Schutt-Adams Air U5 shin guards

[SeeingEyeDog]

https://www.schuttsports.com/air-u5-umpire-leg-guards.html

Greetings all,

     So, I just picked up a pair of these and my initial reaction is a solid B+. (Not as nice as my Force3s but, I wanted a hot weather alternative...) The Air U5's are lightweight and well-ventilated (like the XV HDX chest protector). More importantly, EVERYTHING on these down to the buckles screams low profile. There's a lot of great shin guards out there that tend to get cause pants to hang, snag or even rip. I haven't worn them in a game yet but, I don't see any of these problems occurring. A few more highlights include: gel-filled pillows on the knee caps which are sewn into removable pads velcro-ed onto the inside of the shinguard (I've heard they are switching these to D3O foam) which can be removed for cleaning/replacement, velcro-ed liners for the shin areas that can be removed for cleaning/replacement, velcro-ed tarsal guards that can be removed to accommodate different shoe configurations/fittings, all straps are elastic (which will wear out more prematurely than non-elastic straps but, I like the comfort they provide) and finally the top 2 straps on each side are a joined harness. I have never seen this last feature before on a shinguard, it seems very obvious and adds to comfort and fit. My only complaint so far is I would have preferred 3 prong buckles instead of hooks, but again they are very low-profile.

     This is my first piece of Schutt/Adams plate gear and overall I am very pleased with them out of the box. More feedback to come once I have worn them in a few games...anybody else out there using these?

~Dog

[BT_Blue]

@MadMax, this topic has your name all over it!

[wolfe_man]

I tried these and they are light and comfortable and low profile as you said.  They also don't offer much in the way of ankle protection - and the hard plastic didn't cover anything but the front of my legs.  I was worried I'd take a deflected ball off the side of my calf in these.  I also worried that if my stance wasn't straight-on/squared up with the pitcher that I'd take one behind the guards.

I'll stick with my F3's, they're not that hot and they're comfortable to wear anyhow.

[SeeingEyeDog]

Yes, @wolfe_man...upon further review, the wrap around calf protection and overall shell coverage area are not as much as that provided by Force3's shinguard...

~Dog

 

[wolfe_man]

8 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

Yes, @wolfe_man...upon further review, the wrap around calf protection and overall shell coverage area are not as much as that provided by Force3's shinguard...

~Dog

 

I suppose if you do LL ball, these would be a great hot weather alternative, but I wouldn't feel safe in them above that level, but that's just me.  I did think they were very lightweight and breathe well.  I just wish they would have wrapped them around the leg a bit more.

[SeeingEyeDog]

21 minutes ago, wolfe_man said:

I suppose if you do LL ball, these would be a great hot weather alternative, but I wouldn't feel safe in them above that level, but that's just me.  I did think they were very lightweight and breathe well.  I just wish they would have wrapped them around the leg a bit more.

I'm guessing most people who work in R&D or engineering at these manufacturers don't necessarily work as umpires themselves and don't consult with umpires. When we are in conventional mechanics, we aren't setting up squared to the plate. We are angled slightly across the plate, tracking as the pitch is released. So because our stance is slightly opened up relative to the pitch's vector, that leaves the sides of our thighs, knees, shins, ankles and feet somewhat more exposed. Force3 and Wilson on the other hand (and perhaps others I am unaware of...) understand this and have engineered their gear to that reality...

Obviously, less wrap around coverage means less material, means a lower price...so, it may be others are trying to slot on a price point to compete on price rather than benefits/features.

The American marketplace loves its choices (have you seen the Oreo section at the grocery store lately?) and umpire equipment is no exception...

~Dog

[Aging_Arbiter]

FWIW, and I refuse to talk bad about my F3 leg guards, I am partial to the Davis Shins in hot HOT weather.  Only 2 straps, really lightweight.  I for one, sweat worse than a W#0re in church.  SO I am ALWAYS looking for ways to stay cooler and comfortable.

[MadMax]

58 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

I'm guessing most people who work in R&D or engineering at these manufacturers don't necessarily work as umpires themselves and don't consult with umpires.

Let’s not fool ourselves... the “R&D / engineering” sections of “these manufacturers” are usually one person, or perhaps two people, tops. They’re typically trained through school, supplemental courses and certifications, and maybe through some experience, however they are pressed into service across the entire catalog of products that the manufacturer produces. Schutt is a multi-sport company, covering nearly everything on the docket. Their main focus, what they’re really good at and known most for, is football. Understandably, their lion share of their efforts & resources are going to be put towards football. And certainly, we umpires have benefitted from it, with the XV and AiR shinguards both utilizing the critically acclaimed lightweight-ness so emphasized in football helmets and shoulder pads!

