Catchers helmet/added concussion protection

Hockey style helmets shed the ball by design a traditional over the skull cap facemask is flat across the mask and you'll eat a lot more shots. It's nearly impossible to get a dead straight shot in a hockey helmet. That said the forehead is always fair game

In my opinion the EForce needs a lot of work to be a game changer

Force 3 Defender V2 (small)...
https://i.imgur.com/DsdiHEA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZQzUTX3.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/dJp5O2K.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/aqG5ZqZ.jpg

Lots of good safety features going on here, as previously discussed. For head protection, this is a step better than the Wilson Shock FX2.0 (IMO).

My DD's opinion..."It's way too big" (outside). "The cage sticks out too far." "It looks weird." "The chin pad is too big." Granted, she kind of had her mind made up about it before she even opened the box, but she confirmed her feelings when she saw it in person. For her, it's a no go. If she was 10yo, I might be able to force the issue. At 14yo, not a chance.

I have an All-Star helmet on the way. I hope we can make it work for her. Otherwise, I'm going to be living in fear every time she steps on the field with her current helmet, and hopeful the new Easton Pro-X is the answer once it's actually available.

With the couple of serious knocks she has taken might be in her best interest to atleast try it out even if it's practices. (Mine is 14 also I know the stubborn beast you speak of lol)
Not just one and throw it to the side but a couple. In my opinion it would be just like wearing glasses at first all you can see is the frames sure you can see better but the frames get down right annoying then your eyes adjust and you dont see them.
Get one of her pitchers to do some side work with her you know pitchers always want to throw.

Just a thought till a better design she likes comes out.

Just looked at the pictures.
It looks nowhere near as far out as the one on their website. Maybe it's the cage color difference

burlap1980 said:

With the couple of serious knocks she has taken might be in her best interest to atleast try it out even if it's practices. (Mine is 14 also I know the stubborn beast you speak of lol)
Not just one and throw it to the side but a couple. In my opinion it would be just like wearing glasses at first all you can see is the frames sure you can see better but the frames get down right annoying then your eyes adjust and you dont see them.
Get one of her pitchers to do some side work with her you know pitchers always want to throw.

Just a thought till a better design she likes comes out.

Click to expand...

That's an idea, but it will go nowhere with my DD right now. Also, I need to return one of the two new helmets I just bought. I can't afford to keep both.

burlap1980 said:

Just looked at the pictures.
It looks nowhere near as far out as the one on their website. Maybe it's the cage color difference

Click to expand...

That was my first thought, too. I don't know if it's just a difference between the small and large sizes, or if this is typical. It may also have to do with color.

My DD has used the Shock FX 2 for a while. She broke her royal blue one (SITTING ON IT! GRRRRR!) and I went with Force 3 to replace it. It was the earlier version of their mask. DD found it heavier and bigger than the Wilson but she got used to it.

I have no doubt the new version of the Force 3 is the safest helmet on the market, but I wonder if they have gone a bridge too far with the design. I don't think DD or DS would be happy wearing the new model and I get it.

https://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Silver-Baseball-Catchers-Helmet/dp/B0062HH3FK?th=1&psc=1

This is the low end Wilson Shock 2. It has the side mount shock absorbers and a single mount at the forehead. My DD likes this helmet, but it's getting old and I want to replace it.

What opinions do people have on this one?

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

My DD tried the All-Star helmet last night and complained about the location of the horizontal bar being in her line of vision right where her mitt is (a complaint she has had before about the All-Star). Apparently, she doesn't realize that her neck is a flexible joint. Bottom line is that she is sticking with an excuse to not use the All-Star. For now, it looks like my DD will be continuing to use her Easton Mako II. Not ideal.

After arguing about the All-Star for a while, I went back to the video of her most recent impact to see if I could learn anything from it...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMQK2kWQDVQ

The ball impacted the top of the cage above the right eye, not just a clean shot to the shell at the forehead. Being that this helmet has cage mounts at the forehead (with little bumpers), much of that impact energy got transferred directly to the forehead area. I've looked at how I can improve the cage mounting before, but never came up with a good answer. I went after it again with renewed determination.

Original configuration...https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81dQ5lzKitL._SY450_.jpg

New configuration, with forehead mounts eliminated...


I started by just removing the forehead cage clamps, but the cage remained pretty close to the shell, creating the likelihood of impact energy still being transferred into the forehead. Also, since the remaining clamps were all facing the same direction, the cage could be pushed up and down with moderate ease - not ideal. By rotating the rear mounts 90 degrees, I was able to shift the cage away from the shell along the forehead a little bit, and have secure attachment of the cage to the shell. It took some effort to get the screws to line up in the holes, but it worked. The cage is in a tiny bit different location, but Maddie gave it the thumbs-up.

I consider this a small improvement to this helmet, but I am still looking for a better helmet that works for her. Until we find it, this will have to suffice.

KCPhoto said:

https://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Silver-Baseball-Catchers-Helmet/dp/B0062HH3FK?th=1&psc=1

This is the low end Wilson Shock 2. It has the side mount shock absorbers and a single mount at the forehead. My DD likes this helmet, but it's getting old and I want to replace it.

What opinions do people have on this one?

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

All of the Wilson Shock helmets were ahead of the curve. They took a step backwards with the Pro Stock gear. As we have been discussing in this thread, the best option on the market right now for protective features is the Force 3 Defender V2. Next best would probably be the All-Star MVP2500-series.

Thanks to all the catcher's dads for posting their tips. For those who have eliminated the forehead mounts, has DD had any trouble getting their catching helmet pass equipment check at the beginning of a tournament? Most of the time, do they even notice the modifications?