Review of Honig's K4 Pro Line Mask Frame

I recently decided that I don't have nearly enough umpire gear, so I purchased a Honig’s K4 Pro Line Mask Frame. I purchased just a navy mask frame, dropped in a set of Rawlings Leather Replacement Pads (DOEP), and also purchased a matching navy harness from Honig’s. I plan to use this mask during special high school events when I wear a navy shirt.

 

Measurements

The Honig’s K4 Pro Line Mask Frame is made of hollow core steel. Like other recently introduced masks, the K4 uses a flat bar design around the eye opening to improve visibility. It measures 3.75” on the low-profile test (the same measurement as the standard profile Wilson Titanium WTA3009BLTI). The K4 measures 9” across and 10.75” from top to chin bottom, not including the cap guard or throat guard. A 1” cap guard protects your head and a 1.75” throat guard is angled from the mask to protect your throat from foul balls and bad pitching / worse catching. The K4 weighs 18 ounces according to my postage scale. That is 6 ounces heavier than the Diamond iX3 DFM-UMP insilver.

With the heavy Rawlings DOEP pads, my rig weighs 29 ounces, just under two pounds. My “everyday mask,” the Champro Pro-Plus Magnesium Umpire Mask (CM58) with Wilson a3009x replacement pads, is 16.5 ounces.

Where to Buy

The Honig’s K4 Pro Line Mask Frame is offered exclusively through Honig’s for $39.95 (without pads). Other Pro Line Masks are available from Honig’s with a variety of mask pad options.

Fair or Foul

Much like Shoeless Joe Jackson who named his bat “BlackBetsy,” or Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket who named his gun “Charlene,” I have named my Honig’s K4 Pro Line Mask with Rawlings DOEP pads my “Blue Plate Special.”

Yes, it is heavy.
Yes, it is blue.
Yes, it is totally awesome and deserves a cool name.

The Honig’s K4 Pro Line Mask Frame itself is a pretty average mask frame. Tubular steel is time-tested and will perform adequately. A Honig’s K4 frame (18 ounces) and Team Wendy’s pads (5 ounces) makes a total mask weight of 23 ounces, the same as a Wilson standard profile titanium. A mask weight under 23 ounces is not bad, but its not great either. I call the Honig’s K4 Pro Line Mask Frame FAIR, especially since it is offered in black, navy, or silver, but I wish it was lighter.

Review of Honig’s Pro Elite Chest Protector K1

I recently had the opportunity to purchase a 2010 model Honig’s K1 Pro Elite Chest Protector at a discount price, so I jumped on the chance to review it. I purchased a regular 12” K1. An XL 14" model is also available. Honig’s suggests the XL for umpires with a size 48" or larger chest.

Appearance
The Honig’s K1 is the thickest CP tested to date. It measures 1.25” thick at the chest plate, which is the same measurement as the Champro Pro Plus Armor Umpire Chest Protector (review here). Optional padding is attached by Velcro to the quilted interior padding. Two abdominal pads measure 5/8” thick, which causes the Honig’s K1 CP to protrude to more than 2 inches thick! That is full inch more than the thickest part of the Douglas or Schutt AiR Flex Umpire Chest Protector. Three additional pads are attached at the chest and clavicle area which are ½” thick.

Honig’s boasts on their website that the K1 has “5 removable Velcro pads for extra protection while at the same time creating a 1/4'' space between the protector and your torso for improved air flow and comfort.” The cost for this airflow benefit is a chest protector that is substantially thicker and bulkier than any other chest protector.

A mesh harness replaces the strap harnesses found on many CPs. The harness is adjustable by two straps and connectors which protrude awkwardly. In all the appearance of the Honig’s K1 Pro Elite Chest Protector is bulky and swollen. The various parts protrude in irregular and unsightly ways under the umpire jersey.

Comfort
The K1 chest protector is very light! The regular K1 weighs 2 pounds and 5 ounces, making it the lightest CP tested to date (although this is the first softshell protector reviewed on Midwest Ump). I was impressed by the weight and comfort of the K1. The mesh harness was also very comfortable and is adjustable.

I wore the K1 with the optional interior pads, so there was a small space between the CP and my undershirt. This space will increase airflow and allow sweat collected from your moisture wicking undershirt to evaporate on hot days.

The K1 measures 11.5" from the neck opening to the bottom of the protector. The foam filled clavicle pad is attached with Velcro and fully adjustable and adds up to 2 inches in protection.

Protection
The common knock on the Honig’s K1 protector is that the umpire feels the impact at higher levels of play. A CP protects by either deflecting the ball, absorbing the impact, or a combination of deflection and absorption. The K1’s HD115 foam does little to deflect and protects the wearer by absorbing a ball impact. HD115 is a high density polyethylene foam that is very hard and rigid. It doesn't bend easily. The greater the impact, the more the HD115 foam “gives” until the force of the ball penetrates the foam cushion and reaches the umpire.

