WWW.GLOVE-WORKS.COM BASEBALL GLOVE COLLECTOR FORUM

Hello,

I just got this in the mail 2 days ago and figured I'd offer my thoughts on it. First, It's been awhile since I've bought any gloves. The last one was a 125th anniversary PRODCT HOH a few years back. The color isn't close to what are in the online pics. The actual color is kind of a tannish/flat brown and the gold embroidering compliments it very nicely. It is IMO a very attractive mitt. It's reasonably stiff, although like all modern gloves, it is not rock hard. but is partially broken in. I've learned to live with that so no biggie. The leather is very thick and substantial however. What I find most curious about it is the smell. It does not smell like any Rawlings I've ever owned before. It smells like clay...strange. I do wonder where the leather was sourced from. It has PRO GRADE stamped on the inside of the thumb, if that means anything. There is a rather thick palm pad in the glove. Some may object to this as it is very thick, but I don't mind it since I keep my index finger inside so it will help reduce sting. I do wonder if it will interfere with the glove molding to my hand properly though. The laces also have a different feel to them. They remind me of old school "rawhide" laces. They don't quite feel like the laces that they traditionally use for their gloves, but it could just be me. When I bought my PROSTX23 about 8 or so years ago, it became my favorite first base pattern. I had only wished they offered a tan HOH version. I figure this is as close as I'll get to that, so overall I'm very happy with it

A couple of things I forgot about and wanted to add, but I ran out of time to edit into the original post. Rawlings does seem to be taking some design cues from Wilson. This mitt does have the Wilson style thumb loop padding, which is not a bad idea, but not really necessary for me as I never had any problems with the comfort of their thumb loops to begin with. Next is Rawlings version of Wilson's Dri-Lex padding for the wrist lining. I'm not a fan of this. Does this stuff hold up season after season, or does it break down and rot after awhile? I would have preferred shearling, which has, to my knowledge, generally always held up and lasted as long as the glove did. or they could have simply went the way of the original PROSTX23 design and not have any wrist lining at all. Speaking of lining, it has black deer tanned lining for the inner palm, and a softer black leather fingerstall lining. I usually wear a batting glove inside the mitt, but it is quite comfortable without.

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the Rawlings bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa oh

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age


Its Rawlings now... like it or leave it. The good news is, going forward if you arent a fan - this isnt a tough pattern to find new from a few years ago. You dont sound like you dislike it, and it is a more 'modern make' as gloves evolve.

Personally CMHC is my favorite 1b mitt and my gamer is from 2012.
I hate the palm pad in it BUT the horween and the feel of the rest of the glove is worth it.
Regardless, my seewt spot for that pattern is 2011-2015.
Maybe at some point Ill get a deal on a new recent release and get used to it /come to prefer it but as of now I likes what I likes.
Lots of good posts around here about the evolutions and updates of gloves. Check em out for a good read!

I vastly prefer the synthetic wrist liner. The fur ones get all nasty and matted and all they do is trap moisture in the wrist strap, which is bad for the leather. The synthetic is more comfortable, breaths better, and doesn't hold moisture. I wish all of my gloves had the synthetic wrist liner. All the Rawlings gloves I own have the old fur style.

Thanks for the reply bigmac,

I don't want to give the impression that I'm unhappy with the mitt. In fact, other than the dri-lex, I'm very, very happy with it. When I originally bought the PROSTX23 in 08 or thereabouts, I had hoped they'd make a tan HOH version of it and this new mitt fits the bill.

And to further clarify, although I haven't bought gloves in quite a few years, in the last month, I did buy the following...

Don Mortons Rawlings PRO6XBC (wingtips and basket webs, 2 great tastes that taste great together, and you can't beat old school stiff tan horween leather)
Wilson A2000 1883 model FB mitt (love the pattern, not the thin leather)
I've resigned myself to the notion that modern, sturdy, long lasting (as in more than 2 or 3 seasons) gloves are generally a thing of the past, even with the pros.

I'm likely done for awhile buying gloves but I do have a holy grail glove...

I'm 44, grew up just outside of Philly and I'm a big Phillies fan. My 2 favorite all time players are Mike Schmidt and Pete Rose. But what I like more than Pete Roses game, is his FB mitt. Pete came to Philly as a free agent in 79. He was quickly moved to first base. In spring training 79 he started out using a Mizuno FB mitt based on the PRODCT (he was under contract with Mizuno). He must not have been happy with that as he soon switched To a Rawlings FB mitt with a basket web and catchers mitt style back (I don't know the model number). Then again in 79 or 80 at the latest, he switched back to a Mizuno FB mitt with the exact same design as the Rawlings he had been wearing. So if Rawlings makes a modern version of that glove I'm ALL in. Even as a tyke, I was into gloves. I always wanted to check out the gloves of my friends and teammates. Ill try to post some pics, but I've typed this up 3 times and keep losing it when I try to post a pic, lol.

I've been a member/lurker since about 2009/2010, and indeed, there is a ton of great info to be found here
EDIT, I can't seem to be able to upload pics... worked the last time, oh well.

Hi David,
My main objection to the dri-lex wrist liners is durability. They are comfy, but as many pros these days use a glove for a season or 2 then switch to a new one, I do wonder if the dri-lex was made more for short term comfort rather than long term durability.

This one is almost 15 years old now and still looks brand new. I can't say the same for my similarly aged fur-lined gloves.

Almost 15 years? That's a very good sign

That's almost 15 years? It still looks great