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Hey Guys/Gals, I figured I'd change up the recipe on my reviews just a bit.
Here we will go over 2 brands of knuckle guards: the NG-2 Made by Winning and the R2C Knuckle Guard 2.0.
I was always curious on knuckle guards and why people use them. Im sure many of you have the same question or skeptical atleast on how they perform. Well, I'll be going over 2 different brands and maybe one of them sounds right for you, or maybe you will do without. Lets break down the brands.
Winning NG-2:
10mm thick
Soft gel/latex mix (Latex goes across/over knuckle area)
Encased by a stretch acrylic wool
4 1/4 inches long
Stretch band across the palm
Ring to Cage Gel Knuckle Guard 2.0
9 mm thick
Pure Gel mix
Encased in a neoprene shell
4 1/2 inches long
neoprene palm with matching finger holes
Review:
Winning NG2:
Fit: The NG-2 Is remarkable soft, the knuckle guard completely sits flush on the knuckles, its very malleable for lack of a better word. Very soft, The major downside is the stretch acrylic band that goes across the palm. It makes the palm way too bulky and its like adding another grip bar almost which is retarded and pointless, I plan on cutting that part off and resewing it for a MUCH better feel. People say these shift in the gloves... I think if you my hand wrapping method you will have 0 shift.
Protection: Very Soft, very protective, very absorbent! This will make cheap gloves on the bag/mitts tolerable. Second it will breathe new life into old gloves where the padding is starting to give way like my 2.5+ Year old red Cleto Reyes. They honestly feel amazing, like a soft marshmallow resting across the knuckles. Very protective. I think for people that like Reyes or a non-protective glove but like the construction/craftsmanship this is what you are looking for to add that in.
Practicality: For spacious 14oz and above these will work beautifully, FORGET using them in fight gloves, I tried all my fight gloves with these things on, cant fit at all, If I did manage to fit in them my fist was awkward and out of place. Guys with big hands forget it... You need small hands to fit these inside the gloves with wraps.
Weight: 1 1/8th oz
Price: $15 US + Shipping off Rakuten
Overall: Great guard, just its too tight of a fight in small gloves and the lowest it will probably fit is a spacious 14oz. I think if you spend a little more money and skip these it will be better in the long run. But if strapped for cash and you already bought gloves these are definitely a worthy investment! Very light at 1+oz you wont be adding much weight.
Ring to Cage Knuckle Guard 2.0
Fit: I think these sport a much more user friendly design. You get perfect placement everytime without messing with it. The finger holes need a little bit of stretching overtime that comes with periodic use. Again like the NG-2 there is a palm area which just makes the palm bulky. I cut mine out completely and just kept the finger sleeves as the way to hold my guard and its a perfect fit. Again, because of the sleeves this will definitely not move at all!
Protection: These are pretty absorbent. I would not put it on par with the NG-2 I think the latex layer on the NG-2 make it far more comfortable and allow it to sit picture perfect. But in the R2C guard it does well with dispersing shock and absorbing albeit not as well as the NG-2 in this department. The trade-off is for beginners/novices the R2C has gel over the meaty part of the fingers as well so if you aren't landing correctly or just learning.
Practicality: I think these are a tad more practical than the NG-2 on design/fit alone. Still need roomy 14oz+. I think those that wrap different will have 0 issues with guard shift. These are bigger but slightly lower profile. Again, big handed guys beware, not sure if these will fit.
Weight: 2oz
Price: $29.95 + Shipping
Overall: Good guard, more beginner friendly but they don't sit as flat or mold to your hand as well. The gel feels more dense. 7/8ths ozs heavier and a steeper price tag. Im a big fan of the finger sleeves, holds the guard well. Again these will breathe life into gloves that need some aid in terms of protection.
Conclusion
I would invest into a better set of gloves I think overall. I understand people cant drop 250+ on a pair of winnings but there are a lot of great brands out there that over very good protection. Maybe not on the level of Winning, but bang for your buck scroll through the forums you will find people recommending different brands like Hayabusa, GG, R2C MiMs, GFG, etc that don't carry a hefty tag.
If you already invested in gloves and aren't QUITE happy and just need a LITTLE more protection/absorption then by all means invest into a knuckle guard. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE 29.95 EVERLAST WAL-MART SPECIALS. GO OUT AND SPEND SOME CASH ON A REAL SET OF GLOVES. If you don't have the capital go give blood get your 35 bucks and save it, do it 1-2 weeks later again!
Hope this helps!
