Can someone tell me about this Adidas mask?

[bevanation]

What's it made out of?  Does anyone have any experience with it?  Is it the same shape/profile as the Nike?

I really like the look of it, but can't find much about it online.

[catsbackr]

I bought one just like it off of Ebay.  Great mask, of course you probably gotta change the pads.

[bevanation]

What's the frame made out of?  Steel?  Hollow steel?  Aluminum?  Titanium?

[MadMax]

1 hour ago, bevanation said:

Is it the same shape/profile as the Nike?

This is why I started calling "it" – that iconic shape that Nike started, now being produced for Mizuno, Reebok and Adidas – the Icon.

Nike commissioned the original planform, and the shop in SE Asia manufactured it for quite some time exclusively in Titanium. Several years later, they started producing it in Hollow Steel, dipped in the basic Team colors – black, red, royal, navy, forest green, maroon. In either material, the Icon was never sold on the retail market in North America. In order to be imported through customs, they had to have a declared MSRP on a hang-tag, but Nike supplied them to sponsored university programs and Major / Minor League catchers.

Invariably, planforms in China, Taiwan, Korea, and SE Asia tend to get shopped around, shared, sold, or outright stolen so as to copy a variety of products. This may have been the case with the Icon, or the shop may have allowed Reebok and Adidas to place orders for the mask from them, but either way, the Icon started to get produced in Hollow Steel and teamed first with Reebok pads (for a short time, Reebok was still sponsoring a few catchers), then with Adidas pads. With the inclusion of Adidas, the German company brought its European manufacturing ties and supplied the SE Asian shop with access to Titanal, an Aluminum-Nickel-Copper alloy from a company in Austria. As an alloy, in this particular ratio, Titanal gives all the strength and lightness that Titanium does, but less expensive, easier to bond and weld, and with better elasticity than outright Titanium.

So, in conclusion, if it's an Icon, branded with Adidas pads, it might be a Hollow Steel alloy mask, or... it might be a Titanal.

[wolfe_man]

Did someone find the stash or motherload?

There are 12 of them for sale right now on eBay! 

[Thunderheads]

12 hours ago, MadMax said:

This is why I started calling "it" – that iconic shape that Nike started, now being produced for Mizuno, Reebok and Adidas – the Icon.

Nike commissioned the original planform, and the shop in SE Asia manufactured it for quite some time exclusively in Titanium. Several years later, they started producing it in Hollow Steel, dipped in the basic Team colors – black, red, royal, navy, forest green, maroon. In either material, the Icon was never sold on the retail market in North America. In order to be imported through customs, they had to have a declared MSRP on a hang-tag, but Nike supplied them to sponsored university programs and Major / Minor League catchers.

Invariably, planforms in China, Taiwan, Korea, and SE Asia tend to get shopped around, shared, sold, or outright stolen so as to copy a variety of products. This may have been the case with the Icon, or the shop may have allowed Reebok and Adidas to place orders for the mask from them, but either way, the Icon started to get produced in Hollow Steel and teamed first with Reebok pads (for a short time, Reebok was still sponsoring a few catchers), then with Adidas pads. With the inclusion of Adidas, the German company brought its European manufacturing ties and supplied the SE Asian shop with access to Titanal, an Aluminum-Nickel-Copper alloy from a company in Austria. As an alloy, in this particular ratio, Titanal gives all the strength and lightness that Titanium does, but less expensive, easier to bond and weld, and with better elasticity than outright Titanium.

So, in conclusion, if it's an Icon, branded with Adidas pads, it might be a Hollow Steel alloy mask, or... it might be a Titanal.

Of course I knew all of this from previous posts from @MadMax .... but I strangely find myself drawn to any of his equipment posts! 

[bevanation]

This photo would suggest that these are solid yes? Maybe titanal? This doesn't look like hollow steel ala the POS+ zero g. 

[tpatience]

45 minutes ago, bevanation said:

This photo would suggest that these are solid yes? Maybe titanal? This doesn't look like hollow steel ala the POS+ zero g. 

All of the adidas I have had have been hollow steel

[wolfe_man]

8 hours ago, bevanation said:

This photo would suggest that these are solid yes? Maybe titanal? This doesn't look like hollow steel ala the POS+ zero g. 

No crimping so I’d agree.  Probably titanal.

[bevanation]

On 5/16/2019 at 1:28 PM, catsbackr said:

I bought one just like it off of Ebay.  Great mask, of course you probably gotta change the pads.

Just bought one off eBay. I'll report back. And yeah I have a set of tan tw's I'll put in it. 

