Price/Value
Good. I got mine on Amazon for $29.95.
Build Quality
Very good. The grip side is holding together nicely. They’ve stretched a little with use, but still fit well. If you order, aim for the smaller side of the sizing chart.
Features
They certainly help keep the calluses down and add comfort to my grip.
When I started working out 5-6 days a week, my calluses started building up much more quickly. And they can get uncomfortable in a hurry, especially if you’re unlucky enough that they tear (setting aside for the moment that you ought to be able to work out without that happening). I tried taping, and I didn’t really like it that much. I tried gymnastic grips, but they’re good specifically for that – gymnastic movements. I did;t find they helped with kettle bell swings, for example – in fact I found myself losing my grip when I wore them. I thought about full gloves, but they’re warm and tend to be a bit more padded. I really just wanted my callouses covered on demand without resorting to taping.
Then someone in my box brought in a pair of these fingerless, open palm gloves covering just the inside of the main knuckles of the hand at the top of the fingers. His had full on leather for the grip, but the design was basically the same as these. I looked online, found them on amazon, and decided to give them a try. They arrived in a matter of days, and I immediately added them to my gym bag. Simply put, they work – if you accept certain possible limitations.
My experience has been that first and foremost they’re outstanding for barbell work. For me, the bar tends not to twist much in my hands anyway. But I still found the textured bit on the bar that I grip tightly rubbed my hands raw. With these on, not only do I not feel that sensation, I feel like I have a grippy cushion in my hand, allowing me to hold tighter and exert more control on the bar. It’s a very comfortable feeling, especially as the bar gets heavier. The same goes for any dumbbell work.
I have used on them with mixed success for kettle bell work. I find if the handle needs to rotate in my grip, the silicone is perhaps just a little more effective than my crib calls for and it results in the glove bunching slightly so I have to adjust them periodically. If you’re a person with a lighter grip, it might not be the distraction I find it.
I personally found them less well suited to gymnastic movements. But like kettle bell work, that may be my particular style. For strict movements without much if any swing, they were just fine, working almost as well for me as they did for barbell work. But when I’m tasked with 30 or more pull-ups in your WOD, if I’m given an option, strict is the last thing I’m going to do. And I’ve got a pretty strong kip (still learning butterfly, so I can’t comment on how they perform for that). And on a strong kip, the gloves do tend to move a fair bit and become uncomfortable. And then I have to adjust more frequently than i would have to adjust my grip if I had simply chalked my hands. So for that reason, after giving them a decent shot, i don’t use the gloves for pull-ups.
What don’t I like?
They move a bit too much for comfortable gymnastic movements
If you’re doing strict pull-ups, or variations (chest to bar, etc.) then these might feel just fine. If you are swinging a bit from the bar, be prepared for the globes to move a bit. They’re only wrapped around your four fingers after all, so there’s nothing else to hold them in place. And so I found that with swinging movement, they move a bit and are then not quite as comfortable beyond the first few swings. Everyone is different though – I have a pretty aggressive kip. If you don’t swing quite as much as I do, you might be just fine with them.
They stink like hockey gear in a hurry – wash often
A don’t know if this is something that is particular to the model I got – the silicone palm grip – but I did find they pick up an door pretty quickly if you sweat at all while using them. So be prepared to wash them often – unless you don’t mind the smell.
