SSK, HATAKEYAMA, Woodz Taiwanese Gloves

[zeninfinity]

Hi,

I have been searching ebay for a good 1st base mitt for my 12 yo, and am having trouble deciding. I want to get something that will last a good many years. He had a Akedema prodigy series glove now for 5 years. I was thinking of going fo rthe ADJ series 1st base mitt from Akedema but them I stumbled onto a seller that has other high end gloves. He;s the guys regular site that customized all sort of glove I've heard of but never have seen or felt in person.

http://www.taiwanbaseball.com.tw/catalog.php

Check out this custom glove showroom of Woodz gloves http://www.taiwanbaseball.com.tw/products.php?level0_id=9&level1_id=23

Just wonder what word on the street is about these gloves/ brands. It's always intriguing to see alternatives that may be the revered brands in other countries.

Anyone hear anything good or bad about these brands?

Thanks in advance!

[glove_fanatic]

Taiwanese gloves can vary. At first, they tend to be stiff as a board (as that is how they like them) and it takes a while to break them in. I bought one of the Woodz custom gloves (japanese kip leather), and it is very nice. takes a while to break in though. I also bought a japanese glove from a brand named hi-gold while in taiwan. It is quality, inexpesive, and made of kip leather. It as the other, was very stiff at first. It is great, but i have had it for a year and it is only partially broken in. however, i bought a cheap zett ($40-60), and it was not that great. at first i thought it was awesome; just like the others it was very stiff. But once i broke it in it was horrible. so be careful, some of them are great, others not so much.
I feel like the japanese gloves are probably very good quality. According to the sales rep at the store i bought my higold from, hi-gold gloves are not legal to make except in Japan. He then reassured me by saying mine was most likely made in japan, but i am not certain because there is a different logo. Japanese are certainly more expensive and are all [I]supposedly[I] made of Japanese kip leather, the best of the best in terms of japanese leather. However, i am not sure if there are levels to the quality of kip in japan.
In short id probably stick with an american glove. If the person this glove is for is right handed, there are very cheap SAF kip leather gloves, and are supposed to be quality (but i havent tried one b/c im LHT). Its best to see gloves in person, and get a feel for them though.

[glove_fanatic]

OH one more thing! Many of the brands on taiwan baseball website are taiwanese divisions of Japanese baseball companies, like SSK and Zett. Id advise not buying the taiwanese ones b/c they are certainly worse quality. If you want a SSK and cannot read japanese, you can buy a custom one in the US. ive seen them and heard they are worth getting.
http://www.ssksports.com/en/baseball/
Im not sure, but i think woodz is a good brand. They are a taiwanese brand. once again im not sure, but i think their highest quality glove is the "realization." if you would like, here is their site
http://wzbaseball.com/