The Officials Choice - great shirts - great price!

[heykid41]

These shirts (for those of you who do NOT have them yet - and believe me - no reason for you to NOT have them) are top shelf! Click the link to have a look yourself.
www.theofficialschoice.com
I speak from experience - these are top-quality shirts. I told some of the locals here in Victoria, with the way SOME of them look out there - they could USE some buffing up!
Paul (the owner) is totally customer-service based! Try it!
Cheers,

[dileonardoja]

Just ordered a few. The prices are ridicules! Half of what Honigs charges

[BrianC14]

Chocolate brown?
Sage green?
Gray?
MAROON?!?!? 8O

Who wears those colors? :lol:

Otherwise, the prices are very good!

[eagle_12]

What's the material like?

It's it more like the Honigs material or the Smitty-brand shirts

I bought Smitty brand shirts earlier this year, mainly because they were cheaper but I've found that the material pulls and you'll get a run. Mainly it happens from the Velcro pieces on my mask when I put it under my arm, to write in subs, etc, but also has pulled from my CP straps in the back and even after washing.

The Honigs material hasn't pulled yet.


Thanks.

[BrianC14]

What's the material like?

It's it more like the Honigs material or the Smitty-brand shirts

I bought Smitty brand shirts earlier this year, mainly because they were cheaper but I've found that the material pulls and you'll get a run. Mainly it happens from the Velcro pieces on my mask when I put it under my arm, to write in subs, etc, but also has pulled from my CP straps in the back and even after washing.

The Honigs material hasn't pulled yet.


Thanks.

Good question!

[heykid41]

I just checked the tag - 100% polyester. Honigs is also 100% poly. That tells you nothing as there are different thicknesses, weaves and all.
I can say the shirts I have show no signs of snagging or wear. They are not overly-heavy shirts - but are not built such that you can see through them.
Quality is there folks.
Again - this is my opinion based on experience!
Heck - get one - try it... you'll be back for more.
I've got navy (long and sleeve), black long sleeve, cream (long and short sleeve) and white (in the summer, FANTASTIC). I have several pair of the sage pants (through a MLB ump contact) and the sage shirts will probably look good with them. I have the dark Davis pants - thinking the maroon will look good there. No matter - as long as my partner and I have the same pants/shirts (and we DO), we're good to go!
Personal preference for colour aside (cause they have so many colours) - the quality of the product is there. Oddly, some folks think if you pay more - you are getting better stuff. I have Honigs, Plus-Pos, Cliff Keen and others. The Officials Choice are not second to any in my view.

[bobjenkins]

What's the material like?



They are a very light weight micro-mesh (as opposed to a "weave"). I haven't had any problems with mine (ordered earlier this year).

Someone did point out to me that the white stripes on the collar of the balck shirts are wider than the stripes on honigs and cliff keen shirts (maybe 1/8" as opposed to 1/16", or so). I don't think anyone other than umpires would notice, and even I didn't notice it with a bunch of shirts hanging together until it was pointed out to me.

[dileonardoja]

Chocolate brown?
Sage green?
Gray?
MAROON?!?!? 8O

Who wears those colors? :lol:

Otherwise, the prices are very good!

The Gray looks great. It is far better looking than the cream on a hot day. So now you may ask, when am I going to wear it since no one else has one? Thus I bought 2 (one for my partner), and at 13.95 it was still cheaper than one shirt from Honigs.

I'm not too sure about the other colors but less we forget, all the other sites still sell the clown red.

[DelawareBlue]

I have several and they seem to be good quality and thus far have held up well.

They run very large. One of their mediums is about the same size as a Honigs XL and the shirt tail is 3 inches longer. If you're short, you can wear it for a night shirt.

[BrianC14]

I have several and they seem to be good quality and thus far have held up well.

They run very large. One of their mediums is about the same size as a Honigs XL and the shirt tail is 3 inches longer. If you're short, you can wear it for a night shirt.

Well now THERE is some news I can use.

I was planning to order a couple of the black long sleeve shirts... but noticed that all they had was XL and larger.

Yikes!

[heykid41]

I have a Cliff Keen XXL. It is 27-1/2 inches across the chest. It is 32-1/2 inches long at the front, and 35-1/2 inches long at the back (measured from the top of the collar at the rear - as you would wear it).
I also have an OC XL (sorry - I cannot compare apples to apples as I have no other XXL's)... it is 27-1/2 inches across the chest. It is 31-1/2 inches long a the front, and 33 inches long at the rear.

I have always worn an XL and still use an XL in OC stuff. It is a tad roomier, but I like that.

[John_Kibler]

I discovered their shirts before last season. The Official’s Choice is now my main preference. It is simply the best balance of comfort, ease of care, appearance, price and service that I have found, in addition to its also being the most economical shirt on the market. It is made with their proprietary fabric, which they call Ump-Dry. It is the lightest, most colorful, most comfortable shirt I have tried, and I have tried Majestic, Dalco, Cliff Keen, etc.

When you get going with these shirts, you’ll appreciate a shirt that stays virtually wrinkle-free, even when folded in your bag. The Official’s Choice shirt passes that test too. The only test the shirt doesn't pass is the snag test. They don't snag easily, but they're not as durable as the Dalco or LeTrell. But the comfort and weight of the fabric is worth the slight lack of durability. The company makes all of the colors, including long-sleeve versions of the black, navy, H.S. blue (why?) and cream versions. (I have the long-sleeves in black and navy. Very sharp!) They introduced those three new colors for 2009: maroon with black trim (I’m going to try this color); brown with black trim; light green with black trim. (Let’s see how those two catch on; my guess: not very well.) They come generously cut, so definitely size down for your base shirt.

Cliff Keen, Honig’s, Dalco, Majestic and several others make the industry standard umpire shirts, but they all charge up to 40 percent more money than the Official’s Choice. At the price they charged (which fluctuates between $12.00 and $20.00), I was able to buy years' worth of backup shirts in all the best colors.

Many umpires still prefer the traditional weave, which is a bit heavier and does not offer the moisture management benefits of the Ump-Dry. LeTrell is the most prominent brand that offers umpire uniform shirts in the traditional weave.

I'm totally sold on the Official's Choice. The website is still pretty lousy--even after an upgrade--but the service is outstanding. They usually have most of the sizes and if they have yours, it gets to you pretty quick.

[zam989s]

I ordered a couple of Official's Choice basketball shirts this summer and got the large size. It is about a size too big. I would also recommend getting a size smaller for your base shirt.

[PENFOLDUMP]

I have had 2 shirts for 2 years now, with no snags or pulls. Thay do come up larger than i expected but so far i havent noticed any colour fade either. Call me old fashioned but SOOOOOO may colours 8O ( but this is from some one who wears a `beany`)
Eddie