Posts. They are internally threaded bolts of various lengths, with a head on either end. They come out of the bookmaking industry (hence, book bindings), and because Chicago was a large-scale printing and publishing city, the name was hooked to these fasteners. By using a substance like LocTite, I can make them permanent, but I favor leaving them as is so I could remove/exchange the parts they fasten in the future, if needed.

@MadMax, did you cut into the shoulder plate above to add the strap for the RayFlex? Both you and @Scott Kennedy (wonder if he has made any modifications to his XV?) have me really curious about the Schutt. Also did you switch out the standard bolts on the shoulder gap plate for the Chicago Screws?

[Ty]

Thanks for the ideas all!

Did my own version of this with 1/4 inch Chicago Screws/binding posts and some extra nylon strapping I had lying around. Didn't pull out any of the original rivets, but with my broad shoulders, the slightly lower position of the new anchors on the shoulder cup works well to hold everything in place.

[NicNag]

What size Chicago screws are y’all using? 3/8, 7/16 head size?  I’m trying to repair a vest of mine. Thanks

[BT_Blue]

On 2/4/2018 at 11:33 AM, Ty said:

Did my own version of this with 1/4 inch Chicago Screws/binding posts and some extra nylon strapping I had lying around.

 

1 hour ago, NicNag said:

What size Chicago screws are y’all using? 3/8, 7/16 head size?  I’m trying to repair a vest of mine. Thanks

You could always check the post djrectly above yours. For instance... Ty used 1/4"

[The1yankee]

On 11/7/2016 at 11:45 AM, grayhawk said:

I've been using the Force 3 V2 CP since March and have taken a couple of shots that gave me pause.  One was to the shoulder and the other was to the chest on a foul on an inside pitch.  Both resulted in pain and the pitches were probably only in the high 70's.  Also, @Magic took a direct shot to the chest last week that he said was very painful which resulted in soreness for a couple of days.  These events have me rethinking my System 7 CP that's been in my garage for the last couple of years.  I originally retired it in favor of the Force 3 because it's a little bulky and also the shoulder caps tend to slide back which leaves the front of my shoulders vulnerable.  If I can get the shoulders worked out, I do believe there is no better protection than the System 7 on the market today.  The plastic plates are thick and configured in such a way to give excellent collar bone protection, and it's long enough to cover my last rib (the Gold and Platinum are both too short for me).

So I have embarked on a project to make the System 7 the perfect CP for ME.  The first part of my project is to deal with the shoulder caps sliding back.  I purchased some elastic and some fabric glue and believe that I have been able to attach the elastic to keep the shoulder caps in place while still giving me enough range of motion to throw baseballs back to the pitcher.  The first picture is the shoulder caps and how they can slide back.  The second is with the elastic in place and I think you can see how my shoulders are better protected from a frontal assault.

Part 2 of my project will be an attempt to create new pads that are slimmer than the stock pads.  M initial thought is to use 1/2 inch memory foam which can be purchased at WalMart or Target for about $20.  I am struggling with the best material to use to cover the foam so that it breathes and wicks moisture.  I could open up the current pads and pull out the foam and replace it with the memory foam, but I'm not sure I want to do that in case the new pads are a flop.  Any suggestions are w

 

Good luck

[The1yankee]

On 11/10/2016 at 9:27 AM, Scott K said:

I'm HUGE fan of the MLB Wilson West Vest Gold. Check out MY personal review here:

 

Not trying to be a jerk, but if u actually had read

JUST the WHOLE first paragraph,

IN OPs FIRST POST YOU WOULD HAVE READ THIS------(the Gold and Platinum are both too short for me).

HIS words at end of ^^^^^sentence after -------

Bad enough he's takin rough shots to the shoulder and chest, whaddya want to happen to em next?

A broken rib.....or 2.       Lol

No offense Scott, just razzin

[Go Navy Beat Army]

I added elastic straps to my System 7 using Chicago screws.  I've also had the pleasure of taking several shots (rookie high school catchers) with it.  Very pleased with it.  The one thing I do before putting it on is bend that large center plate a little.  Basically,  I grab the neck opening and the bottom of the cp and flex them together to give it a little curvature from top to bottom.  Here's the question:  Can I drill holes in that center plate to (a) improve airflow, (b) make it a little lighter, and (c) make it more flexible and easier to get a good fit while (d) NOT compromising the integrity of the materials and, ultimately, my safety?  Sorry for the long question.  This might be a good question for @MadMax.

[MadMax]

So you want to make it holey, @Go Navy Beat Army? Well, whatcha do is look up the local church supply store in your area, and get a gallon of holy water. Pour that into a spray bottle in a 3-to-1 ratio with Foul Off... 

I was raised Catholic... I keeeed, I keeeed.

I would say “go for it” on drilling 9mm – 10mm holes (the Schutt XV has 10mm holes) in that System 7, but now I caution that endeavor. After 6 years of near-constant use (between 100-200 plate games per year), and travel in a variety of temperatures (with the last 3 bordering on hellish-ly hot), my XV finally cracked... right up the center, like a zipper, from hole to hole to hole. I could use it as a model for Californians as to exhibit what is inevitably coming. I would hate to see yours crack in the same way, but I understand what you’re going for. Working to your advantage is the System 7 CP has a heatpipe / chimney effect going on, where air is drawn in at the bottom of the unit and channeled up to the neck and out. Maybe this could be supplemented by placing an array (or pattern) of holes further out towards the armpits. Make sure to separate the foam vest from the carapace plates, and drill only through the carapace plates, angling the holes slightly towards the center. This way, the air is drawn in from the outside, through the padding towards that heatpipe / chimney at the center.

Also, the flanks experience less stress than the center.

Need me to draw it up?

[Go Navy Beat Army]

@MadMax good idea.  I was thinking of just putting the holes far enough apart that I (hopefully) wouldn't have to worry about the carapace cracking.  If i used an array of holes spaced at 1.5 inches (center to center), I should still have enough plastic left to protect.  Just a hunch.