I've heard comments about the velcro on the Schutt Scorpion becoming an issue. Redhotcoach mentioned doing regular maintenance of scrubbing out the velcro areas with a brush to keep it working properly.
Time for New Gear is Approaching....
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I've heard comments about the velcro on the Schutt Scorpion becoming an issue. Redhotcoach mentioned doing regular maintenance of scrubbing out the velcro areas with a brush to keep it working properly.
- Apr 1, 2010
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I just wanted to mention that you don't have to limit yourself to helmet, protector and leg guards of all one brand. If your DD should happen to fall in love with one maker's chest protector, but hate the guards, for example, there's no law that says you can't mix and match.
Before her team gave her free Worth gear, DD had a Rawlings helmet, Wilson chest protector and All Star system 7 leg guards. She also tended to only grow out of one piece at a time, so each time we just went out and found the nicest replacement for that one piece. However, that might be more effective at the younger ages.
My DD is in the same size and age group as yours now. The Worth gear is nice, but the women's helmet's a little big and the women's chest guard's a little short IMO. The intermediate size leg guards fit well.
Before her team gave her free Worth gear, DD had a Rawlings helmet, Wilson chest protector and All Star system 7 leg guards. She also tended to only grow out of one piece at a time, so each time we just went out and found the nicest replacement for that one piece. However, that might be more effective at the younger ages.
My DD is in the same size and age group as yours now. The Worth gear is nice, but the women's helmet's a little big and the women's chest guard's a little short IMO. The intermediate size leg guards fit well.
Height/Weight aren't clear indicators of what size gear you need. Most manufacture's size their gear youth/intermediate/adult. The only problem is that nearly every manufacturer interprets these "sizes" differently. An intermediate shin guard will be 14.5 inches long for one manufacturer and 15 to 16 inches for another! You need to measure shins and chest. I have instructions on ACC's Facebook page
Under Armour, All Star, Easton, Rawlings, Diamond, TPX, Wilson, and Schutt all have very good equipment. If you go with Easton, stick with only the Mako shin guards. Other models have inferior patella protection. My daughter just got a new Easton Synergy chest protector and Rival Face Mask. Her shin guards are Schutt S3 Multi-Flex models. I also use the Schutt Multi-Flex shin guards. I removed the third knee while Mackenzie likes using the third knee. Schutt has upgraded to plastic snap connectors in lieu of velcro. Some folks don't like the limited vertical adjustments. Don't be afraid to mix and match. Rawlings shin guards are very heavy duty and have some of the best patella padding on the market. Wilson's gear is solid head to toe. Some models of Under Armour and All Star have vertical seams in the abdomen. This is bad for blocked balls as they deflect to the side rather than straight down. If you get the chance, try on as much gear as you can. There's a lot of great stuff out there!
I have my catchers model their new gear so if you check out the Album page and scroll down, you will see a lot of different gear and see how it fits.
One last note, for a few years now Mizuno has had extremely stiff padding on their chest protectors. When a catcher blocks a hard pitch in the dirt, the ball impacting the chest protector is felt right through the padding has has bruised some catchers. This is even a bigger issue with fastpitch catchers as you may well understand. I can't yet recommend their chest protectors.
-Chaz
Under Armour, All Star, Easton, Rawlings, Diamond, TPX, Wilson, and Schutt all have very good equipment. If you go with Easton, stick with only the Mako shin guards. Other models have inferior patella protection. My daughter just got a new Easton Synergy chest protector and Rival Face Mask. Her shin guards are Schutt S3 Multi-Flex models. I also use the Schutt Multi-Flex shin guards. I removed the third knee while Mackenzie likes using the third knee. Schutt has upgraded to plastic snap connectors in lieu of velcro. Some folks don't like the limited vertical adjustments. Don't be afraid to mix and match. Rawlings shin guards are very heavy duty and have some of the best patella padding on the market. Wilson's gear is solid head to toe. Some models of Under Armour and All Star have vertical seams in the abdomen. This is bad for blocked balls as they deflect to the side rather than straight down. If you get the chance, try on as much gear as you can. There's a lot of great stuff out there!
I have my catchers model their new gear so if you check out the Album page and scroll down, you will see a lot of different gear and see how it fits.
One last note, for a few years now Mizuno has had extremely stiff padding on their chest protectors. When a catcher blocks a hard pitch in the dirt, the ball impacting the chest protector is felt right through the padding has has bruised some catchers. This is even a bigger issue with fastpitch catchers as you may well understand. I can't yet recommend their chest protectors.
-Chaz
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Just an FYI, the Mako gear that is currently out now is for baseball (not that you couldn't use it for softball if it works/fits). The FEMALE specific gear will be coming out in September of this year-per Jen Schro-Buchan who is an Easton Rep and former UCLA catcher. Some of you are probably familiar with her.
