I have an addiction problem! To top lists. You know the type – top 10 cars of all time or 5 films you must see before you die. They’re generally superficial tosh, but I absorb them in great quantity nonetheless. They elicit an emotional response; I shout at them in disagreement or smile knowingly in concurrence with their choices.
But with Top Gloves lists I’m generally left feeling a little disappointed.
It’s not necessarily because I think they’re wrong. It’s more about their predictability. I don’t doubt the list entries. Most have reason to be there and indeed here at Fightstore Pro we stock and sell in good number many of the gloves that feature.
Take the Fairtex BGV1. It’s in most of the lists I’ve consumed, and rightly so. It’s a fantastic, tried and tested glove and one of our best sellers. And at 80 quid you get plenty of bang for your buck.
The Twins Special BGVL3 … Hayabusa’s Tokushu range… same story. They arguably deserve to be there.
And of course top of the top lists you’ll invariably find the painfully obvious selections – the brands and gloves the pro guys wear on glitzy fight cards, and for which most of us would have to re-mortgage our house to afford.
This article doesn’t seek to discredit these lists. Nor, in fact, is it a list. Instead it aims to throw in one curve-ball contender as a precursor to one of our forthcoming video features – The Best Gloves for under £50
So here it is (drum roll, please)…
The Revgear Pro Leather Training Glove, 10oz
You’ve probably clicked the link, seen the pics and are already decidedly unimpressed. But let me explain…
Fundamentally it’s the simplicity and no-nonsense approach that initially drew me to the glove. It’s a simple black leather (with white vinyl palm), with 5 holes punched into the palm for breathability, a solid velcro wrist strap and a great hand compartment. Bottom line, it does the basic things well with little fuss and all for just a few pennies over 40 quid. They're a bona-fide bargain!
Simplicity aside, it’s the performance that has really stood out for me and deserves special mention here.
I took the glove off the Fightstore shelves (perk of the job) six months ago to use primarily as a bag glove, although it can be used for pad and stand up work too. Since then I’ve used it 2-3 times per week, working on a 30kg teardrop bag. (See pic below for the teardrop in question, hung precariously on my garage wall with the trusty gloves below).
I’m not the hardest puncher in the world. But at 6ft and a shade under 14 stone I like to think I’ve been able to give the glove a thorough enough test. My Fightstore colleagues may disagree!
But here’s the thing: six months in and multiple bag blows later, the glove still feels fresh out the packet. The leather hasn’t deteriorated nor has the padding fallen apart. The wrist strap has stayed strong and the core structure of the glove has held up. I know from experience of several more expensive, big brand gloves that would have given up the fight long before.
So for all those reasons I’m submitting the Revgear Pro Leather Training Glove into my own top list, if not for the overall list certainly for the best gloves under 50 quid.
But wait. Perhaps I’ve been too bold, for there are some sub 50 quid contenders on the block that may well prove a stiff challenge to the Revgear Training Glove, including one of the most popular gloves of 2017 - the Ringside Pro Fitness
I’m not the hardest puncher in the world. But at 6ft and a shade under 14 stone I like to think I’ve been able to give the glove a thorough enough test. My Fightstore colleagues may disagree!
But here’s the thing: six months in and multiple bag blows later, the glove still feels fresh out the packet. The leather hasn’t deteriorated nor has the padding fallen apart. The wrist strap has stayed strong and the core structure of the glove has held up. I know from experience of several more expensive, big brand gloves that would have given up the fight long before.
So for all those reasons I’m submitting the Revgear Pro Leather Training Glove into my own top list, if not for the overall list certainly for the best gloves under 50 quid.
But wait. Perhaps I’ve been too bold, for there are some sub 50 quid contenders on the block that may well prove a stiff challenge to the Revgear Training Glove, including one of the most popular gloves of 2017 - the Ringside Pro Fitness
