Review: Ring to Cage Deluxe IMF Sparring Gloves

Per Manufacturer-

*16 oz. cowhide leather.
*Injection molded foam (IMF).
*With 2.5″ of protection over the knuckles. Attached padded thumbs, soft poly/nylon lining for quick drying.
*Velcro closure with elastic cover for safety

First Impression- When I got these gloves I really liked the colors they chose to go with. You do not see this green on too much gear out there. The quality looked very good and the initial fit was great. When I pulled them out of the box they had that fresh leather smell. Everything looked very clean I could not wait to try them out.

Construction- I was immediately impressed by the construction of these gloves. The graphics on them are very well done even though they are screen printed. There did not appear to be any loose threads on these gloves and all of the stitching was done well. These gloves are manufactured in Pakistan and as you can see not only have a hook and loop but an elastic sleeve you pull over as to not injure your partner while sparring. I have heard of this bothering people but I just flipped it up like in these pictures and found it to work just fine.

 These gloves have IMF technology which stands for Injection molded foam which looked like it was going to be very padded and very comfortable. Like most gloves they have an attached thumb and the leather on these is of descent quality however one glove was more porous than the other.

Fit- I got the 16oz version of this glove which is the size I use for sparring and the fit was excellent. I was a little worried it was going to be to big judging by how the gloves looked from the outside but the fit was nice and tight. Now keep in mind that I have smaller hands so for those of you with big hands you might want to step up to the 18oz. The lining inside the glove is very nice and feels good against your hand. It is called drymax. Which brings to the only negative I could find with the fit. These gloves have no ventilation. My hands become very sweaty inside and so the glove can take longer then other to dry out. I would recommend getting a pair of glove dawgs for these gloves as I feel over time because of the amount of moisture in them they could begin to stink. However this has not happened to me as of yet. It is very easy to make a fist in these gloves and because of the grab bar the fist feels very natural.

Mitts/Pads- These are some of the best gloves I have used when working either the mitts or the pads. They feel great. The wrist protection is fantastic and the amount of impact the absorb is great. They feel like true 16oz gloves and when I weighed them they actually where a tad over. Once again my only real issue is the lack on ventilation with these. I also found it very easy to make a fist and did not become fatigued towards the end of training.

Heavy bag- These are my favorite gloves I own to use on the heavy bag. The amount of shock they absorb is outstanding. Usually when I get done on the bag my hands hurt a little or I at least have red marks on my knuckles, but not with these. They transfer the shock very well with out feeling pillow like. The wrist support is also there. I did not jamb my wrist once. These gloves really held there own in this department I can not think of another glove that I prefer to use on the heavy bag over these.

Sparring- This is where I thought these gloves did just okay. One thing I can guarantee is your sparring partner will like them. I did let someone try them on and spar against me and they are not to stiff to where you are going to hurt your partner. One thing I did enjoy is if I was going to be wearing these for an extended amount of time while sparring I would pull down the elastic cover over the closure system and it did do a good job at preventing scratches. Then when I was done I did have to have someone else help me with them off as I could not get the cover to come back up. These gloves work for sparring but since they are so good at the other stuff it made them seem just okay for sparring.

Pros-

*Amazing shock absorption

*Great wrist support

*Unique Color Scheme

*Tight Fit

Cons-

*Elastic cover could make it hard to get on and off

*Lack of ventilation

Overall- Ring to Cage is fairly new to the market and I would say with this glove they are a welcome addition. They gloves have excellent construction, amazing wrist support, and a great fit. If you are looking for an all purpose I would say give these gloves a shot. I would recommend them to anyone as the only real problem I found was no ventilation. If they added  that I would say these gloves could be at the top of many people lists. They retail for right around $90, but I would say they are worth it.

Click here to buy Deluxe IMF Sparring Gloves

**Disclaimer** I received this at no cost for the purpose of review