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Rawlings has several levels in the Revo line, the 950 series being the best (thickest leather that will hold up to heavy use).  Still, the leather in this series is not as thick as their Pro Preferred or Heart of the Hide.  It's hard to put a time stamp on it... some play a lot more than others over two years with travel, fall ball, lessons, etc. outside of HS season.  Also, some take better care than others (leaving a ball int the pocket and leaving it indoors/in protective bag, etc.)  I'd say Revo 950 is entry level for heavy use.

The problem with less expensive gloves and nearly all gloves sold in sporting goods stores is that they're somewhat pre-broken in, and heavily impregnated with oil (which trashes the leather IMNHO).  My son went through a Rawlings first base mitt in 2 months, till the point it was floppy and would have problems with scooping up balls.  He now has a custom Glovesmith made from CRS leather that was a bear to break-in but it's now on it's 2nd full season and works wonderfully.  I had a catchers mitt (roughly on par with a Wilson A1000) that I used to catch my son with and a 6th grade in-house team back in the day.  We'll I let my son's friend use it to catch 9th grade ball while he was breaking-in his All-Star and it's pretty much useless (worn out in a couple of months of heavy use).  At the end of the day cheap gloves are a false economy.  I would rather spend $300 on a decent glove every 2-4 years than $90-$150 every 6 months on a less expensive model.  Those gloves are fine for 10-13 year olds, but once you've entered high school you really should look at better quality gloves that are very stiff and need breaking in.  Pick up a good catchers mitt and maybe it will be ready to catch games this winter or next spring.  If you want a no brainer pick up the All-Star CM3100 now ($120) and if you like it, save up the coin for an All-Star CM3000 ($325) for x-mass.  The CM3100 will last you until you get the CM3000 broken in and then you can use it in the slop or when your CM3000 is being relaced.

The CM3100?  I don't think it would last 4 years as an everyday glove, two maybe.  It is somewhat broken-in at the factory.  I don't know if any of the gloves mentioned would last 4 years of high school baseball plus summer and fall ball.  As for Aso, you can break-in any glove like he does.  I used one of my son's broken wood bats as a mallet (just shaped the broken end on the lathe to make a handle) to help him break in his Mizuno.  You still need to play lots of catch though to get it just right, and then take care of the glove.  All gloves break-in differently, I can't tell you if an All-Star will break in the same as a Wilson.  If the lacing pattern is similar then the break-in should be similar.  It also depends on where you place your fingers in the glove.  My son stuffs his pinky and 4th finger into the pinky slot in the glove and moves the others over one slot, gives better pocket definition and helps avoid some pain when catching hard thrown balls (a suggestion from a minor league player).

Originally Posted by sowilson:

The problem with less expensive gloves and nearly all gloves sold in sporting goods stores is that they're somewhat pre-broken in, and heavily impregnated with oil (which trashes the leather IMNHO).  My son went through a Rawlings first base mitt in 2 months, till the point it was floppy and would have problems with scooping up balls.  He now has a custom Glovesmith made from CRS leather that was a bear to break-in but it's now on it's 2nd full season and works wonderfully.  I had a catchers mitt (roughly on par with a Wilson A1000) that I used to catch my son with and a 6th grade in-house team back in the day.  We'll I let my son's friend use it to catch 9th grade ball while he was breaking-in his All-Star and it's pretty much useless (worn out in a couple of months of heavy use).  At the end of the day cheap gloves are a false economy.  I would rather spend $300 on a decent glove every 2-4 years than $90-$150 every 6 months on a less expensive model.  Those gloves are fine for 10-13 year olds, but once you've entered high school you really should look at better quality gloves that are very stiff and need breaking in.  Pick up a good catchers mitt and maybe it will be ready to catch games this winter or next spring.  If you want a no brainer pick up the All-Star CM3100 now ($120) and if you like it, save up the coin for an All-Star CM3000 ($325) for x-mass.  The CM3100 will last you until you get the CM3000 broken in and then you can use it in the slop or when your CM3000 is being relaced.

 

Originally Posted by Newman2525:
Where could I do that at??

Since your location is listed as "up top", it is difficult to answer that question.  Most areas have sporting goods stores or team dealers who carry better quality gloves and these are three popular models, so call around and find out who has them in your area.

What size glove do you want?  The Pudge is a 32", that may not be the best option for you, depends on how good you are.  My son is new to catching (HS coach is converting him) and is using a Mizuno GXC10 picked up from the auction site at a very attractive price.  My mitt is a mid-level Rawlings but I might be getting something else (in a 34" mitt) since mine is now pretty worn out.  I would probably avoid the Primo because of weight.  We have a high-end baseball store in the area and so we have a fair selection of very decent gloves.  I tried on, and really like the All-Star gloves CM3000 or CM3100 in whatever size floats your boat.  The Wilson A2000's are a very good glove too.  I didn't like the fit as much as the All-Stars but that's just me - your experience is likely to be very different.  You should go to the various glove manufactures web sites and use their dealer locator to find a more specialist baseball dealer in your area, then start calling around and make a road trip. 

Gonna add my little piece to this party. I have a custom a2000 ordered it pro stiff. Got it Christmas of this year, beat it to gods end with a mallet, and caught bullpens with it. I hurt my knee 12 games into my year, but was back for the playoffs, and caught 2 then. Over this summer I have been catching for my JV Summer Team. Caught probably 10 games with 5 bullpens mixed here and there. And my glove is just now getting where I want it to be. So high quality glove = long break in BUT much better mitt. 

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