At Face Value (Magnesium Masks & Other Things)

[834k3r]

So, @MadMax when does the countdown start for @tpatience chopping the XTG off?

[Velho]

Who's got two thumb and  just bought their 4th mask in two years?

[tpatience]

8 hours ago, 834k3r said:

So, @MadMax when does the countdown start for @tpatience chopping the XTG off?

I ain’t got one yet 😂. Probably wouldn’t though, been less barbaric lately 

[boyinr]

20 hours ago, bluetick48 said:

For all the ones that had a hand in designing and making this one happen…

THANK YOU!!!!
 

no stones left unturned!!!

@DerekGDS

@wolfe_man

@MadMax

@concertman1971

 

 

Nice to see the AS MAG pads work with the Mirage.  I just happen to have a new set of gray pads and an extra harness.  Kudus to @DerekGDS for making this available as a frame only purchase. Excited to get one and give it a whirl. 

[DerekGDS]

We plan on offering every frame we make as is. Obviously when we finish developing our pads we will offer them bundled (and if you purchase before we offer pads and want them we’ll offer them discounted and free shipping for folks who do want to pick them up) but have no plans on forcing it. Use what pads and harness you want/like! 

[Marcus6]

Love what Davis is doing 

[MadMax]

On 4/12/2025 at 9:22 AM, DerekGDS said:

but have no plans on forcing it. Use what pads and harness you want/like!

Is it possible to like / love this any more than a single upvote??!! 

Weak, cheaply made, pathetic pads equipped to a mask frame, by default, are a holdover of the retail market. Whether it was perceived value, or a matter of liability, or a blend of both, a retailer – first in the brick-&-mortar space, then in the warehouse-&-website space – was compelled to arrange the product lineup so that any/all options were paired together and packaged, ready to go. As consequence, you (the manufacturer) either limited options (every mask frame in silver, or black; every pad in black, or in a limited range of colors), or you had to overproduce to numerically stock all options, increasing your production costs (and introducing waste, which accrues). 

Champro, Champion, and Diamond were all guilty of it. Mask frames would only be found in black or (bare) silver, equipped with perilously pathetic pads (how's that for alliteration, eh?). Wilson could produce the volume needed to stock mass quantities of their variations, but at least their pads were decent. Instead of being innovative, though, they relied on their density, and fomented the directive to "change mask pads yearly", thus precipitating the purchasing cycle of thousands and thousands of umpires buying new pads just because it "felt time to". 

Honig's and +POS offered, for quite some time, to sell frames, pads and harnesses ala carte; they would even rig them for you if you requested it. This signified that they were intimately familiar with their products, not just drop-shipping them from the manufacturer, or pulling them from some box in a huge warehouse. 

Rest assured, Gerry Davis is not only revolutionizing the mask, but also the entire way in which pads are purchased and maintained. It'll take some different way of thinking, and a smidge of reeducation of the market away from the mindless droning of "change your pads when they look bad". 

[dumbdumb]

8 hours ago, MadMax said:

Is it possible to like / love this any more than a single upvote??!! 

Weak, cheaply made, pathetic pads equipped to a mask frame, by default, are a holdover of the retail market. Whether it was perceived value, or a matter of liability, or a blend of both, a retailer – first in the brick-&-mortar space, then in the warehouse-&-website space – was compelled to arrange the product lineup so that any/all options were paired together and packaged, ready to go. As consequence, you (the manufacturer) either limited options (every mask frame in silver, or black; every pad in black, or in a limited range of colors), or you had to overproduce to numerically stock all options, increasing your production costs (and introducing waste, which accrues). 

Champro, Champion, and Diamond were all guilty of it. Mask frames would only be found in black or (bare) silver, equipped with perilously pathetic pads (how's that for alliteration, eh?). Wilson could produce the volume needed to stock mass quantities of their variations, but at least their pads were decent. Instead of being innovative, though, they relied on their density, and fomented the directive to "change mask pads yearly", thus precipitating the purchasing cycle of thousands and thousands of umpires buying new pads just because it "felt time to". 

Honig's and +POS offered, for quite some time, to sell frames, pads and harnesses ala carte; they would even rig them for you if you requested it. This signified that they were intimately familiar with their products, not just drop-shipping them from the manufacturer, or pulling them from some box in a huge warehouse. 

Rest assured, Gerry Davis is not only revolutionizing the mask, but also the entire way in which pads are purchased and maintained. It'll take some different way of thinking, and a smidge of reeducation of the market away from the mindless droning of "change your pads when they look bad". 

not so much equipment but a little cred for a revolutionizer

https://www.unionleader.com/sports/mlb-pro-shares-his-record-setting-life-between-the-lines-with-aspiring-officials/article_96306e50-429d-4554-862e-4f54188153c4.html

[Rock Bottom]

On 4/12/2025 at 9:22 AM, DerekGDS said:

We plan on offering every frame we make as is. Obviously when we finish developing our pads we will offer them bundled (and if you purchase before we offer pads and want them we’ll offer them discounted and free shipping for folks who do want to pick them up) but have no plans on forcing it. Use what pads and harness you want/like! 

Do you know when the mask with the pads will be available? I assume the Mirage-specific pads are going to be better for than anything else on the market currently?

Also, has anyone used the Mirage with the All-Star FM4K Magnesium pads? If so, how well did they fit. I know the Gerry Davis website says the FM4K pads fit, but doesn't reference the mag version.

