July 9, 2008

But I Want Roll Bars

The one thing I have noticed while looking for new hockey gloves recently is that Bauer has begun to phase out the classic roll bar look. They are bringing in this new futuristic look that looks more like part of someone's drunken baby sister’s Halloween costume.

As I peruse through the Bauer website there is only one pair left that has roll bars. As you scan through all the gloves, those are the ones that stick out and you’ll probably say to yourself, “those are the nicest looking gloves on the page.” The only problem with these gloves are that they are $90 plus shipping (definitely not finding them at Modell's), and for a college student who goes through a pair of gloves every two-to-three months, this is out of the question.

What this travesty has led me to do is start to look into getting my old pairs of gloves repalmed. Most gloves themselves will last for a long time, but it’s the palm that rips or wears out.

There are multiple places online where you can send your old gloves and they will repalm them for about $45. Most gloves have palms made out of a synthetic material called clarino. It is thinner than leather, but one problem I have found with some of my gloves is that they dry hard, and the next time I play they are uncomfortable until I start sweating in them to loosen them up.

One option is to get your gloves repalmed with leather which costs the same as clarino. The one good thing about leather is that they dry soft. They are also thicker which some people may not like, but in theory they should last longer. So for those of you who really like Bauer gloves, but can’t stand the new junk they are putting out, getting your classic gloves repalmed may be the road to go.