Umpire Masks & Helmets Buying Guide

Note: Look for red italics for important safety warnings.

Picking the right umpire mask or helmet depends on what you want out of your umpire headgear. Find the header below that reflects what matters the most to you:

• Protection
• Lightweight
• Comfort
• Vision
• Value

You'll also find information below on: Sizing | Replacement Pads & Parts | Throat Guards | Sun Visors | Caps Related

Protection

In general, umpire helmets protect best due to their 360 degree protection. Backswings at all levels and balls from the backstop at some parks do happen. Helmets also deflect more force when balls impact the sides due to their extreme angles. However, helmets will be hotter, heavier and more cumbersome to manage than masks - so they take more getting used to.

WARNING: Not all umpire helmets are built the same. Entry level helmets, not provided here, have thin shells and padding. 

Of umpire helmets the most protective helmet tested for baseballs at 100 MPH are the:

• Force3 Diamond Defender (F3's latest) 
  • Patented shock suspension system, non-attached frame and kevlar-lined pads all combine to reduce more force on frontal impacts

• All-Star MVP5 (All-Star's latest) 
  
  • Deflexion technology made of durable TPR Shock Hammocks placed along the forehead and chin to isolate your dome from the energy caused by direct impacts.
    

Of umpire masks, the most protective are below with reasons listed for the protection upgrade:

• All-Star Magnesium Masks
  Unique ABS insert is in the bottom pad; bottom pad is extended; angled top pad provides optimal vision but only allows for a 4-stitch cap or skull cap; angles within no-weld frame for more deflection; multiple frame and pad color options; lightest of those with most protection
  
  
• Force3 Defender Masks
  Double-frame shock absorption springs with advanced padding technology that includes kevlar; Added weight absorbs more force but does take some getting used to by most; multiple frame and pad color options
  
  
• Wilson Aluminum Dyna-Lite Masks with Wrap-Around Padding
  Wrap-arounds are thickest pads and protect from the frame that could move on impact; thicker padding will sacrifice closer vision; limited frame and padding color options

In the middle-tier of protection are:

• All-Star System 7 Masks
  More substantial padding and hollow steel for greater flexibility
• Diamond Big League Masks (Best overall value of these 4)
  Aluminum is more flexible, thick padding and U-bar for balls that skim the top of your head.
• Wilson Dyna-Lite Steel Masks
  Thicker padding and steel weight absorbs more force. (The memory foam padding option will add to comfort but will be less protective than standard Wilson leather pad options.)

In the lower tier:

• Champro CM72-B Mask: Great beginner's mask at lower youth levels.
• Diamond iX3: This is a great mask at youth levels. Its frame set the standard in aluminum mask frames, plus it has a U-bar at the top. However, you'll want a padding upgrade at high school or above. If you do add Wilson Wrap-Around Pads and you'll get a nice protection upgrade.
• Wilson Aluminum with Memory Foam (Most Popular of These 4): Lighter weight and less dense pads mean superior comfort but with less protection than that of thicker and/or denser Wilson padding options and steel frames.
• Wilson Titanium: Titanium does not give as much as Aluminum, Magnesium or Steel. Therefore, more force is transferred in titanium than the other metals. You sacrifice protection to get great vision.

Supplemental Head Protection
For an additional layer of protection, consider All-Star's Hard Shell Skull Cap with a shorter bill designed just for umpires instead of your traditional umpire cap. After several years on the market, most umpires say the All-Star skull cap fits more snugly and comfortable on the plate and is worth the upgrade. Read reviews of each as you consider this valuable protective add-on when you wear a traditional umpire mask.

  

Lightest Weight
The umpire helmets that are the lightest in weight are:

• Wilson Pro Stock Titanium - 2.2 lbs (extremely lightweight for an umpire helmet)
• Wilson Pro Stock Steel - 2.5 lbs
• Mizuno Silver Samurai G4 - 2.9 lbs
• All-Star System 7 (Gloss or Matte Black) - 3.3 lbs

Of umpire masks, you'll find that every brand claims to have a Dyna-Lite, super-light or featherweight mask, but what's true is that most mask frames now are made of some lightweight material. Our traditional style masks are just under 1.0 to 1.6 lbs (without harness - harnesses typically weigh around 0.3 lbs). A few ounces may not sound like much, but your neck might appreciate a lighter mask over several hours of plate work.

See the complete blog for Best Lightweight Umpire Masks.

BEST IN COMFORT

In umpire helmets, comfort is in the head of the beholder. Within brands, the higher model has padding upgrades and/or is lighter making it more comfortable than the lower. For example:

• All-Star: MVP5 > MVP2500
• Wilson Pro Stock: Titanium > Steel

Umpire masks with leather padding (most Wilson masks on steel or titanium frames and Diamond Big League) are more comfortable and better absorb perspiration.

The soft synthetic pads in Wilson Aluminum Dyna-Lite Masks with memory foam pads and Diamond featherweight wick away perspiration. As a result, none of these will slide around your face as you perspire.

Lighter color pads such as tan have the added benefit of being cooler in hotter conditions.

It is difficult to separate the comfort of padding on your face from the lighter weight of the mask when you are talking about overall comfort.

