Review of Ump-Attire.com XL Ultimate Umpire Ball Bag

A few weeks ago Ump-Attire.com introduced its XL Ultimate Umpire Ball Bag. Ump-Attire.com owner, Jim Kirk, wrote about the development of this new product on his blog, Officially Un-Official.

I must say that I was somewhat (*yawn*) underwhelmed by the announcement. I use two Ultimate Umpire Ball Bags on the field for every game. They are solid, reliable, and in 2009 received an UMPY Award for Accessory of the Year. I mean, if it's not broke, why mess with it?

Ump-Attire sent me a navy blue XL Ultimate Umpire Ball Bag in the mail (Jim, don't you know that black goes with everything?). It sat in its wrapper for a couple weeks until I broke it out today to take a look. Here is what I discovered:

Just the Facts

Ultimate on top, XL on bottom

What you know is the bag is bigger. The XL is 1-1/4 inch wider than the Ultimate. The belt loops have been redesigned. The loops are 3/8 of an inch wider. The belt loop opening is 1/2 inch wider and tapered to prevent bunching. The lengths of the XL and the Ultimate are the same: 13-1/4 inches.

What you don't know is what has changed inside the bag. A continuous layer of nylon is used throughout the interior. This is a big improvement as now the entire interior is waterproof. The added nylon also gives the XL a stiffer feel, and helps the bag lay flat.

The interior pockets have been redesigned. The large pocket on the XL is 1/8 inch slimmer than the Ultimate. The smaller pocket has been reduced 3/8 inch. The pen pocket is 1/4 inch slimmer and 1/4 inch shallower than the Ultimate.

XL Ultimate Umpire Ball Bag

Commentary

The adjustments to the interior pockets was a surprise. I do like that the pen pocket is now 1/4 shallower, so the pocket no longer completely swallows my ink pen. The other adjustments are not welcomed. I keep my brush, lineup card holder, pen, and indicator inside my two ball bags. While everything still fits inside the XL, the narrower pockets makes it harder to access items. It is confusing why these pockets were narrowed when the bag was widened.

Ultimate Umpire Ball bag

The XL can easily hold six baseballs. I placed three baseball inside the XL and three baseballs inside the Ultimate for comparison. At first the difference between the two bags was negligible (see pictures). I was expecting the taper at the belt loop to prevent bunching on the XL, but what I found after testing was that the extra width of the belt loop actually increased bunching more than the Ultimate. Additionally, the opening on the XL sagged more than the Ultimate. The fit around the Ultimate's belt loop is tighter and the overall appearance of the Ultimate was simply better than the XL.

Fair or Foul?

While I do not prefer the XL over the Ultimate Umpire Ball Bag, my call on the Ump-Attire.com XL Ultimate Umpire Ball Bag is FAIR. The fully lined nylon interior and stiffer/flatter design are terrific improvements, and I personally prefer the shallower pen pocket. I hope these features are soon offered in both the Ultimate and the XL Ultimate. The XL also tends to sag and bunch more than the Ultimate. However, when compared to other ball bags on the market, the XL is an outstanding choice.

As a final note, the increased sagging at the opening of the XL may be inevitable. The cloth/nylon fabric will sag against the weight of the baseballs, so the umpire trades a larger bag for greater sag. The bunching around the belt loop may be avoided by decreasing the size of the loop opening.

Hot Internet Deals - Ump-Attire's Moving Sale Blowout!

Ump-Attire has just announced a "moving sale," special deals on many of the best umpire equipment items on the market! Owner Jim Kirk tells me that there is a limited supply of certain sizes, so act quickly! Below are some of the outstanding deals:

Wilson 10" Dyna Lite Inner Deerskin Padding Umpire Mask (A3009X)

This mask is made of hollow core steel in a standard profile - very durable! It features a harness with MLB logo with pads made of PU leather outer and full grain inner. These are my personal pads of choice and the leather is very soft and comfortable. Sale priced at $42.99, this mask is a steal and highly recommended.



Diamond iX3 Umpire Shin Guards (DLGiX3)

These guards are a very, very good choice for umpires at any level. Diamond's iX3 line is battle-tested and proven. These shin guards have a floating lower knee cap for better flexibility and metal J-hooks that will not break off if struck by a foul ball (been there, done that!). Weighing only around 2 pounds the iX3 guards are a good combination of protection and comfort. At a sale price of $42.99, choosing these guards is a no-brainer.


Champro Pro-Plus Magnesium Umpire Mask (CM58)

Last year the Champro Pro-Plus Magnesium Umpire Mask won an U.M.P.Y. Award for best traditional mask. It is also my personal mask of choice. The Champro Pro-Plus is amazingly light at less than one pound with pads and harness, and currently the reigning champ as lightest mask on the market. The Champro Pro Plus Magnesium Umpire Mask is currently on sale for $74.99.


