Got some new gear just before Christmas and now, having had 3 weeks regular use, thought I'd post a brief review concentrating more of subjective opinions than objective observations, given that others have posted great reviews on these two products before. The Garibay mitts are beyond reproach and far better than any of the myriad other mitts I've held or hit over the years. I picked them up from Sergio in person after ordering 6-weeks earlier, which was right in line with his original estimation (they are handmade, 100% custom and he's very busy right now). I fell in love with the antique brown coloring after posts by Drew and Kaseri. You can order any colors you want but I thought this would be a combination I would never tire of. He does 3 mitts, a focus, a combination and an air. These are the mid-protection combo mitts. They are the same size as the focus mitts and incredibly light. What makes them so amazing is behind the main 1.5" or so of foam padding is a much softer "air" padding. I had a few experienced boxers try them out with me weighing between 150 and 180 (wearing 10s) I could not feel any pain on my joints, bones or palms. This "air" padding also provides the most comfortable and fitted hand compartment you could imagine, it fills your palm perfectly but does not create that artificial positioning like a palm ball does. The indented striking surface is both visually pleasing and creates the pop we all like to hear from a well timed blow. How Sergio gets a mitt to be this light and maneuverable yet offer supreme protection is beyond me. The main padding was very stiff for about the first ten mins of hitting but then softened the perfect amount and has not changed since. This means the mitt is just as safe and comfortable to hit as it is to hold. The stitching looks like it will last forever and the top grade natural leather smells absolutely gorgeous. I'm looking forward to seeing him later this month to pick up my custom speedbag. The Reyes gloves are 16oz and were bought from Lockwood's Boxing in Anaheim, CA. Mike who runs Lockwoods is a good guy and ships very fast. Pricing is always good, and given that I bought these on small business Saturday the price was amazing. I could have gotten three pairs of these for the price of one Winnings. Being an official distributor, they ship in a Reyes branded box and full Reyes documentation which is a nice touch. I went with velcro as I already have lace-up sparring gloves. As we all know with Reyes, the build quality is amazing, tight solid stitching, thick, quality leather and a very nice sweat repellant lining. The hand compartment is a little larger than average, and certainly bigger than Reyes 14s. With wraps it's fine, though I do have quite thick hands. During sparring they stay fairly cool with the ventilation holes and smooth lining. Wrist support is okay, it is certainly not as good as a quality pair of lace ups but I use my wraps for most of my wrist support and I'm not prone to strains so it's been no issue. Compared to my Winning sparring gloves I'd say the build quality is equal- these gloves will last years. The Reyes glove is certainly stiffer though, and it's not as easy to open up the palm or make a fist as it is in the Winnings which, to me, feel broken-in right out of the box. The one negative with Reyes is what many people see as a plus; the smell. I find the leather smells very strong and chemically and is nothing like the natural smell of Sergio's mitts. Also, the logo chips off quickly if you cover up often like I'm forced to do when sparring my semi-pro partner. One last point-- if you uppercut into an elbow you will feel it more than in a pair of Winnings or IMF-techs, but the advantage is that you do get a little more pop on your shots with these. That said, sparring is for fun and improving, not for hurting your partner and these gloves in 16oz are certainly protective enough for sparring (unlike their horsehairs or regular padding 14s). I recommend these gloves highly. Finally, my trainer (who normally keeps his cash in his pocket) is close to ordering some CM-70 mitts. If he goes ahead with it I'll be sure to post a comparison review as they are the only mitts I could imagine that would be able to give the faultless Garibay's some competition (albeit at twice the price...)
Great pick ups, couldn't agree more with Lockwoods' service. Having a thick knuckle pad, winning ng-2s/gauze makes the Cleto's fit much better, and the leather fit and comfort should improve in time.
Carl L - Please don't take this the wrong way but tell your trainer not to waste his money on the CM-70's. He can get the twice the quality at less than half the price with the Ringside Heritage Panther Punch Mitts. As I have stated in the past these are the best mitts ever produced for boxing, yes I said the best mitt ever produced. I'm not going to compare them to Sergio's mini mitt that you purchased because they are two completely different styles and in my opinion not comparable. We will have this conversation again when the Heritage Mini Mitts launch because they will be amazing quality. The Winning mitts on the other hand are very similar in size, shape and thickness but not even close in quality. Yes, I work for Ringside and we own the CM-70's as well as 50 other competitor models of punch mitts. If he would like to purchase the HPPM then I would be happy to send one hand of my Winning CM-70's so you both can do a comparison, hell I would even encourage him to use them both at the same time for a session and offer up his feedback in this forum. I will also say that if he doesn't fall in love with our mitt I'll pick them up and give him a full refund and he can go after the Winnings. If I am proved right he owes you a pair of Heritage mitts for saving him all that money. Thanks, Darrin Clauder
Wow, that's a pretty bold statement. I love my HPPM's and plan on picking up a CM-70 later this year to see if the price difference is worth it. But this statement here makes me wonder if I should... Would you say the HPPM is comparable sergio's larger Air Mitt?
Darrin, do you think that the "fit" if your mitts could ever match the custom fit of Garibay? I am sure the foam, leather, or even stitching could be better, but, how can you beat a literally custom fist (i.e., sending a tracing of your hand)... I am not bashing ringside...the Ultimate Classics focus mitts those were the best focus mitts i've used...almost every coach at AKA had them or wanted them. They were even better than one of the coaches Winning, Reyes, and Grants.
Thanks for the review. I love Sergio's work. Would like a get some mitts from him one day. Next time your talking to him, ask him if he's looking for an apprentice. :icon_chee
They are, the fit is just perfect. I'd say he's approximately 45-years-old bud. A real nice guy too. Darrin- thanks for the post. I will pass this info on to my trainer. As I said early he keeps his cash close to his chest so this info will likely have him sat on the thinking fence for another 6 months. Great too see your guys confidence in the product , and it certainly helps to have more and more competition at the top end. The mini focus mitts you have coming sound intriguing. To the other posters- thanks for the kind words and glad it was of interest.
