Unicorn Masks

[boyinr]

We all know about the “unicorn” chest protectors. Riddell and All American come to mind. What are the equivalents in face masks?  

[blue32]

We’ll, I would say it was the Nike Ti, but not so much anymore.

[The Ripper]

12 minutes ago, blue32 said:

We’ll, I would say it was the Nike Ti, but not so much anymore.

I would have to agree, the Nike Ti is a mask that is rare to find and very expensive. A lot of guys in the MLB, MILB, college and other different league wear it. When you add rare and popular together, it may equal a “unicorn” mask! Hope that helped!

[Chris Hickman]

Mizuno 2QA-121 and Riddell Mask from the 90’s..


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[Chris Hickman]

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[MadMax]

That's a really, really tough thing to claim. The Nike "Icon" Ti held that spot for close to 20 years, mostly due to the hush-hush, wink-wink clandestine way in which you obtained one. That reverence has waned, though, partly due to Wilson's efforts (to kill the desire for titanium), partly due to several entrepreneurial efforts to augment the supply of the "Icon" despite Nike's limiting / ending(?) the production of them (a good thing, don't get me wrong!), and partly due to the mortality of the mask itself – it still can bend or break, and it's (still!) not cheap to repair or replace. 

And then you've got the butchers ( @tpatience, et. al.) who chop the "unicorn's horn" off. 😱🤬

That last statement (bend and/or break) is what afflicts so many other potential "unicorn" masks. There's the aforementioned Mizuno 2QA-121, a simply gorgeous mask equal to the Icon in simple elegance, but because it is hollow steel, still has a propensity to bend. And it ain't cheap to replace, either. The Riddell Power mask was a lightweight lark compared to the other double solid-wire masks from Rawlings, Louisville Slugger TPX, and Wilson back at that time, but it still suffered from the same ugly vinyl-dip cladding that plagued all masks from 1970s-90s because paint and powdercoat technology was far too expensive for sports equipment. 

Aluminum is much lighter weight, and reduces the likelihood and extent of bending, but... I don't know... it just lacks soul. Diamond set the entire industry on its head by making the iX3 line, but it never gained traction in the catchers' line of masks because of the frequency of abuse vs. cost to replace. If Diamond had actually made good, robust pads for the iX3 from the start, they may have made a splash so displacing, the pool would still be refilling to this day (the iX3 debuted in ~ 2011(?)). But then Wilson realizes that Diamond iX3's are on the faces of most of the MiLB umpires, and finally produces the DynaLite model in an aluminum, and now it's a "seen one, you've seen 'em all". 

So that brings us to magnesium. By nature, it has to have the angular, gothic, blade-like shapes to it (because it is cast-molded), so it lacks the elegance of the titaniums and hollow steels. They won't bend, and will very, very rarely break, but can they really be regarded as unicorns?  

There's the Nike "Teardrop", a hollow steel mask they produced for retail sale (as opposed to the "Icon" planform, in titanium and hollow steel, that they only supplied, but did not sell in retail). It turns out, it was designed and produced in conjunction with Mizuno. I think this is a unicorn. 

I regard the true Mizuno Titanium as a unicorn. You talk about rare. Woof. 

 

 

There was a model, back in 2014(? -15? -16?) introduced by +POS & Champro, that was bonded magnesium alloy tubes. Totally slipped through the market, nearly unnoticed. +POS called it the MAG-T. It had all the functional benefits of magnesium (lightweight, wouldn't bend, etc.), but also the simplicity of a wireframe mask. Why it didn't stick is beyond me. 

I would also consider some of the more... exotic... Belgard masks as unicorns. Stuff in the States, here, has lost its luster.

[SeeingEyeDog]

I dunno'...seems like the horn poking out would be a safety hazard on a baseball field...

I'll show myself out...

~Dawg

[kylehutson]

4 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

I dunno'...seems like the horn poking out would be a safety hazard on a baseball field...

Those are for coaches that like to argue too much.

[SeeingEyeDog]

18 hours ago, kylehutson said:

Those are for coaches that like to argue too much.

I'll allow it...

~Dawg

[FranklinT]

Can you imagine the killing a retailer like Ump Attire would make if they started carrying some Japanese items?

Would probably upset their current suppliers, though.

 

[kylehutson]

3 hours ago, FranklinT said:

Can you imagine the killing a retailer like Ump Attire would make if they started carrying some Japanese items?

I'd be surprised if @JimKirk hadn't already done the cost/benefit analysis on this. Considering they don't carry it, I'm guessing the answer is "not as much of a killing as you're suggesting"

[MadMax]

12 hours ago, FranklinT said:

Can you imagine the killing a retailer like Ump Attire would make if they started carrying some Japanese items?

There’s a structure of tariffs and importation fees already in place, before you/we even get to that point! 

To illustrate, did you know that there are two legally and financially separate divisions of Mizuno? Mizuno of Japan 🇯🇵 and Mizuno of USA 🇺🇸? And, that they cannot (easily) cross catalogs? If Mizuno JP makes a mask, or a plate shoe, their Mizuno US sibling cannot necessarily offer it in their catalog. That exact product has to clear a whole slew of materials regulations, labor regulations, etc. Then, it has to clear the biggest hurdle of them all (in this case) – the sweetheart, behind-the-scenes tariffs placed on competing products by the established brands/companies in that market so as to handicap, dissuade, or prevent the rival from stocking a potentially superior product. 

A particular company I rag one consistently has its origins in the States, sure, but did you know they are owned by an international (Finnish) conglomerate? That, with its army of business, commerce, and market lawyers, would certainly do everything to protect its investment and market position? And, without any additional (ie. costly) effort put into the products themselves??

[834k3r]

1 minute ago, MadMax said:

There’s a structure of tariffs and importation fees already in place, before you/we even get to that point! 

To illustrate, did you know that there are two legally and financially separate divisions of Mizuno? Mizuno of Japan 🇯🇵 and Mizuno of USA 🇺🇸? And, that they cannot (easily) cross catalogs? If Mizuno JP makes a mask, or a plate shoe, their Mizuno US sibling cannot necessarily offer it in their catalog. That exact product has to clear a whole slew of materials regulations, labor regulations, etc. Then, it has to clear the biggest hurdle of them all (in this case) – the sweetheart, behind-the-scenes tariffs placed on competing products by the established brands/companies in that market so as to handicap, dissuade, or prevent the rival from stocking a potentially superior product. 

A particular company I rag one consistently has its origins in the States, sure, but did you know they are owned by an international (Finnish) conglomerate? That, with its army of business, commerce, and market lawyers, would certainly do everything to protect its investment and market position? And, without any additional (ie. costly) effort put into the products themselves??

Me, trying to understand export/import:

[concertman1971]

1 hour ago, 834k3r said:

Me, trying to understand export/import:

 

Try explaining this to a Canadian who wonders why a $75 product costs him $4.62M CAD

/s

[SeeingEyeDog]

1 hour ago, 834k3r said:

Me, trying to understand export/import:

...and Beak-man? That is JUST the way the Federal Government wants it. So much for "global markets" making things better...

~Dawg

[BDad]