U.S. Steerhide, Full grain leather etc etc

bkekcs,
Different leather for different folks! Kip leather is a rather soft leather but it doesn't hold up nearly as long as US Steerhide. A kip leather glove might be fine for a middle infielder, but a catcher will flat wear one out in no time. A catcher's mitt of US Steerhide will hold up much longer, but will take a little longer to shape and break in.
I don't know if it has to do with the tanning process, but I have also discovered that the black leather will hold up longer than the browns and tans.
Gloveman, who frequents this site, can probably give you good information regarding leather.

Let's see if we can get some more input on this subject. I'm sure there are lots out there looking for new gloves this time of year.

Just bumping this up a couple of years.

Anybody have any more input on the subject?

I have always thought that bikes and baseball gloves were the best cost / benefit value out there and never cut corners on the purchase of either one of these must have kid necessities. Chose wisely and there are many years of use out of both.

Hands down the best glove I have bought for the boy has been a Rawlings Pro Preferred. He's had it three years, relaced it once and will probably go another 3 years easy. If your guy is responsible with his gear you can't go wrong withn this one.

Depending on how old your guy is it can be pricy ($250.00 from Don Morton Sports). But like I said in an era of $400.00 - $500.00 bats this is a real value over 6-7 years.

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quote:

Originally posted by bkekcs:
Just bumping this up a couple of years.

Anybody have any more input on the subject?

Yeah I do bkekcs...get back to me in a couple of years!


Seriously...anyone into leather out there who could open our eyes a bit?

This will get 'em in the mood to divulge!

quote:

Originally posted by gotwood4sale:


Seriously...anyone into leather out there who could open our eyes a bit?

Thanks for not taking the obvious diversion, GW.

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Oh you're quite welcome infidel!




Things aren't so obvious to me anymore!

quote:

Originally posted by gotwood4sale:

Yeah I do bkekcs...get back to me in a couple of years!

I'll be anxiously awaiting.

First of all, some of it is just marketing but, typically as noted above U.S. Steerhide is usually a pretty stiff glove that will take a while to break in but the glove will last much longer.

"Kip" and other softer leathers allow for quick and almost immediate break in, but those gloves breakdown awful fast. Sometimes lasting about one season.

I would say definitely stay away from pre-oiled gloves, regardless of the leather type. They are typically saturated with oil for easy break in (and quick break down).

Best gloves I have come across but near impossible to find now are Rawlings "heart of the hide" made in the US (NOT pre-oiled).

There's a site called Ballgloves.com and the owner of the company is very knowledgable and helpful about different types of gloves.