High Quality Gloves

[dad_3420]

My son is 12 and and has played with a used Nokona 11" AMG I believe. He plays a varity of positons but mostly pitches or 3rd. I have seen the post on the Rawlings glove $400 Itlian leather, and have seen the new Bloodline from Nokona. Any input on either glove I want to go either 11 1/2" or 11 1/4". I want this glove to be the one he uses through high school so that is why I am willing to spend the money.

Please some replys

[kelleyathletic]

Don't get fooled by the price. I work in this industry and know the games that a lot of these companies play - they do it with bats all the time and now you're seeing it in gloves. The Rawlings $400 glove is quite simply just a marketing piece. Italian leather really doesn't mean a whole lot - especially when you add dirt, impact and sweat. But, people will also buy it because it is the most expensive - status quo or something like that. If you're looking for a glove to last a while - Nokona doesn't really have the track record for that - they have historically fealt great at first but have broken down very quickly.

The main thing you need to look at is the leather used, the weight you want (the Rawlings Primo is very heavy - people have knocked it for that) and how much you want to break it in. For example, our most expensive glove is not the one that will last the longest. In fact, it's not even our 2nd most expensive glove that will last the longest. Simply put - many people are now paying to have high-end pre-softened gloves. Not too many people want to have to work too hard to break in gloves these days. Now, on the other hand, our Elevation Series, which uses a combination of Steerhide and Calf-skin, takes about 3 weeks to get broken in - it will last years.

I'm not trying to get you to buy our gloves - just showing how price is not always the indicator. While my company doesn't play the marketing games - be aware that the biggest manufacturers play a lot of marketing games. We've been in the industry for a long time - we used to be baffled by what they put out there - now we're pretty much used to it. Make sure you do your homework.

[ACEMAN]

Nokona's all the way. American made. They last FOREVER! Great price too. Some are rough to break in. I don't bake them or use anything special. They make Nokona NLT glove conditioner. It is basically vaseline. Best stuff I've ever used. I'd recommend an 11 1/2, that's my personal preference. I was a utility guy in high school so I liked a utility size glove. I used a 12 for everything. Not many would agree but it worked fine for me. Go with the Nokona, you will be glad you did!

[dad_3420]

What an amazing glove: the leather, the feel, and the weight seem perfect. I'll have to report back on durability. I got him an 11.5" modified trap.

[TFischer15260]

My experience with gloves is Akadema makes a superior product designed for the Pros. Used by a number of MLB players including Manny Ramierz. They are not overpriced either. A good site is www.fireflybaseball.com. hope this helps..

[barras15]

Most of the people I know that own Primo's do admire them for the craftsmanship and say how beautiful of a glove they are but don't actually use them much. Matter of fact I have yet to even see a pro player using one. Personally I have always been partial to the Wilson A2000 series of gloves. They have always broken in nicely and been the most comfortable for my hand.