Friday 6 December 2013

Glove Review - Warby GK Superior Pro Mega

So for my second blog, I figured I'd do a glove review.  When I was playing on a regular basis I always wore Uhlsport gloves.  I found this make to be comfortable, offer great grip and protection and generally stand up to the rigours of playing as you'd expect from a top brand. The problem with the top brands is obviously you can pay top price for a decent model.

When I returned to playing earlier this year, I decided I didn't want to pay a lot for my first set of gloves, after all I really didn't expect to play more than a couple of matches.  After searching the net at lesser known brands I settled on buying a pair of Warby's.  Despite the low price, I noticed that Forest Green's Sam Russell endorsed these so figured that they must be a half decent brand if they are being used by a Conference goalkeeper.

After searching the available stock I opted for the Superior Pro Mega as pictured below.

Superior Pro Mega image taken from warbygk.com
Features
All Weather Goalkeeper Gloves
Roll Finger palm cut
4mm Mega Grip latex
Embossed Latex Backhand
Anatomically designed backhand
Wrapped Thumb
Elastic wrist bandage
Latex wrist strap
Double Velcro wrist closure

Straight from the packet my first impressions of the glove on arrival were how comfortable they were and very light weight to wear. The glove has a 4mm palm, this makes the glove feel very padded, but without being too clunky.  The back hand is covered with a breathable material and finished of with an embossed latex. 

I liked the styling on the gloves, the backhand latex is cut to allow a comfortable making of a fist, and the latex covered elasticated wrist band offers good support.


Sizing wise, a 9 is a snug fit for my hands, but I normally wear a 9.5 size as I like a little room to spread my fingers out.  I bought the 9.5 in this pair and these allowed me to do that.  If you like your glove to be a snug fit, I'd recommend getting your actual size. 

My first use of these gloves was on a particularly naff day with a very muddy goal area, after dampening the gloves latex - I was happy with the grip offered by the glove when catching a wet ball - the 4mm latex absorbed the shock of the ball striking the hands.  After the game I was amazed at the quality these gloves offered for the money compared to those that I'd used in the past.

However, the only downside with the pair of gloves I purchased was that 4 games in, as the pitches dried, the palms disintegrated very quickly once they picked up the initial wear and tear scars to the point that after 6 games I abandoned them as my match gloves.  As a pro you'd probably accept that, but in the past, I usually can get my gloves to last a lot longer than that. This left me slightly disappointed with the Superior Pro Mega's after my initial happiness with the glove.


In summary - I think these Warby goalkeeper gloves are really nice looking and are very comfortable to wear.  I'm still wearing these gloves for light training sessions and the grip is still OK as long as it isn't too wet, but as the picture below shows, the latex has taken a real battering considering how little I have worn them.  

It's a shame they didn't last a little a bit better than they have, however this may have been down to the abrasiveness of the end of season pitches I was playing on.  I genuinely do like the glove for the price, the added thickness of the palm latex was welcomed and the initial grip was as good as anything I have worn in the past.  I think I will seriously consider giving this model of glove a second chance and purchase another pair when my current match pair need replacing. 


To view this glove and others in the Warby range visit www.warbygk.com