Mitt padding breakdown

[BucketLover]

I know I'm not the only one who goes through excessive wear and tear with their DD's equipment. That being said, I bought her an Akadema AEA65 in July and the padding in the index finger has already blown apart. This is 2 gloves now that the index padding was shot, not the thumb. The first was a Mizuno. Akadema told me this was not a warranty issue and it was more wear and tear. So do I bite the bullet and buy a Vinci for my 12 year old who is a softball 11? Do you run into these problems? Why the index finger and not the thumb?

 

[KCPRK]

I have never seen that happen with either of those gloves.

Need to know what the root cause is and fix that rather than keep replacing the gloves. Mechanic or positioning or maintenance etc.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Yes, I would buy a Vinci. Then, I would have her get used to wearing a batting glove inside her new glove. Those are easy to launder or even buy a new one. you wouldn't believe the grime that the "sponge" I wear inside the palm of my glove collects.

 

[BucketLover]

Yes, I would buy a Vinci. Then, I would have her get used to wearing a batting glove inside her new glove. Those are easy to launder or even buy a new one. you wouldn't believe the grime that the "sponge" I wear inside the palm of my glove collects.

Sounds tasty, I thought about the batting glove route too, but she doesn't even wear them at the plate.

 

[guero_gordo]

If grime and/or moisture is the culprit, there should be pretty clear marking on the inside of the glove that you can look for.

 

[chazbz1]

DD's first mitt was from Akadema. It broke in fast and she loved it. Then after about 8 months, something strange started happening. She was playing 16A and it looked like she was catching balls right in her glove but they would somehow blow through the mitt and get away from her. I got lucky enough to get a picture right as she received a pitch. (I wish I still had it) The palm/pinkie section of the glove was giving way and rolling over as the pitch impacted the glove! We got her a new glove and me being curious dissected her old mitt. The plastic stiffener in the pinkie padding was brittle enough to have snapped into several pieces and there was no internal support!



I am seeing this to be more and more of a problem with larger/flatter gloves such as my DD's old Praying Mantis. More recently we are seeing entry level Mizuno's and Wilson's collapsing in the same manner on the thumb side. But not for broken internal stiffeners, but the thumb is not adequately anchored to the palm. After a few months of use the leather softens and breaks in and with no internal support to begin with, the thumb section folds over and pitches are dropped or pass through the mitt.

I would suggest a glove with a deeper pocket and better support. I am personally sold on the Vinci's I have torn them apart and checked them out internally. They are well made and well padded. They can be hard to close at first but break in extremely well. If your daughter plays B or C level ball the 22 series would be a good choice. If she's playing A ball don't be afraid of the mesh series.

 

[BucketLover]

I am looking hard at the mesh series now. I just hope I can get it broken in quickly and it seems they are out of stock in the Vinci website. Is the mesh more for weight or breathability?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

You need to talk to a Vinci rep. E-mail Casey at casedawg51@gmail.com. He fixed up one of my players, last month. He will partially break in for you.

 

[casedawg51]

If speed of break in is important, the 22 series can be game ready in a couple weeks. The Kip/mesh series will take longer. The kip version is more heavy duty just due to the nature of that tight grained leather. Very strong. Not to say the 22 isn't tough. We have one finishing it's second year of TB, and it is year round in Georgia. With players that age, I have had them start with the 22, get it rolling and then get a kip glove he next year and work it in at your own pace.

 

[casedawg51]

Also, anyone that is interested in a Vinci mitt, feel free to talk/deal with Chaz. He has forgot more about catchers mitts than I will ever know. He is Vinci's mitt guy, feel free to buy from him. His suggestions are spot on. Most of the time,