Will it protect you? Yes.
Will you feel the impact? Yes.
Will it hurt? Probably not, but that depends on the force of the impact.
Does this type of protection give me confidence on the field? No, at least not at upper levels of play.

Honig’s uses HD115 foam as the large chest and smaller abdominal foam plates. A soft quilted lining filled with polyurethane foam is added for comfort. Large hard shell plates 2mm thick protect the shoulder area.

Pricing
$99.95 exclusively from Honig’s. Honig’s offers many organizations discounts (usually 10%). A 10% discount is provided to ABUA members.

Fair or Foul?
Sadly, the Honig’s K1 has become a relic from another age. What was once the standard for amateur umpires now represents an antiquated design and backwards thinking. The K1 in its current configuration simply does not protect as well as a hard shell protector. In the future a hard outer shell may be replaced by a super absorbing or deflecting foam material. Presently advanced materials are being used in other sports protection applications such as Zoombang (Rawlings), D3o (All-Star), and Zorbium (Team Wendy). However, the current Honig’s K1 does not make use of these advanced materials and does not protect as well as hard shell protectors.

Honig's Pants Stand the Test of Time

On the left is a brand new pair of Honig's poly wool base pants. On the right is a pair of Honig's poly wool base pants purchased in October, 2009 and washed and dried 100+ times. I wash these pants in cold water on gentle cycle. I use regular detergent. They are dried on permanent press for 20 minutes (they dry quickly). Usually the poly wools are thrown into the washer and dryer with my umpire shirt, socks, compression shorts, etc.

These pants are outstanding and well-deserving of the 2010 U.M.P.Y. award for best pants and also the 2010 Midwest Ump Product of the Year award.

Matching Polo Blue Shirts

Before I begin this article, I want to say that I agree that it is important that you and your partner wear matching uniforms. However, there are degrees of matching, from partners that wear identical shirts from the same manufacturer, to those items that "match pretty close." For instance, not all umpire pants match, although some manufacturer color hues match better than others.

The subject of polo blue shirt color has been discussed on several umpire forum sites. The argument is that the various umpire shirt manufacturers produce polo blue shirts in different hues, some matching better than others.

At left are four shirts (from front to back) from Majestic, Honigs, The Official’s Choice and Ump-Attire. Although the flash photograph and the color adjustment on your monitor makes it less obvious, the Majestic shirt is a brighter, bluer color than any of the other shirts. Click the photo at left to enlarge the picture. The shirt from the Official’s Choice is the darkest shade, possibly owing to the open hole design. The shirts from Ump-Attire and Honig’s are in between the Majestic and The Official’s Choice shirts in hue and shade. This is also apparent by examining the blue stripe in the collars.

The collars and cuffs do not match. The Ump-Attire shirt has a very thin white stripe that is hardly noticeable. The Majestic shirt has wider black stripes that more closely match the Ump-Attire’s black stripes. The shirt from The Official’s Choice has thicker white stripes. The Honig’s shirt is somewhere in the middle of all of these.

Fair or Foul?
If you and your partner walk out onto the field wearing polo blue shirts from Majestic and The Official’s Choice, coaches and spectators will see from a distance that you obviously do not match. Any other color combination will be a closer match, and, in my opinion, the Honig’s and Ump-Attire shirts most closely match in color, although the sleeves do not match.

Review of the Dry-Lo Umpire Ball Bag

Over the past few months Jason Klein at Jim Evans Academy has offered to send the newly redesigned Dry-Lo Umpire Ball Bag for review. To tell the truth, I wasn’t anxious to review this product. When testing the Dry-Lo in 2009, the seams unraveled on me and the overall quality was lacking. Nevertheless, I agreed to review it and prepared myself to disappoint Jason.

Well, the redesigned Dry-Lo Ball Bag has reminded me that it is a cardinal sin for an umpire to anticipate a call. The new Dry-Lo Ball Bag is without a doubt better in quality and design than its predecessor.

New Size
The new Dry-Lo Ball Bag from Jim Evans is bigger than the previous model. It is .75” wider at the belt loop and ball opening, .5” longer top to bottom, and has a more tapered configuration. The right inside pocket is also .25” wider than before. Below are the dimensions for the redesigned Dry-Lo Umpire Ball Bag.

Top Opening Width	11.75
Bottom Width	12.25
Ball Compartment Length	9.25
Total Length	13.25
From Belt Loop	3.5
Belt Loop Opening	3.0
Left Inside Width	4.25
Left Inside Length	4.75
Right Inside Width	4.5
Right Inside Length	4.75
Pen Pocket Width	2.0
Pen Pocket Length	4.75

New Design
The Dry-Lo has increased the taper angle of the bag. The tapered design is used to keep baseballs in the bag while running. This bag can accommodate three baseballs side-by-side with room to spare (the previous Dry-Lo design would accommodate three baseballs side-by-side, but the fit was snug). I wear two ball bags while working the plate and keep my plate brush in the right front pocket. The previous design of the Dry-Lo made it difficult to remove my plate brush, but this redesigned bag solves the problem by widening the pocket by a quarter inch.