Ring to Cage:
Winning NG-2:
Here we will go over 2 brands of knuckle guards: the NG-2 Made by Winning and the R2C Knuckle Guard 2.0.
I was always curious on knuckle guards and why people use them. Im sure many of you have the same question or skeptical atleast on how they perform. Well, I'll be going over 2 different brands and maybe one of them sounds right for you, or maybe you will do without. Lets break down the brands.
Winning NG-2:
10mm thick
Soft gel/latex mix (Latex goes across/over knuckle area)
Encased by a stretch acrylic wool
4 1/4 inches long
Stretch band across the palm
Ring to Cage Gel Knuckle Guard 2.0
9 mm thick
Pure Gel mix
Encased in a neoprene shell
4 1/2 inches long
neoprene palm with matching finger holes
Review:
Winning NG2:
Fit: The NG-2 Is remarkable soft, the knuckle guard completely sits flush on the knuckles, its very malleable for lack of a better word. Very soft, The major downside is the stretch acrylic band that goes across the palm. It makes the palm way too bulky and its like adding another grip bar almost which is retarded and pointless, I plan on cutting that part off and resewing it for a MUCH better feel. People say these shift in the gloves... I think if you my hand wrapping method you will have 0 shift.
Protection: Very Soft, very protective, very absorbent! This will make cheap gloves on the bag/mitts tolerable. Second it will breathe new life into old gloves where the padding is starting to give way like my 2.5+ Year old red Cleto Reyes. They honestly feel amazing, like a soft marshmallow resting across the knuckles. Very protective. I think for people that like Reyes or a non-protective glove but like the construction/craftsmanship this is what you are looking for to add that in.
Practicality: For spacious 14oz and above these will work beautifully, FORGET using them in fight gloves, I tried all my fight gloves with these things on, cant fit at all, If I did manage to fit in them my fist was awkward and out of place. Guys with big hands forget it... You need small hands to fit these inside the gloves with wraps.
Weight: 1 1/8th oz
Price: $15 US + Shipping off Rakuten
Overall: Great guard, just its too tight of a fight in small gloves and the lowest it will probably fit is a spacious 14oz. I think if you spend a little more money and skip these it will be better in the long run. But if strapped for cash and you already bought gloves these are definitely a worthy investment! Very light at 1+oz you wont be adding much weight.
Ring to Cage Knuckle Guard 2.0
Fit: I think these sport a much more user friendly design. You get perfect placement everytime without messing with it. The finger holes need a little bit of stretching overtime that comes with periodic use. Again like the NG-2 there is a palm area which just makes the palm bulky. I cut mine out completely and just kept the finger sleeves as the way to hold my guard and its a perfect fit. Again, because of the sleeves this will definitely not move at all!
Protection: These are pretty absorbent. I would not put it on par with the NG-2 I think the latex layer on the NG-2 make it far more comfortable and allow it to sit picture perfect. But in the R2C guard it does well with dispersing shock and absorbing albeit not as well as the NG-2 in this department. The trade-off is for beginners/novices the R2C has gel over the meaty part of the fingers as well so if you aren't landing correctly or just learning.
Practicality: I think these are a tad more practical than the NG-2 on design/fit alone. Still need roomy 14oz+. I think those that wrap different will have 0 issues with guard shift. These are bigger but slightly lower profile. Again, big handed guys beware, not sure if these will fit.
Weight: 2oz
Price: $29.95 + Shipping
Overall: Good guard, more beginner friendly but they don't sit as flat or mold to your hand as well. The gel feels more dense. 7/8ths ozs heavier and a steeper price tag. Im a big fan of the finger sleeves, holds the guard well. Again these will breathe life into gloves that need some aid in terms of protection.
Conclusion
I would invest into a better set of gloves I think overall. I understand people cant drop 250+ on a pair of winnings but there are a lot of great brands out there that over very good protection. Maybe not on the level of Winning, but bang for your buck scroll through the forums you will find people recommending different brands like Hayabusa, GG, R2C MiMs, GFG, etc that don't carry a hefty tag.
If you already invested in gloves and aren't QUITE happy and just need a LITTLE more protection/absorption then by all means invest into a knuckle guard. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE 29.95 EVERLAST WAL-MART SPECIALS. GO OUT AND SPEND SOME CASH ON A REAL SET OF GLOVES. If you don't have the capital go give blood get your 35 bucks and save it, do it 1-2 weeks later again!
Hope this helps!
Ring to Cage:
Winning NG-2:
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