GLOVESMITH Gloves made in China

[space50]

Interesting. I found out today that GLOVESMITH gloves are no longer made in USA. They have been made in China for the last two years. Was anyone else aware of this?

[Vindoggie]

I wasn't aware of it... kind of disappointing.

[Cowboy7130]

Their top-of-the-line gloves are still made in the USA. However, their more inexpensive gloves are made in China. I found out about that the hard way; I won an auction on e-bay for a new 12" Glovesmith, and I expected it to be USA-made. Imagine my anger and disappointment when I saw the little faux-satin "Made in China" tag just under the shearling lining of the wrist strap. In my anger I may have blasphemed the gods of leather and the demons of e-bay all in the same breath, but I did go back and re-read all the fineprint info I could find on Glovesmith gloves. Sure enough, I discovered that I had not REALLY been misled. Glovesmith IS an American company, but they don't ACTUALLY CLAIM that ALL their gloves are made in America, nor did the seller on e-bay from whom I purchased the glove. So ...

Caveat Emptor.

It's still a dang good glove.

[Vindoggie]

Include ELITE models labled PROFESSIONAL MODEL... They are also made in China. Perhaps the CUSTOM ELITE models are the only ones still made in the US? Makes sense to me. I can't imagine that gloves made in China have the same quality as gloves currently made in the US, Japan, Mexico, or Canada... Would we rank US made gloves at the top of the heep?

[JC]

I have an Elite and an older "Shadow" model that were both made in the US.

Look for "Made in USA" stamped on the palm. IF you do not see that on the gloves, they are imports.

I know that the 24K series is definitely made overseas.

You could always go to the Glovesmith web site for more info.

In order to compete with the large manufacturers, Glovesmith has their lower-end models built overseas.

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Here's how I found out. I had a Glovesmith Custom Elite model custom made for me through Custom Glove .com. Expecting a made in USA glove. When I opened the box I found a well made glove but when I turned it over and saw the Made in China stamp I too hit the roof! I called them back right away and they said that up until two years ago they did indeed manufacture these gloves in the U.S. Now I understand they can do it cheaper in China and the quality of the glove looks good and yes almost all other manufactures are making their gloves off shore these days. But the point is that high end Glovesmith gloves have always been made in USA, then two years ago they very quietly make the move to China. If you look at their 2007 catalogue they still list their manufacturing facility in Missouri and there isn't a single place stating otherwise. So technically, they aren't claiming their gloves are still made in USA but they aren't saying otherwise either. I think it's a bit dishonest on their part but I guess It's buyer beware. But dang it! I'm going to talk to the owner Monday and try to get my money back and if he won't do it then I think I'll just give it back to them. I've got enough stuff made in China, I certainly don't need a Chinese baseball glove.

[Vindoggie]

I'm old enough that I still remember those little, hard-to-read sticky labels on toys & trinkets that read "Made in Japan", common place when I was a kid. Here in the US in the 60's, that meant cheap junk! Now "Made in Japan" means quality. I just bought an 07 Toyota Sienna & it screams quality! My son had a Camry, & if his girlfriends mother hadn't run it over with her "Big American SUV"... it would have lasted forever. Japanese made gloves & mitts are welcome in my little collection. However, gloves made in China or the Phillipines, I feel different about. I have a TPX PRO made out of Horween leather with real leather piping that was stiched in the Phillipines. Can't find any problems. I've noticed earlier Wilson's made in the US have vinyl piping & the ones from the same era made overseas are all leather. I'm sure there is a trade-off. My questions are : As glove collectors, what country's have made the most desireable and valuable baseball gloves and mitts? In the current times, how has that changed? Which currently manufactured gloves & mitts (2007) are going to be the most sought after by collectors in 2050? - Vindoggie

[fuzzydogg22]

Vindoggie,


I would say two gloves that I think will be rare in the future might include:

Rawlings Primo
Rawlings 50th Anniversary Pro Preferred

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My complaint about Glovesmith is not so much that the gloves are made offshore, it's that they have been a Made in USA company and then a couple of years ago they switch to China and are very quiet about it. That is not being very upfront to people who buy their product expecting to still get a US made product.

