Well Sam was nice enough to send me one of his gloves and I must say it is probably one of the better ones on the market. But I am nothing if not blunt..so after talking with Sam this evening I look forward to the next revision...
Pros
I really like the semi stretchy fabric in the palms
I really like the solid back going up over the cuff
I like the wider elastic as I aint a small guy...
I like the color...matches our purple body cords *s*
Cons
Too much fabric in palms...can bunch on some handles
A non sticky palm version I prefer a sticky when fencing sabre..and a non when fencing epee
Loss of sensation in fingertips (see above comment)
I received the glove today in the mail and have put it in the hands of one of our very competitive fencers for a try out.
After one practice the fencer said the sticky grip was good for his foil and helped him maintain his blade through hard parries and what not. He likes the extra paddling that has been added and overall the entire glove.
However he does NOT like th purple color.
Sma I think you've done a GREAT job getting this glove created and cannot wait to see how it holds up before ordering a lot of them.
Pros
I really like the semi stretchy fabric in the palms
I really like the solid back going up over the cuff
I like the wider elastic as I aint a small guy...
I like the color...matches our purple body cords *s*
Cons
Too much fabric in palms...can bunch on some handles
A non sticky palm version I prefer a sticky when fencing sabre..and a non when fencing epee
Loss of sensation in fingertips (see above comment)
I am eagerly awaiting seeing the sabre version...
Wow....I step away from the computer for a bit to get some fencing in and what do I get....A REVIEW!!!!!
heh
On the Pros
The solid back...are you referring to the solid color, or that it's a solid piece?? (I forgot to ask earlier)
The bigger closure flap....yeah...that's one of MY faves as well! I;ve never understood why other companies don't increase the size...it's not THAT big of a deal!
The color: Well...it IS my house color, after all!
On the Cons
Excess fabric in the palms....I believe this was something FatFencer noticed as well.
Non-sticky....what would you say to sticky on the heel of the hand, thumb, and forefinger instead??
Loss of sensation -- I have not heard this befcore...but it may be a very personal thing...I use a slightly earlier version and I don;t notice any loss of sensation.
Sabre version....the exact same glove, with the addition of the lame cuff...same type of closure (the only diff being narrpwing the bottom layer of velcro by 1 cm so it doesn't project out into the open)
After one practice the fencer said the sticky grip was good for his foil and helped him maintain his blade through hard parries and what not. He likes the extra paddling that has been added and overall the entire glove.
However he does NOT like th purple color.
I may need to make 2 versions, as Rick suggested...
Extra padding....it can't protect the fingers as much as I'd like because then you couldn't manipulate it, but it's a damn sight better than what anyone ELSE has!
Color....I will have a variety of colors...this was a rush order and my maker had a supply of the purple already cut. My maker says he can get anyh color, but I'm trying to get specifics to offer to bulk buyers.
Cost $25 each.
Supplies right now are a little bit limited, but as I get bulk orders in, I can increase my inventory.
Thanks for the reviews, guys....looking VERY much forward to seeing reports after use in competition!
BY THE WAY.... washing instructions....COLD water in the machine, hang dry....if you use hot water or toss it in the dryer, you'll shrink the padding.
The advantage of the solid color upper is....it's a single piece of material...no seam for a blade to go through. What looks like a seam at the wrist is actually the stiching that holds the foam padding in place.
On the underside...I had to draw the line for the end of the closure flap due to the lighting, but that IS how much bigger the flap is...5 cm (where most other gloves stop at the hole for the body cord)
Non-sticky....what would you say to sticky on the heel of the hand, thumb, and forefinger instead??
I haven't tried your glove, but I would recommend to try and make a version with "sticky" material only on the fingers, and leave the heel of the hand alone.
For people who fence with their fingers, the way it should be, it can be difficult to move the grip in your hand if it sticks to the heel of the hand.
Now, I don't know exactly how sticky it is, and it is probably fine if it is just "a little sticky" as opposed to "a lot sticky"...
