I bought these after having the Harbinger 1200 Big Grip gloves (midnight blue/black). I wanted to buy another pair since I had been using those gloves for about 4 years lifting 3-5 times a week. I found out from Harbinger over the phone, that they no longer manufacture the older pair and was convinced to try these new ones out. Too bad they only have that tan color.
When first giving these a try, my only complaint was that the webbing between my pointer finger and thumb would hurt because of the gloves during the lift. This went away after about 3 workouts. The rubber grips/padding are in a more functional design than the previous model, and conforms to the weights easier. The breathability is MUCH better than the previous model, and I appreciate that a lot.
I don't see why people are so upset about the rubber grips/padding thickness. Did you not see that before you bought them? Anyways, the grips/padding are the reason I wanted these gloves (and the Harbinger 1200 when I used those). I lift heavy weights, usually dumbbells, and the grips/padding allow me to hold onto the weight much longer than I normally would. Doing shrugs with 120 lbs in each hand would be really tough without the extra friction. The thickness does not get in my way at all, which may be due to my hand size (can palm a basketball).
My only gripe is that the stitching is already starting to come undone in one area about 1.5 cm long. I have had them 6 months, and the previous model didn't start doing that until 3.5 years.
These gloves are not for the average user. I would recommend these to heavy lifters who workout often. The features that make these gloves beneficial, do not necessarily benefit the majority. If you stay on the lower end of the dumbell rack (< 80 lbs), or just work out here and there, I would just stick to the normal Harbinger gloves. I hope this helps out. Harbinger 1205 Big Grip II WristWrap Weight Lifting Gloves (Large)
I just bought these gloves in the store. I noticed in the store that, the padding was thick and it interfered with my ability to grip. I bought these gloves for one purpose; to bench press without having my natural hand padding smashed between the bar and the and my bones. The first thing I did when I got home is put 185 pounds on my bar and bench pressed it. The padding makes a real difference. So it's a trade off between flexibility and protection. If you just need protection for your skin because you have lots of natural padding, or because you are lifting light weights maybe these aren't the right gloves for you. If you are lean handed like me but have built up strength, maybe some added padding for your hands is necessary.
I don't quite understand why so many reviewers dislike these gloves. I've owned several pairs of Harbinger gloves over the past twenty years. They are top quality IMO. The padding takes a bit of getting used to at first, but after a while you come to truly appreciate it. These particular gloves are a replacement for a similar pair I bought 15 years ago. I was relieved to discover they're still available with the heavy rubber padding.
One reviewer suggested this design might be better for heavy lifters than for average people. Perhaps he's right, as I lift fairly heavy weights myself. It could also be that the padding doesn't bother me because I have large hands. However, Harbinger has been successfully selling padded gloves like these for many years, so there must be a lot of people out there who like them. I think they're great--I wouldn't own anything else.
One final comment: As with all Harbinger gloves, it's usually a good idea to buy the next larger size for a proper fit. My own hands measure XL, but the XXL are a perfect, snug fit.
I think it's a matter of preference. I was torn as I have gone through a few gloves and Harbinger has been the best brand so far for me. Good quality gloves at reasonable prices. I have the Big Grip 1's which do not have the wrist wrap but recently have arthritis in my thumb that radiates to the wrist. Not wanting to give up my workouts I was looking for a alternate glove with the wrist wrap. After reading other reviews on amazon regarding this glove I wasn't sure if I should get it or not. I'd have to say I'm glad I did. Where the preference comes in is the padding. These gloves (as well as the BG1's) have rubber nubbies for the padding, those that are not used to this feeling or used to a thin glove may not like it or may take a week to get used to them but they need to give it a chance because it is a very good glove. Mine are comfortable and give me that added support I was looking for. I bought a small men's size but am a female addicted to the gym. My BG1's (men's small) fit perfectly. My only gripe is that my BG2's are not the same fit, I guess I'd like them to be a little more snug. Perhaps they feel less snug due to the wrist wrap area on the back of the hand (not the wrist). My first pair of wrist wraps so I'm not sure. I could have chosen a pair of female Harbingers but most of the girl models are lax on the padding portion. All in all a pretty good glove.
These gloves are a bit of a mystery. As a satisfied owner of several pairs of top-of-line Harbinger gloves, I chose these gloves because they appeared to be the most rugged design on the rack at Sports Authority. At the time of purchase, the somewhat strange rubber padding on the inside of the fingers caused concern but I assumed Harbinger designers knew what they were doing. Sadly, I was wrong.
In short, the 2.5 mm thick (measured with digital depth meter/calipers) rubber pads, which resemble the small rubber pads on the bottom of a laptop or some other consumer electronic device, take up too much volume. The object the wearer attempts to grip feels dramatically larger and becomes unmanageable, adding unnecessary forearm stress. In some cases, such when a lifter is pulling downward (e.g. Hammer Strength lat pull-down), the wearer must grip significantly harder than what would normally be required. Even more obvious, however, is that the bulk of the gloves restricts basic opening and closing of the hands.
In the end, these gloves turned out to be useless and were returned. It is somewhat difficult to imagine who would benefit from using gloves with such thick rubber pads on the gripping surface. Conceivably, if the wearer needed to grip very small diameter bars as on some dumbbells or cable lat pull-down machine, there would be some advantage. Yet, I believe such situations would be relatively rare, making the rubber pads unwarranted.
Pros
Rugged construction
Full wrist wrap
Cons
Inconceivably thick rubber pads'
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