Recommendation for Team Helmets

[tomzpc]

Recommendations for Team Helmets?

Our new U12 travel team is in the market for batting helmets. Have heard good things about the Schutt Air-7 fitted helmets. Noticed that Schutt doesn't have the air-7 on their site anymore though

The RIP-IT helmets are intriguing as well. Softball Batting Helmets Read a good comment or two on them somewhere before as well.

We definitely want helmets that fit well, meaning none of the inexpensive one size fits all youth models that I see in local stores. Wondering also about the ones that come with the adjustable knob in back and if they are good. I think Rawlings or Easton makes those?

Any and all thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[YOCOACH]

About 2 weeks ago I bought DD a new Easton Stealth Grip Two-Tone helmet. It's one of the adjustable helmets in your OP.

PROS: Well built
Well padded
Adjustable
Very comfortable according to DD
Good selection of colors and very good looking.

CONS: Couldn't find a combo deal so I had to buy the facemask separate and install it myself which means it's a little pricey and requires some work. However, I wasn't buying for a whole team, didn't get a discount and there are other models which aren't quite as expensive. The only real difference between the Stealth Grip-it and the Natural Grip-It is the style of interior padding. The Natural Grip-it model can be bought in a combo for about the same price as the Stealth alone on most websites.

 

[Westwind]

I just went through the helmet buying process for a 10u team.

Talked to alot of girls who wore 'em all. Can't go wrong with the Rip-it, Schutte, Mizuno, Worth or Easton. All come in sizes, not one size fits none.

We got the rip-its. The decision came down to fit. Rip-it had the smallest small. For 10u we still had to order additional thickness padding kits to get a couple of the smaller girls fitted. They came from Worth I think. Think we have them all in helmets that fit now.

Rip-it comes with the mask. In my opinion it is the best mask out there for weight and vision. Rip-it still gives the same coverage of the face. Look at some of the masks- they look like football masks. I don't feel it is necessary.

My older daughter plays 14u and loved younger sis' Rip-it. She has worn Rawlings One Size Fits None helmets three years running due to team requirements. I despise them. I'm also not fond of the Rawlings mask. I retrofitted the Rawlings helmets with Rip-it masks which do help her vision.

As far as appearance, the Mizuno's had a really cool looking flat color scheme but the smallest Mizuno was a touch bigger than the smallest Rip-it so it didn't work for our 10u.

Good luck. It is my opinion that that a helmet that fits is one of the most under valued pieces of equipment you can buy. It affects both hitting and base running.

 

[KmFastpitch]

My team just bought RIP-IT Helmets. We bought them through http://www.fastpitchsales.com and they have team pricing where if you buy 6 or more helmets you get 20% off your purchase with free shipping and then everyone on your team then gets 20% off any bat purchase for a year. greatest thing ever!

 

[tomzpc]

My team just bought RIP-IT Helmets. We bought them through Softball & Baseball Gear - Easton, DeMarini, RIP-IT & More - Fastpitchsales.com and they have team pricing where if you buy 6 or more helmets you get 20% off your purchase with free shipping and then everyone on your team then gets 20% off any bat purchase for a year. greatest thing ever!

That's a good price for those helmets...brings them from $50 per to $40.

Just looked at their bat prices though and the ones I checked were 25% more expensive than justbats.com who also offers free shipping. Thanks for the helmet link and tip though.

 

[KmFastpitch]

Never noticed this! I think I'll shoot them an email letting them know and see if they match prices.

 

[tomzpc]

Never noticed this! I think I'll shoot them an email letting them know and see if they match prices.

I did only check two bats (Easton Synge and one other) so it may not be consistent. Only reason I checked right of way is that I always order my kids bats from justbats.com and recommend them to all of my team's parents not only for their prices but also for their free shipping, so I was curious. Still don't think I'll be able to beat the $40 price for those helmets if we decide to go with the Rip-Its though. I'd like to get some feedback from people who have been using the Rip-it helmets for a year or more first though.

 

[Westwind]

Our locally owned sports store was $44 and I was able to take a couple brands of helmets to practice for fitting before ordering and to let the girls give input. I love to buy on the net but it sure is nice to get help/advice/look at in person before ordering. Advice time- do your homework, give them one or two to pick from.Too many choices makes your job harder.

 

[tomzpc]

Our locally owned sports store was $44 and I was able to take a couple brands of helmets to practice for fitting before ordering and to let the girls give input. I love to buy on the net but it sure is nice to get help/advice/look at in person before ordering. Advice time- do your homework, give them one or two to pick from.Too many choices makes your job harder.

So what did you end up going with?

 

[Westwind]

We got the Rip-its.