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This is a review of the Cleto Reyes 16oz. lace-up training gloves. I bought these from MMAWarehouse via Amazon after several failed attempts to buy used Reyes for cheap. I have attempted to use Reyes a few times before, but grew impatient with the break-in process and ended up selling the gloves. This time, I decided to stick with it.
It’s hard to remember exactly how long I have been using these because I have been rotating the Reyes with Zeus gloves (that have since been retired after 7 months of dedicated use and are selling now on eBay…) and TU Death Adders. That said, I have probably used these for a solid five or six months (bought them back in November 2016). I have used them for sparring, mitts, and on the bag. For reasons that will become obvious below, they are no longer used for sparring.
Quality: decent. The brand is known for quality and craftsmanship. That said, I have tried on at least two pairs of Reyes that have had relatively significant manufacturing defects. In one pair the stitching in the hand compartment was bunched up and sewed in a way that disallowed full extension of the index finger; in another pair, the stitching inside the liner connecting the cuff to the backhand had loose stitching (such that the padding was visible). The most recent pair I have has been pretty good, but I have noticed bits of padding coming out of the gloves while I use them, and it appears that the pieces are coming out from the same meeting point between the end of the cuff and the beginning of the backhand part of the liner (if that makes sense). All that to say, quality is better than a lot of other gloves I’ve tried, for sure, but still not as great as one might expect given the brand. If you buy a pair, I’d examine the gloves carefully before committing to full use.
Fit: One thing that I noticed about this pair of Reyes relative to earlier pairs is the fit. These are definitely narrower than other Reyes' I've tried. As a result, the fit is much more snug, which I like. I am not a huge fan of too much hand space (width-wise) which was an issue with the earlier Reyes training gloves. Once broken-in, they do feel pretty great, though. No issues with finger-length.
Durability: Reyes training gloves are touted as being more durable gloves. This has to do with the sort of padding that is used in their gloves. I believe they are a single piece of latex (others can correct me if I’m wrong). They are pretty durable. They took at least a month of regular use to not feel awkward, especially in the thumb area. The break-in process was a veritable pain in the ass. Incidentally, I continue to find that they still feel somewhat bulky for at least two rounds every time I use them; after a few rounds, though, they fit like a glove... That said, the padding has been breaking down gradually. I’d say they still have several months in them, but the knuckle padding area is palpably dwindling down. The good news is that I still am not able to punch through the padding and the gloves fit a lot better than before; the bad news is that it is unclear how much longer they will last. Bits of padding falls out of the glove when I use them now (as a result of which the floor surrounding the heavy bag has little pieces of padding confetti). Nevertheless, the liner itself remains in good condition (a problem I had with the Zeus and Sabas gloves) so I will continue to use them. Out of all the gloves I’ve tried so far, it appears that Zeus ‘extra firm’ padding is the longest lasting.
Leather: I purchased them in white. I love the way they look, but they definitely get the weathered appearance a lot more quickly than other colors. That’s just the way it is with white leather, I suppose. If I were to get another pair (not really something I’m considering), I’d probably get black.
Performance: They aiite. The padding is pretty bulky on these. As a result, they can sometimes feel awkward on the bag and OK on pads. Sparring they seem pretty protective since they're well-padded. I know Cleto Reyes's pro fight gloves have the reputation of being a puncher’s glove, but the training gloves have pretty thick padding.
I have a love-hate relationship with these gloves. When I use the TU DAs, I don’t particularly miss my Reyes, but when I’ve gone a few rounds with the Reyes, I can’t imagine not having them. It’s strange. In the case of past relationships I’ve been in, I’ve learned that this is probably a sign that this relationship is toxic, but I digress…
In any case, as I’m not currently wearing the Reyes as I type this, I am somewhat ambivalent towards them. I think they typically sell for $160 in the US. I don’t know if I’d buy again. Pretty sure I wouldn't unless they were cheap, but then they might have defects. eh. They are decent gloves and, for me, probably have a life span of maybe 9 months total. I’m going to keep using this pair until they’re thoroughly dead. So I’ll update when that happens.
TL;DR: Gloves are decent. I suppose time will tell, but they are already starting to break down padding-wise after ~5/6 months. Awful break-in process, but feel pretty good after break-in. I don’t know if they’re worth it. Probably won’t buy again, but enjoyed my time with them (will remember them fondly as I use my 'soul mate' type gloves which I guess I haven't found yet). I'm not going to rate each category with numbers because I'm too lazy. But overall, probably a 7/10, which is a passing grade. Definitely not the worst gloves I've tried. But not my favorite, though I don't dislike them.
