Gloves The Way We Know Them

[chrometip78]

How long will it be before leather gloves are a thing of the past & synthetic material gloves are the norm in all ranges of quality?

Wilson might have got things going with rubber skeletons & super skin but it looks like Nike is taking it to another level. I don't think it will change for adults & current teenagers but the next generation who doesn't grow up with leather gloves may not see any significance of materials used long as it's functional. That's when I think there will be a shift.

 

[fredderf]

i agree with you. Whatever the material Nike uses in its Palms is AWESOME, and probably should replace the leather interiors. Probably will not crack and peel either. Nike vapor gloves, no-to little break in, etc. Leather and especially Horween type leathers will not be used except in $500 japanese glove.

F

 

[Rous]

Same question applies to guitar amps. For me, there is something super cool about strings on a guitar exciting electrons along a wire wrapped around a magnet and an amp sending that signal through metal and glass tubes to magnify the signal so that it can drive a speaker. That overdriven rock sound we all love is the result of tubes dealing with too much energy getting pushed through them, breaking up the signal before it gets to the speaker. Most modern amps are digital and take the small signal in from the pickups and turn it into almost any sound coming out of the speaker. They create that overdriven sound (and any other sound, for that matter) artificially. Do digital amps sound just as good? Increasingly, yes. Are they cheaper? Yes. Is something intangible lost? Yes.

But today's kids who live in a largely digital world where almost any aspect of quality is faked probably won't care.

Now get off my lawn!!!

 

[Swinging Bunt]

There are going to be baseball hipsters one day and we are going to be rock stars. Too bad they will all be young men (unless that is your thing).

 

[beeblebobble]

"Look at those guys playing old timey baseball, cow hide gloves and wood bats? weird man, weird"

 

[chrometip78]

i agree with you. Whatever the material Nike uses in its Palms is AWESOME, and probably should replace the leather interiors. Probably will not crack and peel either. Nike vapor gloves, no-to little break in, etc. Leather and especially Horween type leathers will not be used except in $500 japanese glove.

F

I haven't put my hands on a high end Nike yet but I imagine we've been able to beat leather for some time. It's probably easier for Nike or another new to glove manufacturing company to introduce non-traditional options. Guys like me think poorly of Wilson's SS & Rawlings Mesh, but Nike's weirdo bungee lace system thingy looks neat to me......

Same question applies to guitar amps. For me, there is something super cool about strings on a guitar exciting electrons along a wire wrapped around a magnet and an amp sending that signal through metal and glass tubes to magnify the signal so that it can drive a speaker. That overdriven rock sound we all love is the result of tubes dealing with too much energy getting pushed through them, breaking up the signal before it gets to the speaker. Most modern amps are digital and take the small signal in from the pickups and turn it into almost any sound coming out of the speaker. They create that overdriven sound (and any other sound, for that matteIr) artificially. Do digital amps sound just as good? Increasingly, yes. Are they cheaper? Yes. Is something intangible lost? Yes.

But today's kids who live in a largely digital world where almost any aspect of quality is faked probably won't care.

Now get off my lawn!!!

LOL, I had a cat on my roof last night, I was running around with my flashlight throwing whatever I could grab at it like a grumpy old man. I got a record player for Christmas last year, I'm reverting.

There are going to be baseball hipsters one day and we are going to be rock stars. Too bad they will all be young men (unless that is your thing).

"Look at those guys playing old timey baseball, cow hide gloves and wood bats? weird man, weird"

I'm actually long forward to going back to wood once everywhere I play is using 52cor balls.

 

[MaverickAH]

How long will it be before leather gloves are a thing of the past & synthetic material gloves are the norm in all ranges of quality?

Wilson might have got things going with rubber skeletons & super skin but it looks like Nike is taking it to another level. I don't think it will change for adults & current teenagers but the next generation who doesn't grow up with leather gloves may not see any significance of materials used long as it's functional. That's when I think there will be a shift.

Why would you even mention Nike as, "taking it to another level"????


