The best mallet?

pidgeon

Member
I'm in the market for a good glove mallet to help maximize my break-in efforts. I previously wasted some money on an overseas Mizuno version that was TINY (8.5") and is useless on anything other than the hinge. Given that there are so many glovesmiths on this board, I would love to hear recommendations on truly useful mallets that are on the market. Here are some stats of ones I've seen so far:

Mizuno mallet
plus: solid one-piece wood
minus: only 12 inches

Hot Glove mallet
plus: affordable
minus: 2-piece design doesn't seem as sturdy
minus: only 12 inches

Rawlings glove mallet
minus: 2-piece design, seems like a rebrand of the Hot Glove mallet?

Marucci mallet
plus: 14 inches
minus: expensive

JL Gloves mallet
plus: 14 inches
minus expensive
 

Mpalm18

Member
Interested in everyone’s answer as well. Does anyone prefer use of a softball affixed to the end of a stick over a wood mallet? Have seen a few vendors selling 11” and 12” softballs on the end of mallets as a substitute for the wood mallets (one advertising that they can be used for breaking in bats too). If anyone prefers this over the wood mallets, would you go 11” or 12” softball?
 

Batalot

Active Member
GBhoSaR.jpg


Less than $5.00 3 screws and a cut off Hammer handle.
Added benefit is you can use what ever type ball you want, and since it's attached sideways, instead of on top, it gives you considerably more leverage. Tried several other friends purchased ones.. none of them worked as well.
 

pkc31887

Addicted to Softballfans
I use an evil heavy ball (12") attached to the end of a 12" hammer handle. not sure what it actually cost to make but it has lasted me for about 5 years so far and the extra weight from the heavy ball makes it very effective. i will try and get a picture and send it when i get home from work.
 

etnstudios

Addicted to Softballfans
I have a ball i mounted on a dowel. used a large bit to drill the ball and inserted the dowel with a bunch of epoxy. made 3 of them for about $8 or so. also have one of the hot glove ones that i found on clearance once. i'll use that when i need to break in something for baseball again but it's also nice because the taper of the handle can be used to stretch finger stalls a bit. i also will use it inside the glove while i pound the glove with the softball if there is a pinch point like a thick lace or overlapped welting.
 

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
I’m sure I’d just make me one, but if I were to actually purchase one, It'd be this one!
http://glovemallet.com/

Did you go to the link? It says coach stopped making them in January of this year... and then asks to contact him if you are interested in buying the Coach's mallet company! Bummer. He originally made them for Nokona (he is located about 1/2 way between Nocona and Dallas) but then the private equity firm that bought Nokona in 2008 (ish) bought a bat company too and they let coach go. That's when he went out on his own. When I bought one, he brought it to Denton for me as he was going to be in town anyway.

Bummer is that he would make you a custom design if you asked. I always wanted one that was 2" longer. He also made softball size ones.
 

MaverickAH

Well-Known Member
I have 3 mallets. A Nokona that's over 20 years old, a Vinci & a Mizuno. I also have a Mizuno pounding pad. Truth be told, the Nokona is the only one I really use. I like its length & that it has a hole where you have a rawhide loop that gives you a more secure grip. The other two are better if you need a mallet to keep in your bag.

A mallet is good for precision strikes. I generally use it early on to a little past midway through the process. It great for evenly stretching out the pocket without forming any bubbles. It's also good for stretching out the leather & laces in the web & the crotch. Once I get to that point, I usually switch to a weighted ball.

If you're going to make your own, I would advise using an 11" ball as opposed to a 12" one.
 

Mpalm18

Member
I have a ball i mounted on a dowel. used a large bit to drill the ball and inserted the dowel with a bunch of epoxy. made 3 of them for about $8 or so.
I ended up doing the same with a couple old softballs (11” and 12”) superglued around a $4 piece of 7/8” dowel that I was able to cut. F2E44FD9-11E6-4D4F-B2A0-AEC78305EE42.jpeg
 

Committed

Well-Known Member
If I had to pick one it would be the Rawlings/Nokona style I like the whip action you get from the added length. The Wilson & Mizuno are nice for the initial pounding work to establish break points but the shorter handle is a minor drawback for me. At the end of the day, I don’t believe there is one “perfect mallet” and it all boils down to personal preference.