Here are pictures (apologies for the bad lighting):
It’s hard to remember exactly how long I have been using these because I have been rotating the Reyes with Zeus gloves (that have since been retired after 7 months of dedicated use and are selling now on eBay…) and TU Death Adders. That said, I have probably used these for a solid five or six months (bought them back in November 2016). I have used them for sparring, mitts, and on the bag. For reasons that will become obvious below, they are no longer used for sparring.
Quality: decent. The brand is known for quality and craftsmanship. That said, I have tried on at least two pairs of Reyes that have had relatively significant manufacturing defects. In one pair the stitching in the hand compartment was bunched up and sewed in a way that disallowed full extension of the index finger; in another pair, the stitching inside the liner connecting the cuff to the backhand had loose stitching (such that the padding was visible). The most recent pair I have has been pretty good, but I have noticed bits of padding coming out of the gloves while I use them, and it appears that the pieces are coming out from the same meeting point between the end of the cuff and the beginning of the backhand part of the liner (if that makes sense). All that to say, quality is better than a lot of other gloves I’ve tried, for sure, but still not as great as one might expect given the brand. If you buy a pair, I’d examine the gloves carefully before committing to full use.
Fit: One thing that I noticed about this pair of Reyes relative to earlier pairs is the fit. These are definitely narrower than other Reyes' I've tried. As a result, the fit is much more snug, which I like. I am not a huge fan of too much hand space (width-wise) which was an issue with the earlier Reyes training gloves. Once broken-in, they do feel pretty great, though. No issues with finger-length.
Durability: Reyes training gloves are touted as being more durable gloves. This has to do with the sort of padding that is used in their gloves. I believe they are a single piece of latex (others can correct me if I’m wrong). They are pretty durable. They took at least a month of regular use to not feel awkward, especially in the thumb area. The break-in process was a veritable pain in the ass. Incidentally, I continue to find that they still feel somewhat bulky for at least two rounds every time I use them; after a few rounds, though, they fit like a glove... That said, the padding has been breaking down gradually. I’d say they still have several months in them, but the knuckle padding area is palpably dwindling down. The good news is that I still am not able to punch through the padding and the gloves fit a lot better than before; the bad news is that it is unclear how much longer they will last. Bits of padding falls out of the glove when I use them now (as a result of which the floor surrounding the heavy bag has little pieces of padding confetti). Nevertheless, the liner itself remains in good condition (a problem I had with the Zeus and Sabas gloves) so I will continue to use them. Out of all the gloves I’ve tried so far, it appears that Zeus ‘extra firm’ padding is the longest lasting.
Leather: I purchased them in white. I love the way they look, but they definitely get the weathered appearance a lot more quickly than other colors. That’s just the way it is with white leather, I suppose. If I were to get another pair (not really something I’m considering), I’d probably get black.
Performance: They aiite. The padding is pretty bulky on these. As a result, they can sometimes feel awkward on the bag and OK on pads. Sparring they seem pretty protective since they're well-padded. I know Cleto Reyes's pro fight gloves have the reputation of being a puncher’s glove, but the training gloves have pretty thick padding.
I have a love-hate relationship with these gloves. When I use the TU DAs, I don’t particularly miss my Reyes, but when I’ve gone a few rounds with the Reyes, I can’t imagine not having them. It’s strange. In the case of past relationships I’ve been in, I’ve learned that this is probably a sign that this relationship is toxic, but I digress…
In any case, as I’m not currently wearing the Reyes as I type this, I am somewhat ambivalent towards them. I think they typically sell for $160 in the US. I don’t know if I’d buy again. Pretty sure I wouldn't unless they were cheap, but then they might have defects. eh. They are decent gloves and, for me, probably have a life span of maybe 9 months total. I’m going to keep using this pair until they’re thoroughly dead. So I’ll update when that happens.
TL;DR: Gloves are decent. I suppose time will tell, but they are already starting to break down padding-wise after ~5/6 months. Awful break-in process, but feel pretty good after break-in. I don’t know if they’re worth it. Probably won’t buy again, but enjoyed my time with them (will remember them fondly as I use my 'soul mate' type gloves which I guess I haven't found yet). I'm not going to rate each category with numbers because I'm too lazy. But overall, probably a 7/10, which is a passing grade. Definitely not the worst gloves I've tried. But not my favorite, though I don't dislike them.
Here are pictures (apologies for the bad lighting):
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