WWW.GLOVE-WORKS.COM BASEBALL GLOVE COLLECTOR FORUM

I'm not sure how many people are still active this board (from the looks of it, not many) but worth a shot...

My 8 year old son is on his 3rd spring season with his S-200, mod trap. It really has been a perfect glove for him and while it was definitely on the big side when he was 6, it is a great fit now. The leather itself is in really good shape, but my one beef with the glove is its lack of structure. I definitely wouldn't call it floppy by any means, but for example no matter how much my son bowls the glove out, it always flattens back out after catching a few balls. It doesn't seem to bother him at all, and I've got him bowling it out as part of his pre-pitch routine so the glove is always in good shape to make a play.

His S-200 could easily last him a few more years, but I really would like to see him use something a little more structured. The Nokona X2-200POP caught my eye (same pattern, except with kangaroo leather instead of buffalo) and wondered if anybody had experience with it and could comment on the structure and ability to hold shape. My other option would be to take the S-200 apart, see if I could beef up the padding at all, and put back together with some quality lace, but I am really wanting to justify getting that X2-200POP!

Any input on this subject would be greatly appreciated!

On the S-200, you may want to private message Rous who is not only one of the more knowledgeable guys on Nokona but also one of the premier re-lacers who can help with the structure concerns/issue.
Good luck.

Thank you! I have sent him a PM.

Been a while since I posted pics here, so I hope it works... Just wanted to give an update on how things turned out.

I couldn't help myself and went ahead and order the X2-200POP for my son. It really is a beautiful glove. When it arrived back in June I was please to see that it was much more structured than the S-200 ever was. It was not nearly as "game ready" as the S-200 was when it was brand new, so my son used it for practice and stuck with the S-200 for games through the end of the season. The X2-200POP will be his primary glove going forward.

I contacted the Nokona repair department and after discussing with them I sent in the S-200 to be relaced and repadded. It came back this weekend and I can't express how impressed I am with the work they did on the glove. It is by far better than it was brand new. Between the beefier lace and the firmer padding, this thing will last forever.

Here are a few pictures of what my son is now referring to as "the twins".