Glove Durability

[501Brandon]

Getting ready to order gloves... I have been using clinchers and the Masterline prolocks. I think I have enough strength back in my forearms to go with regular gloves again... I had an old set of the Straight Line kevlar and they got me through the rest of last year. I wanted to get some opinions on what you guys use and what type of life your getting out of gloves. I am leaning real hard on the Master Line K-Palm.

[MattP]

ML K-Palm for me,

or ProGear Gloves

that reminds me I need to order some new gear to start the season!

[rayn]

Been using K-Palm for years, really like them, they will last. I have 2 pair ready to go for the season and just bought a pair for my son.

 

The non kevlar portions do get holes(especially the top of the thumbs) by the end of the season

[MZito]

ProGear!! they don't feel like much but they are the beast gloves I have ever used.

 

[Laz]

This past summer I went through too many pairs of gloves. I used the Masterline prolocks for a while but they bother my thumbs.

 

I'm now back to my favourite gloves, the Connelly Prophecy. They seem to pretty durable.

[Chuck_Dickey]

Progear are the best. HO's 41 Tail's are second best.

[ntx]

41 tails rock

[PT Mike]

Been wearing t K palms got years. Can usually get a solid season from a pair of gloves.

[h2oski]

I've found Goode gloves to be extremely durable, you have to get

used to the color.

[MZito]

The Goode gloves do hold up, but for some reason I would always rip my hands up in them...

 

[lpskier]

Used to be a K-Palm Curve guy, but I switched three years ago to 41 Tails. I like them a lot. Any glove will wear out with use, especially if it fits well. I go through three or four pairs a season, about the same as with Masterline.

[Onside135]

Straightline Classic's have been great for me .

 

@Brent The old style (black gloves with red stitching) were far better than the newer ones. I can't pinpoint exactly when they changed up the manufacturing, but the new S.L. Kevlar Classics are a far inferior product compared to their old gloves. Last season I started with a new pair of new style S.L. Kevlar Classics...they lasted about 1 month. Fortunately, a ski buddy sold me an old pair of S.L Classics he had in his garage for a number of years (unused). I used them for the next 4 months, a plan to start up with them again in April. They just don't make things like they used to. I too am exploring alternatives. Considering 41 Tails, K-Palms and D3 Enzos.

 

Anyone have any experience with D3 Enzos?

[MattP]

At one point this last season I was wearing a Large ML KPalm (what the chart says i should be wearing) and they fit and worked well. Then per insight from Jodi I switched down to a small. What a difference in the feel of the handle. They started to rip after a few weeks but are still very skiable. If you want to size down which I like I would get 3 or so pairs and just use them in rotation every set.

[chrispenner]

Been using HO 41 tail. Holding up nicely. Just going to be trying on some Radar Ergo's they are Amara Palm.

 

I will report back once I have a chance to put some set's on them. I was a little nervous on longevity but I get gloves at cost so I figure I better try them out.

[Ham_Wallace]

MasterLine with smaller diameter handles.

 

Straightline Rockets with 1" or larger diameter handles.

[Razorskier1]

Can't ski with Kevlar palm gloves -- they bunch up and tear up my handle. I look for the cheapest amara palm gloves I can find and just use a lot of them.

[The_MS]

@Razor,

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Gladiator-ProChamp-Glove&i=13063&aID=600B2&merchID=4006

 

Cant go wrong.

[Nick Sullivan]

I have the D3 Enzos and they rock!

[davemac]

Hey Sully...care to elaborate on the Enzos? Sizing, fit, etc?

TIA

[WBLskier]

41 tails are good...but the strap across the back of the palm comes undone a lot, which is kind of a pain. They are the most durable and best gripping gloves I have had to date though.

[MrB]

I've use the Radar Strada Gloves. Love that Boa System, keeps palms tight and no bunching. Too expensive.

[Nick Sullivan]

Something about the material inside the Stradas rub my hands raw. The other thing that someone else brought up at our lake is that the nob sure would do a number on your face if the rope broke or you hit youself in a fall.

 

The D3 feels alot like the old K Palms by masterline. From what I can tell the newer Masterline gloves do not last like the older version.

[GAJ0004]

Bart's guantlet half finger. I usually get 2-3 seasons out of them, but they only get used from may until the end of the season. I have cold water gloves that I use from April until the water warms up.

