Adams XV

[WUllery]

Hi all, 

I just started umpiring Little League in Spring and have been using the leagues worn out West Vest until I could make a decision on what I wanted to buy for myself. I landed here and a few months ago and have been reading as many reviews as possible on the different options. I landed on the Adams XV based on reviews and the price.  I got it in today! I know it's a different type of foam pad that  doesn't need to be as thick as on the West Vest however the padding is only about 10 millimeters thick. Has it always been that thin? Or is this a reduction in quality from the many I have seen on here reviewed and enjoyed by the members.  I look forward to the feedback and learning what I can from you all.

[BT_Blue]

@MadMaxwill probably speak of this more... as our resident Schutt expert. But yes, the D3O foam has always been that thin. I found it to much so and prefer a bit more padding in the form of my All American (now Champion) and now my go to CP in the All Star Cobalt.

The D3O foam is a more advanced foam than the standard couch cushion foam you find in the Wilsons.

[umpstu]

53 minutes ago, BT_Blue said:

@MadMaxwill probably speak of this more... as our resident Schutt expert. But yes, the D3O foam has always been that thin. I found it to much so and prefer a bit more padding in the form of my All American (now Champion) and now my go to CP in the All Star Cobalt.

The D3O foam is a more advanced foam than the standard couch cushion foam you find in the Wilsons.

@MadMax will speak of everything more.  I love his articles, especially his expressions of love for West Vests.

 

[ATXBlue]

I was surprised as well when I went from a Wilson to the XV. How can something 3x as thin, provide the same protection as the official Cowboy Joe CP? @MadMax can explain the science, but I can tell you it’s the truth. 
 

if you haven’t already, do yourself a huge favor and pick up the Ump Life harness, the one that comes stock is hot garbage. 

[BT_Blue]

2 hours ago, umpstu said:

@MadMax will speak of everything more.  I love his articles, especially his expressions of love for West Vests.

 

I was already tiring of my Gold when I first remember seeing Max on here (also, my memory is fuzzy... soooo). But he definitely was an influence on finally trying something different. 

[stevis]

That's my gear of choice for Little League.  I love it and haven't had any problems with it. It's wonderful on muggy mid-Atlantic days.

[spiffdawg7]

14 hours ago, BT_Blue said:

@MadMaxwill probably speak of this more... as our resident Schutt expert. But yes, the D3O foam has always been that thin. I found it to much so and prefer a bit more padding in the form of my All American (now Champion) and now my go to CP in the All Star Cobalt.

The D3O foam is a more advanced foam than the standard couch cushion foam you find in the Wilsons.

Are you selling the All American? Let me know if so! 

[BT_Blue]

On 9/24/2021 at 8:35 AM, spiffdawg7 said:

Are you selling the All American? Let me know if so! 

Lol... but if I do that, what will I do if something on the Cobalt breaks?😁

In all seriousness, if i decide to sell it, I will list it here first. There are some things I plan to sell immediately. But the AA will not be one of them.

[boyinr]

Just picked one up from Hibberts. $56 with discount applied.  Can’t go wrong.  

[boyinr]

On 9/23/2021 at 10:15 PM, ATXBlue said:

if you haven’t already, do yourself a huge favor and pick up the Ump Life harness, the one that comes stock is hot garbage. 

I agree about the harness.  I had one laying around from the Douglas that will work until I order one.  I think this is going to be a keeper. I like that I can get down to one size of shirts. Simplifies things. 

[ATXBlue]

14 hours ago, boyinr said:

I like that I can get down to one size of shirts. Simplifies things. 

Yes that was a plus for me as well, I am a huge fan of the CP. Only one I want to try at this point is the F3, but other than that the XV is where it is at. 

[boyinr]

Moved the shoulder caps forward.  Wore it today for the first time.  I liked it.  Took one deflected shot off a foul ball. It did very well. Used a harness that I had from a Douglas.  I think it will be even better when I get the F3 harness on Tuesday. It was a warm day but I could feel some circulation of air. 

