Not only will you continue to hear much fanfare regarding Wilson's titanium mask, Diamond just launched an umpire mask with a silver color metal frame. We just received a supply of these masks yesterday morning.The Year of the Silver Frame Umpire Mask has taken nearly a year and a half to materialize after MLB and MiLB started donning handout Nike titanium catcher's masks during the 2007 season.
I alerted Diamond's designers in the Fall of 2007 to the growing desire for a silver on black umpire mask at a good price and felt a silver metal frame on the popular DFM-UMP mask design would be a winner. So it's no surprise that I was very excited when our Diamond rep contacted us with news that Diamond was indeed going to be able to offer them for the 2009 season and that we could grab a limited supply of them for the Fall of '08.
Not only is this mask in the same weight category at 1 lb (harness and all) as the Wilson titanium mask, it provides a much more agreeable price point (currently at $79.95) and an alternative to those who prefer "silver on black" rather than "silver on black and tan".
I am very interested to know your initial thoughts on this mask. Please share your comments.
14 comments:
Diamond makes a great product, light weight, durable and affordable. However, the price point of $79.99 for the "Silver" mask is a bit hign considering that there is no difference between the "silver" one and the much lower price regular mask. Other than the color, there is no value added benefit, it seems they are just riding the color craze.
Just a thought
Marcial
From comparing the Specs on the 2 masks, it looks like the 2009 model is even lighter than the all black 2008 model. According to the Ump-Attire site, the new silver one is 14 ounces, without harness, and 1 lb including harness. The black 2008 model says it is 1 lb witout the harness, and 1.3 lbs with harness. THat could be why the prices are different.
Rob
Good thoughts Marcial. The padding is the same on both, but the weight is slightly different as Rob pointed out and the metal is different.
The silver is solid aluminum whereas the black is hollow core steel. But from a functionality standpoint they are both basically the same, so you are not far off on your comment about the trend toward the silver frame.
The pads on this mask are horrible. They don't have adequate padding for impact by a ball on the mask. I did a very un-scientific test......I put the mask on and took my fist and hit myself in the mask. My fist wasn't a 90 mph fastball and thought I was going to break my jaw. The mask itself is really good and well designed. The pads however suck. I would suggest buying replacement pads to fit on them. I had an old +POS composite mask and fit them on there and it seems to add way more protection than the black pads on there. I would say that Diamond dropped the ball on there design for the pads but hit a HR with the actual design of the cage.
Brad, thanks for your comments. The padding is definitely not as substantial as Wilson's wrap-around padding... one of the reasons this style of Diamond mask does weigh less than Wilson masks... there is a trade-off between padding and weight everyone must consider when deciding on a mask.
If I were an umpire at the level where there are 90+ MPH fastballs, this would not be the mask I would use. Wilson, yes. Diamond, no. But for high school and below, this Diamond style with the Quik-dry padding has been very popular and well-received.
So maybe "horrible" might be an appropriate word to use if you're talking about Div. I or higher.
Glad you were able to figure out something to suit your needs.
You and your hitting yourself makes you a man after my own heart. I have been guilty of such things. We had an umpire/customer who tested his Wilson Shock FX helmet by having his eager son throw baseballs at his head.
I think though you (and him) should refrain from such self-abuse. You guys take enough of it from fans as it is... no need to also beat yourself up. :-)
Please keep sharing your comments.
I bought the '08 DFM-UMP Mask for use in my local little league and loved it for its light weight and clean lines. However, I found that the chin pad material caught easily on a day old shave which was rather uncomfortable, distracting, and annoying. Umpires with a heavy 5:00 shadow may want to look elsewhere, or keep a razor in their gear bag.
Now I feel my mask is already 'old' with this new lighter mask out. I'm curious, however, about the harness seeming to only add two ounces to this mask, but nearly five ounces to the black one. Is it a different harness?
I also love that you post in the middle of the night, Jim! Insomniac umpires everywhere can identify. Love your site and your customer service! Keep it up!!
Love the mask when i bought it. Mask is great. However the pads are for little league. I need to find pads to replace. Any ideas?
