Rawlings Pro Preferred gloves, reviews /input/etc...

[RedSoxFan81]

Ok, I really would like to get some input from anyone on here who has owned or used any of rawlings pro preferred gloves. Reason I ask is that I had some pro's and cons with the one I had, which if I remember correctly was the first year they put them out.It was the 11 3/4" wing tip model, camel with the black I web. I liked the pattern/size of the glove, and it was very light which was another thing I liked. However the huge drawback was that the palm/pocket area remained super stiff even after 2 years of owning it. Any ball in the palm area would kick out of the glove.I use 2 hands fielding the trapper style when I play shortstop, but there are plays and catches where I can't use 2 hands so this for sure becomes an issue. I was wondering if all you other pro preferred guys could chime in with your luck with these gloves and if you had similar palm area issues?

[andy]

I own a custom all black, single post 11.5". It's only been 10 days, but I've thrown and taken infield with it twice, and spent a decent amount of time pounding a ball into it.

I haven't had any issues with balls popping out. I break my infield gloves in so that the index finger sits very close to the middle of the pocket. When I close my glove, I want the thumb to meet the pinky, not the ring finger. That might have something to do with balls staying caught. I also, like you, always field with two hands and hold my glove quite flat.

My glove broke in very quickly, perhaps disturbingly so. I don't anticipate the fingers staying acceptably stiff for long, but at this point, it's a damn nice glove. As some others have said here, they look and feel great when new, but go downhill fast.

[RedSoxFan81]

I'd love to see pics of that glove andy.Sounds really nice. Thanks for the input. Actually on a good note. The thumb and pinky fingers retained their shape/firmness throughout the entire time I owned the glove which kept it from ever getting that floppy feel. Some input other shared with me is that the black will hold up much better than the camel.

[r205maple]

Despite the official party line in their advertising, I've always found that PP's were MUCH harder & time consuming to break in/get soft than HOH (A2000 was somewhere in between).

Generally, I am not an over-oiler---my norm is a light coat of liquid glovolium applied with a sponge, rubbed in with my fingers & cleaned up with a rag two, max three times a year. This is playing 2 - 4 times a week year-around (so-cal, winter be damned--we play year around).

One thing I've found helpful was to use the thicker oils, creams, & waxes for my PP. I use sparing light coats of liquid glovolium for my HOH. But for the PP, it really helps to use the thicker stuff, like Easton and or Wilson prostock glove conditioner...that wax type stuff that comes in that hockey puck looking container. Rub that stuff all over the pocket side of the glove + hinges, thick & heavy & re-coat as soon as it seems dried out, again. PP's tend to dry out really quick & not hold its moisture. I give the back of the glove "normal" spare, light coats of liquid glovolium.

Vaseline also works, but I think it will eat the leather after awhile & seems to quickly add more weight.

Downside is that the glove will pick up a little weight....but it does get the leather somewhere close to game-ready-soft much quicker.

FYI - I generally prefer a stiffer feeling glove, but those PP's stay pop-out hard for a long, long time with just regualr liquid glove oil. I also had one of those 1st year PP's & it took me like 40 catch sessions to get the balls to stick (my HOH's average about 5 catch sessions)....once done, the PP glove was really nice to play with & was my first line gamer for about 80 games, but lost its good looks well before this time.

For the above reasons, I much prefer HOH over PP, even if PP is supposed to be "top-of-the-line" (minus primos).

[Hrking4675]

I bet that 11 1/2 Inch Single Post the guy a few posts above me is talking about is really really small. Unless you have an NP4 or DJ model, the Rawlings single post web is extremely narrow. It uses less laces across the top than any other web out there. It makes it so you can only curl the fingers in toward the pocket and the thumb and pinky have to be curved. See my PRO200-1KM to see what I mean.

Anyway, about PP's. The original PP's were in about 2001 and did not have a Wing Tip. Are you talking about the PROs17IC with the modified conventional back with the very long "Rawlings" on the thumb, not index finger? My questions to you are this, did you buy it on Ebay or from an online store? I have used a PROS15TC and a PROS17ICB (All black ballgloves.com SMU) and never had that problem you are talking about. Sometimes when I get new gloves, even on Ebay, they are oddly shaped, even if brand new, thats why I ask. It also has to do with the pattern of the glove. Sometimes your hand does not match the pattern of the glove. For example. I HATE PRO200's with single post webs, but love a PRO200 with any other web. From what you are saying, it seems like you might have gotten a bad glove, or a glove that maybe does not fit your hand or fielding style correctly. My PRO issue PP's are much easier to break in than the PRO issue HOH's I have but anything stock, you are right, PP's take a while to break in. Personally the PP pro stock leather I have is much smoother than anything I've bought in a store lately. The PP leather from around 01-03 is closer to the real pro issue stuff I have now. As far as conditioning Camel PP leather, lexol is all I use and MAYBE some glovolium cream not the liquid.

[RedSoxFan81]

The glove I bought was from ballgloves.com and it was this exact glove
http://www.ballgloves.com/cgi-local/p.pl?PROS17IC
Maybe like you said it was due to it being on of the earlier models that they made of the pro preferred line. So which of the patterns are on the wider side of the scale? Since i'm playing shortstop for softball the wider pattern would be better. Like you said some of them can be VERY narrow. Maybe I will have to try out a newer model pro preferred infield glove. I just bought a
NP5 11 3/4" HOH earlier today, for the price of a gold glove model, hoping that will be a good addition.

[Hrking4675]

NP patterns are the widest that are a traditional infield pattern. The reason for this is the three laced hinge as opposed to two. I dont know the technical term, but thats what it is due to.

[WMD_172]

Did any of you guys have any issues getting a "bad" pp?
I got a special run sandstone pp, and the palm had folds in it, along with the back of the glove, and after 1 catch session the web began tearing out .

Maybe I am just disgruntled because I always get my HOHs for cheap (Im a lefty ) and I finally splurged on a glove and it didn't live up to my hopes and dreams of what $275 should get you.

[Goldy the Gopher]

This years pro preferreds have pittards lining instead of the older deer skin. This material is the same feeling lining as found on HoH's. I got the pros15sp model and absolutely love it. If you're going to get a pro preferred I would suggest buying a 2009 model rather than any of the older ones.