To West Vest or to not West Vest

[Guest R. Duke]

Have had two West Vests in the last 20 years and have been quite happy with them.  Am ready to buy a new vest and would like to know what most umpires

regard as the best vest out there, am aware of Mad Max and his views on CP.   Thanks

[MadMax 2,307]

5 hours ago, Guest R. Duke said:

Am ready to buy a new vest and would like to know what most umpires regard as the best vest out there, am aware of Mad Max and his views on CP.

[th3 280]

I love my Wilson Charcoal. Fits great with the harness that came with it and I feel very protected. I bought it used on craiglist 10 years ago and have used it for 80-90 plate games a year and i see no reason no replace it. I used a gold for part of a season and never felt comfortable in it.

[SJA 227]

Wearing WV's since 1993 . . . nuff said. "If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it''.

:-)
 

[Kevin_K 880]

42 minutes ago, SJA said:

"If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it''.

@MadMax... correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this the the mission statement from Wilson's R&D department?

[SJA 227]

If the WV can be improved, great. I'm confident Joe will have input! . . . my comment was towards the OP. If he's happy with the WV's, stay with them :-)

[aaluck 111]

Allstar system 7 is another great option. I have both and prefer the allstar, in fact gave the WV to my son, 16,  that started umping. 

The fit/design is completely different. The AS basically “hooks” over (sits on top of) the shoulder and the straps just hold it tight to your chest. Very unique design that I find much better to any other design. It allows you to adjust the tightness of the chest as you like without ever pushing the protector up. It never, ever, moves down. It is kind of like shoulder pads that only extend to the shoulder blade  Another great innovation is the sternum from the neck to the belly is a channel about 3-4 inches wide and an inch away from the body which allows airflow to help cool off  

 The ease of removing all the pads (Velcro attached) and putting them in the washer is a great option. I also have a second set of pads and can change them out between hot Alabama summer games. The harness of the system 7 is also far superior. The chest protector does not budge regardless of the movement. 

I don’t think you can go wrong with either but just throwing out a very good option. The only negative I can point out on the AS is if you throw a ball to the pitcher your arm movement is a bit restricted because of the great shoulder protection. BTW I found mine a couple years ago on a year-end clearance for under $100 shipped. Best $ I spent on gear (nutty buddy excluded!!!)

[BT_Blue 1,681]

On 5/19/2018 at 3:34 PM, MadMax said:

I want to add to this conversation. But I can't.  Especially as a full on Schutt MaXV convert.