My dd just got new gear, we went with the easton rival helmet and synge chest protector/shin guards. She has only practiced in it. Her old gear was Mizuno samauri and Chaz is right about the stiff padding in the chest protector. DD loves her new Synge chest protector and leg guards so far-we will see this weekend when she plays a game in it for the first time.
My dd just got new gear, we went with the easton rival helmet and synge chest protector/shin guards. She has only practiced in it. Her old gear was Mizuno samauri and Chaz is right about the stiff padding in the chest protector. DD loves her new Synge chest protector and leg guards so far-we will see this weekend when she plays a game in it for the first time.
DD loves her Schutt S3 leg guards and Schutt's customer service has been great. They sent us several sets of replacement gel knee packs when the original ones become mis-shapen (the replacement ones were designed completely differently and are a huge improvement).
She also loves her Wilson ProMotion fastpitch chest protector. She forgets she has it on sometimes.
Her Easton Rival mask has worked well for her, although she hasn't complained about it or raved about it.
(BTW, none of the gear mentioned is in that avatar pic. Guess I need to update that soon!)
She also loves her Wilson ProMotion fastpitch chest protector. She forgets she has it on sometimes.
Her Easton Rival mask has worked well for her, although she hasn't complained about it or raved about it.
(BTW, none of the gear mentioned is in that avatar pic. Guess I need to update that soon!)
DD has the Daimond ix-3 helmet and chest protector with the Easton Mako shin guards. She absolutely loves her gear. We switched out her shin-guards for the Makos after 6 monthts or so since the Daimonds weren't comfortable for her.
VA Chris
Actually Read the Rules
Thanks for all the feedback.
We are pretty close to pulling the trigger on the following set up:
Chest Protector: Rawlings CP950X
Leg Protectors: Rawlings LG950X
Helmet: Rawlings HLCH1S or All-Star MVP2500TT
Any reviews on this particular set up? The knock I have read about on the Rawlings helmet is the chin pad. Apparently it needs a little adjustment or even replacement. For $125 I am thinking plug and play should be in order. One suggestion I heard was to buy the Rawlings helmet and replace the chin padding with All-Star padding.
Thanks for any suggestions or feedback.
We are pretty close to pulling the trigger on the following set up:
Chest Protector: Rawlings CP950X
Leg Protectors: Rawlings LG950X
Helmet: Rawlings HLCH1S or All-Star MVP2500TT
Any reviews on this particular set up? The knock I have read about on the Rawlings helmet is the chin pad. Apparently it needs a little adjustment or even replacement. For $125 I am thinking plug and play should be in order. One suggestion I heard was to buy the Rawlings helmet and replace the chin padding with All-Star padding.
Thanks for any suggestions or feedback.
waukeshahurricanes
Hurricanes Island
- Sep 12, 2011
- 62
- 0
My Daughter us on her 2nd set of Mizuno the helmet has the most padding thinking concussions here? The shins have gel in the knee cap area also. IMO the schutt helmets are poor in the padding department, also the vision out of the Mizuno is way better that all star I use all star for umpiring and when its time I will go to a Mizuno mask due too vision!
My DD received her new Schutt S3 legs on Saturday. She was very excited by how light and comfortable they were, and proceeded to wear them for the rest of the afternoon while playing in the backyard and watching TV. She is also going to try doing without the knee savers she has been using with her Easton legs.
Every Rawlings mask my DDs have used (and there have been several) has required frequent cleaning/replacement of the chin padding. It's easy to do, thankfully. They make a leather version and a nylon covered version and they stick into the mask with Velcro.
The best masks we've found to date after trying the Rawlings, Mizuno, and Easton, is the Wilson Shock FX 2.0. Comfortable padding, great visibility, and the little shock absorbers in the mask really do work well. Only complaint is the rear padding came off of the first one my oldest DD had, but Wilson replaced the entire mask free of charge.
My oldest wears Wilson ProMotion gear now, and the youngest wears Mizuno Samurai because it fits her better than the Wilson did. Best advice is to try on everything you can and find the best fitting gear for your DD.
The best masks we've found to date after trying the Rawlings, Mizuno, and Easton, is the Wilson Shock FX 2.0. Comfortable padding, great visibility, and the little shock absorbers in the mask really do work well. Only complaint is the rear padding came off of the first one my oldest DD had, but Wilson replaced the entire mask free of charge.
My oldest wears Wilson ProMotion gear now, and the youngest wears Mizuno Samurai because it fits her better than the Wilson did. Best advice is to try on everything you can and find the best fitting gear for your DD.
