Mask Pads Recommendation

[DerekGDS]

21 hours ago, MAUmpire said:

Is that just a trick of the exterior cover or is there a real difference?

The cover can absolutely make a difference in hand feel. For example if I wrapped something like TW zorbium in a lightweight mesh and the exact same inside something like a 3D mesh they would feel completely different. The 3D mesh would offer a subtile soft, padded feel due to its multiple thick layers and the lightweight mesh wouldn't change the feel much, if at all.

[Aging_Arbiter]

On 3/2/2025 at 12:03 PM, MadMax said:

You're touching on a topic that I can easily expound upon for days... 

Noooooooo, really? Say it isn't so!

[Razzer]

On 3/17/2025 at 6:25 PM, DerekGDS said:

I realize I am repeating myself from another thread so my apologies but... The All-Star FM25, +POS (original), Honig's (original) and GR8 Call pads all share the exact same internals and in some cases exterior textiles.

Derek is spot on, If you have an old set sitting around I encourage you to cut them open for a look to see what we think is offering us protection...you will be shocked, I know I was and I am still using Honig pads in the Nike Ti but now feel safer in the Mag with LUC PADS

[Velho]

On 3/2/2025 at 11:13 AM, jimurrayalterego said:

Wilson titanium with TW pads.

How often, if ever, do you replace the pads?

[jimurrayalterego]

57 minutes ago, Velho said:

How often, if ever, do you replace the pads?

Me, never. Just wash them occasionally.

[Slippery Fish]

Does the advice to change your mask pads every 1-2 years not apply to Team Wendy’s?

[jimurrayalterego]

On 4/4/2025 at 2:04 PM, jimurrayalterego said:

Me, never. Just wash them occasionally.

"What is the lifespan of the EPIC® Liner System, and when should it be replaced?

The lifespan of the EPIC® Liner System varies depending on usage and care. Regular inspections for wear and tear are recommended. Immediate replacement is advised if the liner sustains a significant impact or if any component shows signs of degradation."

I've taken some hits over the years and noticed no degradation of the pads. Those have been hits where the mask did not continue to compress the zorbium to a great extent because I wear my mask loose. If you took a combat type hit with zorbium in a helmet it might need replacing.

[johnnyg08]

I just found a pair of Wilson Mem Foams unopened that I ordered back in 2016. Time to put them to use! 😂

[BLWizzRanger]

I just wanted to give my testimonial to Team Wendy pads and how they are rock hard in lower temperatures.

Last year, during the summer, I got hit dead square in the mask and didn't feel anything.

Last week during a game with the temp in the upper 40s, I got hit square again and felt it in both of my cheekbones until after the game.  Nothing broken and no bruising, but, it was the first time I felt it like that.

Just wondering.... does that mean I need a cold weather mask with appropriate late winter/early spring pads?

[johnnyg08]

2 hours ago, BLWizzRanger said:

I just wanted to give my testimonial to Team Wendy pads and how they are rock hard in lower temperatures.

I agree with this. I was really sad that they stopped making these. 

[Richvee]

2 hours ago, BLWizzRanger said:

Just wondering.... does that mean I need a cold weather mask with appropriate late winter/early spring pads

No. It means you need to warm the mask prior to the game. Mine rides in the front seat with me to games near the heat vent. That’s good for the start. My face keeps them warm the rest of the game. They’ve seen a lot of low 40’s games. No issues. 

[BLWizzRanger]

24 minutes ago, Richvee said:

No. It means you need to warm the mask prior to the game. Mine rides in the front seat with me to games near the heat vent. That’s good for the start. My face keeps them warm the rest of the game. They’ve seen a lot of low 40’s games. No issues. 

Yeah, never a thought in my mind before the game to warm them up. This would be a good trick. Thanks!

But, I was sort of hoping that I could go mask shopping for a good reason... you ruined it. Thanks!  lol

[Richvee]

10 hours ago, BLWizzRanger said:

But, I was sort of hoping that I could go mask shopping for a good reason.

