- Joined
- Jan 24, 2011
- Messages
- 4,251
- Reaction score
- 9
Hey Guys, another review for all you sherdoggers out there! Once again I appreciate the support and I will upload the videos as soon as I post all the reviews that Ive been sitting on. Let me get all these written reviews done 1st!
So backstory, I did a review on the Giant 1.0s awhile back and I wasn't impressed:
http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/showthread.php?p=89206399#post89206399
But later I got ahold of a set of tribals and I absolutely loved them. So TM99 hooked me up with the MMAJoes website, and I pulled the trigger on the Giant 2.0s to see if there was any difference from the originals.
To be honest MMA brands are hit and miss at times, I think these gloves are a hit, and here's why:
The Look:
Again, I stated in the 1.0s that I actually like the loud look of Venums snake head, I think its cool. This time instead of the white, I went for the inverse, Black on white. If you remember the white stained easily and I didn't want to go through all that again, if the gloves did indeed remain the same.
But... they aren't! The gloves are bulbous much like the tribals, they don't quite lay down as flat as the OG 1.0s. Where I felt the 1.0s were a punchers glove the 2.0s are a more protective one. The gloves have a REALLY nice curved shape over the knuckles. I have been able to hit cleanly on the knuckles. The logo is flawless this time around and the print is VERY well done, there are no inconsistences or weak areas.
The leather itself looks a lot better imo, there is a semi gloss to it, but it still lacks that strong leather smell I like. The logos and print are VERY carefully done, and there is no discoloration.
Everything is double stitched, absolutely no stray threads.
The Padding is triple density and turning the glove sideways, it is THICK.
The Fit & Feel
These gloves are WAY different than their predecessors, the thumb isn't awkward at all, it does take a gradual turn, and it is very comfortable. I don't think its as good as Winning, Topboxers, or Ring to Cage's thumb but it definitely is up there in terms of feel.
The gloves are still snug but you do have a little bit of wiggle room, but your hand will not move side to side like it would in a Reyes.
The glove has a completely broken in feel, which I love in a glove. The hand is easy to close, allowing you to make a NICE solid fist. More importantly the grip bar is low profile and sits right where its supposed to so it completely feels natural. Its easy to open which allows you to use the nice palm padding.
These gloves stay relatively cool, there is no silly mesh, but there are 19 vent holes located in the lower finger region, the palm, and the thumb.
The only gripe is the Velcro design still didn't change, the wrist support remains average at best, and we have that weird half leather half elastic closure. Again, those with weak or frail wrist, I think this will be the deal breaker for you, unless you wrap up your wrists extra good.
The liner isn't all loose like some gloves infact it hugs the glove relatively well. Its thin and airs out quickly, I don't much care for thick liners.
The Padding:
I feel the padding is just as good as the tribals, I like them a lot! Its very protective, very absorbent. The only downside for some is the glove may appear to be puffy and rounded vs some of the more traditional gloves on the market. Personally, I like them because of their profile. They aren't extra long either, they are medium sized.
The palm padding is great for parrying shots or catching punches, I think these gloves are more than just good looking gloves, they are actually functional.
Hitting the bag feels nice, they are very forgiving, and in sparring partners didn't complain about it, infact I had 2 guys pull up MMAjoes on their phones to order a pair because they were impressed and liked the look. That is before I knew....:icon_arro
Weight:
Where the 1.0s were heavy, these came in lighter.
16oz gloves weighed in at 14.1oz.
2 oz short yikes.
Cost:
49.99 through MMA Joes
Other Notes:
The gloves say made in Thailand on the backside of the wrists but in the inside of the cuff it says Hong Kong China... WTF lol.
Overall:
I like these gloves, they are a massive improvement over the 1st version. More protective, better quality, leather looks better, better padding. I don't think the weight is an issue, whereas normally Id knock them down in score and here's why. I believe MMAJoes is a 100% legit site, but I believe they get the "B" graded quality from the companies at discounted prices. If they don't meet the A+ QC standards but are still 100% functional they wont be sold as a full retail product. Guitar companies do this all the time, so I think that's how Joes keeps the prices down.
