A few weeks ago I watched an NFL report (I admit, I like other sports aside from football!) and became interested in some of the equipment used, specifically the wide receiver gloves. These gloves seem to provide such grip on the ball that receivers can pull near impossible catches out of the air with relative ease, often with one hand, so I wondered if similar technology had been applied to goalkeepers gloves and if so how effective it was. Luckily after some investigation I discovered that the clever folks at Cutters were several steps ahead of me and already sell a football (the real one) glove with this ‘tack’ technology, so needless to say I was thrilled to receive a pair (Courtesy of Chip and Chris at Cutters) for testing!
The 025X 2.0 ProFit Stopper is the first goalkeepers glove to contain Cutters C-TACK performance grip material and is designed to provide unparalleled grip in all conditions, as well as enhanced durability and shock absorption. Aside from this the glove incorporates removable finger protection, Supersoft German latex padding, ventilated mesh gussets around the thumb as well as the back of the hand and a supportive, padded wrist bandage (Also utilising the C-TACK technology).
I like the design of the gloves, although think they would benefit from a few minor refinements. The styling is contemporary, yet relatively understated whilst staying true to the standard Cutters colouring. All features that one can expect from an elite level glove are included, with a few nice touches. As well as the C-TACK material (Which will be covered in more detail later) I really like that the finger protection is removable for each individual digit. I’ve never been a fan of this technology, although have also had several broken fingers, so it’s good that you have the option to go either way. Overall the gloves very much have a ‘compartmentalised’ feel and I don’t mean it in a bad way. Each area of the glove, from the lightweight ventilated rear section to the supportive wrist guard, seems to have been constructed for a specific purpose and I got the overall feeling that I was wearing a highly specialist product, which cannot be said of some other gloves I’ve tried. That being said I did have some minor criticisms. I think the stitching in places, although secure seems a bit clumsy and the C-TACK could have been incorporated in a more refined way. I also don’t like how the finger protection compartment is secured by a zip and particularly how the fastener partly dangles down outside of the covered area. However, these haven’t impacted on performance so far in any way and I think that Cutters could remedy these faults easily in future releases.
During play I found the gloves to be both comfortable and supportive. I really liked the wrist guard and felt it securely reinforced this area, without restricting movement. The strategically placed mesh paneling provided excellent ventilation, as well as reducing weight and I think some of the other glove manufacturers should look to introduce this to some of their own designs. As expected, I found the finger protectors too stiff, however when I removed them I felt my fingers were still more than adequately protected by the structured padding. The padding itself provided good shock absorption, both when blocking shots and punching, as well a decent amount of grip, even without taking into consideration the C-TACK.
With regards to the C-TACK I was very impressed with the amount of grip it provided when coming to claim crosses, saving shots and scooping through balls up off the ground. This was optimised when using balls with a more matte finish, such as the T90 Seitiro and I really noticed with this ball how I was able to more confidently keep hold of firmly struck shots. Although this wasn’t as pronounced with other balls, I was still happy with the level of grip afforded by the C-TACK material and didn’t get the impression that this was compromised in even tricky wet weather conditions. Aside from catching and holding shots I also think the C-TACK surface aided in manipulating balls that I was unable to catch and I found turning hard shots around the post or over the bar relatively easy. Also, despite my reservations I didn’t seem to have any problems distributing the ball out of my hands and could accurately throw the ball out to my fullbacks without issue. I do believe there was a trade off with regards to shock absorption and I did feel the impact of strikes was more pronounced in the areas covered by the C-TACK material, so I’m glad they’ve limited the areas it covers. However overall I think from a performance perspective the glove really does benefit from this technology.
One added note. The C-TACK itself seems very durable. There is a lot of inevitable abrasion and damage that occurs with the soft materials you find in goalkeepers gloves and over time they do suffer. However, from what I’ve experienced so far, the C-TACK is hard wearing and incredibly easy to maintain. Just wipe with a damp cloth and you’re good to go again!
The Cutters 025X2.0 Pro-Fit Stopper retail for $139.99. This is very expensive, I do not deny. However for this you do get a pair of well made, well thought out goalkeepers gloves, that contain some pretty bleeding edge technology. Hopefully Cutters will widen the range of football gloves they sell, but as it stands I think for the innovation factor alone these are worth at least trying out. So, if you’re a keeper that wants try something new, I’d recommend finding your nearest retailer and trying a pair on.
No comments:
Post a Comment