Hey Guys,
So Friday night, a day after reading pretty much this whole thread, I went online to titleboxing.com and ordered the Heatseekers in black 16-oz lace-up, plus the Title HnL converters. (Normally I call in orders but didn't want to wait, since the Heatseekers were back at $39.99 and you guys were commenting that the price kept going back and forth -- wanted to grab 'em while they were hot.
E-mail confirm indicated that both items are on backorder: HnL's are expected back in stock in February, and the Heatseekers (black 16-oz lace-up) not until April. I don't mind waiting.
Just want to say thanks for an incredible review and thread. Thanks to Clamp for the original review and pics, the follow-up stuff, and the great tutorial on lacing up gloves. Also thanks to Mumrik for his contributions including additional perspectives and pics and alternative way of fitting. And then to Nameless One and other guys for the incredible idea (dtravis92's originally?) of the 3/8" elastic laces -- what a great idea! And to all the other guys on this thread.
This is an incredibly educational thread all by itself. Not just the perspectives on all the different kinds of gloves out there (a pretty good group, at least), but now I'm convinced that lace-ups are the way to go. I've got something like 2 dozen pairs of gloves of all kinds -- mostly bag and training/sparring -- and they're all hook-and-loop. I just thought that was the way to go, for convenience in putting on and taking off. But seeing the difference in padding of the inside wrist area on lace-ups versus HnL, especially through those pics, was very convincing. The elastic laces might be the way to go, from the sound of it, in terms of easy on/off with lace-ups. I'm looking forward to trying this all when the gloves do come in, or another pair of lace-ups if I get one sooner (I'll try elastic laces). I do have elastic lace covers from both Title and Ringside, so I might try those. I also plan to get the HnL converters from Ringside, just to compare and check 'em out.
I don't even remember if this is my first post -- I think so. I've been lurking for a couple of years. I've been doing KM for 3 years and boxing for 2, soon also to try MT, and then eventually BJJ. My only use for gloves right now is bag and pad work, with an occasional sparring set but I expect to be doing more sparring down the line. By the way, I discovered combat sports at 53, and I only wish I'd gotten into it much earlier. It's great fun, although I've caught some wicked head shots and they can really rattle you. But then again, it's all part of the game.
You guys slay me. Every time I read one of these reviews I end up buying at least one more pair of gloves or whatever it is you're reviewing. But you guys are right on target -- I've never gone wrong with anything I've ordered based on your reviews. So hat's off (or headgear off, or whatever
.
Oh, and the pics you guys post are like p*rn for gear-whores such as myself.
FWIW, my gloves range from Reyes and Top Ten at the top (still want to get Grant and Winning) down to Title Gel, Ringside IMF-Tech (these are actually very, very good), Tuf-Wear, and KO at the "bottom," realizing that these last 4 are actually quite good, especially for the value. Wish I could gather them all for a "family portrait" like you guys do, but you've seen 'em all.
Hey Clamp - You have a lot of gloves. If you had to list your top 5 or 10 favorite pairs, any purpose (bag, pad, sparring, training, whatever), and no particular criteria but just overall, how would you rank your top 5 or 10? (I love my Cletos 'cause they feel and smell good, and I just love the way they feel when you hit the bag; and I love Top Ten because of the protection they give my hands -- you take 'em off after banging away and your hands feel like they haven't done anything at all.)
Thanks, guys!
Steve
PS - I chose the handle 'cause it seemed kind of clever at the time, but my hook punch needs a *lot* of work and in fact I keep injuring my right wrist doing the KM version of the hook punch (I'm right-handed).
PPS - One last thing: Of all the gloves I have and have tried, and based on what I've read from you guys in various threads about wrist support, I've come to the conclusion that you can't rely on a glove to give you proper wrist support that will prevent injury or bending of the wrist during a punch or strike -- either inward in a wrist-curl, or outward in a reverse wrist-curl, or toward the thumb side, or toward the pinky side. It's my semi-educated belief that you have to rely on handwraps and other items (sleeves, supports, etc.) to really keep your wrist from bending during a punch/strike. From the top brands I have down to the lowest priced models, the wrist support offered by the glove's sleeve or wrist compartment is inadequate. Reyes bends (as others have noted), even Top Ten does. If you punch hard enough, it looks like just about any glove is going to bend at the wrist. I'm also researching techniques for improving hand strength and health, and that looks to provide a real answer. (Check out ironmind.com and also get "Mastery of Hand Strength," revised edition, by John Brookfield.) I honestly feel that building hand strength is the only way to avoid injury such as the one I keep getting. But I'm open to any other thoughts you guys have on this one. (I haven't had time to search other threads for this topic.)