B7E03BE5-8162-4DD9-82A8-70C2A7B3E437.jpeg
 

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
If I had to pick one it would be the Rawlings/Nokona style I like the whip action you get from the added length. The Wilson & Mizuno are nice for the initial pounding work to establish break points but the shorter handle is a minor drawback for me. At the end of the day, I don’t believe there is one “perfect mallet” and it all boils down to personal preference.


View attachment 63079
The Nokona mallets were made by the guy who owns Coach's. He just built them in his shed.
 

pkc31887

Addicted to Softballfans
It’s seen a lot of use. I mean just this week it’s been used on 2 RV23’s, A 13” Small batch and an akadema torino that was relaced.
 

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fredderf

MiZUNo & HORWeeN LoVER
I love the mizuno mallet. I've used others but its my favorite.
The HOT GLOVE mallet is great for the handle only. It can be used to stretch out the finger stalls on tight gloves.

F
 

Mr. G

(213) L.A. Confidential
I use a combination of a 5lb weight, Rawlings mallet and a Evil heavy ball.

-G
 

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
I wish I had known about Coach's Mallets before they closed, too.

These days Nokona doesn't even seem to offer a wood mallet on their site. They have something called the Tomahawk Mallet which looks like it's molded out of plastic? Very interesting shape that echoes batalot's sideways design above.

https://nokona.com/product/tomahawk-glove-mallet/
That's actually a great shape for a mallet. I wonder about the weight and durability -- all depends on the materials.
 

GloveCowboy

Active Member
I'm in the market for a good glove mallet to help maximize my break-in efforts. I previously wasted some money on an overseas Mizuno version that was TINY (8.5") and is useless on anything other than the hinge. Given that there are so many glovesmiths on this board, I would love to hear recommendations on truly useful mallets that are on the market. Here are some stats of ones I've seen so far:

Mizuno mallet
plus: solid one-piece wood
minus: only 12 inches

Hot Glove mallet
plus: affordable
minus: 2-piece design doesn't seem as sturdy
minus: only 12 inches

Rawlings glove mallet
minus: 2-piece design, seems like a rebrand of the Hot Glove mallet?

Marucci mallet
plus: 14 inches
minus: expensive

JL Gloves mallet
plus: 14 inches
minus expensive

My favorite mallet, believe it or not, is the Nike DEP mallet - its got a huge head and added weight gives really good leverage.
 

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
My favorite mallet, believe it or not, is the Nike DEP mallet - its got a huge head and added weight gives really good leverage.

The only problem with the Nike is that the end of the handle is neither tapered (like coach's) to allow you to use it to to stretch out finger stalls nor does it have a baseball bat end (like the Marucci mallet) that keeps it from slipping out of your hand. I'd like to see one with a ball shaped end like Coach's, with a handle more like the Marucci. And add an extra 2" to the length for more leverage.
 
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pidgeon

Member
I ended up buying two kinds of mallets for comparison, the Hot Glove and the JL.

hotglove.jpg

The Hot Glove (above) is ubiquitous, cheap and surprisingly effective. Its light weight was actually a benefit, making it less tiring to do more reps. I had no trouble gripping the handle without a knob. Downside is the 2-piece design and it is still about one inch short of being really effective. But you get plenty for what you pay for.

jl.jpg

The JL is a beautiful object to own. It has some added length to really get high up into the pocket. But the extra weight made it more tiring to use and quicker to cause blisters. I didn't want to ruin the look of the piece by adding grip tape, but wearing a batting glove during break-in helped. A good workout.

I guess this means I don't have the muscle to use one of these mallets that commonly appears in Japanese YouTube videos from baseball stores:

japan.jpg
 
Hello, so in anticipation of my new custom, which should arrive in the next couple of weeks, I went ahead and ordered the Hot Glove mallet, mainly because of price, I figured for $13 bucks, what's there to lose. It just arrived today, and I'm a bit surprised at how small it is, I guess at least it'd do for pounding the breaking points, but I don't see how I could form a good softball pocket with it.

Out of the ones the OP listed, I see the Marucci is 14 inches? I just want to confirm that's so, even though I like the round shaped better. Is there a bigger mallet out there, that is also round shaped? Otherwise I might just have to end up making me one with a softball like some of you have done.
 
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