Reebok was generous enough to send us a pair of their new 10k gloves. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out at the store or on the field, they are currently Reebok’s top-of-the-line glove…and it shows.
Reebok has taken their experience making hockey gloves and applied it to lacrosse. However, whereas a hockey gloves main focus is protection, lacrosse gloves need to have a balance between protection and feel. And they also need to look cool. Obviously it’s not an easy task to manufacture a lacrosse glove…let’s see how Reebok did:
Features
• Seamless finger joints
• Reebok 3D-Gel on thumb
• 2-piece expanding cuff
• F.I.T. /Conforming top hand—molds to your hand
• F.A.V./Lightweight form fitting ventilated protection—ventilation without sacrificing protection
• Goatskin palm—soft, grippy and sweat-wicking
• Griptonite patches on the palm for extra grip
• Reebok Play Dry interior—wicks moisture away from the hand
• Detachable inner cuff
Looks
Reebok’s hockey heritage in this glove is undeniable. That being said, they have definitely done a few things to make the glove look more “lacrosse-like”. For one, the cuff looks great; the flared main-portion of the cuff and the 2-piece cuff band give the glove a very flexible, comfortable look.
The black and white goatskin palm looks really aggressive and matches the black and white-striped interior of the glove. The gel looks really cool on the thumb and although there are 7 total logos, Reebok pulled it off subtly and with class.
My only qualm with the looks is that the 10k gloves seem limited in terms of customizing. I have only seen two-color combos come from Reebok, and adding a third color is a big step in customizing gloves. Not a huge deal though…overall, the gloves look very sleek. 4/5
Protection
The 10K gloves have great protection. Each segment on the top of the glove is a combination of foam and plastic, and arranged in such a way that they leave zero vulnerabilities, from what I could find. The ventilation panel is constructed of hard plastic, so it does not sacrifice protection of the top part of the hand.
The exterior cuff is remarkably stiff and its curved design helps deflect blows away from the arm. The floating cuff is attached in such a way that it articulates with the exterior cuff to provide moving protection. This is great engineering but the downside is that the cuff assembly is designed to be played with the floating cuff attached—so just a heads up if you’re someone who likes to play without the inner cuff.
The index and pinky fingers have additional panels sewn in to provide supplemental protection. They offer more coverage than I’ve seen in comparable models from other manufacturers. Which brings me to what you’ve all been waiting for: the 3D-Gel thumb…
It’s pretty decent. Honestly, I didn’t notice too much of a difference...but that probably means it's doing it's job. It does a good of protecting and looks really slick.
Last but not least, the elastic webbing that connects the palm to the glove is thicker than I’ve seen on other gloves, and helps secure the hand inside the glove better (no smashed fingernail tips). 5/5
Feel
This is where the glove really shines. The goatskin palm has a buttery-soft feel and seems very durable. The Griptonite patches do a good job of gripping the shaft without being “overgrippy”—even without tape. The palm has great tactile feedback and I can really feel the shaft in my hands. (ha)
Out of the box, the glove is very flexible and broken-in. The fingers are the perfect length for me, especially the thumb. I’ve recently noticed that some gloves out there have a thumb that is disproportionately long when compared to the other fingers, but this glove is not plagues with this issue.
The inside of the glove feels very smooth and comfortable, and the F.I.T. stuff on the top of the hand is very plush. My hand feels very secure inside the glove. 5/5
This is a great glove and an awesome first attempt on Reebok’s part in designing a direct competitor to the other top-of-the-line gloves out there (King 3, Maybach, Sugar Daddy/Brass Monkey, K18, etc.). They are priced right around $180. I expect great things from Rbk Lax in the years to come.
Overall Score: A, a great buy
If you've had experience with these gloves, we'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments, post up!
P.S. We'll be doing a contest soon, and the winner will receive these fresh 10k gloves.