That aside, it is an interesting question to ask are Made in USA gloves ( what precious few there are left) better than ones made overseas? Almost all the pros are using gloves made in other countries. One of the best catching gloves I own is a Wilson EXO 3000 made in Vietnam of all places! For that matter that Made in China Glovesmith I've been griping about is very well made of good leather that's super stiff and once broken in should last a long time. On the other hand I love made in USA Nacona gloves but they tend to be too soft and floppy for my taste. They have been making gloves in the Philippines for a long time now and the craftsmanship is generally excellent. But what I keep coming back to is this: I like to buy a product from the country that originated the product. If I buy as Porsche I want it made in Germany, If I buy a Swiss watch I want it made in Switzerland and if I buy a baseball glove I want one made in the USA.

[Number9]

Very valid points. I liked your car/watch analogy. Though, your Porsche is likely to be made in Austria, which is one of only a handful of possible better case scenarios. Austrians are good craftsmen. If only they made baseball gloves.

Back to China. A lot of the products that I design are made there. Their quality is always improving. For years, they were the cheapest alternative. They knew it, and they provided services to fill the lower-end of the product spectrum. Now, they are competing in the mid to high-end goods. It's only natural that as they gain more experience companies will challenge them to keep raising the bar. They are no longer the cheapest alternative, they are simply cheaper. It's often cheaper for a US company to make components domestically, ship them to Asia for assembly and packaging, then ship them back for less money than it would cost to assemble/package them here. Crazy but true.

I totally understand your disappointment though. It's a bummer when you feel like you've been misled.

[BretMan]

I suspect that the vast majority of people buying a baseball glove could give a flying hoot where it was made.

Present company (which represents but a tiny fraction of consumers) excluded!

Of course, we glove connoisseurs are a little bit...different!

[Vindoggie]

In the manufacuring of a glove or mitt, what matters most? Is it the materials? The patterns? The stiching? The lacing? We see gloves advertised: "Pro Patterns" "HOH" "Kip Leather" "Japanese Tanned" "Hand Crafted" "Hand Lasted" "Made in USA"... Some have I.D. numbers. We see what the Pros in MLB use, but they're paid a ton of cash to endorse and most of their gloves/mitts are one-offs, made to order products the consumer can't get. Are custom made gloves worth $500? Or in the end, does it come down to the athlete & not the glove, either you can make the play or not! The glove only has to be of good quality, made anywhere. And for the sake of argument, who's got the top product right now? Wilson A2K? Rawlings Primo/Pro Preferred? TPX Pro? Mizuno Pro Limited? Easton E-PRO, SSK PRO, Nike PRO Gold, Reebok, All Star? And what about Vinci Pros? Nokona? Trevino? Rolin? Oeste? Akadema? Kelley? Glovesmith? Zett? Anybody want to rate the gloves?

[jwoody]

VINTAGE BASEBALL GLOVE FORUM....ENOUGH OF THE MODERN DAY CHINA GLOVES....ARE THERE ANY VINTAGE CHINA OR ASIAN GLOVES OUT THERE???LETS SEE THEM...WHO KNOWS THEY MIGHT BRING A GOOD PRICE....

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EXACTLY.

[Vindoggie]

Where we are is always a product of where we've been. That's why I believe history is so interresting... I just went to a card show with three young ballplayers. (Jim Rice was there signing) My advice to them was to buy 3 complete sets of cards each year for the next thirty years, keeping them sealed & unopened. In thirty years a good portion of the rookies they got will be HOF's and their cards worth a lot of money. I think any discussion of gloves and mitts, past or present, is important to all collectors. Sorry if I took the discussion in a different direction. Imazing that some vintage cards are worth as much as some vintage gloves. I'd rather collect gloves. Nuff' said...