First Impressions: Gerry Davis BFX Pro Pants

[834k3r]

I need new plate pants. Bad. The sun and catcher's masks/buckets (when the F2 in front of my discards their mask/bucket, I like to pick it up and knock off the dirt. Knocking them against the buckles of my leg guards has burnished the fabric in several areas).

I decided (with some questions answered and fears assuaged by @DerekGDS) to get the BFX Pro pants. I opted for the flat front straight fit, because I'm not as skinny as some. (I'm still in shape, though--because pear is a shape!)

The pants arrived in a pretty nice (still plastic) outer bag. It's a nice shift from the crinkly plastic with the adhesive strip that have become the norm. I noticed the tag showing it's 100% polyester (vs the Smitty pants, which are 92% poly, 8% lycra) and I especially like they're not made in China (YMMV).

Once removed from the bag, the pants have a similar feel to the Smitty pants. It's not until I compared the feel next to each other I noticed the GD pants actually feel a bit smoother than the Smitty pants. Inside the waistband, the GD pants have a rubberized shirt stay band that feels like it will work better than the wider, but less "tacky," strip on the inside of the Smitty pants. The zipper and fly button are basically indistinguishable from the Smitty pants.

The stretch of the pants, despite having 0% lycra, seems very similar to the Smitty pants. When I put them on and crouched as if I was in the slot, the fabric didn't feel noticeably different than the Smitty pants the GD pants are replacing. The GD website says the pockets are shallow to help retrieve items from the pockets, so I was expecting very shallow pockets (maybe 2 or 3 inches deep). In reality, the pockets are normal sized and appear to only be an inch shallower than the pockets on my Smitty pants (first photo below is the pocket on the Smittys; second--sorry about the focus--is the GDs). In the photos, the wrinkle on the center/top right is the tip of my fingers.

Comparing the Smitty pants (got them out of the laundry pile for this photo--I don't wear them wrinkly) without a belt in them one can see how terribly faded they are) and the GD pants side by side, they're very similar. I like the clean design cues of the GD pants (the lack of a button loop, the wider belt loop, the monochromatic GD tag).

Overall, I really like the GD BFX Pro pants though I haven't had them hemmed or worn them for a game. The price was a bit more than other offerings (including those from GD) but with the elimination of lycra from the fabric blend (as well as me using the back of my leg to knock dirt from F2s' masks/buckets) I expect to get better use out of the GD pants. If you're on the fence about getting these, I'd tell you to get them.

I likely haven't answered all the of the questions you may have; let me know what comments I can address.

Note:  I was not compensated for this review.

[The Man in Blue]

@834k3r . . . how is the color comparison in person? I know photos can be deceiving on that.  The BFXs look . ..  I don't know . . . not quite lighter, but . . . browner?

[834k3r]

1 minute ago, The Man in Blue said:

@834k3r . . . how is the color comparison in person? I know photos can be deceiving on that.  The BFXs look . ..  I don't know . . . not quite lighter, but . . . browner?

That's definitely not the case. They're for sure gray. That's my fault for using my phone coupled with a ceiling light for illumination.

[The Man in Blue]

3 minutes ago, 834k3r said:

That's definitely not the case. They're for sure gray. That's my fault for using my phone coupled with a ceiling light for illumination.

 

I figured it was lighting, thank you!  Can you see difference with the naked eye, side-by-side?

[DerekGDS]

@The Man in Blue quick photo to try and most accurately show the color. As with all lighting conditions, they will appear lighter sun light. Lighting in photo was not ideal, lower portion is much darker which is not accurate, look at middle up.

Our pant color is lighter than Smitty though, always has been so this doesn't match the "NCAA" shade.

[834k3r]

5 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said:

 

I figured it was lighting, thank you!  Can you see difference with the naked eye, side-by-side?

A bit, yes--but not as drastic as my phone makes it appear.

[The Man in Blue]

I know @DerekGDS said photography would take a while, and I would back him up and point out this is why.  Product photography is a tricky and specialized type of photography.  Not only can the lighting make the product look different, but so can the screen we are looking at.

 

Just don't give me this:

 

 

 

😉

[834k3r]

It's not, I assure you. If it helps, I'll probably get a pair for the bases when the time comes.

[FranklinT]

Feel like the Davis Fechheimer pants were also made in Thailand, so I assume these are Fechs.

That back belt loop and the Davis logo on the back are a tough sell for me.

[DerekGDS]

21 minutes ago, FranklinT said:

Feel like the Davis Fechheimer pants were also made in Thailand, so I assume these are Fechs.

Fechheimer products were manufactured in the Dominican Republic. However, we no longer work with other brands for their manufacturing resource and do not have any ongoing relationship with Fechheimer.

