Friday, 10 June 2011
Lifting Gloves Valeo - weight training, gloves
I bought these gloves, because being stationed in Iraq I don't have much to do with my down time other than lift weights. I was looking for something to limit my range of motion in order to alleviate wrist pain. These gloves have done just that, and my wrists never hurt. The only draw back I have seen is that the pair I bought were a little tight even though they are the size I normally buy. I lift 6 days a week and I have yet to find any signs that the stitching is deteriorated. I am really enjoying these gloves. Harbinger Classic WristWrap Glove (Black, Medium)
These gloves are made well and have heavy duty stretch panels between the fingers. The only draw back I have with these gloves is that they are tight. I ordered large which is the size I normally wear and they are tight. Getting them on and off is a challenge but being in Iraq I did not want to return them and wait another month for new ones to arrive. If you wear large and want these gloves, go with the X Large.
2nd review 28 July 2009... Ok so I have been working out at least 5 times a week for 2 hours a day. These gloves after 9 months have finally started to show some wear. You can see a few of my knuckles through the top of the glove but they have held up very well. They were tight for the first month but have stretched out and now fit great. Its time for me to get another pair and I will be getting the same set of gloves again.
These are better than the gloves without the wristwraps...they aren't as loose and the wristwraps add extra support when I am lifting. The only thing that would make this better is if there was more padding on the palm area.
I have owned these gloves for almost two years now, and a week ago one of them ripped near the thumb area because the leather got too worn out. of course i have used them a lot as my primary gloves for about two years so i am not disappointed, however what i am disappointed about is the lack of padding. the padding is so minimal that after six months i had to buy pads to attach over the glove in order to relieve pain on my palm. also i find that even after the gloves are broken in they will still cut from between the fingers.
as for the pros of these gloves, they have really good grip and the wrist strap is very efficient in reducing wrist pain making them a popular choice at the gym [i have seen many people sporting them]. In conclusion however i would not recommend these gloves to someone who lifts heavy and frequently, simply because the gloves are very light and the material is not very durable
I've gone through 2 pairs of these gloves in about 7-8 yrs, working out about 3-4 times per week over 2 hrs each time. As someone who has used these and the non-wrist wrap version, I would suggest that you evaluate what kind of exercises you're doing to see what your needs are. I feel like a lot of free weight, barbell work is going to justify the wrist wrap gloves, more machine and resistance band work will probably not justify the wrist wraps for most. I'd also recommend washing the gloves in the washing machine every couple of months. They hold up in the washer and dryer just fine, you can also air dry them. In my opinion, washing them extends the life of the product. I'm not as familiar with the newer Harbinger glove products, can anyone who has used both the newer and classic versions speak to the differences?
Updated Oct 2010: bought another pair as it has been about 2 years since my previous pair and wear and tear has taken its toll...noticed that packaging is now different and the product slightly different. Older packaging consisted of a plastic black and gray pouch, now has been reduced to cardboard backing with some twist ties. Product is also seemingly a little different. Size medium used to fit me fine through 2 pairs, but now the product is significantly smaller and tighter. My fingers barely fit through the holes and taking off the gloves are now time consuming and a struggle. I'm probably going to widen the holes a bit, but anybody else noticing that the newer gloves are much smaller?
I had previously bought Harbinger 155 Power StretchBack Glove (Black). They lasted me about a year until they ripped where the velcro connects to the glove itself. I felt like getting an upgrade so I bought these for about 18 bucks because they seemed reasonable. My first impression when I got them and tried them on was that they were very tight. I bought them in medium, which is the size I normally wear. However, this was only a problem when putting them on, as the tightness actually helped the grip. Once i broke them in, which took about a week, they were very comfortable. The biggest improvement I noticed with the gloves was that they were very versatile. I have congenitally small(weak) wrists and the straps provide excellent support during my chest and arm workouts. One thing I noticed, however, was that when doing exercises involving underhand grips on barbells(cleans, deadlifts, etc.), the way the straps place tension actually weakened my grip at times because they were constricting the blood flow to my hands. Fortunately, I found that using the straps as you would normal lifting straps was pretty effective and actually helped my grip, although I don't think everybody will have this problem. I lift every other day for about three hours and have had these gloves for 5 months and the only sign of real wear they have is that the suede grip part is a little smooth and the leather loosened up a bit(which is good, otherwise my fingertips would turn purple every time I went to the gym).
The gloves seem fine, but be careful on the size! My last gloves were a medium, and I ordered these in a large to be safe (and I used the company's guide.) They were still too snug, and would be very uncomfortable to use for more than 10 minutes. I suggest trying them on in a store before ordering!
I'm giving the product 4 stars due to my previous experience with the company and the general feel of the gloves. I will say that I have previously used Harbinger gloves, and though the performance was fine, they were very hot and I had to wash them frequently by hand. Fortunately, these are machine washable! - Weight Lifting Gloves - Gloves - Lifting Gloves Valeo - Weight Training'
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