The Dry-Lo is made of two pieces of study polyester. Polyester is a moisture wicking material, and the Dry-Lo places a waterproof nylon liner between the bag and your pant leg. The purpose of this liner is to prevent sweat from your leg from wicking through the bag to the baseballs.

New Construction
One of the most significant changes in the Dry-Lo is the change from a single “running stitch” (a single stitch going in a straight line) to a zigzag stitch throughout the bag. The zigzag stitch offers more flexibility allowing the polyester seam to stretch and move without breaking. This is a large design improvement.

Price
The Dry-Lo Umpire Ball Bag is available in either Black or Navy, with or without inside pockets, and sells for $16.95 at the following on-line retailers.

Honig's for $16.95
Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring for $16.95
ABUA Online Store for $16.95
Force3 Pro Gear Store for $16.95

A discount is offered at Jim Evan’s site: buy one at $16.95 and the second is available for $12.00 more.

***EXCLUSIVE OFFER***

Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring has authorized a discount for readers of Midwest Ump: Two Dry-Low Umpire Ball bags (any color or style) for only $25! This discount expires 10/31/2010. Use this link and enter the coupon code c30caf at checkout.

Bottom Line
The newly redesigned Dry-Lo Umpire Ball Bag has been a pleasant surprise. I like the larger bag and the stronger zigzag stitching. At less than $30.00 for two bags (through Jim Evans’ site), the Dry-Lo is a outstanding balance of price and quality. The Dry-Lo Umpire Ball bag is an excellent choice when considering a ball bag purchase.

Long Term Test Results

The summer season is winding down and school is starting soon. . . so now is a good time to do a long-term evaluation of gear. Today’s post reviews gear from last year’s U.M.P.Y Award winners.

Champro PRO-PLUS Gold Super-Xtreme Lightweight Face Mask

I began using the Champro magnesium face mask in May, 2009 and fell in love immediately. It is incredibly light (less than a pound!!!) and very comfortable after switching out the standard pads.

The Champro is also surprisingly durable. I have taken several shots to this mask from different angles and it did not shown a scratch, until. . .one particularly vicious foul ball during a college game hit the Champro mask and caused the upper eye bar to bend. I contacted Champro regarding its warranty. Champro is a solid company that is committed to customer service. I learned that Champro has a one year warranty from the date of purchase that covers product defects. However, foul balls are part of the game and bending from a serious force is expected. Given enough force any mask will bend (but hopefully not break).


Wilson Shock FX 2.0 Titanium Umpire Helmet (Product of the Year)

The Shock FX 2.0 was introduced in late 2009. It contains many safety features and is comfortable. However, I do not wear a helmet while working the plate, so I can’t speak first-hand regarding safety or durability.

Ump-Attire Ultimate Umpire Shirt

Jim Kirk sent me a navy blue Ump-Attire Ultimate Umpire Shirt to test and I have used it for two high school seasons. After several hundred washes it looks good as new and I intend to use it again next spring. As I expected during my initial testing, the Ultimate breathes well and is well constructed. I highly recommend this shirt.

Honig’s Poly Wool Umpire Pants

I wore the same Honig’s Poly Wool umpire plate pants and base pants to every college and high school game I officiated this year. These pants have seen 30 degree ice and 100+ degree sun. The Poly Wool pants do not seem to suffer from the same fading problems of previous Honig’s models.

Despite the label directions, I wash my Poly Wools in cold water after every wear. They are also dried on a permanent press cycle. I have been careful not to over-dry these pants, and there has been no sign of shrinking or unraveling.


Nutty Buddy

The Nutty Buddy is an essential piece of equipment.

Umpires are fond of telling the “took one to the jewels” stories. Hey, I think these stories are funny like the next guy, but you know what? I don’t have a story because I wear the Nutty Buddy. When I do get hit (it happens to us all), it is not serious – heck, it isn’t even uncomfortable! I hope Mark Littell makes a billion dollars from the Nutty Buddy because it is truly incredible.

I have worn the Nutty Buddy for two seasons. It has retained its shape and has not cracked or dented. It is not hot to wear and is comfortable even under extreme conditions. I put it on and forget about it.


Ump-Attire Ultimate Ball Bag

The Ump-Attire Ultimate Pro Style Umpire Ball Bag was introduced in 2009 and has been a big hit with umpires. Jim Kirk at Ump-Attire sent me one to review in March, 2009, and I purchased a second bag a little later to replace the Dry-Lo Ball Bag sold by Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring.

I have been very impressed with the Ultimate Ball Bag which boasts double stitching and a nylon interior. I have washed these bags a number of times in cold water and low heat dry cycle. There is no fading, no unraveling or fraying, and the Ultimate Ball Bag looks as good as new a year and a half later.