[tpatience]

39 minutes ago, wolfe_man said:

No crimping so I’d agree.  Probably titanal.

There’s crimping in the corner 

[wolfe_man]

7 hours ago, tpatience said:

There’s crimping in the corner 

Bar ends aren’t crimped. If ends are cut - and you can see there’s no plug, can’t be hollow in my humble opinion.

[bevanation]

Here’s the mask.  Put the tw’s in it and used in a 6A hs playoff game yesterday. Verdict is A+.

Light.  Comfortable.  Solid.  Great view.   Love the color.   Holds the pads really well.  Think this one will be the gamer for the foreseeable future...

[Replacematt]

Is anyone else wondering what is the proper pronunciation of "titanal?"

[wolfe_man]

7 hours ago, Matt said:

Is anyone else wondering what is the proper pronunciation of "titanal?"

It's probably like Rakuten - that commercial always makes me laugh... especially the hillbilly pronunciation of it.... rah-coot-in!

[Aging_Arbiter]

33 minutes ago, wolfe_man said:

especially the hillbilly pronunciation of it

WHOA!   Easy there flatlander..........

[wolfe_man]

1 hour ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

WHOA!   Easy there flatlander..........

Hey, I can joke about it... and I ain't no flat-lander either.  I live in the foothills myself.

I just love how Hollywood thinks all of us folks raised outside of the East or West coasts - or outside of a big city - talk like rednecks. 

[yawetag]

When I was living in the foothills of the Appalachians and met my wife, who was living in Cincinnati at the time, she asked me if I was a redneck. I replied, "No, I'm a green-neck. I'm not quite ripe. I like country music, but I hate NASCAR and Busch beer."

[MadMax]

11 hours ago, Matt said:

Is anyone else wondering what is the proper pronunciation of "titanal?"

I usually answer this question, “Any way, but not the way @BT_Blue spells it.” Arik is consistently putting spare letters in it, and I’m sure he’s just driving himself mad trying to pronounce it... the un-obvious way.

I’ve heard it pronounced two ways in the industry, both similar... but neither have a short î or long ā... Beavis. There’s “Ty-tí-nahl” or “Ty-tân-uhl”... it actually sounds more like “Tylenol”. It’s a portmanteau of “Titan” and “Aluminum”.

[Aging_Arbiter]

2 hours ago, wolfe_man said:

Hey, I can joke about it... and I ain't no flat-lander either.  I live in the foothills myself.

I just love how Hollywood thinks all of us folks raised outside of the East or West coasts - or outside of a big city - talk like rednecks. 

y'all don't?

PS, that emoji looks more like a violin than a fiddle

[BT_Blue]

1 hour ago, MadMax said:

I usually answer this question, “Any way, but not the way @BT_Blue spells it.” Arik is consistently putting spare letters in it, and I’m sure he’s just driving himself mad trying to pronounce it... the un-obvious way.

I’ve heard it pronounced two ways in the industry, both similar... but neither have a short î or long ā... Beavis. There’s “Ty-tí-nahl” or “Ty-tân-uhl”... it actually sounds more like “Tylenol”. It’s a portmanteau of “Titan” and “Aluminum”.

In fairness @MadMax, you are the first to correct me on this and it's only been just over a year since I bought mine from John. Lol

[wolfe_man]

1 hour ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

y'all don't?

PS, that emoji looks more like a violin than a fiddle

We all do!  I got folks in Alabama, so you know we do.

One works with what one has at hand.   I figured you would understand - and technically, they are the same instrument, just played using a different style.

[MadMax]

15 minutes ago, BT_Blue said:

In fairness @MadMax, you are the first to correct me on this and it's only been just over a year since I bought mine from John. Lol

"First"? Are you referring to now, or back in November?

[BT_Blue]

On 5/24/2019 at 9:48 AM, MadMax said:

"First"? Are you referring to now, or back in November?

 

[The Short Umpire]

I know it has been a month or so since anyone else replied, sorry if that qualifies as hashing up old stuff. I just wanted to add that I just put together the same rig. Ebay Adidas mask with tan Team Wendy pads. I also replaced the harness for the Ump Life neoprene harness. Finally got a chance to use it last night after having it sit on the shelf for almost a week. (My wife kept asking if I thought she was gonna hit me, cause I kept trying it on, out of giddiness.) It was a 9-10 state game for pony league. Of course it wasn't a very hard throw but I took one right to the middle of the face. (Catcher couldn't catch...) Barely even noticed it!!