[Rock Bottom]

I recommend moving the chest plate up as high as possible.  I took a shot in a 16U came and it hit my collarbone just above the plastic plate - caught the cushioning, but still was painful and could have been a broken collarbone - literally knocked me down.  I bought the All-Star CPU4000 the next day.  I know many love the Schutt, and I still have mine - but definitely re-arranged the shell after that hit.

[MadMax]

On 9/23/2021 at 4:21 PM, WUllery said:

Or is this a reduction in quality...

A reduction in quality??!! 😲

Here's the essential difference... 

Wilson protective equipment uses this: 
 
inside a skin of the most basic of nylon. The kind that's used on Coleman camping tents and chairs. 

By contrast, All-Star, Champion, Schutt/Adams, heck, even Champro are using much more advanced foam laminates. The darling of the dance is Force3, which is infusing a layer of Kevlar into the foam laminate to achieve substantial energy absorption on the minimum of thickness. The problem that plagues Force3, though, has to do with the carapace (or lack thereof). Here, the plastic plates are segmented and within the foam matrix. Umpires are very Thomas-esque, and don't put much faith in something they can't see or blatantly feel. The first version of the UnEqual CP lacked "blast" plates entirely, and set the fear that any subsequent embedded inclusions (other than putting an external carapace on) weren't adequate enough. But, this "out in left field" thinking results in a very conforming, low-profile design that really thumbs its nose at the bloated sofa cushion CPs. 

Schutt made their headway in football. The bitter wars between the manufacturers force development to advance; if you settle and stagnate, you get left behind. At one time, Riddell, Schutt, All-American, Douglas, Wilson, and Rawlings all shared the lucrative football landscape. As football athletes demanded sleeker and lighter football pad sets, the manufacturers all adjusted and modified their designs to suit. Carapaces got lighter and more conformed, while the padding – the foam – began to diversify. After the CTE investigation and reports came to light, the manufacturers really kicked their development into gear and began employing new, highly advanced foams into the helmets, where weight, heat-shedding, and volume is at a premium. The foams began to be engineered to behave in dynamic ways when impact forces were applied, all with the goal of mitigating / isolating the physical movement of the brain within the skull. One of these "magical" foams was put forth by a British company under the trademarked name 3DO. Not only is it hydrophobic (sheds water), but it also performs "dynamic resistance" – when an impacting force loads upon it, its resistance curve is non-linear (am I saying that right?). This behavior is not dependent upon volume, which common open-cell upholstery foam relies upon so badly. 

So this is the stuff here: 

MTS = "Moisture Transfer System", another hydrophobic material that is optimized to diffuse water away from one surface to another. 

Schutt had originally obtained 3DO under license to implement it into their football helmets. One of their designers tried 3DO in certain models of football pads (expressly for receivers and quarterbacks), and the XV Chest Protector for baseball. Subsequently, they've had to copy 3DO so as to implement it into further shoulder pads, CPs (for catchers and umpires) and shinguards, but this "unbranded" version is for all intents and purposes the same. Furthermore, Schutt is limited (by trade regulations) on how many units they can ship over from their Asian sources, and so to optimize their football quotas, they moved their umpire gear to their subsidiary Adams brand. Additionally, 3DO is only licensed to Schutt, so the Adams models cannot advertise the 3DO name. 

This whole nonsense that "the West Vest (Gold) is the only CP that can handle MLB speeds!" is a load of rubbish. I can say, with complete confidence, that I have worn my Schutt XV on 95+ MPH, and it is completely up to the task (yes, I've even been PU on 101 MPH). 

 

[BT_Blue]

On 10/11/2021 at 11:52 AM, Rock Bottom said:

I recommend moving the chest plate up as high as possible.  I took a shot in a 16U came and it hit my collarbone just above the plastic plate - caught the cushioning, but still was painful and could have been a broken collarbone - literally knocked me down.  I bought the All-Star CPU4000 the next day.  I know many love the Schutt, and I still have mine - but definitely re-arranged the shell after that hit.

I was an initial convert to the Schutt. Heck... would still promote the heck out of it. Just not for me.

Lucked into a great price for an All American. Then lucked even further into a Cobalt prototype. Wont go back from either ever again.