That honor is purely American & it belongs to Carpenter Trade LLC who's been making 100% synthetic gloves for almost 15 years. The issue with them is that they are custom made by hand one at a time & they are very expensive. They are made to specifically fit the hand of the individual buyer so a lot of distinctive hand measurements must be submitted with each order. There are a few pros who wear them & I believe that the first one ever used in a MLB game is displayed in Cooperstown.

I've been contemplating getting one myself for a couple of years but I just can't bring myself to do it. There's just something about an all synthetic glove that just doesn't sit right with me. I'm sure I'll get over it.........

 

[chrometip78]

Why would you even mention Nike as, "taking it to another level"????


That honor is purely American & it belongs to Carpenter Trade LLC who's been making 100% synthetic gloves for almost 15 years. The issue with them is that they are custom made by hand one at a time & they are very expensive. They are made to specifically fit the hand of the individual buyer so a lot of distinctive hand measurements must be submitted with each order. There are a few pros who wear them & I believe that the first one ever used in a MLB game is displayed in Cooperstown.

I've been contemplating getting one myself for a couple of years but I just can't bring myself to do it. There's just something about an all synthetic glove that just doesn't sit right with me. I'm sure I'll get over it.........

Because Nike is taking it to another level by using their name to gain widespread acceptance while not hindered by past expectations. Like I said, this won't happen overnight but they are changing the landscape. While Carpenter has taken nothing anywhere in the last 15yrs except create an incredibly small niche for themselves among a very small group of individuals.

I would love the idea of an American glove company being the big dog but Carpenter is not anywhere near that conversation and it's not likely he wants to be. Now drink your Geritol & go to bed, you'll feel better after a good night's sleep.

 

[MaverickAH]

A "Geritol" reference? Really???!!! Now who's calling who old???

Nike is doing what Nike always does....... Gimmicky ****! If Nike was truly interested in pushing to another level, they'd be offering product with real world consumer pricing. All they are doing now is offering some experimental product at unrealistic prices to see who jumps on the bandwagon. It's like those idiots who stand in line outside of an Apple store for days in order to be the 1st to get the latest version of iPhone.

I just don't know what it is with softball players these days. First it was clown uniforms. Then it was clown bats followed by clown shoes. Now it is clown gloves??!!!! I guess that I'll just have to paraphrase Billy Crystal's Fernando.......... "It is better to look good than to be good!"

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygs-4GfqPcM[/ame]

The bottom line for me is that:

1. I'm not convinced on the validity of synthetic gloves.
2. I'm definitely not convinced on the pricing aspect!
3. If I were convinced, I'd rather direct my interest toward a small operation where I can actually call & talk to the owner/inventor if I have any questions instead of a corporate call center where I'd be talking to some unknown who doesn't have a clue!
4. For the bigger companies, I would be looking more toward what Easton is doing. They're using synthetic materials to produce real world products at real world prices. I really wish that they would get serious about improving their aesthetics. They need to fire whatever design team they've been using & get serious about the visual appearance of their gloves. It's what's holding them back!

 

[ghunt25]

Nike is built on marketing, and for people like me, it works. I have two of the Vapor 360 gloves, used one pretty much all year. I like it, but when it started to get colder, I switched back to my HoH. They're too thin, and too light. Had a mark on my hand from a line drive that I palmed.

Chrome - The bungee lace system was cool to start, but, it's not very easy to tighten, or loosen, etc. I have it all the way untied, so the web and the glove plays deeper. Then one of the aglets went through the hole into the glove. Doesn't affect the play, but it bugs the hell out of me. I haven't figured out the pattern yet, like if you pull on one of the ends, which string does it tighten, etc. I should probably do that.

Next year I'll probably be back to breaking in a new A2000 or PP.

 

[fredderf]

I will say, I noticed a few years ago that the feel of the old Horween HOHs is now the NE Kip from Japan, and now has a price range of $500.
I guess it makes sense, in 1990 I paid $150 for an HOH, so 25 years later i guess its costs 350-500 for the same quality.

I have to say, I've been using my 17850 for about 3 years or so and man, that glove will not wear out anytime soon.

