It sucks to have to say goodbye to your favourite pair of OGs, but unfortunately goalkeeper gloves are perishable and you should expect to use at least 3-5 pairs a season.
It can be an expensive position to play, which is why we started this brand two decades ago - to deliver pro grade gloves that don't two-foot your wallet. We were the original alternative and after two decades in the game we know a thing or two about making your gloves last longer, ultimately saving you money.
The essentials
If you fail at these, then you are literally throwing money away! Look after your gloves and they'll look after you. Below are the must-follows to get better life and grip.
- Pre-wash them on arrival to activate the latex - learn how
- Dry them properly, naturally and out of sunlight - learn how
- Store them properly, if not you may cause damage to the palms - learn how
- Dampen the palm before and during game (dry latex = brittle latex = tears easier)
- Always wash them immediately after use, ideally with a glove wash - learn how
If you follow this your gloves should not only last longer, but perform and grip better too.
The tips & tricks
You can add these lesser known tips to your regime to get even more mileage out of your OGs.
- When wearing your gloves in training or non-competitive environments, try and avoid using the palms to pick yourself up off the ground. Try to use your fists to push yourself back up to avoid the palms of your gloves seeing contact with the ground. Using your palm will help you spring back up quicker, but you can minimise wear during non-game situations using the fist method above
- Relegate worn down gloves to training and keep a fresh pair for match days, continue this cycle as and when your match-day pair eventually need upgrading
- Don't grab or pull on nets with the gloves, this can easily tear chunks off!
- Improve your technique to avoid landing or grinding your palms on the ground as you land
- Use a cut that isn't so tight - this comes down to preference, but tighter stitched cuts like Negative or our SL naturally wear quicker at the finger tips, it is a trade off we have to accept for the enhanced feel
- Remove them properly, you probably didn't realise that you have been removing your gloves wrong and risk ripping them at the fingers, gloves are a textile product like clothing and not made of kevlar! Treat them right.
Playing surfaces
Unless the glove you have chosen is using a specialist latex for astro/durability, then no glove is designed for use on artificial turf. You can absolutely use them on this turf but just be prepared to get less durability out of the palm. 4G is HARD and like sandpaper on palms.