Epee is the Louis Vuitton bag of fencing: only the best can get it, and the rest of the masses must content themselves with cheap knockoffs (sabre, foil)
To not recognize the power of the French grip is to be in denial
As much as I'm intrigued by the glove in general, I'll have to vote for at least some variety of colors (yeah, the purple is a bit much for me ), and I'm not likely to buy one until you have something with no sticky. I'm anti sticky. I don't like sticky. Boo sticky. Did I mention I don't like sticky?
But for those complaining about the color....you missed this quote near the end of my first reply:
"Color....I will have a variety of colors...this was a rush order and my maker had a supply of the purple already cut. My maker says he can get anyh color, but I'm trying to get specifics to offer to bulk buyers."
Purple_fencer, your website... how do I put this nicely... needs some work. I'll be more descriptive, don't take it personally.
1. The user should be able to see most of the page without scrolling down.
2. The main page needs to be broken down into further sub-pages with links on a navigation bar.
3. A navigation bar should be somewhere on every page so that a user can browse to any pages from every page.
For those who don't want the grippy stuff (or minimal grippy), please explain WHY you don;t want it.
Because when I fence with a French grip (or any grip for that matter) I rely on the fact that I can move the grip in the palm of my hand to move my blade. My fingers move the blade, not my wrist or my elbow. I don't want my grip to be "glued" to my hand, I want it to live in my hand, and be free.
I like the sticky on the end of the fingers, because this is where all the tactile feedback comes from, so this is where I want my grip to be "glued" to my hand, not in the palm of my hand.
But again, it all depends on how much sticky the sticky stuff is!
Epee is the Louis Vuitton bag of fencing: only the best can get it, and the rest of the masses must content themselves with cheap knockoffs (sabre, foil)
To not recognize the power of the French grip is to be in denial
I haven't found any yet that isn't too stiff (you may well have solved this problem, and honestly, I haven't looked hard because...)
I don't like my grip to be stuck. I like to be able to manipulate my grip, including some small sliding in some positions. This isn't to say that I want the grip sliding all over the place, but I really just don't like having the grip stuck to my hand.
Maybe that's just another example of my weirdness....
MrBiggs: I won't be, but the gloves may (I'll let'cha know what vendor may be carrying them...I've gotton some interest already)
Veeco: Thanks! It's one of those simple things that I just don't see myself. more models will come.
355: Yeah...I know. I was going to have the site rebuilt last year with the same points you mentioned....but then my webmistress had a hard drive crash. I'm working on it.
For those who don't want the grippy stuff (or minimal grippy), please explain WHY you don;t want it.
For personal preferences.. I want moderate-to-high friction, but not tacky (eg, not sticky).
Why? I use a Belgian grip, and I've found the one time I used a "sticky" glove I was not able to manipulate the blade with my fingertips as well. I need to loosen the vertical and back piece of the grip out of my palm and move it with my fingers at the front of the grip. A "high friction" (think sandpaper) glove wouldn't have this problem since once you release the pressure on the grip, it can slide -- but a "tacky" or slightly adhesive grip means I have to open or shake my hand to break the grip of the tacky glove.
How can you tell a glove is not tacky? Press a small square of paper against a warm glove (since sometimes the properties change between warm and cold temperatures of the glove), and then slowly turn it sideways. If the paper stays stuck on, its tacky, not just high friction.
For personal preferences.. I want moderate-to-high friction, but not tacky (eg, not sticky).
Why? I use a Belgian grip, and I've found the one time I used a "sticky" glove I was not able to manipulate the blade with my fingertips as well. I need to loosen the vertical and back piece of the grip out of my palm and move it with my fingers at the front of the grip. A "high friction" (think sandpaper) glove wouldn't have this problem since once you release the pressure on the grip, it can slide -- but a "tacky" or slightly adhesive grip means I have to open or shake my hand to break the grip of the tacky glove.
How can you tell a glove is not tacky? Press a small square of paper against a warm glove (since sometimes the properties change between warm and cold temperatures of the glove), and then slowly turn it sideways. If the paper stays stuck on, its tacky, not just high friction.
I'm working the Citrus Open at Orange Coast April 30...check the glove out and tell me what'cha think!
Originally Posted by ReverseLunge 
), and I'm not likely to buy one until you have something with no sticky. I'm anti sticky. I don't like sticky. Boo sticky. Did I mention I don't like sticky?
