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The quest for the perfect glove has led me to...
The Sabas Triple Cuff 16oz.
I decided it might be good to review a pair of gloves that I’ve used pretty thoroughly for the last eight months or so. I purchased the 16oz. Sabas TCs back in February and have used them exclusively on the heavy bag until now.
When I contacted Sabas and asked them for a recommendation between the SuperSofts and the Triple Cuffs, they recommended the latter on account of the padding which is apparently more suitable for the heavy bag. It’s also good to note that the Sabas bag gloves (the hook and loops) have identical padding to the Triple Cuffs.
The Fit:
The best thing about this glove, in my opinion, is the fit and feel. I was able to make a complete fist in these gloves and punch in an immensely satisfying way as a result of this. My punches feel pretty sharp with these gloves, almost like I’m lancing the bag with a spear. Except it’s my fist. And there’s no hole following my punch. My one complaint would be the thumb, it could maybe be just a pinch longer as my thumb hits the very end of the glove. But it’s not a serious problem.
…
Anyway, the fit is great. My favorite glove as far as that goes.
Performance (on the bag):
Performance on the bag is another area in which these gloves really shine. They provide a satisfying ‘pop’ with every punch. Also, due to the feedback that the glove provides, you can really get a sense for how you’re punching. While it provides great protection (which is interesting since it seems not to have as much padding as other gloves), it allows one to feel one’s punches. So I know when I’m punching with my first two knuckles because the padding does not push up against my entire fist. I’ve had the least amount of knuckle bruising with these (compared to other gloves, particularly the R2C C-17 16oz. gloves, which constantly resulted in bruises on my knuckles). I imagine a reason for why these gloves feel so good on the bag is because one is able to make a tight fist with them on. It’s a great feeling…
I’ve used the glove on mitts a few times and have enjoyed them there as well. I’d say the responsiveness of the gloves is what makes them really satisfying. This is the best part of the glove, in my opinion. I would go with lighter ones if I were not concerned about the padding.
Protection/padding:
Since I already brought it up, I might as well cover it here. These are not Winning inspired gloves. I don’t know what they’re based on (maybe Grants?). Nevertheless, I thought they provided great protection. I never felt like my hand was going to break. The wrist protection is decent (they’re lace-ups) but I’m not really into wrist protection anyway, so I can’t really speak to that. It’s good enough for me. Let’s just leave it at that.
The negative side to the responsive aspect is that the padding seems to have broken down pretty quickly. Probably after a few months I noticed an indentation where my first two knuckles are. A few days ago (after the plastic wrapping came out from a tear in the liner in the glove), I felt the padding and it is basically non-existent where my knuckles are. I don’t know how long that they’ve been this way (I suspect it’s been a few months), but the padding seems not to last terribly long. I don’t know if 8 months is considered a long time for use on the heavy bag, but I expected them to go at least a year. The Sabas people told me that it should last at least that long… I don’t know if I’d spend the same amount of money just for a pair of gloves that I’m going to dedicate to the heavy bag if they don’t last more than a year.
Notwithstanding the problem with the padding (or maybe because of it) the glove has been extremely comfortable and has felt great on the bag. Only recently I’ve been having issues with knuckle bruising. At the point the padding is above and below my knuckles—the result is that it’s just the leather protecting my knuckles really. That said, I imagine I’ll continue to use these gloves on the bag for a few more months. I’m not 100% convinced that the bruising is a result of this glove and not another pair.
Look:
They look fine to me. I tend to prefer simple looking gloves. The fact that this has a split thumb and is several colors is a bit flashier than I tend towards, but it’s grown on me somewhat. The leather is great quality. Unlike certain other gloves that I’ve had, the leather has not shown any signs of wear (and it’s white leather!). To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the triple cuff. I prefer the straight cuff. It's cleaner. You know?
I like the logo on account of its simplicity. Not a huge fan of the logos of Ring to Cage or UMA. I like the old school look. But that's neither here nor there.
The deterioration of the padding causes the leather to sink in at the knuckle which is not pretty, but they’re for punching people in the face, so I guess that’s not terribly important. I’ll post pictures of this later.
Cost:
Like I said, I’m not sure it’s worth the $100+ just to use on the bag for a few months. I have a pair of SuperSofts for sparring. I’m probably not going to replace this pair with another TC pair for the bag simply because I don’t think it’s ultimately worth it. I really love this glove (my favorite so far), but the durability really is an issue. Someone else on here recommended the Winning MS300 Pro Fight Gloves for the heavy bag and I might try those if I can get someone to buy them for me for my birthday… You know how it is.
Word on the street is that Sabas is coming out with a new model for the TCs (“Prime,” they say). If there are significant improvements with the durability of the padding on those, I might get them. Also, I’ll probably aim for lighter gloves to use on the bag in the future.
Anyway, I’ve been recommending the Sabas TC on various threads and now that the padding is deteriorating, I thought I’d post a little review.
TL;DR: I love this glove (my favorite so far in terms of fit, feel and protection), but the padding is not very durable. It’s been eight months and there is virtually no padding on the knuckle area. I’d buy another pair for sparring... Maybe for bag work if they come out with better padding and/or become more affordable. In the meantime, I’m waiting for the TU DA’s to go on sale so I can use those on the bag…
Fit: 10
Feel: 10 (don't know if this is a real category)
Appearance: 8
Protection: 9
Responsiveness: 10
Craftsmanship: 7 (due to the liner tearing and the plastic wrapping coming out)
Durability: 5 (the leather and the stitching get a 10; the liner and padding get a 5)
Cost: 7 (this would be a 10 if the durability were higher)
The Sabas Triple Cuff 16oz.
