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Best Concussion Proof Mask

RC2004

By RC2004
in Umpire Equipment

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Aging_Arbiter
Aging_Arbiter

on 2 separate occasions, you mention "it took a second to figure out what hit me" You're umpiring a baseball game.  I'll go with ......IT WAS A BASEBALL that hit you.  

blue23ll
blue23ll

Did his ass get a concussion?  

boyinr
boyinr

With the exception of the Force 3 there is no technology in one frame vs another that makes it any more or less likely to result in an injury.  Some frames may have a shape that promotes deflection vs

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MadMax

MadMax

Posted
Posted
19 minutes ago, RC2004 said:

Looking for a better mask.

Better than what, please? What are you currently using, and how did you sustain this concussion?

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RC2004

RC2004

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Posted
12 minutes ago, MadMax said:

Better than what, please? What are you currently using, and how did you sustain this concussion?

I used a chin chopped Chamorro with a shovel throat guard . I got a concussion by an 85 mph foul ball of the bat into the corner of the mask.

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boyinr

boyinr

Posted
Posted

With the exception of the Force 3 there is no technology in one frame vs another that makes it any more or less likely to result in an injury.  Some frames may have a shape that promotes deflection vs others that are more flat but, I think the actual measurable impact of the shape is likely very small.  The only purpose of the frame is to physically keep the ball from hitting your face and to hold the pads.  IMO the weak link in this case is more likely your pads.  

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dumbdumb

dumbdumb

Posted
Posted

I believe I would go with the mask first mentioned above. Then, when permitted, based on the approval of who/whom you work for, the black coaching helmet, rather than hat, underneath that Mike Estabrook currently wears (see post by sgvump June 9, 2018 in this section) as well as a mouthpiece like Andy Fletcher uses.

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umpstu

umpstu

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, blue23ll said:

I am curious, what is a Chamorro mask?

I believe it's named after a Spanish burro living as a king in South Korea.

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blue23ll

blue23ll

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, umpstu said:

I believe it's named after a Spanish burro living as a king in South Korea.

Did his ass get a concussion?

 

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wolfe_man

wolfe_man

Posted
Posted

I recently switched to F3 after a concussion in the All Star MAG.  I honestly don't see where people complain about the weight.  Did 2 plates last Saturday with it and honestly wasn't much heavier than any other mask I've had over the years.   And I'll sacrifice weight for safety. 

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MadMax

MadMax

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, JHong said:

If you’re in a league where 85-90 mph fastballs are the norm, then you should definitely be using a force 3 mask. 

I’m not saying you’re wrong, @JHong... I just bristle at imperative or absolute statements, especially when it comes to gear selection.

I’m routinely in baseball environments where I’m looking at velocities of 85mph+. Let’s expand that out – my Vultures are day in and day out looking at those velocities, and of the 10 of us, here’s the mask breakdown:

  • +POS ZRO-G w/ TWs, FM4000 w/ A-LUCs
  • +POS ZRO-G w/ TWs
  • DFM-iX3 w/ TWs, same w/ Wilson Wraparounds
  • Force3 Defender V1
  • DFM-iX3 w/ Honigs leathers
  • DFM-iX3 w/ TWs
  • Wilson Shock FX 2.0, Force3 Defender V1HSM
  • Honig’s K-4b w/ Wilson MemFoams
  • Wilson DynAlum w/ leathers
  • DFM-iX3 w/ Wilson wraparounds

Each of us feel quite safe doing MLB/MiLB Spring Training, College, MSBL, NABA, Adult League, and elite HS -age. And we have to insure ourselves. And we each have a second (and sometimes third) job supplementing our income with as much baseball as we do. We get it; protection is important, if not vital...

... but it’s the pads, it’s the pads, it’s the pads. I do not let anyone in the Vultures use crappy pads. 

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Thatsnotyou

Thatsnotyou

Posted
Posted
32 minutes ago, MadMax said:

I’m not saying you’re wrong, @JHong... I just bristle at imperative or absolute statements, especially when it comes to gear selection.

I’m routinely in baseball environments where I’m looking at velocities of 85mph+. Let’s expand that out – my Vultures are day in and day out looking at those velocities, and of the 10 of us, here’s the mask breakdown:

  • +POS ZRO-G w/ TWs, FM4000 w/ A-LUCs
  • +POS ZRO-G w/ TWs
  • DFM-iX3 w/ TWs, same w/ Wilson Wraparounds
  • Force3 Defender V1
  • DFM-iX3 w/ Honigs leathers
  • DFM-iX3 w/ TWs
  • Wilson Shock FX 2.0, Force3 Defender V1HSM
  • Honig’s K-4b w/ Wilson MemFoams
  • Wilson DynAlum w/ leathers
  • (This last one will be edited; I can’t remember)

Each of us feel quite safe doing MLB/MiLB Spring Training, College, MSBL, NABA, Adult League, and elite HS -age. And we have to insure ourselves. And we each have a second (and sometimes third) job supplementing our income with as much baseball as we do. We get it; protection is important, if not vital...

... but it’s the pads, it’s the pads, it’s the pads. I do not let anyone in the Vultures use crappy pads. 

It’s the pads in most masks, but the force3 mask is unlike any other since it can also absorb/disperse energy. For the most part, the others can’t. 

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tpatience

tpatience

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, MadMax said:

I’m not saying you’re wrong, @JHong... I just bristle at imperative or absolute statements, especially when it comes to gear selection.