[FranklinT]

5 minutes ago, DerekGDS said:

Fechheimer products were manufactured in the Dominican Republic. However, we no longer work with other brands for their manufacturing resource and do not have any ongoing relationship with Fechheimer.

I swear the tag on the Davis Fechheimer “pro pants” a few years ago said they were made in Thailand. No?

[umpstu]

9 hours ago, DerekGDS said:

@The Man in Blue quick photo to try and most accurately show the color. As with all lighting conditions, they will appear lighter sun light. Lighting in photo was not ideal, lower portion is much darker which is not accurate, look at middle up.

Our pant color is lighter than Smitty though, always has been so this doesn't match the "NCAA" shade.

Like the bigger belt loops in the front.

[DerekGDS]

1 hour ago, FranklinT said:

I swear the tag on the Davis Fechheimer “pro pants” a few years ago said they were made in Thailand. No?

No. To the best of my knowledge Dominican Republic and Honduras are the only two locations those pants were made because it is tariff free.

[FranklinT]

22 hours ago, DerekGDS said:

No. To the best of my knowledge Dominican Republic and Honduras are the only two locations those pants were made because it is tariff free.

You’re correct the tag in my set of Davis Fechheimer “mlb style” pants say Honduras.

[834k3r]

I don't have a picture, but discovered yesterday--by accident--that the pants have a second layer under the polyester between the knee and ankle.

The seamstress that's hemming them noticed it as she was setting the hem height and wondered why there's a second type of fabric on the lower leg. I didn't notice that on my first check of them, but it'll be interesting to see if the pants don't ride up as much after squatting, or if they're more durable--or both.

[mikeburnett298]

On 7/23/2024 at 10:40 AM, 834k3r said:

I don't have a picture, but discovered yesterday--by accident--that the pants have a second layer under the polyester between the knee and ankle.

The seamstress that's hemming them noticed it as she was setting the hem height and wondered why there's a second type of fabric on the lower leg. I didn't notice that on my first check of them, but it'll be interesting to see if the pants don't ride up as much after squatting, or if they're more durable--or both.

Probably to add some heft to the leg. My wife has sewn “weights” into the hem on my Smittys. Works great. 

[MadMax]

On 7/16/2024 at 11:48 AM, DerekGDS said:

Our pant color is lighter than Smitty though, always has been so this doesn't match the "NCAA" shade.

The “NCAA shade” isn’t an actual, quantifiable color value. All that TPTB want (expect, direct, demand) are pants – and indeed, all uniform items – that are clean, wrinkle-free, not faded, and… here’s the big issue… are representative of the time, preparation, and attention that comes with such a “prestigious assignment”. 

I once heard a college coordinator imbue to the group via Zoom call – “Guys, I got you a 15 dollar per game raise, the least you can do is buy new pants.” 

They don’t want you wearing the same pants you wore on a 4-game tournament spread on a fall-ball weekend; they want you wearing pants (and hats, and shirts, and shoes, etc.) that appear as if the game they’ve assigned you to is the best-funded and most important game on the docket. 

[DerekGDS]

On 7/23/2024 at 9:40 AM, 834k3r said:

but it'll be interesting to see if the pants don't ride up as much after squatting, or if they're more durable--or both.

A little heft and increased durability are indeed the reasons. There were concerns about abrasions and snagging with leg guards and the panel was added to increase the durability.

8 hours ago, MadMax said:

The “NCAA shade” isn’t an actual, quantifiable color value. All that TPTB want (expect, direct, demand) are pants – and indeed, all uniform items – that are clean, wrinkle-free, not faded, and… here’s the big issue… are representative of the time, preparation, and attention that comes with such a “prestigious assignment”. 

We have people who "like" one of our series of pants but wont wear them or their coordinator wont let them because they simply do not exactly match Smitty's shade. This seems to come primarily from the upper levels of amateur play.

[FranklinT]

I will never understand all the love for Smitty products, especially these poly spandex pants.

[MadMax]

2 hours ago, FranklinT said:

I will never understand all the love for Smitty products, especially these poly spandex pants.

They’re responsive to those people who… let’s say… put a value on their opinions, feedback, and needs being responded to. And, with the volume they produce, there are incentivized discounts and dividends to be had. 

To their credit, when poly-spandex became the latest trend, they made a very solid set of pants. They didn’t fade towards purple (like Davis polyesters did), were cut just generous enough to be athletic and accommodate different body types, and weren’t diaphanously thin (like the first batches of Honig’s were). 

[834k3r]

11 hours ago, FranklinT said:

I will never understand all the love for Smitty products, especially these poly spandex pants.

As an equipment scholarship recipient from Battlefields to Ballfields, my pants were given to me. They served me well, but it's now time to retire them (base and plate pants--no combos for me, thanks!) and test the waters with other vendors and product lines.