I decided it might be good to review a pair of gloves that I’ve used pretty thoroughly for the last eight months or so. I purchased the 16oz. Sabas TCs back in February and have used them exclusively on the heavy bag until now.
When I contacted Sabas and asked them for a recommendation between the SuperSofts and the Triple Cuffs, they recommended the latter on account of the padding which is apparently more suitable for the heavy bag. It’s also good to note that the Sabas bag gloves (the hook and loops) have identical padding to the Triple Cuffs.
The Fit:
The best thing about this glove, in my opinion, is the fit and feel. I was able to make a complete fist in these gloves and punch in an immensely satisfying way as a result of this. My punches feel pretty sharp with these gloves, almost like I’m lancing the bag with a spear. Except it’s my fist. And there’s no hole following my punch. My one complaint would be the thumb, it could maybe be just a pinch longer as my thumb hits the very end of the glove. But it’s not a serious problem.
…
Anyway, the fit is great. My favorite glove as far as that goes.
Performance (on the bag):
Performance on the bag is another area in which these gloves really shine. They provide a satisfying ‘pop’ with every punch. Also, due to the feedback that the glove provides, you can really get a sense for how you’re punching. While it provides great protection (which is interesting since it seems not to have as much padding as other gloves), it allows one to feel one’s punches. So I know when I’m punching with my first two knuckles because the padding does not push up against my entire fist. I’ve had the least amount of knuckle bruising with these (compared to other gloves, particularly the R2C C-17 16oz. gloves, which constantly resulted in bruises on my knuckles). I imagine a reason for why these gloves feel so good on the bag is because one is able to make a tight fist with them on. It’s a great feeling…
I’ve used the glove on mitts a few times and have enjoyed them there as well. I’d say the responsiveness of the gloves is what makes them really satisfying. This is the best part of the glove, in my opinion. I would go with lighter ones if I were not concerned about the padding.
Protection/padding:
Since I already brought it up, I might as well cover it here. These are not Winning inspired gloves. I don’t know what they’re based on (maybe Grants?). Nevertheless, I thought they provided great protection. I never felt like my hand was going to break. The wrist protection is decent (they’re lace-ups) but I’m not really into wrist protection anyway, so I can’t really speak to that. It’s good enough for me. Let’s just leave it at that.
The negative side to the responsive aspect is that the padding seems to have broken down pretty quickly. Probably after a few months I noticed an indentation where my first two knuckles are. A few days ago (after the plastic wrapping came out from a tear in the liner in the glove), I felt the padding and it is basically non-existent where my knuckles are. I don’t know how long that they’ve been this way (I suspect it’s been a few months), but the padding seems not to last terribly long. I don’t know if 8 months is considered a long time for use on the heavy bag, but I expected them to go at least a year. The Sabas people told me that it should last at least that long… I don’t know if I’d spend the same amount of money just for a pair of gloves that I’m going to dedicate to the heavy bag if they don’t last more than a year.
Notwithstanding the problem with the padding (or maybe because of it) the glove has been extremely comfortable and has felt great on the bag. Only recently I’ve been having issues with knuckle bruising. At the point the padding is above and below my knuckles—the result is that it’s just the leather protecting my knuckles really. That said, I imagine I’ll continue to use these gloves on the bag for a few more months. I’m not 100% convinced that the bruising is a result of this glove and not another pair.
Look:
They look fine to me. I tend to prefer simple looking gloves. The fact that this has a split thumb and is several colors is a bit flashier than I tend towards, but it’s grown on me somewhat. The leather is great quality. Unlike certain other gloves that I’ve had, the leather has not shown any signs of wear (and it’s white leather!). To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the triple cuff. I prefer the straight cuff. It's cleaner. You know?
I like the logo on account of its simplicity. Not a huge fan of the logos of Ring to Cage or UMA. I like the old school look. But that's neither here nor there.
The deterioration of the padding causes the leather to sink in at the knuckle which is not pretty, but they’re for punching people in the face, so I guess that’s not terribly important. I’ll post pictures of this later.
Cost:
Like I said, I’m not sure it’s worth the $100+ just to use on the bag for a few months. I have a pair of SuperSofts for sparring. I’m probably not going to replace this pair with another TC pair for the bag simply because I don’t think it’s ultimately worth it. I really love this glove (my favorite so far), but the durability really is an issue. Someone else on here recommended the Winning MS300 Pro Fight Gloves for the heavy bag and I might try those if I can get someone to buy them for me for my birthday… You know how it is.
Word on the street is that Sabas is coming out with a new model for the TCs (“Prime,” they say). If there are significant improvements with the durability of the padding on those, I might get them. Also, I’ll probably aim for lighter gloves to use on the bag in the future.
Anyway, I’ve been recommending the Sabas TC on various threads and now that the padding is deteriorating, I thought I’d post a little review.
TL;DR: I love this glove (my favorite so far in terms of fit, feel and protection), but the padding is not very durable. It’s been eight months and there is virtually no padding on the knuckle area. I’d buy another pair for sparring... Maybe for bag work if they come out with better padding and/or become more affordable. In the meantime, I’m waiting for the TU DA’s to go on sale so I can use those on the bag…
Fit: 10
Feel: 10 (don't know if this is a real category)
Appearance: 8
Protection: 9
Responsiveness: 10
Craftsmanship: 7 (due to the liner tearing and the plastic wrapping coming out)
Durability: 5 (the leather and the stitching get a 10; the liner and padding get a 5)
Cost: 7 (this would be a 10 if the durability were higher)
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