Wilson DaviShins Leg Guards / Diamond DLG-LITE Featherweight Shin Guards

I stopped using the Wilson DaviShins after testing the Diamond Featherweight Shin Guards. The Diamonds guards weigh a mere 13.5 ounces! While these guards are light and comfortable, I have experienced two issues with these guards worth noting. First, during an 18U summer “prospects” tournament I took a foul ball directly on the knee cap. The impact hurt, but was not disabling. My opinion is that the result of this impact was a little more serious than I have experienced with other shin guards. This is likely a result of the loose-fit design around the knee.

The second issue also involves the loose-fit design at the knee. I typically wear long compression shorts that cover my knee cap. However, whenever I do not wear a covering on my knee, the shin guard rubs at my knee and is irritating in the 90+ degree heat.


Wilson West Vest Platinum Chest Protector

I have worn my Wilson Platinum chest protector for three years. This protector scored best in my “amateur scientist” drop test and I can attest to its protective qualities. It is built like a tank.

After three years and hundreds of games, the buckles are starting to rust. I spray my Platinum CP with Lysol after every use and it does not seem to retain odor.


Reebok Field Magistrate Plate Shoes

I get more questions about my Reebok plate shoes than any other equipment. I was a big fan of the New Balance MU450MK plate shoes until I tried the Reebok. This shoe is very comfortable and has proven very durable. It has not separated in any area from use. I have not experienced an impact that is noteworthy. Unlike the Reebok, a few years ago I took a foul ball off the toe of my New Balance MU450MK plate shoes and it hurt!

I use Scrubbing Bubbles and Armour All leather wipes before every game and my shoes look good. I have been wearing these shoes for over a year for every plate assignment and they are still going strong!


Bottom Line

All of the choices for last year’s U.M.P.Y Awards have proven very durable. There were a few noteworthy observations, but overall I have been very impressed with these products.

Review of Smitty Official Apparel Umpire Jacket

In umpire parlance “smitty” is a derogatory term which means, among other things, “unprofessional.” For instance, “Look at that umpire with his hat on backwards. He looks smitty!”

A few years ago Smitty Officials Apparel sold umpire clothing that was widely regarded as, well, “smitty.” Times have changed. A couple years ago Smitty decided to revamp its umpire line and switched manufacturers. The result is a clothing line that has received praise from many umpires, including the Midwest Ump reviews.

In response to my request, Smitty sent me a BBS-322 umpire jacket to test. This jacket is black with white trim and open at the bottom (a “tuck-in” jacket). Tuck-in jackets are great for plate work because they do not ride up when you drop into your stance.

After testing Smitty shirts, pants, and now jacket, I find that the cut of Smitty clothing is slimmer than most. The XL jacket measures 28.5” across the chest and 7.25” from collar to shoulder along the seam. By comparison, Honig’s K-17 measures 30” across the chest and 8” down the shoulder seam. Perhaps as a result, the Smitty jacket weighs 14.5 ounces, two ounces lighter than the Honigs. I had no trouble fitting the Smitty jacket over my Wilson Platinum chest protector, and the slimmer cut means less material flapping in the breeze.

Both the Smitty and the Honig’s K-17 are made from 100% polyester with a 100% nylon lining. Smitty advertised that the polyester shell is treated with a weather resistant coating. The white stripes are identical to the Honig’s K-17. In fact, it is nearly impossible to distinguish the Honig’s from the Smitty from a distance. The collar of the Smitty is more substantial than the Honig’s K-17 and the polyester outer layer has a more “finished” appearance. Click on the image to the right for a close up and see what I mean.

Unlike the Honig’s jacket (sold exclusively by Honig’s for $59.95), the Smitty S-322 is available from several online retailers, including:

Ump-Attire for $59.99

S.O.S. Sports for $48.95

Purchase Officials for $45.00

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you haven’t checked out Smitty Official Apparel lately, you are missing out on some of the best umpire apparel on the market. The S-322 umpire jacket is a first-rate jacket and one that I am proud to wear on the field.

As a personal note, I have found dealing with Smitty to be very easy. My emails are replied to quickly which indicates a commitment to customer service and a confidence in their products. I recommend the Smitty company and its umpire apparel. Smitty is not "smitty" at all!

Review of Honig's Poly-Wool Pants

Honig's seems to have the umpire pants market cornered at the upper levels in baseball. There is good reason for this:

Honig's Poly-Wool is the Cadillac of pants.

The best thing about the Poly-Wools is the quality appearance. These pants look like Sunday dress pants, but are designed for the umpire. The Poly-Wools are constructed from a heavyweight polyester and wool blend. A double clasp keeps the barn door shut and the "Snug-fit" waistband keeps your shirt tucked. They have a pleated front with extra wide belt loops.

The Poly-Wool plate pants feature a reinforced knee (two layers of material) and saddle stitching. Presently the Poly-Wools are only offered in charcoal grey, and are not available in heather grey.

I wondered how these pants actually "measure up" to other pants I have in my closet, so I pulled out my tape measurer. All of my umpiring pants are 38" waist (I know, I know, light beers are good too. . .). I measured the rise (from bottom of waistband to center point of crotch between legs); the hips (around the fullest part of the seat); and the knee. I was surprised by the results.