I guess what I am saying is if you want quality you have to pay for it.
F

 

[chrometip78]

A "Geritol" reference? Really???!!! Now who's calling who old???

Nike is doing what Nike always does....... Gimmicky ****! If Nike was truly interested in pushing to another level, they'd be offering product with real world consumer pricing. All they are doing now is offering some experimental product at unrealistic prices to see who jumps on the bandwagon. It's like those idiots who stand in line outside of an Apple store for days in order to be the 1st to get the latest version of iPhone.

I just don't know what it is with softball players these days. First it was clown uniforms. Then it was clown bats followed by clown shoes. Now it is clown gloves??!!!! I guess that I'll just have to paraphrase Billy Crystal's Fernando.......... "It is better to look good than to be good!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygs-4GfqPcM

The bottom line for me is that:

1. I'm not convinced on the validity of synthetic gloves.
2. I'm definitely not convinced on the pricing aspect!
3. If I were convinced, I'd rather direct my interest toward a small operation where I can actually call & talk to the owner/inventor if I have any questions instead of a corporate call center where I'd be talking to some unknown who doesn't have a clue!
4. For the bigger companies, I would be looking more toward what Easton is doing. They're using synthetic materials to produce real world products at real world prices. I really wish that they would get serious about improving their aesthetics. They need to fire whatever design team they've been using & get serious about the visual appearance of their gloves. It's what's holding them back!

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see the softball world adopt anything to be different, it's a world with a lot of idiots. The thing that got me thinking was your cheap glove thread and when I went looking for a decent cheap glove, I was surprised at the amount of Nike's lower end offerings for young baseball players in mostly synthetic materials. Seems to me like they're planning for the long term going after the youth market like that.

I'm not sold on synthetic gloves place right now or even 5yrs from now, but in 10-20yrs I wouldn't be surprised if there's a shift.

I went to Wal Mart the other day & checked their low end stuff & was surprised to see leather shell gloves for 35-80 and they were actually decent cheapies IMO. Most were Rawlings and a few Wilsons, no Nike.

Nike is built on marketing, and for people like me, it works. I have two of the Vapor 360 gloves, used one pretty much all year. I like it, but when it started to get colder, I switched back to my HoH. They're too thin, and too light. Had a mark on my hand from a line drive that I palmed.

Chrome - The bungee lace system was cool to start, but, it's not very easy to tighten, or loosen, etc. I have it all the way untied, so the web and the glove plays deeper. Then one of the aglets went through the hole into the glove. Doesn't affect the play, but it bugs the hell out of me. I haven't figured out the pattern yet, like if you pull on one of the ends, which string does it tighten, etc. I should probably do that.

Next year I'll probably be back to breaking in a new A2000 or PP.

I don't know how long Nike has been offering gloves like those but I imagine they'll work out the bugs quickly. Glad to hear they aren't quite there yet, saves me from experimenting on something else I don't need.

Thinking the weight debate is something out generation will struggle with associating weight with quality vs light being more playable. Guessing the current crop of youngsters will find light weight being more important. The Dual Core series kinda surprises me though, quicker break in but purposefully heavier to project quality?!? Don't make no damn sense to me!

I will say, I noticed a few years ago that the feel of the old Horween HOHs is now the NE Kip from Japan, and now has a price range of $500.
I guess it makes sense, in 1990 I paid $150 for an HOH, so 25 years later i guess its costs 350-500 for the same quality.

I have to say, I've been using my 17850 for about 3 years or so and man, that glove will not wear out anytime soon.

I guess what I am saying is if you want quality you have to pay for it.
F

The thing that surprised me was Nike $200-400 high quality American offerings were largely synthetic.

Far as $500 for a quality glove, I got my first non-USA HOH recently (303JBC) & am surprised/sad to say it's better than my old USA HOH's & Japanese A2000's. I also like it better than current PP & A2k's, not that it's nicer but I like the build better. It's like. 3/4 ton Dodge truck vs a Range Rover IMO, it's not nicer but I'd pick the Dodge every day of the week to take to work. It's the best glove I have experience with for my expectations. I just don't see Johnny Youngpup having the same expectations as he grows up and as a result the market won't be there to support dinosaur gloves.

