Mask Upgrade Question

[OODA Loop]

Any thoughts on the All-Star Magnesium Umpire Mask or the Champro Rampage Magnesium Umpire Mask as an upgrade?

I currently have a WILSON SILVER DYNA-LITE ALUMINUM UMPIRE MASK from Ump Attire (I think you can only get this mask from them) with Team Wendy pads.

[MadMax]

40 minutes ago, OODA Loop said:

Any thoughts on the All-Star Magnesium Umpire Mask or the Champro Rampage Magnesium Umpire Mask as an upgrade?

I currently have a WILSON SILVER DYNA-LITE ALUMINUM UMPIRE MASK from Ump Attire (I think you can only get this mask from them) with Team Wendy pads.

Not really all that dramatic an upgrade, in my technical opinion. Aluminum has been employed by Diamond (first) and then by Wilson because it won’t bend, or at least is far less likely to. It’s a benefit for both you, the user, and them, the manufacturer – you are less likely to incur a problem (such as a bent frame or paint flaking off) that requires a return, while the manufacturer eludes the required replacement of your “defective” mask.

Wilson lost a significant amount of money surrounding the “original” Wilson Titanium (the one that accompanied the WestVest Platinum debut) due to having replace many of them that bent. If a $50 steel mask bends, what do we typically do? Chuck it and buy a new one. If a $250 Titanium mask bends, what do we typically do, especially when we have the impression (or expectation) that Titanium is supposed to be super strong and resist bending? We gripe, complain, and demand a return and replacement.

Thus, Aluminum presents 3 benefits over conventional steel – it’s light, it doesn’t bend, and it holds its color better than conventional steel treatments (paint and vinyl dip). One niggling problem though, is that Aluminum is a hassle to weld fast and cheap. The faster and less qualitative you weld it, the more brittle the welds become, and the chance of breakage – the welds popping – increases.

Magnesium is a step in a different direction. While it’s incredibly light, it is unable to be welded. Instead, it needs to be bonded, and instant adhesives can only be trusted so far, while other, stronger adhesives such as epoxies and cements require curing time – which works against cheap mass production. All-Star was forward-thinking enough, however, to pursue die-cast magnesium alloy, thereby eschewing welds and bonds altogether.

The FM4000 Mag is an injection-molded object, devoid of any welds, bonds, or overlapping joints. By comparison, the Champro Rampage is a die-pressed object, but it too is devoid of welds or bonds. Since both are Magnesium, though, they will never bend... but they will be impressively light and stiff. With such little mass, they are heavily dependent upon their pads. This characteristic is what prompted All-Star to reengineer their pads.

The point of my opinion here is that whether you have a Titanium, Aluminum, or Magnesium mask, you aren’t really upgrading or downgrading if you’re switching from one model to another, at least how the frames go. You might be getting thinner bars (Titanium), or eliminating the propensity of bending (Magnesium), or settling on the best of both worlds at an affordable price point (Aluminum). Where you will truly see the difference is in the pads. It’s the pads, pads, pads.

Which is why I have opted to use the “best” pads on the market with inexpensive hollow steel masks... four times over.

[Rock Bottom]

So, if the All-Star LUC pads stand for Lightweight Ultra Cool (I had thought it was short for Lucroy), what does LMX stand for? I see a lot of people loving the LUC, but few comments on the LMX.

[MadMax]

1 hour ago, Rock Bottom said:

I see a lot of people loving the LUC, but few comments on the LMX.

Not sure what LMX stands for, but it refers to the leather(ette) pads. While they are superior to other leather pads on the market, which amount to no more than some foam and wool crammed into a leather sheath like a sausage casing, they do not provide anywhere near the standoff distance nor the crush resistance that the LUC pads do. They are precision cut leather, but the primary reason for leather pads is for abrasion resistance... so they feel better against the skin when dust and dirt is involved... when masks hit the ground as oft they do when catcher's toss them, or have them knocked off...

... but again, when does an umpire's mask ever touch the ground?

[Rock Bottom]

Thanks @MadMax, and thanks for moving this @Thunderheads, sorry about that.

[Thunderheads]

Just now, Rock Bottom said:

Thanks @MadMax, and thanks for moving this @Thunderheads, sorry about that.

NO APOLOGIES NEEDED FELLAS!!!   No big deal .... I just want to keep "Mask Porn" as it is, ...photos of your masks  

[OODA Loop]

On 3/16/2019 at 4:30 PM, MadMax said:

Not really all that dramatic an upgrade, in my technical opinion. Aluminum has been employed by Diamond (first) and then by Wilson because it won’t bend, or at least is far less likely to. It’s a benefit for both you, the user, and them, the manufacturer – you are less likely to incur a problem (such as a bent frame or paint flaking off) that requires a return, while the manufacturer eludes the required replacement of your “defective” mask.

Wilson lost a significant amount of money surrounding the “original” Wilson Titanium (the one that accompanied the WestVest Platinum debut) due to having replace many of them that bent. If a $50 steel mask bends, what do we typically do? Chuck it and buy a new one. If a $250 Titanium mask bends, what do we typically do, especially when we have the impression (or expectation) that Titanium is supposed to be super strong and resist bending? We gripe, complain, and demand a return and replacement.

Thus, Aluminum presents 3 benefits over conventional steel – it’s light, it doesn’t bend, and it holds its color better than conventional steel treatments (paint and vinyl dip). One niggling problem though, is that Aluminum is a hassle to weld fast and cheap. The faster and less qualitative you weld it, the more brittle the welds become, and the chance of breakage – the welds popping – increases.

Magnesium is a step in a different direction. While it’s incredibly light, it is unable to be welded. Instead, it needs to be bonded, and instant adhesives can only be trusted so far, while other, stronger adhesives such as epoxies and cements require curing time – which works against cheap mass production. All-Star was forward-thinking enough, however, to pursue die-cast magnesium alloy, thereby eschewing welds and bonds altogether.

The FM4000 Mag is an injection-molded object, devoid of any welds, bonds, or overlapping joints. By comparison, the Champro Rampage is a die-pressed object, but it too is devoid of welds or bonds. Since both are Magnesium, though, they will never bend... but they will be impressively light and stiff. With such little mass, they are heavily dependent upon their pads. This characteristic is what prompted All-Star to reengineer their pads.

The point of my opinion here is that whether you have a Titanium, Aluminum, or Magnesium mask, you aren’t really upgrading or downgrading if you’re switching from one model to another, at least how the frames go. You might be getting thinner bars (Titanium), or eliminating the propensity of bending (Magnesium), or settling on the best of both worlds at an affordable price point (Aluminum). Where you will truly see the difference is in the pads. It’s the pads, pads, pads.

Which is why I have opted to use the “best” pads on the market with inexpensive hollow steel masks... four times over.

Thanks for taking the time to post this awesome response!

[kylejt]

I have the Champro Rampage (why Rampage? I'm not angry), with TW pads, a Wilson harness, and a Mizuno throat protector. Lighter than my Diamond hollow steel, with same setup. I like both. 

 

I don't know how much of an upgrade it will be for you, unless your Wilson is a flat, New View version, which I've never cared for. It might be a hair lighter, but probably not by much. It does look cool, so you'll have that going for you, which is nice.