+pos CP

[Umpire43]

Any one have feed back on the +pos chest protector that looks like samurai armor?

[blue32]

Extremely protective and extremely hot. 

[MadMax]

Innovative.

Protective.

Conforming (to your torso shape; wasn’t just a flat Wilson wall).

Heavy.

All of that connective material, for each of those individual plates / scales substantially increased the weight. Add to that it was developed during the age of Sofa Cushion foam,  so it didn’t breathe well. So too, at that time, ABS plastic was typically denser and thicker, since there wasn’t a weight-per-unit concern like there is recently and currently on items mass produced in China.

[Umpire43]

@MadMax sounds almost like the all american minus the scales. 

[BT_Blue]

Add to that, the covering of the padding was basically plastic. So it made you sweat all the much worse.

Also, the connectors to those plates had a tendency to bust. So you would have to use zip ties, or something else, to reattach them.

[MadMax]

We have to remember, @Umpire43, that the Riddell Power, the All-American, and the Wilson Gold were all developed and produced congruently (ie. at the same time). Little details were what differentiated one from the other, such as Riddell using thinner (read: less) foam in their CP, along with pre-curved carapace parts that stemmed from their very successful football shoulder pads line. Same went for All-American. Same went for Douglas, except they didn’t do a “Gold planform” version, instead sticking to their progression of the 3-floating piece Original WestVest you see now.

I have not said, nor will ever say, that the Gold planform is a bad CP. If you plop one down, devoid of any branding or tags, I will honestly say it’s a good CP, even going so far as to say the carapace is very sound. The trouble is, the sofa cushion foam vest is arcanely obsolete, and Wilson has done nothing to progress, evolve, or replace it in 20+ years.

The added slap in the face is when you examine the progression of catcher’s gear in that same time frame.

[BT_Blue]

On 6/7/2020 at 9:56 PM, MadMax said:

The added slap in the face is when you examine the progression of catcher’s gear in that same time frame.

Not just catchers gear in general. But the Wilson catchers gear on it's own!

[BT_Blue]

@Umpire43is that your Ebay post with the +POS BB2000 cp? Or the inspiration for this post asking for advice?

[Umpire43]

15 hours ago, BT_Blue said:

@Umpire43is that your Ebay post with the +POS BB2000 cp? Or the inspiration for this post asking for advice?

My inspiration, I have never owned one, and only seen some on the facebook marketplace but in 15 inch.

[MadMax]

The cost would be a bit high to manage, but a modern rendition of this, Lorica Segmentata, with each plate backed by a layer of a closed cell foam or fiber weave, then with open cell sizing and contact pods in strategic points.

[Kevin_K]

16 hours ago, MadMax said:

The cost would be a bit high to manage, but a modern rendition of this, Lorica Segmentata, with each plate backed by a layer of a closed cell foam or fiber weave, then with open cell sizing and contact pods in strategic points.

Does the purchase of this model of chest protector come with its own squire?

[MadMax]

4 hours ago, Kevin_K said:

Does the purchase of this model of chest protector come with its own squire?

No, but it makes you a citizen. 

[Stan W.]

I owned a BB2000,  great protection!...but like many things developed back then there were drawbacks....

Heavy.. rigid and an absolute furnace!....

Now the guy who bought it still wears it and loves it!