 

[chrometip78]

I will say my wife's pleather $30 Easton Black Magic is holding up incredibly well after 4yrs of ball. It needed almost no break in, is light as can be, has held it's shape, and all I do is wipe it out occasionally.

It has never let her down with hot shots at 3b, corraling throws at 1st, and now she's our secret weapon at home. Every other team hides their worst girl at catcher except us (ours tries to hide at 1st !$!\*@$#!*!) and people just run on home relying on the catcher to miss or no throw made, we've made a ton of outs at home this year cause our team knows they can hurl the ball and she'll come up with it. I've wanted to hate that glove since she got it (the hand stall was tight & the glove is light being the deciding factors) but it just keeps working without holding her back in any way.

 

[Felks32]

Far as $500 for a quality glove, I got my first non-USA HOH recently (303JBC) & am surprised/sad to say it's better than my old USA HOH's & Japanese A2000's. I also like it better than current PP & A2k's, not that it's nicer but I like the build better. It's like. 3/4 ton Dodge truck vs a Range Rover IMO, it's not nicer but I'd pick the Dodge every day of the week to take to work. It's the best glove I have experience with for my expectations. I just don't see Johnny Youngpup having the same expectations as he grows up and as a result the market won't be there to support dinosaur gloves.

So you went for a JBC eh? Such a beauty glove and your description is spot on. I recently bought one along with a pro preferred PROS303-6BR and the PP is already softer and more worked in.

 

[case2000]

I was a clubhouse attendant and bat boy for the Red Sox in Winter Haven, FL - Spring Training 1992 (the red sox last year before moving to fort myers, fl) and the glove I remember being circulated in the clubhouse to try out was a new Nike air pump up glove. If my memory is correct it was all black with a closed web and closed hand stall with a circular nike emblem that you pressed to pump the inside of the glove for a tighter hand fit. (I remember Jim Rice - minor league hitting instructor that spring training - using one)
I was young enough that I didn't pay that much attention to all the beautiful pro issue gloves on glove day - I just remember noticing the new fad. I never remember seeing those Nike gloves after that.....

But, I did learn about MiJ Zett gloves for the first time through that spring training experience and I took a card from a glove rep and later ordered a Zett that I used all through college and more recently coaching high school.

 

[Spackler]

Same question applies to guitar amps. For me, there is something super cool about strings on a guitar exciting electrons along a wire wrapped around a magnet and an amp sending that signal through metal and glass tubes to magnify the signal so that it can drive a speaker. That overdriven rock sound we all love is the result of tubes dealing with too much energy getting pushed through them, breaking up the signal before it gets to the speaker. Most modern amps are digital and take the small signal in from the pickups and turn it into almost any sound coming out of the speaker. They create that overdriven sound (and any other sound, for that matter) artificially. Do digital amps sound just as good? Increasingly, yes. Are they cheaper? Yes. Is something intangible lost? Yes.

But today's kids who live in a largely digital world where almost any aspect of quality is faked probably won't care.

Now get off my lawn!!!

Tube amp or go home! ...turn it on bout 20 mins before playing to let em get all glowy and warm

 

[Wally Gator]

The best sounding and feeling tube amps use 1950's technology. What's the equivalent decade for gloves?

 

[chrometip78]

Decade for gloves would have to be late 80's early 90's before rubber skeletons & zigzag leather strips, even the cheapies were tough leather in a durable/serviceable glove. But the best built glove I've put my hand into is the current HOH and I think glove patterns amongst current top shelf gloves is the best they've ever been.

 

[MaverickAH]

The best sounding and feeling tube amps use 1950's technology. What's the equivalent decade for gloves?

I would say that the equivalent would be the mid 70's to mid 80's.

• The modern glove pattern was fully formed.
• The leather was impeccable.
• Pretty much everything was made in the USA.