So too, Schutt (and other manufacturers) have to design and build for the least common denominator in their market. Was it @kylejt or @acpar72 who repeatedly mentions the Little League umpire market, and if a manufacturer was to simply make a shirt for them, they'd make bank? We have to remember, there’s an entire swath of our umpire ranks doing predominantly Little League -age officiating, and I haven’t even mentioned softball yet! Indeed, Schutt has made some outstanding gear for softball players, as well as officiating gear for softball-level of work.

It just so happens that the XV can do it all.

Diamond is much in the same boat – primarily for softball, with some overlap into baseball. Certainly, their aluminum mask frame – the vaunted iX3 – is a winner deserving of a prominent place in professional baseball. It was the most popular mask amongst MiLB umpires for quite some time, because of all its features. Its pads, though, are woeful, made just to accommodate the lowest common denominator. Look at their newest “Pro” CP! It’s a (improved) knock-off of the Wilson Platinum CP! But you’ll also notice, it also is using sofa-cushion foam and nylon. Lowest common denominator who doesn’t know any better. But then again, what incentive does Diamond have for improving any of Wilson’s gear?

I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times... Wilson has the most valued piece of real estate on MLB umpires, and does jack squat with it. It took Diamond’s success with the iX3 for them to adopt aluminum in their DynaLite masks, and it took UmpLife, All-Star and Force3 making much better harnesses for them to finally, finally, produce a more effective harness for their CPs!

This is why we (several of us here) promote Force3 and All-Star so much; these two companies get it. They understand us. All-Star doesn’t make tennis racquets, or golf equipment, or basketballs, or is still smarting from getting eclipsed by Riddell and Schutt on football gear. Force3 does nothing but batsports gear, focusing on the Two Hardest-Working Participants on a ball field (umpire and catcher). 
 

So yes, this rant went off on a tangent, but to readdress your point, there are two obstacles to companies making gear that truly accommodate our needs: the first is completely under our control – we have to make better, more educated purchasing decisions; the second is the Big Yellow W.

[BT_Blue]

To Max's point. Schutt is know for two things they do. Football gear and softball gear. Think about catcher shin guards. They don't need as much plastic as we do. Since the ball rarely hits them there. What they do use it for is to drop down and block balls. Especially sliding side to side to block balls. For that, you REALLY only need the hard plastic on the knee, above the knee, and where the leg would contact the ground while blocking the ball. That location is on the direct front of the leg.

 

And we all know, for the most part, we are afterthoughts (save for a afore mentioned All Star and Force3). So a lot of manufacturers think "what's good for catchers is good for umpires."

[JimKirk]

On 8/13/2020 at 5:19 PM, SeeingEyeDog said:

 

https://www.schuttsports.com/air-u5-umpire-leg-guards.html

 

 

On 8/14/2020 at 12:05 PM, MadMax said:

Let’s not fool ourselves... the “R&D / engineering” sections of “these manufacturers” are usually one person, or perhaps two people, tops

I’m with @MadMax here. We brought several dozen of these in 3 years ago or so after glancing at pics and seeing the success of its CP counterpart.

But when these came in, I was disappointed...not only in the shin guards but in myself/us for not getting a sample first. (Very atypical of us...and I had an “I knew better” moment.)

The problem besides what @SeeingEyeDognoticed was the lack of hard shell in the area below the knee. It’s not noticeable in the pics.

 

[BT_Blue]

Those look eerily like catcher shin guards!

[MadMax]

12 hours ago, BT_Blue said:

Those look eerily like catcher shin guards!

Because they use the same molds! Can you blame them? We don’t exactly give them any reason to do or try something else. We’re a really tough market.

 

[BT_Blue]

12 hours ago, MadMax said:

Because they use the same molds! Can you blame them? We don’t exactly give them any reason to do or try something else. We’re a really tough market.

 

Sorry... i was hoping this was going to be taken as a tongue-in-cheek statement that didn't warrant a response.

[MadMax]

10 hours ago, BT_Blue said:

i was hoping this was going to be taken as a tongue-in-cheek statement that didn't warrant a response.

Difference in Time Zone.