- Joined
- Nov 21, 2013
- Messages
- 978
- Reaction score
- 26
Background:
I met the guy that started Fight 2 Finish a few years ago. I told him my background, and he basically asked what I wanted out of a sparring glove and so I told him a few things that I'd like to see: triple cuff, ability to open hand, etc., based off what I liked about Grant, Winning, and the other top brands. After a few iterations, he presented this current pair of FIIF gloves.
Glove Specifications:
From the manufacturer’s description:
Stitching/Craftsmanship/Materials:
I don't remember if I weighed the gloves, but I feel like weight is more important to get right with fight gloves. No reason to suspect that one weighs more than the other, and I would have to say that these gloves are excellent in all three categories. The matte leather on the cuff and the thumbs was a pretty cool choice and feel great to the touch. If I had any complaints, it would be the liner – I just feel like I’ve felt better liner out there, and I prefer it to be tighter and flush with the inside padding.
Design:
The biggest thing I wanted out of these sparring gloves was the ability to open my hand to catch punches in addition to having adequate enough padding to protect both my hands and my sparring partner. I didn't count all the layers, but I have to say that these gloves have definitely (thus far) achieved a balance between protection and flexibility. My sparring partner prefers getting hit with these gloves over the Golombs which makes sense, as the Golombs utilize the less-forgiving horsehair/foam combo and these are just straight foam. The overall design is very sleek, though they do feel every bit the size of a larger glove. I haven't had the chance to use the 16 oz version of these gloves, but I feel like the only thing I would ask for in terms of design would be a slimmer profile.
Padding:
The padding is great in that not once did I ever feel like I was breaking through, but the padding was flexible enough for me to open my hands in order to block and catch punches. I’ve done a dozen or so rounds on the heavybag just to “break them in”, and I feel like if you like using bigger gloves on the bag, these are a pretty good option. The padding is a little different than in the gloves that @hangulmalmotayo used (thicker and more dense -I know because I felt the exact gloves he used), but I feel like the destroyer would tear through these in a similar fashion eventually.
Had absolutely no issues with the thumb padding – I’ve jammed my thumbs in the 18 oz RB1s on two occasions.
Hand Compartment:
These gloves have a very roomy hand compartment, perfect in terms of length (the thumb compartment is also roomy) but a little wide. They do have a wonderful shape, I guess I just wish that the gloves were a little tighter width-wise.
Performance for sparring:
Like I mentioned above – my sparring partner likes them, and I can open my hands. Pretty much the two biggest things I wanted out of these gloves. They make an excellent, and very safe sparring glove.
Durability:
No real signs of wear or tear, in the leather or the padding over the 6 months or so that I’ve had them. Don’t be fooled – I’ve only averaged maybe 6-8 rounds of sparring a week over that period of time, a generous estimate. So time will tell, but generally speaking, sparring gloves should last a while unless you don’t dry them off, use them on the bag, and just go to war all the time in them.
Overall:
In my opinion, the best out of the box sparring gloves I’ve used of what is currently being offered, especially considering the price. I would reach out to F2F as when I first received these gloves, I thought they were a custom order. Not sure if they are just a normal stock offering now, but I know they definitely have different tiers of gloves. Full disclosure – I have not tested the newest Rival offerings, but I’ve felt the RS100’s and these gloves aren’t anything like them.
TL/DR:
-Pros: I can open my hands to catch punches with ease. Quality, materials, design – my sparring glove of choice next to the Golombs.
-Less-Pros: A little wide, but consistent with some 18 oz gloves I’ve used in the past. The liner material felt thin/loose, but no tears.
I met the guy that started Fight 2 Finish a few years ago. I told him my background, and he basically asked what I wanted out of a sparring glove and so I told him a few things that I'd like to see: triple cuff, ability to open hand, etc., based off what I liked about Grant, Winning, and the other top brands. After a few iterations, he presented this current pair of FIIF gloves.
Glove Specifications:
From the manufacturer’s description:
- Proprietary formula polymer foams 7-layer padding
- Soft and 2.6 in. thick padding ensuring safe connection in a wide range of impact power, easy tight grip helping to form a solid fist
Stitching/Craftsmanship/Materials:
I don't remember if I weighed the gloves, but I feel like weight is more important to get right with fight gloves. No reason to suspect that one weighs more than the other, and I would have to say that these gloves are excellent in all three categories. The matte leather on the cuff and the thumbs was a pretty cool choice and feel great to the touch. If I had any complaints, it would be the liner – I just feel like I’ve felt better liner out there, and I prefer it to be tighter and flush with the inside padding.
Design:
The biggest thing I wanted out of these sparring gloves was the ability to open my hand to catch punches in addition to having adequate enough padding to protect both my hands and my sparring partner. I didn't count all the layers, but I have to say that these gloves have definitely (thus far) achieved a balance between protection and flexibility. My sparring partner prefers getting hit with these gloves over the Golombs which makes sense, as the Golombs utilize the less-forgiving horsehair/foam combo and these are just straight foam. The overall design is very sleek, though they do feel every bit the size of a larger glove. I haven't had the chance to use the 16 oz version of these gloves, but I feel like the only thing I would ask for in terms of design would be a slimmer profile.
Padding:
The padding is great in that not once did I ever feel like I was breaking through, but the padding was flexible enough for me to open my hands in order to block and catch punches. I’ve done a dozen or so rounds on the heavybag just to “break them in”, and I feel like if you like using bigger gloves on the bag, these are a pretty good option. The padding is a little different than in the gloves that @hangulmalmotayo used (thicker and more dense -I know because I felt the exact gloves he used), but I feel like the destroyer would tear through these in a similar fashion eventually.
Had absolutely no issues with the thumb padding – I’ve jammed my thumbs in the 18 oz RB1s on two occasions.
Hand Compartment:
These gloves have a very roomy hand compartment, perfect in terms of length (the thumb compartment is also roomy) but a little wide. They do have a wonderful shape, I guess I just wish that the gloves were a little tighter width-wise.
Performance for sparring:
Like I mentioned above – my sparring partner likes them, and I can open my hands. Pretty much the two biggest things I wanted out of these gloves. They make an excellent, and very safe sparring glove.
Durability:
No real signs of wear or tear, in the leather or the padding over the 6 months or so that I’ve had them. Don’t be fooled – I’ve only averaged maybe 6-8 rounds of sparring a week over that period of time, a generous estimate. So time will tell, but generally speaking, sparring gloves should last a while unless you don’t dry them off, use them on the bag, and just go to war all the time in them.
Overall:
In my opinion, the best out of the box sparring gloves I’ve used of what is currently being offered, especially considering the price. I would reach out to F2F as when I first received these gloves, I thought they were a custom order. Not sure if they are just a normal stock offering now, but I know they definitely have different tiers of gloves. Full disclosure – I have not tested the newest Rival offerings, but I’ve felt the RS100’s and these gloves aren’t anything like them.
TL/DR:
-Pros: I can open my hands to catch punches with ease. Quality, materials, design – my sparring glove of choice next to the Golombs.
-Less-Pros: A little wide, but consistent with some 18 oz gloves I’ve used in the past. The liner material felt thin/loose, but no tears.