It is interesting to me that the Gerry Davis Combos have a similar cut to the Honig's Poly-Wool plate pants. Also note that the GD combos are 20" at the leg opening (at the cuff) and Poly-Wool plate pants are 24", which is consistent with a combo pant's trimmer cut. This also confirms my previous post reviewing Smitty's combos in which I complained that Smitty's are cut a little slimmer. In this case the data shows a full 4 inches slimmer!

The pants I have in my umpire closet are all different shades. Below is a group photo, top to bottom: Dalco heather grey, Smitty heather grey, Honig's heather grey, Honig's charcoal grey, and Gerry Davis charcoal grey.
As you can see, the difference in color is considerable!

The Poly-Wools are comfortable, very well-constructed, and look fantastic. These umpire pants are the cream of the crop. The only negatives for these pants is the color difference (somewhere between heather and charcoal), and that Honig's recommends dry cleaning only. With that said, I have a friend that is a minor league umpire who regularly washes his Poly-Wools (with Woolite on delicate cycle). I have also washed mine and I have not seen negative effects.

Honig's are the best umpire pants available, but they also come with a higher price tag. At the time of this writing Honig's sells its Poly-Wool base pants for $73.95, and its Poly-Wool plate pants for $79.95. In comparison, Gerry Davis sells its charcoal pants for $48.90 for plate, base or combo.

Umpire Shirt Comparison Review

Many umpires cannot select their equipment and apparel in person and must make decisions based upon the advice of others and descriptions both on-line and in catalogs. Questions concerning fit and durability are frequent subjects on umpire forums. Today’s post takes a comparative look at seven different umpire shirts from different manufacturers.

My goal in this article is to provide information to umpires regarding the more popular umpire shirts and hopefully make the decision process a little easier. Shirts will be evaluated in seven categories: Weight, Breathability, Construction, Value, Appearance, a “Prick” test, and a Wrinkle test. The line-up is:

1. Gerry Davis Signature Umpire Shirt with thanks to Mary
2. Ump-Attire Ultimate Umpire Shirt with thanks to Jim Kirk
3. Honig’s Major League Umpire Shirt
4. Dalco D260 Umpire Shirt
5. Smitty Apparel Umpire Shirt with Comfortech 100 with thanks to Dawn
6. The Official’s Choice Umpire Shirt with thanks to Paul Anderson
7. Cliff Keen MXS Umpire Shirt

Initial Research
Before I begin, I need to discuss an important matter. When I set out to evaluate these seven umpire shirts I did not expect such a variety of different fabrics. All of the umpire shirts tested are made from some type of polyester fabric, however five of the shirts (The Official’s Choice, Cliff Keen, Ump-Attire, Dalco and Smitty Apparel) claim to be made from moisture wicking fabric.

The concept of moisture wicking clothing has been around a long time. The idea is to draw the moisture away from your skin to a place where it is either absorbed or can evaporate. An old hunter’s trick is to wear silk socks under wool socks. The silk socks wick away the moisture and the wool absorbs it.

Older polyester fabrics, like the disco shirts from the 1970s, did not breathe well which consequently trapped sweat and made Disco Stu into Stinky Stu. Early polyester clothing also tended to snag easily. Cotton breathes very well, but as every umpire knows cotton absorbs and holds moisture. The best sports fabrics are blends of high-tech polyester and cotton which use the best features of both: moisture wicking and breathability.

In the 1990s a Maryland Terrapins' football player tired of his soggy t-shirt worn under his football pads developed an undershirt that became the Under Armour brand. Under Armour (and all the copy-cat materials developed in its wake) wicks away sweat from your body so it can evaporate. Does it keep you cooler? I don’t know, but I can attest that my UA Heat Gear t-shirt keeps me feeling drier and more comfortable. I love my UA Heat Gear and recommend it to all umpires.

A moisture wicking undershirt is a great benefit, but that begs the question, “What benefit is provided by an outer layer of moisture wicking material?”

I asked this question to TUG (The Undershirt Guy) at UnderShirtGuy.com. TUG has done personal testing and review on undershirts and has this to say:

“I wouldn't say I'm an expert in moisture wicking technology, but from my research, it is my understanding that it would be better to have a single close/tight fitting moisture wicking product that would allow air to flow freely over the outer part of the garment to allow the wetness to dry out quicker. One thing to remember, if the garment is not tight fitting, the moisture from your body will not make contact with the garment and will not transfer to the outer layer of the fabric as effectively.

Also, from my personal experience, some moisture wicking materials dry much faster than others. I've had some that dry in 15-20 minutes and others that take hours to dry. So, these fabrics are definitely not all created equally. In the event you're interested, I've also been doing some additional research and have been finding evidence that moisture wicking products hold odor much more than other non-wicking materials like cotton so people have noticed, for example, that moisture wicking undershirts hold on to someone's B.O. a lot more than standard undershirts.”

