Dangerous Metal?

[MadMax]

I wanna know... where's the jackass Umpire, who stood at the front of a classroom of 80 "student" umpires, and stated that "titanium is dangerous" (said while holding aloft an All-Star FM4000, which has never been rendered in titanium... or aluminum, for that matter)? Where is he? 

I hope #51 is alright, but the mask (frame itself) doesn't matter. What "saved" #51 was the TW pads, simply and truthfully. That and, #51's been doing this for quite awhile... make note, he may have "stumbled" back, but he (and his head) didn't snap back – that surprise or shock is what induces a concussion. 

I'll tell you this, too... if those had been Wilson pads, #51 would probably have had an impression of the bars on his face. They're way, way too squishy. 

 

 

Edit: And no, the "jackass Umpire" cited above is not #51. I sincerely hope #51 is AOK. 

[The Man in Blue]

And that, son, is why we spend the money on the good stuff.

 

I'm still curious what the shelf-life is of our various pieces of gear.  That foam will not hold up eternally and will eventually start to degrade, so what is the shelf life of a set of TWs?  Hell, it may be 30 years, I don't know.

 

 

 

[MadMax]

51 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said:

That foam will not hold up eternally and will eventually start to degrade, so what is the shelf life of a set of TWs?

But it is much, much longer than 1 year!! 🤨 And yet, the anecdotal, hand-me-down directive is "<hrmph brmph> Change your mask pads every year". 

I call 🐂 💩! 

Even if you're going to purport that, "<brmph mrumpf> The foam degrades.", HTF do you know that?! At what rate? Are we actually using "Born On Dating", like they used to promote on beer bottles to avoid "Bitter Beer Face!", or are we going off of from the time the pads are put to use? Because I can tell ya, us amateur-professional umpires are doing 2-4 times more plate games per year than you Professional Umpiresl And, in today's TFU Economy, some mask pads will sit for an entire year on a shelf, in plastic, unused and unsold... have they degraded and decayed??! Again, HTF do you know that?! 

In plain speak, ya don't. 

1 hour ago, The Man in Blue said:

Hell, it may be 30 years, I don't know.

Nobody knows. The basis for that anecdotal crap directive is purely arbitrary, contrived, and steeped in visual appearance. Do the pads look shoddy? Are they faded and in tatters? Then they must be old, therefore, they must be worn out, and need to be changed. 
Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. No manufacturer / producer of mask pads, or any of our equipment for that matter, is conducting research on foam longevity. I can tell you, from what limited expertise I have and been adjacent to, these foams can last for an indefinite period, provided they are not exposed to caustic chemicals, or flame, etc. So when you're told to "change your pads yearly", it's driven purely by appearance. So, clean or change the appearance!! That's why we've been going to all these lengths to bring Mask Pad Cores & Socks to market. Ya simply separate the Sock from the Core, and either launder the Sock or replace it; the Cores can continue to be safe and effective for many, many more years (and more to the point, uses). 

[The Man in Blue]

Here is my beef . . . industrial safety equipment is likely changed out more often than it needs to be, however they have some idea of what that longevity is.

Yes, I agree with "change the pads every year" is overkill.  However, it would be nice to have an idea.  Then again, I still criticize companies (even the ones I like!) for producing safety gear with no scientific testing to back it up. 

You have long (and rightfully) taught us about the various types of foam and qualities out there, yet we are settling for "well, it's different, it's better."  You have also long criticized the "big players" for simply riding on decades old R&D with little update . . . and now companies are (seemingly) doing this R&D, but not touting it.

Our gear is safety equipment.  Maybe my time in an industrial field left me with higher expectations for safety equipment.

[concertman1971]

14 hours ago, MadMax said:

The foam degrades

I can not speak for all foams (big Yellow W, TW, AS, GD, ETC) but i know that for ThighPro there is "Temperature Resistance" testing done by the company we purchase our product from. Here is what they say:

Recommended Constant Use, max. 90°C (194°F) Recommended Intermittent Use, max.  121°C (250°F). 

Even in the hottest summers in So Cal, it doesn't get to 194!! 

Not saying that is does/does not degrade in heat, but this company supplies foam to the Aerospace, Automotive and Government industries, so the performance in temp is critical to them.

PS Please dont put your ThighPro in the dryer!!