Very New Umpire

[Ump242]

 
I got that as well, The mask is light but and tough but I got my bell rung with a direct hit from a fastball that the catcher wiffed on.  Agree with you those shin guards are CRAP.  F3 is what you seek for those replacements, Its like strapping on a pillow with a tank in front of it for protection I love those.
 

My first gear wasn't so terrible, but I upgraded with in a year.

I started with the diamond silver big league mask, Wilson Platinum chest protector, diamond ump shins guards and new Balance low with the white"N" plate shoes

I wish I'd have know about the Reebok Magistrates plate shoes, might have been easier to get a hold of 4 years ago. I love them so much, I managed to get a pair from someone that was quitting.

I'm currently using the Wilson gold shin guards, and I used to have a Wilson Platinum set, but those killed my new balance 460 v3s, I do have a pair of 19 inch honigs elite shin guards, which I love but they keep shifting left or right on me, maybe they're just a little too big I'm like 17 1/2, 18 for shin guards.

As right now I'm saving for empire focus which is a school in October.

My wish list:
Force 3 shin guards
Magnesium FM4000 All-Star mask.

My current setup is:
Wilson titanium mask, with Wilson mesh pads (that I took off of the aluminum mask)
My backup is the honig's hollow steel mask
I'm currently using the All-Star Cobalt chest protector, which I love gives you a little bit of belly coverage that actually came in handy this weekend. What's nice is that the pads are all washable, they velcro onto the back of the chest protector.
Currently using the Wilson gold shin guards. Though I still have a pair of 19" honigs elite, and 17" Wilson platinums as backups.
Last but not least the Reebok magistrates plate shoes, and Reebok zigs as my base shoes. I still have an unused pair of New Balance 460 V1 mids (with the stitched"N" the plate) (MU460MBK -13EE) still new in the box, I just bought them from a friend of mine who forgot/found them in his closet recently.


Needless to say to find what I like I've spent approximately $1500 to $2000, I've managed to sell a lot of my older gear off, I still have a bunch for sale.


Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[Mister B]

I still recommend checking out Craigslist. You can usually do pretty good getting decent gear to start. Plus, it's an affordable way to try out different gear. I started with a Diamond mask, but then tried the Honig's steel tube and prefer it. It was probably $50 for the both of them. If you get something you don't like, you can resell it, or donate to another newbie. Or keep it as a backup. 

[catsbackr]

WILSON!

 

Just buy Wilson.

[Velho]

[MadMax]

3 hours ago, catsbackr said:

Just buy Wilson.

Are you trying to incite a riot? Waiting for an eruption of hatred and contempt? 🤯

[dumbdumb]

6 hours ago, MadMax said:

Are you trying to incite a riot? Waiting for an eruption of hatred and contempt? 🤯

so, when you going to give the new guys the cost, right now, from UA to buy the gear you use right now, brand new.

Mask and skull cap if not an helmet, chest protector, shin guards, plate shoes, base shoes, socks, undergarments, jock and cup, light jacket, heavy jacket, shirts (4), pants (4), ball bags (2), hats (2), Belts (2), indicator (aka clicker), plate brush, umpire card holder and pen, gloves, cold weather mask or hat, equipment bag. this would all be for those who are living in both cold and hot areas, so you need both cold and hot weather gear.

so, lets give that price for a newby to have the necessary clothing and equipment and the cost needed before ever working a game. if you want to add sunglasses, and anything else needed go ahead.

be transparent and let them know ahead of time the total upfront costs. this list should be a one and done situation to get one from LL to D1 so they do not have to buy things twice.

if this is too much, hopefully they will still have the desire to officiate, maybe just a sport that has less of a barrier to entry with the total clothing equipment cost.

[wolfe_man]

1 hour ago, dumbdumb said:

so, when you going to give the new guys the cost, right now, from UA to buy the gear you use right now, brand new.

Mask and skull cap if not an helmet, chest protector, shin guards, plate shoes, base shoes, socks, undergarments, jock and cup, light jacket, heavy jacket, shirts (4), pants (4), ball bags (2), hats (2), Belts (2), indicator (aka clicker), plate brush, umpire card holder and pen, gloves, cold weather mask or hat, equipment bag. this would all be for those who are living in both cold and hot areas, so you need both cold and hot weather gear.

so, lets give that price for a newby to have the necessary clothing and equipment and the cost needed before ever working a game. if you want to add sunglasses, and anything else needed go ahead.

be transparent and let them know ahead of time the total upfront costs. this list should be a one and done situation to get one from LL to D1 so they do not have to buy things twice.

if this is too much, hopefully they will still have the desire to officiate, maybe just a sport that has less of a barrier to entry with the total clothing equipment cost.

I figured it up recently and I've got on over $800 worth of uniform, plate shoes & gear (mask, cup & jock, shins & CP) each time I step behind the plate and that's without a skull cap!

I spent $650 my first year and a lot of it was junk that I had to upgrade quickly.   I'd recommend a budget of $1000 for your first year.

[ErichKeane]

2 hours ago, dumbdumb said:

if this is too much, hopefully they will still have the desire to officiate, maybe just a sport that has less of a barrier to entry with the total clothing equipment cost.

This is ABSOLUTELY a big part of the problem with the ump-shortage.  I looked into joining a few years ago, and balked (hah!) after seeing the list of things I had to buy, and having a cost of ~$500!  This time I was a bit smarter about finding 'cheaper' options, and I'm still at roughly $400 (and don't have all the stuff on your list!). 

At $55/game, I'm basically going to be working my first 8 games working off the equipment.  IMO, if local associations would be better off if they had a 'equipment for lend' for first-time umps so they can buy their equipment slowly.  I realize there is a bit of startup costs there, but leagues around here are cancelling games because they can't get umps!

MY local association actually advertised it as "we will provide the gear!", but apparently that ended up being some old kids-catchers gear that wouldn't come close to being good enough (I THINK they offered to try to find budget after that point for gear, but I opted instead to make sure I had at least SOMETHING). 

[Rich09]

On 4/17/2022 at 2:06 PM, MadMax said:

One of these: 

Seriously, despite having a Ful Workhorse 30" act as my dependable carry-all thru the past 5 years of cross-country service, I keep several of these IKEA Frakta bags on hand. I keep spare sets of gear (for other umpires) in them, as well as keep one ready to put my own gear when it gets all sand-and-dust -clad after a weekend of tournament games, especially my shoes. Incredibly tough, incredibly cheap, incredibly low-maintenance. Perfect.

Probably the main reason why I'm not pointing towards a "more serious" gear bag, is because... someone is on the verge of releasing something that will be an ideal solution. 😉

 Probably the main reason why I'm not pointing towards a "more serious" gear bag, is because... someone is on the verge of releasing something that will be an ideal solution. 😉Mad Max do you know when this gear bag will be released?

[ArchAngel72]

57 minutes ago, Rich09 said:

 Probably the main reason why I'm not pointing towards a "more serious" gear bag, is because... someone is on the verge of releasing something that will be an ideal solution. 😉Mad Max do you know when this gear bag will be released?

Paging @MadMax