Thanks to TUG, his research and his input. TUG has a number of informative articles on his site that are of interest to anyone sweating in the hot sun, including this one on moisture wicking undershirts:

http://www.undershirtguy.com/2008/06/13/moisture-wicking-undershirts-which-one-to-choose-and-why/

Testing and Measurements
Shoulder measurements were taken from the collar seam along the shoulder seam to the bottom of the sleeve. Chest measurements were taken from under the arm hole across the chest to the under the other arm hole.

To test breathability I used my wife’s hair dryer on cool setting to force air through the shirt onto my face. To weigh the shirts I used a postage scale. For the pricking test I ran a car key over the inside of the shirts to see if it would snag (and I wore each shirt with my Wilson Platinum chest protector). Unscientific? You bet! My apologies to the ghost of Lavoisier.

Now on to the review. . .

DALCO D260 UMPIRE SHIRT

Construction
The Dalco Umpire Shirt is one of five shirts made from moisture wicking material (the manufacturer description is “treated with Comfort Finish for moisture management”). I purchased this XXL shirt from a local retailer when asked to do a last minute USSSA softball tournament. It is one of two open-hole shirts in the review (the other is The Official’s Choice). The shirt performed poorly in the prick test and snagged frequently on my chest protector. The feel of the mesh is cheap and stiffer than the other shirts. The dimensions of this XXL shirt are quite large:
28.5” chest
28.5” bottom hem
19.5” shoulder

Breathability
As one of two open-hole shirts in this review, it is not surprising that the Dalco shirt performed extremely well in the breathability test, second only to the other open-hole shirt, The Official’s Choice.

Appearance
The shirt looks good although the open-hole design makes the shirt a little transparent. While not as transparent as The Official’s Choice shirt, a different undershirt shirt color will bleed through. The shirt performed adequately in the wrinkle test.

Weight
The Dalco shirt weighs 11 ounces and is surprisingly heavy for an open-hole shirt.

Value
Ump-Attire sells the Dalco D260 for $27.95.

$26.95 at CAT Sports

Final Rank: Last place
The Dalco shirt is cheaply made and costly. For the price of a Dalco D260 I can get a much nicer Gerry Davis Signature Shirt, or a Smitty Apparel Shirt and a Big Mac, or a shirt from The Official’s Choice and dinner at Applebee’s.


CLIFF KEEN MXS

Construction
The MXS stands for Moisture eXchange System and is one of the five shirts in this review made from moisture wicking fabric. The construction is fair, but with limited use shows wear faster than other shirts I have owned. The XL shirt dimensions are:
25” chest
25” bottom hem
19” shoulder

The Cliff Keen MXS accommodates a chest protector and fits me well enough on the bases. The Cliff Keen MXS feels “spongy” like a polyester shirt from the 70’s. The shirt construction is good and appears well-made around the seams. It is close-holed construction and the holes are very small. This shirt performed best in the prick test and the fabric is very soft and smooth (and spongy, did I mention that?).

Breathability
The Cliff Keen shirt performed the worst in the breathability test allowing almost no air through the fabric.

Appearance
This shirt looks good on the field, although it performed poorly in the wrinkle test.

Weight
The Cliff Keen MXS weighs in at 10 ounces - the middle of the pack in weight.

Value
A quick search for the Cliff Keen MXS found that it sells between $33.00-$36.00. This is a premium price for an umpire shirt:
$33.00 at Lester’s Upstate Sports

$36.00 on the Cliff Keen Website

$35.90 at Gerry Davis

Final Rank: 6th out of 7
I purchased this Cliff Keen MXS shirt from a local retailer last year when I needed a blank powder blue shirt for a few college softball fall games. I do not like the feel of this shirt or the lack of breathability. It is also one of the most expensive in the review. Even though it actually scores higher than the Dalco, it is my least favorite umpire shirt. A friend of mine owns this shirt and commented that the shirt stains easily and is hard to keep clean. Of course, maybe it’s my friend that is hard to keep clean.


THE OFFICIAL’S CHOICE

Construction
I have previously reviewed The Official’s Choice shirt. The shirt is open hole and made from a moisture wicking material the company calls “UmpDry.” I would rank the construction below average, but still very acceptable. The stitching is neither tight nor consistent and the seams are not as substantially bound (hey, I’m not a tailor, so please forgive my poor description. In simple terms the seams and stitching are not as “good” as other shirts). The Official’s Choice shirt performed poorly on the prick test although I have not had a problem with snagging with this shirt from my chest protector.

Be warned: The Official’s Choice shirts run large. The dimensions of the L shirt I tested are:
25” chest
25” bottom hem
18” shoulder

The XL measures:
25” chest
25” bottom hem
19” shoulders

Breathability
The Official’s Choice shirt performed the best in the breathability test. The open-hole design allowed the most airflow of the shirts tested. As discussed above, creating airflow is extremely important to the evaporation process.

Appearance
As detailed in my previous post, the open-hole design tends to show print underneath it and a different colored undershirt can bleed through. The shirt performed below average in the wrinkle test.

Weight
The Official’s Choice shirt weighs 8.75 ounces – the lightest of the shirts.