I also use the old +POS composite mask and love it for the protection it provides. I needed to repalace the pads and was unable to find pads that would fit the mask correctly. I purchased the Diamond Silver Frame mask because it was so light. Once I received it I immediately became concerned with the padding. I work college and some high school and I'm afraid that the mask as it is constructed will not be sufficient for college ball. Has anyone out there used this mask for college baseball?
I'm the Dir. of Umpires for Camarillo PONY Baseball. We just received 4 of the DIAMONDs in and the weight is very light. I would really like some "test" results for these masks. They will be great for the PONY league. The weight is so light that it seems a 90 MPH fastball would almost shatter the cage. This weekend I passed it around to many of our senior umps who do many hi school and JC baseball. Their comments were the same as mine. The old 90 MPH in the cage. Who would win; Mask or ball??
It would be nice to see some of the DIAMOND test data if available.
Dave
I believe we've gotten more comments on this post than any we've ever done before. I appreciate you guys taken the time to share your thoughts on this mask.
I have been pushing the Diamond Silver Frame Umpire Mask as a through high school mask... not a through college mask.
Having said that, there are guys who will be umpiring college this year who have purchased this mask and have been excited about it. This was on of the most desired of new items (besides the Wilson titanium umpire mask and our new Ultimate bags) at the NCAA umpire clinic in Chicago.
For college and up, I would tend to prefer as an umpire a Wilson mask because of it's more substantial and wrap around padding. I am aware, though, that to move from that color frame in Diamond to Wilson is a substantial price. I think if the Wilson and Diamond were closer to the same price there would be no contest.
Some umpires are doing a hybrid sort of thing where they are taking Wilson pads and putting them on this mask.
Dave, I, too, would like to see more testing from manufacturers. Their testing is typically field testing and anecdotal evidence such as "what did you think?".
As retailers, we take what we're told, then we have to use our best judgment. The problem with any manufacturer is that they'll tell you their item is good for about any level. And perhaps their item is "fine" for a certain level but there tends to always be something better at that level than something else.
Just always remember no matter what mask you wear to wear it more loose than tight so that if you do take a hard shot that the mask moves or spins as that will take more of the force vs. one that doesn't move.
I've worked Division 1 games with it and I can't imagine that the frame would break or bend any more than any other would. I think the light weight "scares" guys into believing that it won't hold up. My +POS Mask was the best mask I ever had but I was told that it was outlawed in college baseball because of issues with cracking. I took maybe 5-8 good shots over the span of 10 years and the mask held up just fine. Since I have replaced the pads on the Diamond with the +POS pads it fits great is very comfortable.
Another thought, I don't take getting hit into consideration when buying a mask, I take comfort into consideration. That may sound strange to some but if you are using proper mechanics and setting up in the slot like you should, you will rarely get hit. If you are getting hit all the time, you probably need to re-evaluate your mechanics and may want to look into wearing a football helmet.
A side note, I don't fret about ounces when I used to wear one of those old ironsides.
-Brad-
after having two cervical discs removed, my doc said find a lighter mask.
ergo, after trying several on at our clinics I picked the diamond ixe.
there is a new mask out made from magnesium
but to pricey @ 225 that weighs in at 9 ounces
i also put wilson black leather pads in my silver diamond. they don't fit perfect but do work, i work both baseball and softball and use this mask for everything except higher level baseball, i also added a grey harness which matches the frame nicely, in doing so, i did add some weight to the mask, but i really like the look, i also put a sun shield on, this also has a metallic look to it. i really have'nt decided if i am going too keep the shield, but i really like the look of my mask.
steve
It's been a while but wanted to re-read your comments and share a few thoughts.
We have not had 1 instance where someone has said the Diamond silver mask dented at any level this year. I just recently had a long conversation with a long-standing collegiate umpire who switched to it this year. He absolutely loved it.
And we did honor a special request from one of our nice, older umpires to place the visor in that mask for him before we sent it. I did it myself. The results were super sharp, but be wary that it's easy to scratch the visor on the rougher than your typical mask frame as you're installing it.
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