Akadema ARZ136 thoughts?

[NyCShadow]

Anyone have this glove, and thoughts on it? I play mostly outfield and currently use a Rawlings (14inc) PM1400B (nothing fancy) but have been looking at the Akadema ARZ136 and wanted to know anyones thoughts? Or maybe someone looking to sell one too.

 

[MaverickAH]

1. Akadema makes a pretty good glove.
2. I particularly like the Precision Series gloves.
3. You'll be taking a major step up in quality.
4. Calling a PM1400B, "nothing fancy", is a gross overstatement. It's garbage!

I don't know if I would recommend such a huge leap up in quality from someone coming from such a low level glove. An upgrade to an Akadema Pro Soft ASR282 (14") or AHO224-12 (13") would probably be more appropriate unless you plan on making a bigger commitment to playing. An ASR282 would provide a huge improvement over what your using now & an ARZ136 would provide a similar amount of improvement over both the Pro Soft's. Do you really need that much of an upgrade? If you do, you'll be getting a solid glove.

 

[etnstudios]

don't talk someone out of buying themselves something nice

 

[NyCShadow]

I appreciate the honest feedback, I am not a pro or anything but I do want a quality glove, I have a coworker who has the ASR282 which looks and feels pretty good, price wise its a big difference (between the ASR282 vs ARZ136). What pro does the ARZ136 have over the ASR282 if any?

 

[MaverickAH]

ARZ136
Kip leather
Stiff, will need 2-4 weeks of break-in
Better quality internals
Better workmanship

ASR282
Cowhide
Game ready
Solid build for the price


Additionally, the ARZ136 will have a much longer useful life & retain its shape longer. My biggest fear for you is , based on what you're using now, are you willing to deal with a lengthy break-in period & do you know how to properly break in a glove? If your answer is, "Yes", the ARZ136 is well worth the price difference.

I would also add that if you're playing in NYC (which I strongly suspect, based on your name......), the ARZ136 could be considered a bit of overkill based on the ball primarily used here (Debeer Clincher F12). It's not out of place but it is more glove than you really need for that ball. The plus side is that it will last you for the remainder of your playing days.

 

[DatDuke]

ARZ136
Kip leather
Stiff, will need 2-4 weeks of break-in
Better quality internals
Better workmanship

ASR282
Cowhide
Game ready
Solid build for the price


Additionally, the ARZ136 will have a much longer useful life & retain its shape longer. My biggest fear for you is , based on what you're using now, are you willing to deal with a lengthy break-in period & do you know how to properly break in a glove? If your answer is, "Yes", the ARZ136 is well worth the price difference.

I would also add that if you're playing in NYC (which I strongly suspect, based on your name......), the ARZ136 could be considered a bit of overkill based on the ball primarily used here (Debeer Clincher F12). It's not out of place but it is more glove than you really need for that ball. The plus side is that it will last you for the remainder of your playing days.

That's some great advise, even accounting the ball local uses. Wow.. I'm impressed.

 

[Emperor]

was my gamer for 2 years before I got my Rawlings. I still have it and use it on occasion. Awesome glove

 

[NyCShadow]

ARZ136
Kip leather
Stiff, will need 2-4 weeks of break-in
Better quality internals
Better workmanship

ASR282
Cowhide
Game ready
Solid build for the price


Additionally, the ARZ136 will have a much longer useful life & retain its shape longer. My biggest fear for you is , based on what you're using now, are you willing to deal with a lengthy break-in period & do you know how to properly break in a glove? If your answer is, "Yes", the ARZ136 is well worth the price difference.

I would also add that if you're playing in NYC (which I strongly suspect, based on your name......), the ARZ136 could be considered a bit of overkill based on the ball primarily used here (Debeer Clincher F12). It's not out of place but it is more glove than you really need for that ball. The plus side is that it will last you for the remainder of your playing days.

Thanks for the detailed explanation Maverick. The NYC is my tag name and where I'm originally from, however I currently live in Houston TX. We currently use red stitched .52 core and 300 compression for men balls and 44 core 375 compression for women balls. With that being said, I was under the impression the KIP leather was easier to break in from what I have read but that is also good to know.