Value
These shirts are currently offered by The Official’s Choice starting at $19.84.

Final Rank: 5th place out of 7
Since the open-hole design has a greater “see-through” factor, I am reluctant to use this shirt behind the plate where the MLB emblem of my Wilson Platinum chest protector is plainly visible. However, my association requires a navy blue t-shirt under the navy blue baseball shirt, so I suspect this will be my favorite shirt for hot weather wear on the bases. As August rolls around, I might even talk myself in to using this shirt behind the plate. It is light weight, inexpensive, and very breathable. The bottom line is that I will purchase more of these shirts for hot weather wear.


HONIG’S MAJOR LEAGUE SHIRT

Construction
The Honig’s Major League Shirt is one of two shirts not made from moisture wicking material (the other is Gerry Davis). The holes are closed, but larger than other closed-hole shirts tested. After hundreds of ballgames I can personally attest to the durability of this shirt. However, this shirt does sometimes snag on my chest protector and performed below average in the prick test.

The Honig’s Major League Shirt is cut slimmer than other umpire shirts, but accommodates my chest protector adequately. The dimensions of the XL shirt I tested are:
24” chest
23” bottom hem
17” shoulder

Breathability
The Honig’s shirt performed surprisingly well during the breathability test and was the best of the closed-hole designs.

Appearance
The Honig’s navy baseball shirt is a lighter shade of navy blue than any other shirt tested. Since the shirt is cut a little slimmer it fits better and therefore looks better in the field. The shirt performed below average in the wrinkle test.

Weight
The Honig’s shirt weighs only 9.5 ounces, and tied with the Ump-Attire shirt as the second lightest shirt.

Value
These shirts are currently offered by Honig’s for $32.95. Honig’s also offers flat-rate ground shipping and 10% discounts for members of many associations.

Final Rank: 4th out of 7
Honig’s has a great reputation in the umpire community. Many umpires swear by the brand, including myself until conducting this review. Honig’s is a very good umpire shirt and its combination of light weight and breathability make it a good choice for year round work. On the other hand, it costs considerably more than other all-season shirts (like Smitty Apparel).


GERRY DAVIS SIGNATURE SHIRT

Construction
The Gerry Davis Signature Shirt is one of two shirts not made from moisture wicking material (the other is Honig’s). This shirt is actually manufactured by Cliff Keen. The holes are closed. This shirt has a very substantial feel to it and the stitching at the seams appears very well made. The Gerry Davis shirt was average during the prick test.

I described my frame (48” jacket, 5’10” 210#) to the folks at Gerry Davis and they sent me an XXL shirt. I wrote back before testing that I thought the shirt was a little large and was told that the shirt is “sized to accommodate your chest protector.” The dimensions of the XXL shirt I tested are:
27” chest
27“ bottom hem
18” shoulder

I found the XXL shirt obviously too large for me. Its dimensions are large, but not as large as the XXL Dalco reviewed here. Keep that in mind when ordering.

Breathability
The Gerry Davis shirt performed poorly in the breathability test.

Appearance
The Gerry Davis shirt is a sharp looking shirt. If looking your best is your only criteria, choose this shirt. It also performed surprisingly well in the wrinkle test.

Weight
The Gerry Davis shirt weighs 14 ounces, the heaviest shirt in this review and 5.25 ounces heavier than The Official’s Choice shirt.

Value
These shirts are currently offered by Gerry Davis for $25.90.

Final Rank: 3rd out of 7
Reading the above ranking might give the reader an impression that I dislike this shirt. Not so. The testing is heavily weighted to prefer shirts that perform well during hot summer days. But not all games are played in August. I remember playing in a snow storm during college when I couldn’t see the outfielders from the plate (yep, we got an official game in that day). I have also seen my share of snow, sleet, and freezing rain while umpiring. The Gerry Davis Signature shirt screams quality. It is also almost a half pound heavier than the other test shirts. I rank this shirt at the bottom of the list for a hot weather shirt, but at the top for cold weather.


SMITTY APPAREL UMPIRE SHIRT WITH COMFORTECH 100

Construction
The Smitty Apparel Umpire Shirt with ComforTech 100 is one of the five shirts made from moisture wicking material. It is a closed-hole design and well constructed. It also performed above average in the prick test and did not snag on my chest protector. The dimensions of the L shirt are:
23” chest
23.5” bottom hem
17.5 shoulder

The dimensions of the XL shirt are slimmer than most and very similar to Honig’s:
24” chest
25” bottom hem
17.5 shoulder

Breathability
The Smitty Apparel shirt performed average in the breathability test behind Honig’s and the two open-hole shirts (The Official’s Choice and Dalco).

Appearance
The shirt performed very well in the wrinkle test. In my opinion the Smitty Apparel shirt looks slightly better than the Cliff Keen shirt.

Weight
The Smitty Apparel shirt weighs 10.5 ounces and is in the middle of the pack.

