Made in Japan

[davisrelacing]

Since some of us have brought up sharing of gloves and knowledge from our overseas brethren from Japan, let's take a poll.
There are many, many high quality Japanese domestic market glove brands, as well as the big names like Mizuno, Rawlings, and Wilson (Staff, not A2K). Some people have the resources and connections to order custom gloves from Japan, others pick up new ones from Japanese sites like Swallow Sports or Rakuten, while others find gems on ebay.
Are you a fan of these gloves?

 

[bimmerpilot]

I haven’t tried anything MIJ from a non big-3. In the past couple years I’ve learned to branch out a bit, so I’d say that I keep an open mind if anything intriguing comes along to try out.

 

[etnstudios]

personally, i draw a line of distinction. i see gloves made in Japan with more American style patterns (A2K comes to mind) and then more Japanese style patterns. i'm not a big fan of the more Japanese patterns as, IMO, they tend to have small palms and long fingers (which i don't)

edit: i should say i love looking at the Japanese gloves, they're beautiful by and large. just not a fan of how they sit on my hand.

 

[davisrelacing]

personally, i draw a line of distinction. i see gloves made in Japan with more American style patterns (A2K comes to mind) and then more Japanese style patterns. i'm not a big fan of the more Japanese patterns as, IMO, they tend to have small palms and long fingers (which i don't)

edit: i should say i love looking at the Japanese gloves, they're beautiful by and large. just not a fan of how they sit on my hand.

I think that the fitment is a pretty common issue for most American consumers. However, I also see ones with large palms and short fingers!

 

[Drumbum37]

You already know my answer!

 

[Rooster210]

if its yellow or orange I like it!!

 

[Drumbum37]

They (Asian/Japanese patterns) generally seem to have smaller handstalls compared to American patterns, which is great for a smaller hand guy like myself. It seems like the IF gloves have bigger palm area and short fingers and the OF gloves have looooong fingers and not as much palm.

 

[huntaholic21]

Has anyone tried one of the infield patterns with the big palm and short fingers. I feel like I would like it, but have never had one in hand.

 

[bigmac25]

I dig the rawlings throwback. A japan DMS line of sorts

 

[dttruax]

I love the top of the line brands/models and the craftsmanship on their customs. Their "regular" gloves are not much different from what you can get at Richards..... one complaint I do have is their sizing system and the fact it is real hard to find anything bigger than 12.5"

 

[Drumbum37]

I love the top of the line brands/models and the craftsmanship on their customs. Their "regular" gloves are not much different from what you can get at Richards..... one complaint I do have is their sizing system and the fact it is real hard to find anything bigger than 12.5"

YESSS. The sizing is a nightmare! Outside of everything thing being small (OF gloves are 12.25 or 12.5). Different companies use different sizing methods. PITA for sure!

 

[eviladams]

Yes.............

 

[Jchap]

I have tried my friend's Kubota Slugger and Mizuno Haga-crafted. They are both exceptionally crafted gloves, breath-taking some might say. Both are IF models and the patterns are much flatter than American market IF gloves. Apparently most baseball is played on turf in Japan, and the shallow patterns reflect the speed of the game on turf.

 

[davisrelacing]

I have tried my friend's Kubota Slugger and Mizuno Haga-crafted. They are both exceptionally crafted gloves, breath-taking some might say. Both are IF models and the patterns are much flatter than American market IF gloves. Apparently most baseball is played on turf in Japan, and the shallow patterns reflect the speed of the game on turf.

The break-in for most of the Japanese gloves I see is thumb to index! Very flat. I wonder if a manufacturer can use a deeper pattern for some gloves, or if they are all like that?

 

[Jchap]

The break-in for most of the Japanese gloves I see is thumb to index! Very flat. I wonder if a manufacturer can use a deeper pattern for some gloves, or if they are all like that?

To add to this, I used to have a Pro Limited 11.5" I-web, and you are right, it broke thumb to index. The other three fingers were straight and coupled with the shallow flat palm it seemed like a paddle trainer.

 

[Drumbum37]

Bring us the goods Dan!!

 

[blov10]

I have tried my friend's Kubota Slugger and Mizuno Haga-crafted. They are both exceptionally crafted gloves, breath-taking some might say. Both are IF models and the patterns are much flatter than American market IF gloves. Apparently most baseball is played on turf in Japan, and the shallow patterns reflect the speed of the game on turf.

I thought Kubota only made tractors....

 

[MaverickAH]

The break-in for most of the Japanese gloves I see is thumb to index! Very flat. I wonder if a manufacturer can use a deeper pattern for some gloves, or if they are all like that?

The Japanese philosophy on glove design is very position specific. Middle infield gloves (11.25" - 11.5" & sometimes 11.75") are, more often than not, as you describe. Thumb to index (or middle) with a relatively shallow pocket. They just don't adapt well to softball.

There are some 3B gloves that can be manipulated into thumb to pinkie & it's definitely doable with their pitcher's gloves. Both will have deeper pockets as well.

 

[Drumbum37]

Anything less than a 12 inch glove shouldn't adapt to softball!

 

[MaverickAH]

You say that based on what?

I know plenty of players who use sub 12" gloves, me being one of them. One of my main IF gloves is 11.85" & absolutely swallows up a softball!

A softball is 4" in diameter. While it might not be optimal for most, I personally can go as small as 11.25" with the right pattern. The key is finding the proper pattern. Find a bowl shape with a deep pocket & you're good to go. You may lose a little bit of reach depending on your skill level but I find that the level of control you get once you get acclimated is tough to give up.