questions about akadema gloves

[dacards527]

So I'm in the market for a new glove, and having looked at the usual suspects (rawlings, wilson, mizuno, glovesmith, nokona, akadema) I am leaning towards akadema.

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me the pros/cons between the kip and pro leather they offer?

Also, has anyone played with one of their reptilian gloves? If so, what do you think of it vs. a glove with normal fingers? Thanks for your help!

[wogdoggy]

So I'm in the market for a new glove, and having looked at the usual suspects (rawlings, wilson, mizuno, glovesmith, nokona, akadema) I am leaning towards akadema.

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me the pros/cons between the kip and pro leather they offer?

Also, has anyone played with one of their reptilian gloves? If so, what do you think of it vs. a glove with normal fingers? Thanks for your help!


\
they make EXCELLENt catchers gloves,,the kips is great i have the kip leather catchers glove and its a great piece of leather

as far as fielders gloves I never hear people rave about them like they do their catchers gloves

[bbfreak8]

I'll second that. If you are a catcher then I highly recommend the Akadema! I switched to it a few years ago and I'll never go to anything else. The model number of the one I got is APM42. Best glove out there imo!

[dacards527]

thanks for the advice, but i don't catch, I play infield. But I'll definitely let our catcher know next time he needs a new glove.

[Utility07]

I dislike their catchers mitts, the pockets are too deep.

[dacards527]

anyone have any advice or experience on gloves that are not catchers?

[ralanprod]

Well, the only advice I have is based on my son's glove from a few seasons ago. (8u)

He used a reptillian youth model, I would guess around 10.5". He loves that glove. It broke in quickly, and the leather has held up really well. Despite the fact that he has moved up to a bigger field and a bigger glove, he still likes to drag the old one out if he is going to be playing in the infield. I'm sure it will hold up well enough for his brother to use when he starts playing in a couple of years.

I can't say the unusual design helps fielding at all, but it sure made it easy to tell which glove was my son's in the dugout. (Those who have had the joy of coaching the young ones know what an adventure that can be.)

I would say that overall that I couldn't say anything bad about the glove. Of course this is from really young kids, so I can't say how they hold up under stronger throws and hits.

[chd66]

Let me warn you first, I sell Akadema products. I started after I bought one for my son and fell in love with it. Best gloves I've ever used. You asked earlier about the difference between the kip and the pro series. The kip leather is stronger and much softer, easier to break in. But it will not hold its shape over the long haul like the pro series. I always liked a stiffer glove for infield. My infielder's gloves are all pro series. They take a little more effort and time to break in. For outfield, I enjoy using both series. Akadema offers a few different styles (h-web, t-web, flytrap, or the reptilian claw) in each series and that comes down to personal preference. Typically, you can find the same or above quality gloves for $50-100 less than your usual suspects. Check out www.akademapro.com for the complete line.

[glovemedic]

anyone have any advice or experience on gloves that are not catchers?

Yes, I have used a couple of the models in the Professional series. I like the 11.25" infield model. It has one of the widest-shallowest pockets I have ever seen in an IF glove. It is very fast and well suited to middle infielders. The 11.5" mod trap is a good glove for playing catch and general all purpose IF baseball. The pocket is a little deep, but certainly ok. I don't like the 12.75" trapeeze glove because it is way to heavy, and the pocket configuration does not seem to hold the ball well. I often end up with the ball between my thumb and pinkie rather than deep in the pocket/web. As an OFer I am more concerned about hanging onto the ball rather than making a quick throw to the IF. The 12.75" AMJ (H-Web) is more like a 13" glove. I used it for 2 years. It is light weight on your hands, but I felt too big for me. I have since gone back to my Rawlings H-web and now looking at Glovesmith for a new OF glove. I will keep the Akadema glove just in case I ever play softball again. The leather of the "Professional" series is better than the kip leather of the "Precision" series. I have seen several of the kip leather gloves that were worn out after a single college season, but the steerhide gloves held up to the same wear and tear better. After several years of use and comparison I believe that the Akadema gloves are better than Rawlings Gold Glove, but less than HOH, and the "Precision" gloves are not even on the same level with "Pro Prefered" despiter their claims to the contrary.

Right now I like the Glovesmith gloves for quality, attention to detail, and price. I still compare everything to the HOH standard, and I think Glovesmith exceeds that standard in many respects.

I hope this is helpful. Have fun and play hard!