Value
A quick search for the Smitty Apparel Umpire Shirt with ComforTech 100 found prices between $22.95-27.90:

$26.00 at The Official Call

$27.90 at Discount Umpire Gear

$22.95 at Ump-Attire


Final Rank: 2nd out of 7
I was pleasantly surprised by the Smitty Apparel shirt. At this price point I expected a cheaper quality shirt and did not expect it to perform as well during testing. Just like a scrappy middle infielder, the Smitty shirt just kept showing that it could do the job and hang with the big boys. It ended up second in the test, one point behind Ump-Attire, but over $10.00 cheaper in price than the Ump-Attire Ultimate Umpire Shirt.


UMP-ATTIRE ULTIMATE UMPIRE SHIRT

Construction
The Ump-Attire Ultimate Umpire Shirt is one of five shirts made from moisture wicking material. Jim Kirk, owner of Ump-Attire, reports an extensive process in the development of the Ultimate Umpire Shirt. It was important to Jim that these shirts withstand the rigors of umpiring and remain comfortable. He writes:

“What we found was a material used by the military that not only was comfortable and wicked moisture but also was wrinkle-free and most importantly could stand up to any metal or hard plastic rubbing against it. In other words, the fabric will not "pick".”

The holes are closed and the shirt is very well constructed. As Jim predicted, the shirt performed exceptionally well in the prick test and did not snag on my chest protector. The dimensions of this XL shirt are:
25.5” chest
25” bottom hem
18.5” shoulder

I like these dimensions on the plate. It is a little larger than the Honig’s shirt and accommodates my chest protector a little better.

Breathability
The Ump-Attire shirt performed below average in the breathability test.

Appearance
The shirt looks great and performed best in the wrinkle test. While I prefer the appearance of the Gerry Davis Signature Shirt, the Ultimate Umpire Shirt is a close second.

Weight
The Ump-Attire shirt weighs only 9.5 ounces, second lightest of all shirts (tied with Honig’s)

Value
Jim Kirk states that these shirts will be offered by Ump-Attire and sell for $32.95. That’s a competitive price with Cliff Keen and Honig’s for a nicer shirt.

Final Rank: First Place
The Ump-Attire Ultimate Umpire Shirt will be available in late March, 2009. Is this the ultimate umpire shirt? Well, after tallying all categories it scored the highest overall. This is definitely a quality shirt that was designed with care and attention to appeal to umpires across the board.

SCORES

Scale is 1 to 7; 7 being best

Weight

The Official's Choice 7, Ump-Attire 6, Honig's 6, Cliff Keen 4, Smitty Apparel 3, Dalco 2, Gerry Davis 1

Breathability

The Official's Choice 7, Dalco 6, Honig's 5, Smitty Apparel 4, Ump-Attire 3, Gerry Davis 2, Cliff Keen 1

Construction

Gerry Davis 7, Smitty Apparel 6, Ump-Attire 5, Honig's 5, Cliff Keen 3, The Official's Choice 2, Dalco 1

Value

Smitty Apparel 7, Gerry Davis 6, The Official's Choice 5, Ump-Attire 4, Honig's 3, Dalco 2, Cliff Keen 1

Appearance

Gerry Davis 7, Ump-Attire 6, Smitty Apparel 5, Cliff Keen 4, Honig's 3, Dalco 2, The Official's Choice 1

Prick Test

Cliff Keen 7, Ump-Attire 6, Smitty Apparel 5, Gerry Davis 4, Honig's 3, The Official's Choice 2, Dalco 1

Wrinkle Test
Ump-Attire 7, Smitty Apparel 6, Gerry Davis 6, Dalco 4,Honig's 3, The Official's Choice 3, Cliff Keen 1

Total

1. Ump-Attire (37)

2. Smitty Apparel (36)

3. Gerry Davis (33)
4. Honig’s (28)
5. The Official’s Choice (27)
6. Cliff Keen (21)
7. Dalco (18)

CONCLUSION AND FINAL THOUGHTS
I encountered a few surprises in writing this article. As stated the first surprise was the different moisture wicking materials used in these shirts. I was also surprised by the differences in weight and breathability. Finally, I was surprised that the quality of construction was actually very similar – none of these shirts will fall apart on you.

So which is the best shirt? For me I found the answer to this question depends on the weather. The best cold weather shirt is undoubtedly the Gerry Davis Signature Shirt which is heavy, does not breathe well (a plus in cold weather), and costs only $25.90. A close second is the Ump-Attire shirt with a $32.95 price tag.

In warm to hot weather I would choose the Smitty Apparel shirt for its decent breathability, wrinkle resistance, solid marks across the board, and very low cost ($22.95). Note that the weight difference between Smitty Apparel, Honig’s, and Ump-Attire is merely one ounce.

In the dog days of August I choose The Official’s Choice shirt at under 9 ounces for its open-hole mesh design and superior breathability. It is also the cheapest shirt in the review at $19.84. When its 98 degrees, no wind, and high humidity, I’ll take the lightest and most breathable shirt I can find. The Official’s Choice is the ideal shirt for that day.