It may range from a small blemish to weight being off, to a paint chip, who knows. I would like to confirm this but IMO these gloves are super nice, and anyone wanting to try out venum especially the 2.0 Giant will love them.
Score A- / 90%
For those that do not like to read (
So backstory, I did a review on the Giant 1.0s awhile back and I wasn't impressed:
http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/showthread.php?p=89206399#post89206399
But later I got ahold of a set of tribals and I absolutely loved them. So TM99 hooked me up with the MMAJoes website, and I pulled the trigger on the Giant 2.0s to see if there was any difference from the originals.
To be honest MMA brands are hit and miss at times, I think these gloves are a hit, and here's why:
The Look:
Again, I stated in the 1.0s that I actually like the loud look of Venums snake head, I think its cool. This time instead of the white, I went for the inverse, Black on white. If you remember the white stained easily and I didn't want to go through all that again, if the gloves did indeed remain the same.
But... they aren't! The gloves are bulbous much like the tribals, they don't quite lay down as flat as the OG 1.0s. Where I felt the 1.0s were a punchers glove the 2.0s are a more protective one. The gloves have a REALLY nice curved shape over the knuckles. I have been able to hit cleanly on the knuckles. The logo is flawless this time around and the print is VERY well done, there are no inconsistences or weak areas.
The leather itself looks a lot better imo, there is a semi gloss to it, but it still lacks that strong leather smell I like. The logos and print are VERY carefully done, and there is no discoloration.
Everything is double stitched, absolutely no stray threads.
The Padding is triple density and turning the glove sideways, it is THICK.
The Fit & Feel
These gloves are WAY different than their predecessors, the thumb isn't awkward at all, it does take a gradual turn, and it is very comfortable. I don't think its as good as Winning, Topboxers, or Ring to Cage's thumb but it definitely is up there in terms of feel.
The gloves are still snug but you do have a little bit of wiggle room, but your hand will not move side to side like it would in a Reyes.
The glove has a completely broken in feel, which I love in a glove. The hand is easy to close, allowing you to make a NICE solid fist. More importantly the grip bar is low profile and sits right where its supposed to so it completely feels natural. Its easy to open which allows you to use the nice palm padding.
These gloves stay relatively cool, there is no silly mesh, but there are 19 vent holes located in the lower finger region, the palm, and the thumb.
The only gripe is the Velcro design still didn't change, the wrist support remains average at best, and we have that weird half leather half elastic closure. Again, those with weak or frail wrist, I think this will be the deal breaker for you, unless you wrap up your wrists extra good.
The liner isn't all loose like some gloves infact it hugs the glove relatively well. Its thin and airs out quickly, I don't much care for thick liners.
The Padding:
I feel the padding is just as good as the tribals, I like them a lot! Its very protective, very absorbent. The only downside for some is the glove may appear to be puffy and rounded vs some of the more traditional gloves on the market. Personally, I like them because of their profile. They aren't extra long either, they are medium sized.
The palm padding is great for parrying shots or catching punches, I think these gloves are more than just good looking gloves, they are actually functional.
Hitting the bag feels nice, they are very forgiving, and in sparring partners didn't complain about it, infact I had 2 guys pull up MMAjoes on their phones to order a pair because they were impressed and liked the look. That is before I knew....:icon_arro
Weight:
Where the 1.0s were heavy, these came in lighter.
16oz gloves weighed in at 14.1oz.
2 oz short yikes.
Cost:
49.99 through MMA Joes
Other Notes:
The gloves say made in Thailand on the backside of the wrists but in the inside of the cuff it says Hong Kong China... WTF lol.
Overall:
I like these gloves, they are a massive improvement over the 1st version. More protective, better quality, leather looks better, better padding. I don't think the weight is an issue, whereas normally Id knock them down in score and here's why. I believe MMAJoes is a 100% legit site, but I believe they get the "B" graded quality from the companies at discounted prices. If they don't meet the A+ QC standards but are still 100% functional they wont be sold as a full retail product. Guitar companies do this all the time, so I think that's how Joes keeps the prices down.
It may range from a small blemish to weight being off, to a paint chip, who knows. I would like to confirm this but IMO these gloves are super nice, and anyone wanting to try out venum especially the 2.0 Giant will love them.
Score A- / 90%
For those that do not like to read (