[ski4xtc]

I switched to the Radar Strada's last season and could not be happier. The gloves are great out of the package, the grip is great, they fit good and they seem to be longer lasting than anything else I have used. The boa system is slick. As the gloves start to stretch out after months of use, the boa system can be tightened to compensate. I have not been able to do this with other gloves such as the HO and Connelly. They are a little more expensive but make up for it in durability.

[Mateo_Vargas]

We were just talking about what to do with the Boa system after the gloves are done. I think Radar should offer an exchange program.

[Dusty]

41 Tails- Before that I found the Straightline glove with the silicone(?) dot palms the most comfortable, with great grip, and lasted as well as any. Kevlar palms tear up my hands and handle, faster than amara, but do give a better grip...

[A_B]

Best glove I liked was the Motoglove. Had a different material on the palm and was very sticky on the handle. Didn't wear too badly. Like most things in water skiing, they stopped making it.

 

Anyone else use this and find anything comparable?

[GAJ0004]

I have two old pairs of Body Glove smoothskin neoprene. I only use them in the spring , then I switch to my Bart's half finger gloves. Unfortunately Body Glove does not make them anymore. I have been able to repair them using pieces of worn out weight lifting gloves. The half finger gloves last me a long time. I buy two pair at a time, and I usually get 3-4 seasons out of a pair. Since my boat lift does not have a canopy(not really necessary in PA) my gloves get to dry on the black dashboard of my boat. They shrink back to their original size. I only use them for kneeboarding and slalom. Usually Bart's, Overton's, or Performance Ski and Surf of Orlando will have something for cold water. I can't hang on to a handle as well with full fingered gloves, so I switch as soon as it is warm enough..

[6balls]

Masterline K-palms were durable. Clinchers extremely durable but an acquired taste. New pro-locks in my bag awaiting spring.

[501Brandon]

Thanks for all the great input! I just submitted an order and decked myself out with a new ML customer handle, rope, 1 pair of pro locks and a pair of k palms... I figure that way I can rotate when my grip gets weak I can throw on the prolocks! Thanks again for all the good info...

[6balls]

There's a short break in on the clincher/pro-lock. First time out before strap gets broken in may actually be a bit slippery. Once broken in grip is unmatched.

[Wish]

My Pro-locks did not hold up or have not held up as well as my clinchers did. They use some trim work on them that starts to peal back and they seam to be stretching out faster than my clinchers did. Not happy. Seems cheap. I tried a pair of Radars (clincher like). Far superior materials IMHO. Far far better wrist cuff in comfort and what should be durability. Also, a better simplified strapping system unlike the Pro-locks (and even the Clinchers). Much easier to put on considering when you have one glove on already, it's difficult to fuss with the second as your fingers are strapped together. Radars fit me better and snugger as well. @6balls is correct. Once you get used to them there is no better grip and they do not seam to tare into my handle at all. If you haven't warn anything like these before, give it several sets and experiment with various diameter handles. I find 1" works for me. Personally I like not having to grip the sh.. out of the handle...keeps me light on the line. And in a situation where normally the handle would be snatched out, I have a fighting chance.

[A_B]

How do the Radar Pro-Locks run sizewise? I normally wear XL or XXL gloves but get a size smaller on Clinchers so my hand is slightly curled. A little tight initially, but stretch out some. I have found the Masterline Locks cumbersome to put on as well, the wrist cuff digs into my hand, and the overlay on top was too short for my hand and I added some velcro to it.

[Wish]

I wear a medium in ML Pro-locks, Clinchers and Radar. In order of nice and snug and comfortable over time, it would be Radar, Clinchers and then Pro-locks. Pro-locks stretched out more and quicker than clinchers did. They feel sloppy. They haven't seen that many sets. Strap with dowel is tight and almost identical to Clinchers but the glove part is sloppy now. The Radars glove portion seems to be built out of a different material (strap and dowel are the same) that I think would not get sloppy ever. The wrist/cuff is just butter compared to ML and Clinchers and that is the business end of this type of glove. NOT cumbersome to put on at all. So to answer you question, the Radar would be tightish but for me I will order the same size for Radar (medium). If you have chubby fingers (Bob the hoof man) go one size up.