Sergio Garibay Custom Punch Mitts
These are the same style and make of mitts worn by Freddie Roach, Robert Garcia and many other boxing trainers. To my knowledge, he makes a few different styles of mitts. A thick air mitt. A mid sized mitt and a small micro mitt. This review will be done on a pair of micro mitts that Sergio made for me about one year ago. Sergio can use almost any color pallet that you can think of. He can also do lettering and designs. I believe basic, less detailed lettering work is typically covered with the base price of the mitt, while more elaborate designs and extensive lettering may be extra . I believe he can also use exotic leathers that may be more expensive. However the leather that he uses in his base models is more then good quality ! These are custom made ,so they will be made for you specifically! If I remember correctly , I was asked for my height and weight as well as the thickness of my hands. I was also asked to send a tracing of my hands and wrists. Being that I consider myself a padsmith lol , I will do a thorough review based on every aspect of what I feel is important to me.
Quality of materials - excellent.good quality durable REAL leather.with genuine leather smell.lol. padding is good quality as well and has remained unchanged.strong thread.
Craftmenship-except for the leather getting a little less rigid.these pads have remained unchanged for the year that I have had them. When I first got them, I was curious about their life due to how pretty they were ,and to a degree, cause they had a hand made type of look to them, even though they are definitely well made. I have never had a pad last this long while remaining unchanged. The stitch job on these is serious ! ...the stitching may not be as cosmetically perfect or as neat as some mass manufactured products, but in the case of these mitts, its a good thing ! These things are reinforced with extra stitching like crazy ! A very tightly made and sound product !
Style/ design- let's face it, most of us want something that looks good.you can take these home to mom ! Very pretty, but can get down and dirty. With ur imagination, I'm sure you can dress up a pair however you may want. as far as design, these mitts have an indentation in the middle that I thought at first would be weird n take away from the protection, but I was wrong.I believe the indentation creates a slight air pocket effect when hit with a boxing glove that covers the space. I think the energy of the shot gets dispersed to the outer ring since that's where the shot lands first and the padding there seems thicker and softer. Also due to the pocket, there is a awesome POP sound created. These have the best sweet spot I have ever seen ! They tell you when someone is punching right !
Fit- perfect fit. Has a velcro strap that can really lock ur hand down ,or u can leave it set to where u can slide in and out with enough tightness to have the pad stay put respectfully, however due to the lack of a grip ball, these do fit better for me if I strap them down tight. They are slightly curved, so they do conture to the hand fairly well.
Protection for holder- being that these are micros and meant to be slim and small. They may be better suited for speed or technical work. They may not be ideal for trainers to wear if they are prone to any bad hand,wrist,forearm,elbow and shoulder aches. However if u are not prone to these problems ,these will be more then fine. Pound for pound, these things take a good shot and are comparable in protection to good mid sized pads on the market. They definitely out perform their size. Yet again, if u are prone to bad aches, these are not a big protective mitt. Sergios air mitts may be better suited for power drills or huge punchers. However Freddie Roach seems to manage with Paq pretty well with his micros.
Protection for puncher- these are neither soft nor hard, id say they are almost in the middle but more on the firmer side. I have never had a complaint from the striker.
Maneuverability-you can move well with these. They are light and well balanced ! They sit well on the hand and don't need much adjustment during ur rounds if you strap them down.
Versatility- is good, better then most if u keep in mind how small this mitt is. It is small,but performs like a mid size mitt as far as padding and protection .can be used with various types,sizes n styles of fighters.
Wrap up
Positives- Life!!!!! Customization. Maneuverability.Great sweet spot ! Probably the best I ever heard. small but performs like a mid size.
Things I would add or take away- a grip ball. I personally think a small grip ball like the one in the ring to cage micro mitts, would make the fit n control of this perfect...for me I think the finger compartment could be a little tighter on my fingers...
Two different ways to conclude this.
Overall , for an over all mitt, I would give this an 8.5...with more protection, a grip ball and tighter finger compartment I can see it being a ten Overall though ,grading on a scale due to it being a micro mitt in essence, it out performs its small size to the point u forget its a micro.so, on that note, I give it a 9 , with a grip ball n tighter fingers probably making it perfect for the class of a small mitt.
Well there you have it.I'm a pad fiend and am always looking for the perfect mitt. I find that for me at least ,probably due to some aches and pains I have, some are good for somethings and others for others. I get in MOODS where I prefer a certain pad depending on what I'm doin and how I'm feeling. These are a pad I always find myself going back too. Especially for teaching technique. I think that's where these shine most ! But they also do well as a good overall mitt with exceptional life ! I am ordering a pair of the air mitts soon to help with some of the aches I have from time to time.from what I heard they offer amazing protection...I will let you know when I get them.