 

[MaverickAH]

Thanks for the detailed explanation Maverick. The NYC is my tag name and where I'm originally from, however I currently live in Houston TX. We currently use red stitched .52 core and 300 compression for men balls and 44 core 375 compression for women balls. With that being said, I was under the impression the KIP leather was easier to break in from what I have read but that is also good to know.

Where you live will also affect break-in. (I've been meaning to write more on that particular subject!) The regular 100 deg. temps. & high humidity of Houston will shorten the break-in period for sure. Break-in method will also shorten or lengthen the period. I always advocate for a slower, more natural method for breaking in a glove as I feel that it leads to better performance & a longer useful life.

Based on your location & conditions, the ARZ136 is the much better option.

 

[NyCShadow]

Where you live will also affect break-in. (I've been meaning to write more on that particular subject!) The regular 100 deg. temps. & high humidity of Houston will shorten the break-in period for sure. Break-in method will also shorten or lengthen the period. I always advocate for a slower, more natural method for breaking in a glove as I feel that it leads to better performance & a longer useful life.

Based on your location & conditions, the ARZ136 is the much better option.

They do glove steaming here at a few places, would you recommend for a break in process that if I purchase the ARZ136?

 

[MaverickAH]

Well, it's not harmful as long as it's just done lightly but I would deem it unnecessary. Unless you need to have the glove game ready quickly, I'd say not to do it. What's interesting is that the one company that recommends & promotes steaming is Mizuno & the leather used in the ARZ136 sounds to be very similar, if not exactly the same, to what Mizuno uses in their high-end gloves. You should be okay if you decide to go the steaming route.

For the most part I am a minimalist when it comes to breaking in a glove. A little conditioner, a glove mallet & some elbow grease is all I will usually use. I break in the top & bottom of the web, the heel, shape the thumb, pinkie & fingers to my liking (prefer more of a bowl shape, thumb to pinkie) & work on forming a good pocket. When I have the glove about 80% to 85% ready, I take it to the field to finish the process. That's about it......

If I do have a glove that's proving to be particularly tough, I will:

1. take a couple of dish rags
2. lightly saturate them with water,
3. microwave them for 1 minute
4. stick one inside the glove & 1 in the pocket for a few minutes

What this does is to simulate a light steaming/dunking by introducing moist heat to the leather. It will usually cut a couple of weeks off of the break-in process. You can control the process by adjusting the amount of water you saturate the rags with. Just have a pair of tongs available to handle the rags with after being microwaved. They will be very hot!

 

[NyCShadow]

Well, it's not harmful as long as it's just done lightly but I would deem it unnecessary. Unless you need to have the glove game ready quickly, I'd say not to do it. What's interesting is that the one company that recommends & promotes steaming is Mizuno & the leather used in the ARZ136 sounds to be very similar, if not exactly the same, to what Mizuno uses in their high-end gloves. You should be okay if you decide to go the steaming route.

For the most part I am a minimalist when it comes to breaking in a glove. A little conditioner, a glove mallet & some elbow grease is all I will usually use. I break in the top & bottom of the web, the heel, shape the thumb, pinkie & fingers to my liking (prefer more of a bowl shape, thumb to pinkie) & work on forming a good pocket. When I have the glove about 80% to 85% ready, I take it to the field to finish the process. That's about it......

If I do have a glove that's proving to be particularly tough, I will:

1. take a couple of dish rags
2. lightly saturate them with water,
3. microwave them for 1 minute
4. stick one inside the glove & 1 in the pocket for a few minutes

What this does is to simulate a light steaming/dunking by introducing moist heat to the leather. It will usually cut a couple of weeks off of the break-in process. You can control the process by adjusting the amount of water you saturate the rags with. Just have a pair of tongs available to handle the rags with after being microwaved. They will be very hot!

Wow thanks man, you've been very helpful and informative in all your posts, its greatly appreciated.