Great video; awesome glove. I think that adjusting the laces on the fingers was a smart move (I've done that on most of my gloves). I think that when you spread the fingers out more, you may go from a thumb-to-pinky closure to a thumb-to-ring finger closure. This doesn't mean that the pocket is now shallower, it means that the fingers are taking up more space. So long as the pocket is secure, this should not be a problem, and may actually help as now the glove will have a larger catching area. Keep us posted on the progress.
had a kinda wide opening at the top of my glove and i tried curling fingers in and everything but never thought of loosening the finger lace but i will definitely have to do that. great video
Such a good video man. I love what you did with the glove. I think that tip about the index finger is such a crucial part of a break-in to really get that solid close. I think it would be really cool to get your perspective on how a glove performs with fly balls, shoestring catches, diving plays, and even ground ball transitions into throws. I know some of that can be hard to replicate but I think it would be awesome to hear your thoughts on it.
Never settle! I realize its a custom and the customer put it there but its on the tag of Mizuno Pro gloves and i seen it being used by another brand i think it was 44 might of been one of his , pretty sure theyve posted a couple of his pieces..
I grew up playing ball in the 90's. We shaped gloves in the opposite direction. We'd roll them in and push the fingers towards the bottom of the palm. Mostly for infield gloves. Outfield just a nice pocket and well broken in. Not sure I see a big advantage to flaring the thumb and pinky out like that. And always just used glove oil. Water dries out leather.
I see what you mean. Flaring the thumb and pinky out create a funnel shape and make in-between balls go into the pocket. As for the oil-vs-conditioner debate, I find oil to make the glove too heavy and ultimately doesn’t hydrate the leather. The one I use, I like, because it really does make the leather soft and give a great patina. At the end of the day it’s all personal choice. No absolute wrong way to use a piece of equipment if it works for you!
Flaring can make a glove play wider and in a game of inches that extra little width could be the difference between stopping a ball or not.... but its more or less for style and is one of those things like TIP that once you get use to as a baseball player its hard to stray away from. People took the method of the glove guru Aso and ran with it... seemingly not understanding Aso was breaking in gloves for pros that didnt have time to do it themselves and are able to get gloves replaced each season if they desire. but for someone that wants the maximum lifespan out of a glove (parents/players that arent pro) water is not a wise idea. Theres a difference between leather oils and leather conditioners... both are technicially leather oils but the ingredients and desired outcomes are different. conditioners are what you want to generally use on baseball gloves, you wont experience any significant weight increase with a conditioner, they more or less are used to help soften a leather and replenish oils... leather oils like mink oils and such on the otherhand are what adds weight, these products are more made for boots and truly rugged outdoor leather goods, they are a made with more fatty based oils, which means weight but also can improve water repellency... unless a glove is vary old and dried out you shouldnt ever use oil on a glove imo and even then a good glove conditioner would likely be all thats needed. Leather has oils inbedded in the fibers during the tanning process, these oils help keep the leather supple and healthy over time... remember leather is skin at the end of the day and just like humans have natural oils in our skin, leather needs oils in its fibers to keep healthy, otherwise it will become dry and brittle with time. Soaking leather in water robs the leather of those oils as the water flushes out good healthy oils that are meant to stay in the fibers of the leather and replaces them with water weight.... but the water quickly evaporates which leaves the leather fibers dry and brittle to the core. Thats why anytime leather and water contact eachother its recommeneded to oil or condition it once its dry to replenish the natural oils that have been leeched out of the leather. The fact is people want to rush the break-in process of gloves, the best way to break in a glove has always been to simply use the glove by playing actual catch or hours of couch catch, with minimal oil/conditioner application and especially avoiding water. During the break in process all that really needs conditioning, if anything, is a little around the glove breaks/hinge points and some around the glove heel laces and repeat as needed... theres absolutely no need to condition or oil up a entire glove front and back, palm and fingers, its simply not needed on a new glove... again the glove already has oils in the leather from the tannery, so to aid the break in process you only need to oil/condition the points of the glove that need more flex/mobility...fibers loosened. The leather product whether coniditioner or oil will help soften those areas up but unlike water theres no leeching of the leathers natural oils by adding more oils. its only in the baseball world theres this fear of oiling or conditioning leather. Theres not another leather product on the planet that the manufactures suggest you soak in water to break in, from boots, bags, purses, shoes, belts, jackets etc etc you'll not find a single luxury leather goods company suggesting you soak there products in water and infact most leather brands specifically mention the need to re-oil or condition the leather product if it gets wet. if you want a leather product to last as long as possible, the last thing you want to do is intentionally indroduce it to water. As someone that does leather crafting for a hobby, I cringe evertime I see videos suggesting soaking your expensive ball glove in water is the best way to break in a glove.
