Vintage Baseball Glove Forum

Other than Rawlings, Wilson & Spalding (the top three in my book anyway...), what are some really good quality American glove manufactures? I know of Nokona, owning two new models... but there must be others, eh?

How about really good quality gloves in general; not just American made?

I keep missing out on the few Ebay auctions I've participated in. Just looking for other options. BTW, I'll be using the gloves I collect, so I'm not looking for something to keep under glass

Thanks!

~Randy

Glovesmith makes a good made in USA glove. You can even get them custom made with your name on them.

Thanks for the tip~ I think I'll give their website a look...

Mizuno has some fine gloves. Many glove guys like the 80-90s World Win Series and their Japan made MZP series from several years ago were some of the best gloves made.

Usta be a bunch of USA only companies. Nocona has the largest plant here but has begun importing its youth lines. Rawlings has a smaller operation but 2nd biggest, now in Washington, Missouri after closing its larger Ava plant. Mizuno put in a small shop in Georgia to put out some American made glove and especially for the pros here. Glovesmith started out only USA and still has its American made line but imports as well. Wilson gloves made in Japan are awfully nice as are all the Japanese made. Koreans also turn out top quality gloves. I may be missing some.

Scott Carpenter makes some unique gloves just outside of Cooperstown, NY:

http://www.carpentertrade.com/

I've met with him and tried a few gloves, but haven't committed to having him make me one yet. In order to learn how to make baseball gloves, before it closed, he took a job at the Rawlings Ava, MO plant as a janitor. He would watch the glove-makers during the day and apply what he learned at home in the evening. Eventually he figured out how to make baseball gloves and started his company. Now that's dedication!

Have you guys seen the Trevino gloves? They look pretty good to me.

All through high school I played second base and used an 11" Guerrero. I have owned two through out all my playing years, and they are quality gloves!! They are made in Lansing Michigan.

Here is the website www.guerrerogloves.com

-Josh

Anyone trying the Akadema gloves? I've had a couple and I've liked 'em. Ak people really delve into the glove designs. Good folks.

I've got an Akadema Reptilian AXX-19 same as the one picture here: http://www.hittingworld.com/photos/AKA-AXX19-2.jpg

I like it, but I believe it's a notch below the Rawlings HOH's and the Nokona American Pro Series.

Just to throw another American (but, unfortunately, not American-made) glove-maker into the mix...

http://www.kelleyusa.com/

These do look like quality gloves. The only one I've seen in-person was from their lower-priced product line, but it easily beat out similarly priced gloves from "the big three".

These guys got their start in Texas ...

http://www.trevinogloves.net/

Salinas gloves are some of the best-made gloves I have seen ... had a couple of players on my high school team who had them.

http://www.s3glove.com/

http://www.swensonbaseball.com/infield_gloves.htm

every one of these companies should send me free gloves for all the advertising I am giving them ...

Kelly gloves got started in (late 80s, early 90s?) Arlington,TX home of the Rangers and I believe have always had their gloves made overseas. It's a father/son team with the son coming up with the glove designs and ideas and he's had some pretty good ones. Father has done the management and I think the company sold investment opportunities at one time.
They make a very good glove in my opinion, still at break in time but there's nothing wrong with that. Black leather, I think, is all I've seen.
I've met the dad at softball tournaments and they made a pretty decent slow pitch softball bat "Wrap Tech" that was one of the hotter bats for awhile for softball. They used dealers for awhile but gave that up, in fact, in upset one of the dealers I visited for going to strictly internet sales.