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5 Key Questions to Ask Before Buying a Halo Kit

Turf Halo Kits are becoming more popular at baseball & softball fields around the country, primarily for high-schools & colleges.

Made from artificial turf, they are designed to protect the high-wear areas behind home-plate. They also offer a great opportunity to display team logos & names, as well as sponsor logos to help support the team.

The Practice Sports turf shop has been building halo kits for nearly 15 years. Just like all of our products, we use top-grade materials, and take no short-cuts. And just like every other product under the sun, there are plenty of cheaper knock-off alternatives that may appear like a great deal on the surface, but will burn you in the end. Unfortunately most players & coaches don’t know the differences between high quality halos and low quality, and will simply order based on price. This is a big mistake.

5 Critical Questions To Ask Before Purchasing  Turf Halo Kits

These questions will show the company you’ve done your research, and prevent them from quoting you inferior materials simply to be the lowest quote.

1) What is the turf material – Nylon or Poly?

This is the most important factor to consider. Nylon is by FAR the higher quality material, and is the only material rated for steel spike-resistance. We’ve never heard of a field — high-school or collegiate — that has a “soft sneaker” only policy. Poly is a soft material, and does not have the abrasion resistance properties like Nylon. Want to see for yourself? Ask the company for a sample, and compare to our heavy-duty Nylon turf sample. You will notice how much more ABRASIVE our nylon turf is compared to most others.

Abrasive turf = higher abrasion resistance. Abrasion is caused by friction from steel spikes & cleats, and will eventually make your several thousand dollar investment look like an old piece of apartment carpet after only a few seasons.

2) What is the ounce?

This is the ounces of material used per square yard, and another very important spec to consider. The higher the ounces, the thicker and more dense the turf, and naturally longer the life-span. Our halos are made from an ultra-dense 42 oz Nylon turf. True spike-resistant turf needs to be a minimum of 36 ounces.

3) What type of backing is included?

Many halos on the market these days do not include a foam shock pad; or if they do, they are only 3 mm or don’t come pre-installed.

Our halo kits & stance mats use the same high quality nylon turf with 5 mm foam pad

Our turf halos come standard with a urethane / water-resistance / UV-proof / 5 mm foam pad, pre-installed to the back of the turf. Through years of R&D we have determined this to be the best pad for this application, creating a soft enough backing to create a realistic grass feel, yet not too soft that the players feel like they’re walking on a sponge. It’s critical for the pad to be the correct density so there is not a huge difference in sensation under the players feet. Think of a catcher running for a pop-up from the natural grass to the artificial turf and back again — he/she needs a smooth transition.

4) If ordering logos / letters – are they Painted or In-Laid?

This is HUGE when it comes to the life-span of a logo or letters. Painted logos will fade & wear within ONE SEASON. We guarantee you will be out there with paint before next season touching up the areas that have rubbed away from foot-traffic. This becomes a maintenance mess, and if not done on a regular basis you will wish you never paid the extra money for a logo because of how low quality it looks.

All of our logos are now In-Laid only, using a state-of-the-art Water Jet machine, digitally operated for precision.

Always ask for the approximate size of the letters or logos (W x H), and how many “panels” they will cover. And ALWAYS get a proof to sign-off on before purchasing. Make the company guarantee the logos will look exactly proportional as shown on the proof.

Turf Halo Kit Bonus Questions

  • If your logo colors are critical, get a yarn sample – or ask them to provide the Pantone color ID.
  • What color is the turf base? Get a sample of the actual turf. The shade of green used is important. We offer a wide variety of colors.
  • How many colors are included in the logo quote – a single fill or a fill + outline?
  • What style of letters are available? Do they match your team font?
  • Will the logos be pre-installed, or will they ship loose? Shipping logos loose saves the shop money on glue, but can create installation issues. This should only be done on letters / logos which don’t include intricate designs; but is not a bad plan to save yourself some money if your design is basic.
Winter green & Verde are the standard green colors available – we also have a variety of other color options available for a premium

As you have learned there are a large amount of factors that contribute to high quality turf halo kits. The un-educated consumer who only looks at price, unfortunately will pay the price in the long-run.

We hope this helps save you money & headaches with your next baseball or softball field project.

Contact Us for a quote or help designing your next turf halo kit!

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