[DerekGDS]

54 minutes ago, Rock Bottom said:

Do you know when the mask with the pads will be available? I assume the Mirage-specific pads are going to be better for than anything else on the market currently?

Also, has anyone used the Mirage with the All-Star FM4K Magnesium pads? If so, how well did they fit. I know the Gerry Davis website says the FM4K pads fit, but doesn't reference the mag version.

@concertman1971 has used the MAG pads without issue.

They likely will not be available for several months. The design and molds are largely complete but we're still doing small tweaks and testing the internals. The pads will operate as a two-part system meaning you can change the internals based on your preferences.

[Rock Bottom]

4 hours ago, DerekGDS said:

@concertman1971 has used the MAG pads without issue.

They likely will not be available for several months. The design and molds are largely complete but we're still doing small tweaks and testing the internals. The pads will operate as a two-part system meaning you can change the internals based on your preferences.

Thanks -- one more question - will the cost of the pads be the same if I the mask now and then the pads later when they are available? Or will they be discounted if I buy them all together at the same time?

(And sorry, I forgot I had already asked about the FM4K mag pads, and saw that was answered above - in my excitement I was too hasty. EDIT - but not hasty enough on pulling the trigger apparently - I see the Mirage is out of stock now - any idea when it will be back?)

[bluetick48]

11 hours ago, Rock Bottom said:

Do you know when the mask with the pads will be available? I assume the Mirage-specific pads are going to be better for than anything else on the market currently?

Also, has anyone used the Mirage with the All-Star FM4K Magnesium pads? If so, how well did they fit. I know the Gerry Davis website says the FM4K pads fit, but doesn't reference the mag version.

@Rock Bottom this is my mask with the AS4000MAG pads on it. They fit perfect! Also most any traditional sun visors will fit. 

[ArchAngel72]

I don't know if its just an optical  illusion. Or no real scale size comparison for the photos.  Does anyone have a baseball handy they could "worst case possible" push in the 4 corner larger holes and take a picture.  I am just curious how much penetration a baseball could get before it hits cage.  Im not poo pooing, just damn that photo makes those holes look HUGE.

 

[DerekGDS]

9 hours ago, Rock Bottom said:

will the cost of the pads be the same if I the mask now and then the pads later when they are available?

When the pads are released - anyone who purchased the frame only will be offered them at a discounted rate equal to the price as if bundled plus free shipping.
 

46 minutes ago, ArchAngel72 said:

I am just curious how much penetration a baseball could get before it hits cage.

There is no real penetration. This is a better angle. 

[MadMax]

46 minutes ago, ArchAngel72 said:

I don't know if its just an optical  illusion.

It’s an optical illusion. 

It is a Mirage, after all. 🥁 

Anyway! That’s the hitch about photography with a smartphone… there’s a spherical, convex effect on objects shot close range. 

 

… draw your own inferences… and stop giggling in the back! 🤭 

[EMump]

Order placed this morning. 

 

[AL-Ump]

Thanks for the pics to all that have it so far.  Can anyone post of picture of it on, in uniform?

Trying to figure out how big the throat guard is.

Thanks!

[834k3r]

6 minutes ago, AL-Ump said:

Thanks for the pics to all that have it so far.  Can anyone post of picture of it on, in uniform?

Trying to figure out how big the throat guard is.

Thanks!

I can take one this afternoon for sure. Describing it, I would say that if I lower my head (to look down), the XTG hits my CP if my head is tilted around 45 degrees or so--but that's a function of more than just the mask (I wear a skully, for example).

[UAME]

2 hours ago, AL-Ump said:

Thanks for the pics to all that have it so far.  Can anyone post of picture of it on, in uniform?

Trying to figure out how big the throat guard is.

Thanks!

I can get some pics posted later.  The mask isn't noticeably longer than my Wilson DynAlum in terms of appearance.  I think the key design difference (as described by @MadMax earlier) is the XCG rake angle is more vertical, which closes that gap between chin and chest more effectively, but viewed from the front the Mirage is very traditional in styling.

[Velho]

9 minutes ago, UAME said:

XCG rake angle is more vertical, which closes that gap between chin and chest more effectively, but viewed from the front the Mirage is very traditional in styling.

[ArchAngel72]

3 hours ago, AL-Ump said:

Thanks for the pics to all that have it so far.  Can anyone post of picture of it on, in uniform?

Trying to figure out how big the throat guard is.

Thanks!

1st chop ?

[Go Navy Beat Army]

Ordered mine as well. I'll be rocking All Star pads until I can get my hands on the new Gerry Davis ones. 

[834k3r]

5 hours ago, AL-Ump said:

Thanks for the pics to all that have it so far.  Can anyone post of picture of it on, in uniform?

Trying to figure out how big the throat guard is.

Thanks!

Not in full uniform, but I think you get the idea:

[MadMax]

22 minutes ago, 834k3r said:

Not in full uniform, but I think you get the idea:

Ah, the famous "tailgate open" shot angle! 

Ansel Adams, eat yer heart out. 

[AL-Ump]

2 hours ago, ArchAngel72 said:

1st chop ?

Negative.

I umpire Softball and we don't really do throat guards - for whatever reason.  Didn't want to look like a "baseball guy" out there!!!  LOL.  😳