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This glove is MUCH better than I expected! I did a lot of research on gloves for my son’s next glove. I was a little wary about getting this one because I could not find it in a store to actually try it out. Nevertheless, I decided to go with this glove based solely on the description and reviews. That was a good choice!

My son is 8 and this glove fits perfectly. I like the fact that it is a youth glove. There are a lot of adult 11.5″ gloves out there, but they would not fit my son’s hand like this because the finger holes inside the glove are too big. That is why I chose to go with the youth model. Wanting to get a youth glove really knocked out a lot of gloves in his size range. What was left in the youth size was sub-par in quality and materials. I guess parents just aren’t willing to spend a lot on quality gloves when the child will likely outgrow it in a few years or may lose interest in baseball after one or two seasons. So it was a little difficult finding a quality glove in the youth size.

What I really like about the glove is the quality. It took some time to break in (actually, after about a month it could still be broken in a little more). It was usable after a day of breaking in, but it was still a little stiff. So if breaking in a good glove is not your thing, then you may want to pass. However, if you are going to be spending a little more on a quality glove, you don’t want one of those cheap gloves that break in almost immediately. The long break-in period is one of the signs of a quality glove. This is not rock hard like a $300 Rawlings, but it is still pretty stiff. I think it is perfect for a serious youth player.

I like the fury lining around the wrist and the velcro wrist strap. The glove is made of all leather, not some synthetic or plastic combo with leather. There was a Rawlings that I almost got, but I did not like the plastic weave in the web on that model. This one full leather and quality all the way. In fact, it looks like a tiny version of my quality Rawlings glove.

I wanted to pay a little more for a nicer glove for my son. When I say a “little” more, I mean little — like somewhere in the $50-$70 range. I did not want to buy a $20-$40 glove, and I did not want to go overboard and spend $100 or $200 on a glove. With this glove, I spent a little bit more but I feel that I got a lot more glove! Seriously, if this glove was a Wilson or Rawlings, I think it could easily be priced at $100+. At this combination of price and quality, I would recommend this glove 100% to anyone.

Keep in mind that this glove will take some time to break in and 11.5″ is a little on the large side for an 8 year old. If your child is just starting off at the tee ball level, this would not be the right glove for him/her. I would recommend that you get a cheap tee ball glove first that is somewhere around 9.5 to 10.5″. If your child shows some baseball promise and is ready to move on to the next level, then considering getting this glove as your child’s second glove. If your child is pretty good and is serious about baseball, he/she would benefit from a quality glove like this. (My son started the season with his tee ball glove and he would get his glove on the ball, but it would keep falling out of the pocket — that is no longer a problem with this glove.)

One last thing….the glove looks very cool. I like the black color with the grayish-silver accents. You can’t go wrong with this glove!

Rating: 5 / 5