"I need a tax deduction" is always a good reason 

[MadMax]

@Slippery Fish, what I’m about to say isn’t directed at you, Fish, specifically. This is addressed to all professional (lowercase p) amateur umpires. You just happened to ask the right question… 

Drop a quarter in the slot, gimme my soapbox, and pick a bucket of popcorn 🍿 off the back table, cuz here we go… 

22 hours ago, Slippery Fish said:

Does the advice to change your mask pads every 1-2 years not apply to Team Wendy’s?

Consider the source. 

Who gives this advice? I’m going to tell you right now, this advice is completely anecdotal. No entity nor company has done any research or development, quantifiable or qualitative, that deduces or arrives at that directive. And it becomes a directive, coated in “advice”, but when said in an authoritative way, from a – here it comes – person of authority or influence, it is taken as gospel. 

This “advice” comes from the Wafia; the Ulluminati (or Wiluminati?); stool pigeons for Big Yellow W. Again, they’ve conducted no research, tests, or investigations. They’re basing this solely off “appearance” and implication. When pressed, their claim is that UV light ages and decays the foam, or (high) heat, or salts from sweat. Those certainly have some effect, but no one has actually tried to quantify it. To that point, how they arrive at “change pads yearly” is dubious, too, because when you break down the use numbers, these mask pads are only being used, maybe, 50 times per year, tops. Often at night (no UV), in average temperatures (heat’s not an issue), and only the most sporadic of sweat. I’ll tell you, tobacco juice has more of an affect on mask pads than sweat salts ever will. 

It can’t be age, either. Often, these pads will sit on stock shelves, or in boxes, far longer than their actual use; are we to rate them by when they were actually made? Or, when we first used them? They aren’t sold in vacuum-sealed bags, so…  

What the Wiluminati tell their sUbordinates is their business; there is an expectation of compliance. Why? Because (medical) insurance is provided, and they are being graded and evaluated on appearance. (All) gear shall be clean and intact. If you’re (U’re) being provided gear FOC or on a stipend, why not get new mask pads? So you tell your sUbordinates to get new mask pads yearly. And, because you’re in the Wafia, you tell all other umpires you come across – who hang on yoUr every word because U’re a Pro – to get new pads every year. And, because Big Yellow W is the main brand, those guys will likely get Big Yellow Ws too! Win-win! But do U actually know what makes “these” pads better than “those” pads? Nope! No clue! They just feel better. 

Feel, and appearance, have a lot to do with selling someone on a set of pads. Big Yellow W has made a killing off the Gold CP and its use of cheap ABS plastic, cheap parts (harness, etc.), and cheap upholstery foam and nylon because it looks protective, and it’s got the Lou Gehrig logo on it. Same can be said on their masks. To their (only) credit, Big Yellow W was a longtime leather company. Their leather pads feel nice and top-quality. Leather, however, does not do well with moisture (being damp constantly), nor with salt. So, those eat away at the pads, and the pads don’t look (or feel) as nice anymore, and they fail the eye-test. Time for new ones! 

So they’ve conditioned us into cyclically buying new pads without any real investiture on what comprises the pads; instead, on how they look and feel. 

If this wasn’t the case, then all of them would have followed All-Star’s lead, and put a hard distributor plate inside them! 

But, that would be an additional cost that the other companies cannot accommodate, in light of “The Directive”… which calls for new pads every year. 
@DerekGDS is addressing that very issue. Soon. 🤓

Much more often than not, the cores of mask pads are largely intact, and completely serviceable for several years. In the case of WindPact pads (only equipped to UnderArmour and EvoShield masks, currently), those patented air bladder cells have been rigorously tested to perform a compression-dispersion-inflation cycle several hundred times, reliably, with no decay. The “mechanism” isn’t affected by time, or UV, or moisture, or salts. 
🤔 

So… if WindPact is such a remarkable, longterm-performing product (and it is, it so very is!), and it’s only offered on EvoShield, and EvoShield is a sibling-subsidiary of Big Yellow W… then why haven’t we seen WindPact pads, with Big Yellow W’s on them, for Umpires?? 

Exactly. 
Consider the source. You’re / we’re being hoodwinked.