These are the same style and make of mitts worn by Freddie Roach, Robert Garcia and many other boxing trainers. To my knowledge, he makes a few different styles of mitts. A thick air mitt. A mid sized mitt and a small micro mitt. This review will be done on a pair of micro mitts that Sergio made for me about one year ago. Sergio can use almost any color pallet that you can think of. He can also do lettering and designs. I believe basic, less detailed lettering work is typically covered with the base price of the mitt, while more elaborate designs and extensive lettering may be extra . I believe he can also use exotic leathers that may be more expensive. However the leather that he uses in his base models is more then good quality ! These are custom made ,so they will be made for you specifically! If I remember correctly , I was asked for my height and weight as well as the thickness of my hands. I was also asked to send a tracing of my hands and wrists. Being that I consider myself a padsmith lol , I will do a thorough review based on every aspect of what I feel is important to me.
Quality of materials - excellent.good quality durable REAL leather.with genuine leather smell.lol. padding is good quality as well and has remained unchanged.strong thread.
Craftmenship-except for the leather getting a little less rigid.these pads have remained unchanged for the year that I have had them. When I first got them, I was curious about their life due to how pretty they were ,and to a degree, cause they had a hand made type of look to them, even though they are definitely well made. I have never had a pad last this long while remaining unchanged. The stitch job on these is serious ! ...the stitching may not be as cosmetically perfect or as neat as some mass manufactured products, but in the case of these mitts, its a good thing ! These things are reinforced with extra stitching like crazy ! A very tightly made and sound product !
Style/ design- let's face it, most of us want something that looks good.you can take these home to mom ! Very pretty, but can get down and dirty. With ur imagination, I'm sure you can dress up a pair however you may want. as far as design, these mitts have an indentation in the middle that I thought at first would be weird n take away from the protection, but I was wrong.I believe the indentation creates a slight air pocket effect when hit with a boxing glove that covers the space. I think the energy of the shot gets dispersed to the outer ring since that's where the shot lands first and the padding there seems thicker and softer. Also due to the pocket, there is a awesome POP sound created. These have the best sweet spot I have ever seen ! They tell you when someone is punching right !
Fit- perfect fit. Has a velcro strap that can really lock ur hand down ,or u can leave it set to where u can slide in and out with enough tightness to have the pad stay put respectfully, however due to the lack of a grip ball, these do fit better for me if I strap them down tight. They are slightly curved, so they do conture to the hand fairly well.
Protection for holder- being that these are micros and meant to be slim and small. They may be better suited for speed or technical work. They may not be ideal for trainers to wear if they are prone to any bad hand,wrist,forearm,elbow and shoulder aches. However if u are not prone to these problems ,these will be more then fine. Pound for pound, these things take a good shot and are comparable in protection to good mid sized pads on the market. They definitely out perform their size. Yet again, if u are prone to bad aches, these are not a big protective mitt. Sergios air mitts may be better suited for power drills or huge punchers. However Freddie Roach seems to manage with Paq pretty well with his micros.
Protection for puncher- these are neither soft nor hard, id say they are almost in the middle but more on the firmer side. I have never had a complaint from the striker.
Maneuverability-you can move well with these. They are light and well balanced ! They sit well on the hand and don't need much adjustment during ur rounds if you strap them down.
Versatility- is good, better then most if u keep in mind how small this mitt is. It is small,but performs like a mid size mitt as far as padding and protection .can be used with various types,sizes n styles of fighters.
Wrap up
Positives- Life!!!!! Customization. Maneuverability.Great sweet spot ! Probably the best I ever heard. small but performs like a mid size.
Things I would add or take away- a grip ball. I personally think a small grip ball like the one in the ring to cage micro mitts, would make the fit n control of this perfect...for me I think the finger compartment could be a little tighter on my fingers...
Two different ways to conclude this.
Overall , for an over all mitt, I would give this an 8.5...with more protection, a grip ball and tighter finger compartment I can see it being a ten Overall though ,grading on a scale due to it being a micro mitt in essence, it out performs its small size to the point u forget its a micro.so, on that note, I give it a 9 , with a grip ball n tighter fingers probably making it perfect for the class of a small mitt.
Well there you have it.I'm a pad fiend and am always looking for the perfect mitt. I find that for me at least ,probably due to some aches and pains I have, some are good for somethings and others for others. I get in MOODS where I prefer a certain pad depending on what I'm doin and how I'm feeling. These are a pad I always find myself going back too. Especially for teaching technique. I think that's where these shine most ! But they also do well as a good overall mitt with exceptional life ! I am ordering a pair of the air mitts soon to help with some of the aches I have from time to time.from what I heard they offer amazing protection...I will let you know when I get them.
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