Glove longevity.

[potatoes]

A good pair of bag gloves will last for about 6 months of real training while providing a usable amount of protection. After that the padding in the knuckles no longer provides the shock absorbency it use too.

If you get a pair of sparring gloves and use them on the bag every day, they will last you about 2 months before it is no longer safe to use them in sparring, and about 3 months before they no longer protect your hands.

A pair of amateur gloves will last you even less time.

Most people wait till the gloves are falling apart to get a new pair. Thats not the test of when a glove is toast, its how long it takes for the foam in the knuckles to lose its ability to absorb impact.

That is a pretty good analysis.

Gloves seem to last some guys longer than others, not sure why. As yet I haven't discovered a method of extending longevity other than making sure that it is only you who is using your gloves. It has been said that if you clean the gloves and air them out they will last a bit longer. From what I have seen all it does is make them smell better!

[Bendigo]

What's a good, failsafe indication that it's time to buy new gloves??

[Pork Chop]

sorry, long post

The gloves I haven't used glove dogs with are the ones that have broke down the fastest.
I think it's the sweat that breaks them down - especially acidic sweat.

I gotta wonder if you're cleaning your gloves frequently & they're still breaking down that fast whether the cleaning solution is what's breaking them down - shouldn't use a cleaner with alcohol or bleach as that will break down the material.

Dryer sheets, glove dogs made out of cedar chips or kittie litter, and antibacterial fabreeze are the recommended ways to kill the odor & dry out the gloves.

I've had weird luck with gloves.
I rotate my gloves a lot, and the gloves I've gotten rid of have been due to other structural reasons than the glove actually breaking down and wearing out.

This year, because everything's gotten more expensive & my spend-money has decreased, I'm trying to wear out my gloves as much as possible before getting more.

My IMFs are holding up nice 2 or 3 years later with a lot of use, but starting to show signs of a little wear and tear. The white leather has been stained black - i think from the leather or the strap. The padding is still pretty resilient - stiffer outer shell with softer foam in the middle, but over time i can find my knuckles creating grooves.

My 2 pairs of Grant Gloves have seen better days - velcro separating on the super bag gloves (though otherwise they've held up VERY well) and the cuff on the training gloves shrank (i believe due to the desiccant I use). Towards the end the training gloves were starting to become my favorite gloves after years of hating the space between the knuckles & padding - so it was a big loss. The super bag gloves still are my favorite and I'll get them back in the rotation as soon as my July event with 16ozers is over; plan on using them till they completely fall apart.

Regularly use 2 pairs of Boon gloves (14s and 16s) that are doing well. Kinda need to wear wraps with 'em, as they're not very good at absorbing sweat. I have a weird feeling that these gloves will be lucky to last a year, eventhough I like them a lot.

Still have 1 pair of Top Ten Sparring gloves from totiro-usa.com They're nice, but the thumbs are a little uncomfortable, haven't broken in like I would've liked. The padding's good- 16oz with a small profile. The leather may also be prone to getting waterlogged from sweat. Good to use for sparring to improve my defense, not sure I like 'em so much for bags & pads. May work with them tonight.

Have a pair of Title Gels & Ringside Ultimate Classic training gloves that I mainly use as loaners and haven't heard any complaints. The fill on the ultimate classics has become more firm in the 4 years I've owned these gloves - but it's actually a good thing, they were very mushy before. The Title Gels never fit me well.

I still have my 22oz titles from 2003; they're about the only glove I still have that doesn't have very resilient/soft padding. They still have thick padding, but feels dense more like a super bag glove. Don't use them so much anymore.

Over time I've given away or sold:

3 pairs of twins - 1 elastic enclosure 16s from Title that didn't feel like twins, velcro enclosure 16oz gloves ordered through Title that I hated at first but were starting to break in real nice with use (before selling them to a gym mate), and a pair of 14s that were actually my favorite of the 3. Unfortunately the fold of padding over the knuckles on the 14s shifted and created a bad striking surface (started turning my wrist a lot).

2 pairs of Ultimate classic super bag gloves - first pair were large or extra large, way too big, nice gloves but too much room, still used them for a long time. Second pair was the regular/medium, tight at first but awesome once broken in - sold them to a coworker which might've been a mistake.

1 pair of Ringside 20oz big hitter gloves. Pretty nice gloves, just too bulky. The padding was actually near identical to that of the ultimate classic trainers, but not as mushy. Sold them when i realized they were screwing up my defense & my punching form.

1 pair of Everlast pro trainers - 18 oz. Most comfortable fist/pocket I've ever had. Felt a little bulky. Plastic horsehide filling started coming through the glove lining after a handfull of uses. Gave 'em to a friend who still uses them I think.

1 pair of Classics (old Zepols) - 18oz. Felt like they might've been a 14 or 16 padding wise. Thumb wasn't good and the leather wasn't even as nice as the rest of their gear, def not good glove leather. Traded them for and old pair of TufWears that are SUPER padded for 16s & feel nice.

1 pair of Windy's from Ringside - 16oz. Fill felt even harder than my Ultimate Classic super bag gloves. They weren't comfortable and didn't make a nice fist so striking surface didn't feel good with them. Gave them away after less than 5 uses. Guess I didn't break them in enough to know how they'd really be, but breaking them in was such a pain that it wasn't worth it.

2 pairs of Reyes - 16s & 14s. Not padded enough to hit the heavybag, nobody wanted to spar me with them, and they didn't fit all that well. Even with glover's assistants, lace up gloves are a pain.

Sorry for the summary, but I just wanted to illustrate why 6 months seems awful short to me.

[Verstyle]

Damn, Vers. What gloves do you buy?

Title and Everlast. I have the gel Title gloves now. The left glove is already deflated. I've actually used those for about 5 months. All 16oz.