Best View from Traditional MAsk

[Heyblue31]

Which mask has the best view? I want to switch back to a traditional mask from a helmet but the view from the helmet is the best. I can see so much better with it and it's not  obstructed by any bars. I can get the pitcher all the way to the mitt with no bars in the way. Which traditional mask can give me a view close to that? I've tried Wilson, the new All Star magnesium and Diamond Aluminum and they don't have that view. Their bars obstruct the view. Any ideas?

[wolfe_man]

You're going to need to find a flatter-profile mask.  In other words, look for an old Wilson Titanium Low Profile, a Nike Titanium or one of the Adidas/Reebok/Nike hollow steel masks.  They offer a slightly less full profile than the Diamond and Wilson aluminum masks.  With the mask sitting closer to your face, you are getting a better view - but you also have less stand-off distance so be aware of that fact too.

The All Star magnesium has a nice view to it, but takes some time to get used to due to those thick and flat magnesium poured bars. 

Best of luck!

[Stk004]

Force 3 is another good option for visibility 

[cjroman]

All-Star S7 (FM4000) has a flatter, angular profile and has a good field of view. Another vote for the Adidas Icon also.

https://www.all-starsports.com/fm4000ump-black.html

[Rock Bottom]

2 hours ago, cjroman said:

All-Star S7 (FM4000) has a flatter, angular profile and has a good field of view. Another vote for the Adidas Icon also.

https://www.all-starsports.com/fm4000ump-black.html

I was umping tonight and thinking of this thread while behind the plate and was going to post this same thing - the FM4000 steel has a great view. 

[Ump242]

I have the Wilson titanium, and the honigs hollow steel.  Both seem to have decent views though a Helmet does seem to give a better view of the lows as it's more open there and traditional masks have that pesky lower pad to protect your face 😉

[MadMax]

On 4/19/2022 at 8:42 AM, Heyblue31 said:

Which mask has the best view? I want to switch back to a traditional mask from a helmet but the view from the helmet is the best.

Debatable. 

“Best” for you? Sure. Best for everyone (else)? Nope. 

Personal perspective is the only qualifier; there is no quantifier. 

[ArchAngel72]

My 2 cents 

 

The cheap Champro hollow steel bar mask I have has a Really nice view, its light and has a very good view, that said I would prefer to have my head behind something safer by my own judgement on facial impacts the AS FM4K mag has in my own experience both deflected balls better and also felt impact on my face has been less as well as more spread out. Which equals to me a safer mask to wear.  I will admit the deeper pattern on the bars does not give the best view and it does take some adjusting. But to me safety > view.

 

Now maybe some day we will have an invisible to the eye face shield generated so our head will be in a bubble that gives us a clear full view and is 100% impervious to everything from fouls to baseball bats. But till that day happens safety > view.

[wolfe_man]

FWIW, I honestly believe the Champro masks are perfectly fine to wear up to maybe HS JV.  It's not the frame that makes the mask unsafe, it's those cheap pads.  If you put a good set of pads on there, you should be fine wearing a Champro.  I've worn them at those levels and had impacts with no problem.  

The All Star mag pads help to spread out impact on the lower shots due to that chin pad having the plastic shield added to help disperse the force across the jaw versus one localized impact.   But I can attest that the top pad does no such thing. I have experienced a concussion while wearing a Mag due to a shot straight back to the top middle of the eye port, literally impacting dead center of the frame on the pointed protrusion.  The ball dropped flat after impacting me, no deflection.  With that said, it's a great mask and it was a fluke shot - how many times in your career have you had a ball come straight back and catch you dead center of your mask?  in 7-8 years, that's only my second such shot.  It's far more common to have arm or leg shots or impacts to edges/ear-guards of the mask in my experience.

IMHO, a mask is a mask is a mask.  You can make almost any mask work for you if you equip it with good pads.  I've used a wide variety of frames (Mizuno 2qa-122, Nike Ti, Adidas, Nike steel, AS FM4000, AS Mag, F3 V1, F3 V2, +POS Zro-G, Diamond aluminum, Wilson aluminum, Wilson steel WTA-3007 and 3008, Champro Mag, Rawlings solid steel hubcap, etc.) plus I've worn the AS MVP2400 HSM and I can't honestly say that any of the masks/helmets made me a better umpire or caused me to miss pitches.  They all offer a very standardized eye-port to view from that has to be large enough to see out, but not so large that a baseball can fit through the opening - which makes them all similar.  What made me a better umpire is learning to adapt to my environment  and learn to see the pitch better.  You can learn a mask for lack of a better word.  If you can adapt to lazy (catch the ball already!) or really wired-up catchers (hold still, quit moving), so surely we can adapt to a mask and make it work for us as well.

I've seen umpires call good games with trash masks.  Look at MLB, we see everything from the Mag to F3 to old Wilson steel or FM25's, but they all are professional umpires who score very well on calling pitches. It all comes down to personal preference.  If you think or believe that one mask is better than another, for you, you're probably right. If you believe one isn't safe or doesn't let you see well enough, for you, you're probably right there too. It's subjective and solely based on your ideas/thoughts/fears/desires, etc. 

At the end of the day, there really is no right or wrong here.  This is one area that we can stand out as a unique individual and have some style without upsetting anyone.  So find what is suitable for you so that you can be the most happy, comfortable, safe and accurate umpire that you can possibly be and then go out there and give it your best and enjoy it!

[FranklinT]

The All Star FM25 and Magnesium mask provide a terrific view (FM25 is quite good)