I’m routinely in baseball environments where I’m looking at velocities of 85mph+. Let’s expand that out – my Vultures are day in and day out looking at those velocities, and of the 10 of us, here’s the mask breakdown:

  • +POS ZRO-G w/ TWs, FM4000 w/ A-LUCs
  • +POS ZRO-G w/ TWs
  • DFM-iX3 w/ TWs, same w/ Wilson Wraparounds
  • Force3 Defender V1
  • DFM-iX3 w/ Honigs leathers
  • DFM-iX3 w/ TWs
  • Wilson Shock FX 2.0, Force3 Defender V1HSM
  • Honig’s K-4b w/ Wilson MemFoams
  • Wilson DynAlum w/ leathers
  • DFM-iX3 w/ Wilson wraparounds

Each of us feel quite safe doing MLB/MiLB Spring Training, College, MSBL, NABA, Adult League, and elite HS -age. And we have to insure ourselves. And we each have a second (and sometimes third) job supplementing our income with as much baseball as we do. We get it; protection is important, if not vital...

... but it’s the pads, it’s the pads, it’s the pads. I do not let anyone in the Vultures use crappy pads. 

Wow. Someone still uses the V1 F3

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MadMax

MadMax

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, tpatience said:

Wow. Someone still uses the V1 F3

It’s one that Jason Klein (of Force3) sent to that Vulture personally... the story goes, it was one of the first (obviously, as it is a 4-spring V1) and is black on all-black pads. 

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umpstu

umpstu

Posted
Posted
46 minutes ago, MadMax said:

It’s one that Jason Klein (of Force3) sent to that Vulture personally... the story goes, it was one of the first (obviously, as it is a 4-spring V1) and is black on all-black pads. 

I had one of the originals as well. I did not like that spring in the middle of your forehead.  Not enough padding between the spring and your head. It stung when a ball hit towards the top of the mask.

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mgford

mgford

Posted
Posted

I work the slot and rarely get hit in the mask. However, my beautiful +POS with gray wrap-arounds took a direct shot from a horsehide sphere and bent the bar just above my right eye. No pain whatsoever, but as usual, it took a second to figure out what hit me. 

The good folks at umpattire.com were having a sale, so I decided it was time to pull the trigger on a F3. Unlike most who have to wait several games to get smoked in the face, I put it on last Friday for a postseason game and took some shrapnel from a fouled bunt attempt in nearly the same place as my other mask. No pain whatsoever, and it took me a second to figure out what hit me, but there was a noticeable slight difference in the impact from the Wilson wraparound pads and the Force3. 
No two shots are alike, so it's difficult to compare, even though these were very similar.

With the mask adjusted tight, I'm not complaining about weight. Crud, I started in the 90's with a double-bar Rawlings loaded with vinyl pads. When the Dynalite came on the scene, I thought it was the greatest invention ever. 'I noticed the difference, but a few ounces aren't a big deal.

I plan on replacing the frame and carrying both masks, but I consider the F3 my #1 mask now.

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umpstu

umpstu

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, mgford said:

I work the slot and rarely get hit in the mask. However, my beautiful +POS with gray wrap-arounds took a direct shot from a horsehide sphere and bent the bar just above my right eye. No pain whatsoever, but as usual, it took a second to figure out what hit me. 

The good folks at umpattire.com were having a sale, so I decided it was time to pull the trigger on a F3. Unlike most who have to wait several games to get smoked in the face, I put it on last Friday for a postseason game and took some shrapnel from a fouled bunt attempt in nearly the same place as my other mask. No pain whatsoever, and it took me a second to figure out what hit me, but there was a noticeable slight difference in the impact from the Wilson wraparound pads and the Force3. 
No two shots are alike, so it's difficult to compare, even though these were very similar.

With the mask adjusted tight, I'm not complaining about weight. Crud, I started in the 90's with a double-bar Rawlings loaded with vinyl pads. When the Dynalite came on the scene, I thought it was the greatest invention ever. 'I noticed the difference, but a few ounces aren't a big deal.

I plan on replacing the frame and carrying both masks, but I consider the F3 my #1 mask now.

The TINK sound when a ball hits the F3 is pretty startling as well.  It's like the ball hitting a brick wall and you are wondering, "Did I really hear that sound?"

 

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Aging_Arbiter

Aging_Arbiter

Posted
Posted
19 hours ago, mgford said:

I work the slot and rarely get hit in the mask. However, my beautiful +POS with gray wrap-arounds took a direct shot from a horsehide sphere and bent the bar just above my right eye. No pain whatsoever, but as usual, it took a second to figure out what hit me. 

The good folks at umpattire.com were having a sale, so I decided it was time to pull the trigger on a F3. Unlike most who have to wait several games to get smoked in the face, I put it on last Friday for a postseason game and took some shrapnel from a fouled bunt attempt in nearly the same place as my other mask. No pain whatsoever, and it took me a second to figure out what hit me, but there was a noticeable slight difference in the impact from the Wilson wraparound pads and the Force3. 
No two shots are alike, so it's difficult to compare, even though these were very similar.

With the mask adjusted tight, I'm not complaining about weight. Crud, I started in the 90's with a double-bar Rawlings loaded with vinyl pads. When the Dynalite came on the scene, I thought it was the greatest invention ever. 'I noticed the difference, but a few ounces aren't a big deal.

I plan on replacing the frame and carrying both masks, but I consider the F3 my #1 mask now.

on 2 separate occasions, you mention "it took a second to figure out what hit me"

You're umpiring a baseball game.  I'll go with ......IT WAS A BASEBALL that hit you.

:sarcasm:

 

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wolfe_man

wolfe_man

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

on 2 separate occasions, you mention "it took a second to figure out what hit me"

You're umpiring a baseball game.  I'll go with ......IT WAS A BASEBALL that hit you.

:sarcasm:

 

Well, depending on the call, there have been times I have thought other things might be thrown at me.  :stir

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