[crossdx]

*** REVIEW added. OP hasn't been changed, but scroll down and read newer posts for updates and review. ***

Just got these gloves yesterday, and took a few pics. I'll post a review after training in them for a few weeks, but for now here's a preview with my first impressions out of the box.

I posted this initially in another thread, but didn't want to keep hijacking the other guy's thread so here goes:

The wrist support is awesome with the dual velcro cross strap system. They are very snug around the wrists and provide great support even when I first tried them on without wrapping my hands. The fit of the gloves is quite comfortable off the bat, but they'll probably need some breaking in. The padding is nice and thick around the knuckles, but not too hard or stiff, so it should be good for serious sparring. The quality is comparable to the top Thai brands, and the gloves look as sweet as in the pics.

[eneyman86]

wow those look super nice! Do they make training/bag gloves also?

[blink_man182]

those things look pimp man

[crossdx]

Originally Posted by eneyman86

wow those look super nice! Do they make training/bag gloves also?

No, I don't think they make any training or bag gloves unfortunately. Maybe they'll come out with them in the future, but currently they only make 4oz MMA competition gloves and these sparring gloves. I believe they can be used for the bag and pad though. I already have a pair of gloves I'm going to use for bag/pad work, so I'm going to be using these only for sparring.

[mackz]

Nice gloves.

How much?

[crossdx]

Originally Posted by mackz

Nice gloves.

How much?

$85 from Budovideos. Got it as a gift actually. Compared to other sparring gloves from the top brands, the price seems decent enough.

[crossdx]

More pics, with the gloves on:




Sorry about the lighting in the last two shots, if I used the flash the gloves would be too freaking white to see clearly.

(btw, for more info check out www.hayabusafightwear.com, it's a flash site so I can't direct link to the gloves' page. There are a lot of pics of the gloves there from various angles, and I forgot to mention they come in black too)

[crossdx]

*** UPDATE ***

Take this with a grain of salt, or whatever you want:

I completely forgot to update my review, so my apologies. Long story short: they are good gloves, but not good sparring gloves. The padding never really softened up and the leather is very stiff. The foam is dense... much denser than typical sparring gloves ought to be. I'm actually gonna try using them for bag/padwork in the coming days to see if they make good bag gloves, because the foam density seems to lean more towards that use than sparring. I know they are marketed as "Pro Sparring gloves", but be warned now that the gloves will probably be very hard on your sparring partner if you use them for anything other than light sparring.

Please ignore my earlier comments on the padding, as I had only some really bad sparring gloves on hand to compare them to. If you buy these for sparring, do so at your sparring partner's peril.

[thaj0ker]

Thanks for the review. I have been thinking about getting a set of these for awhile now. I have the 4oz MMA gloves from Hyabusa, and I love them, but I'll stick with Rival sparring gloves!

[crossdx]

*** UPDATE REDUX ***

OK, maybe I was a bit harsh in that review, but I wanted to toss something out quickly so that other folks would know more about these gloves, other than oh these are great gloves and what has already been mentioned in the first review posted by another Hayabusa customer.

Here's a more detailed, but still opinionated analysis:

Pros:
- excellent quality leather, stitching, velcro and construction
- feels very durable and solid
- thick padding over knuckles provides good protection for your hands
- looks damn sexy (did I even need to mention that?)
- unique dual strap closure with elastic band that goes inside the wrist area makes for excellent wrist support

Cons:
- foam is denser than every other top quality sparring glove I've used
- very stiff leather initially, may be uncomfortable until broken in
- hand compartment feels a little tight and stiff until broken in, and guys with large hands may find them small
- may make for better bag gloves than sparring gloves (think Cleto Reyes)

In conclusion, the biggest negative remark I can make about these gloves is the padding being too (imho) dense for sparring gloves. If you are the type of guy that is perfectly fine sparring with Mexican-style gloves with more firm and compacted padding, then you will probably like these gloves a lot. If you are the type of guy that scoffs at the notion of sparring with Reyes gloves, then these aren't for you.