The top 3 in comfort when combining comfortable padding in a lighter weight mask are:

1. Wilson Aluminum with Memory Foam
2. Diamond iX3
3. All-Star System 7

Best Vision

You would be surprised to know that traditional umpire helmets have better vision than umpire masks. The helmets' angled frames sit closer to the face from all sides.

Of umpire helmets, the best for vision are 1-2:

1. Wilson Helmets: Better vision sacrifices space. If you have a big head or want to wear glasses under your helmet, the Wilson helmets are not for you.
2. All-Star Helmets: Roomier for larger heads. Should have no problem wearing glasses or sunglasses underneath.

In umpire masks, the best vision ones have a trade-off in protection and vice-versa:

• Wilson Titanium
  Because titanium is denser and stronger than other metals, the bars’ circumference is smaller than that of standard frames. When it comes to traditional masks, you will see best out of a Wilson titanium mask.

Also, you'll find that silver frame masks and helmets provide a better perceptual vision than that of black frames.

In umpire masks, those with the least vision are the ones that sit farthest from your face. These include the Force3 Defenders and Wilson models with wrap-around pads. Their double-frame and pad thickness - the features that make them more protective - are the (good) reasons for the trade-off.  

Best Value

The best value umpire helmet is the All-Star 2500. It is in the midrange of protection, weight and vision. It has a lower price point plus its removable & replaceable padding makes it a better longer term investment than those without replaceable padding (which is not found at that price point).

The best value umpire masks are the ones that strike a compromise in the above benefits, especially protection and vision. If you paid attention, you can probably figure those out by now. Let's put best value in 2 categories of entry-level and advanced-level protection-wise.

Advanced-Level

• All-Star System 7
• Diamond Big League (Overall best value if you had to pick just one)
• Wilson Steel Dyna-Lite with Tan Padding (Best value in a lighter pad color)

Entry-Level

• Champro CM72 Mask (Best value beginner)
• Wilson Steel Mask with Memory Foam (Best value upgrade)

SIZING

While masks are considered one-size-fits all, helmets have a more limited range of hat sizes - roughly 7 to 7 1/2. This is an imperfect measurement given differences in head shapes. The All-Star models are roomier given the Wilson models are intentionally lower profile for improved vision and decreased weight. Therefore, if you have a larger head size or wear glasses, All-Star models could potentially work better.

REPLACEMENT PADDING

Umpire helmets with fully removable padding are considered a better longer term investment.

• All-Star Helmets (Fully removable & replaceable)
• Wilson Pro Stock Titanium Helmet (Fully removable & replaceable)
• Force3 Defender (Chin pad removable & replaceable)
• Wilson Pro Stock Steel Helmet (Chin pad removable & replaceable)

Umpire masks have Velcro straps that allow you to replace or upgrade your padding. For optimal safety, you should replace your pads every 1 or 2 years as padding's protective properties diminish with time. For more details on replacement padding, including which pads fit which mask, visit the mask pads buying guide. Need to know how to replace your padding? See our Crew-How-To Video.

REPLACEMENT MASK HARNESSES

All masks come with adjustable harnesses. Multiple universal replacement harnesses are available that can be used on any mask. Learn how to replace your harness in this Crew-How-To Video.

THROAT GUARDS

For throat protection, mainly from balls in the dirt, we highly recommend a 4 inch or 6 inch throat guard. These will attach to your umpire mask or helmet to cut down on the gap that results between the bottom of your frame and chest protector. For best safety, we show you where to place your throat guard on your mask and how to size for it in this article. View All Throat Guards. Learn how to install them properly in this Crew-How-To Video.

SUN VISORS

Some like adding a sun visor (also called a shield) at the top of their mask frame. This adds no protective qualities. It is done mostly for appearance, but it also keeps sun glare out and light rain off your face.

Traditional sun visors will fit traditional umpire mask styles, but will not fit helmets, low profile masks or no-mold magnesium masks due to differences in frame shape. There is a Force3 Defender mask specific sun visor and All-Star has one, too, made solely for those masks. See each sun visor product page for details. See our Crew How-To Video on proper installation.

caps WiTH helmets & MASKS

You will not need a cap if you wear a helmet, although some have mastered the art of wearing one. Learn how they do it here if you prefer to cover your head & hair with a cap. However, your 4-stitch and 6-stitch caps will stick out of most umpire helmets, leaving the bill exposed beyond the frame for a direct shot.

All of our umpire masks will allow for umpire caps up to 4-stitch bills (combo style) or the All-Star Hard Shell Skull Cap. Designed just for umpires, its bill length is the equivalent a 3-stitch length. Some veteran umpires wear a 6-stitch bill cap under your masks. We warn you to make sure the cap has room between the bill and mask frame for safety's sake. Note that just because you can fit a 6-stitch under one style mask, does not mean it will fit under another. (Learn more about cap bill length & safety.)

*Weight of masks is shown without harness

**PU Leather is a bi-cast leather (not full grain)

WARNING: Participants in any sports activity assume risk of injury. This equipment may be used to help aid in preventing or reducing the extent of injury. No equipment can guarantee umpire or player safety from injury during participation, and use of this equipment carries no such guarantee. Do not use any umpire equipment that is damaged in any way.