Schiek Lifting Glove

Posted: 02/23/2004 In Category(s): Reviews :: Product Reviews

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We at SNEWS® have used, reviewed and tested dozens of weight-lifting gloves in the last couple of decades or so (we don't want to give away our age now, do we?). And the Schiek Platinum Series non-wrist-wrap (520) glove our female tester used for a couple of months is among the best. (The same men's glove is the 530, and the same style with a wrist wrap is the unisex 540.)

Naturally, some gloves will fit different people better than others, or some styles will suit someone's weight-lifting preferences better than others. This model with its three-quarter length fingers (in other words, they cover more of your finger and extend over the larger finger joint), gel padding in the palm with rubberized non-slip grip, and high-cut wrist with wide elastic wristband will suit a slightly more serious lifter. The thick gel padding cushions heavy bars in your hand, while the extended fingers give you a better grip on weights while protecting your fingers too. The wider, high-cut wrist closure provides additional support since the cut of the glove is so finely shaped to your wrist -- no baggy wrists here!

What really intrigues us about these gloves is a no-brainer of a patent-pending feature called "fins." Basically, these are tiny pleats of leather on the back of each of your four fingers. Instead of struggling to get a glove off -- tugging one finger after another to inch the glove off until it is loose enough to grab and yank off totally -- you just hold a fin and pull. Voila, the glove slips off. OK, this we suppose is a minor feature, but we've certainly spent aggravating minutes trying to grab hold of a glove and get it off, and we know countless others who have too!

We can speak for the women's glove in that its fit is divine, sleekly cut for a woman's longer fingers and thinner palms. The wider hook-and-loop closure on the wrist feels good too -- except you need to remember that wearing a watch with it won't work; it is cut too high and the wristband and watch conflict annoyingly. So if a watch is important to your workout these MAY not work for you, fyi.

There is stretch mesh across the back of the hand so that should supply some cooling ventilation although the thick gel palm and synthetic leather fingers we imagine could get a bit warm and sweaty in the summer. But it IS machine washable for any sweat stains.

Now, despite those positives, our tester isn't a super heavy lifter and found the glove to be a bit thick for her needs; she likes it, and she'd wear it, but it is perhaps overkill for a less-intensive lifter. We did find the extra inset of padding on the thumb a nice asset for any intensity of lifting. And then there's those really cool fins….

SNEWS Rating: 4 hands clapping (1 to 5 hands clapping possible, with 5 clapping hands representing functional and design perfection)

Suggested retail: $35

For more information:
www.schiek.com
1-800-772-4435

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