Wilson West Vest Platinum Umpire Chest Protector (A3215)

The Wilson Platinum Chest Protector is also discounted to $124.99. Ump-Attire is selling both the 12" and hard-to-find 10.75" models. The Wilson Platinum was also the 2009 U.M.P.Y. Award winner for best chest protector. Built like a tank, this protector is top of the line. This price beats any on-line price.


For more information and discounted items, visit Ump-Attire. Jim tells me that he has other special discounts planned during this off-season, so check back with Ump-Attire, Umpire-Empire, and Midwest Ump often for the best deals in umpire equipment.

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.

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.

Ultimate Ball Bag versus Dry-Lo Ball Bag

Today’s post looks at two exceptional ball bags: The Ultimate Ball Bag from Ump-Attire and the Dry-Lo Ball Bag sold by Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring. Click on the images for a closer look at the front, rear, and inside of the bags.

Ultimate Ball Bag
Price: $17.95
Dimensions: H: 12 ¾” Bottom: 10 ¾” Top 10 ¾”
Pocket Depth: 5 ½”
Pocket Width: 3 ½”, 4 ½” and one pencil pocket
Large Zippered Rear Pocket: H: 9 ¾” W: 8 ¾”

The Ultimate Ball Bag is not tapered. The Ump-Attire website states that the Ultimate Ball Bag is “Handmade by Amish craftsmen in Kentucky, U.S.A.” How cool is that? The bag is made from twill fabric with a nylon interior on the pant side to prevent the transfer of moisture. Most seams are double stitched where you need it most.

Dry-Lo Ball Bag
Price: $14.95 (two for $24.95)
Dimensions: H: 12 ¾” Bottom:12” Top: 11 ¼”
Pocket Depth: 5”
Pocket Width: 4”, 4” and one pencil pocket

The Dry-Lo Ball Bag is slightly tapered and made from 100% polyester fabric. The back side is made from a different polyester fabric and is water resistant. The entire bag is single stitched and “is bonded with a special high strength glue under more than a ton of pressure” according to the Jim Evan’s website.

Impressions
These are both great quality bags. The Ultimate Ball Bag is slightly smaller than the Dry-Lo Ball Bag and the Dry-Lo is slightly tapered. Does it matter? I really can’t say because I’ve only used tapered ball bags in the past (most recently from Honig’s). I have never had a problem with losing baseballs.

My plate brush fit snugly in both 4” pockets of the Dry-Lo bag, but it was accommodated better in the 4 1/2” Ultimate Ball Bag pocket. My plate brush would not fit in the Ultimate’s 3 ½” pocket, so the brush goes either right-hand front or left-hand rear on the second bag. I also did not like the deeper pen pocket in the Ultimate. I grabbed five pens out of my desk drawer and all of them were 5 ½” or shorter. I absolutely hate fishing for a pen in my ball bag. That is really a small complaint and easily overcome (longer pen, stuff the pocket, etc.), but it is something that I recognized, so I’ll pass along the observation.

The Ultimate Ball Bag has a rear zippered pocket and the Dry-Lo does not. However, the water resistant fabric is not between your leg and the bag, so paper could potentially get wet by rain or perspiration. I also wonder what I would put in there. . . a rule book? Old School Mattel Electronics Baseball? Tic Tacs?


Which is better? Both are super. The Ultimate appears better made, although I prefer the features of the Dry-Lo (two 4” wide pockets, waterproof shell between my pant leg and the bag, tapered design). I guess the bottom line is that, for me, it is a coin-flip.

***FIELD TEST RESULTS - DRY-LO***

I have used the Dry-Lo exclusively for the past few weeks and will be using the Ultimate exclusively for the next few weeks. My experience with the Dry-Lo has been less-than-positive:

1. the corners curl outward when holding balls;

2. the single stitching on one of the belt loops has began pulling away and unraveling after only a few games; and

3. the inside pockets are too narrow and I find it difficult to remove my plate brush.

As I said, I will be field testing the Ultimate over the next few weeks and then I will post my "field test" impressions of the Ultimate.

***FIELD TEST RESULTS - ULTIMATE***

O.K. I have field tested the Ultimate during several games and now conclude it is absolutely superior to the Dry-Lo. Honestly, I still have not found a use for the zipper compartment, but it is nice to know it is there if needed. The untapered design does not seem to be an issue and baseballs stay in place. I especially like the increased size of the inside pocket for my plate brush for easy access. I worked in rain last night and the baseballs remained dry in the bag.

The Ultimate Ball Bag from Ump-Attire looks good, is durable, and keeps contents dry. The highest praise I can give this bag is that I don't think about it at all while working the plate. It is dependable and functions flawlessly - like a great piece of gear should.

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.