REVIEW: Brine King 4 Gloves

Recently picked up a pair of these because they were going for pretty cheap off Amazon, it's pretty weird how their prices randomly fluctuate so much (the same pair is now $20 more than I bought it for).

Got mine in Forest Green, actually look sick.

I was originally unimpressed with the glove design from pictures, but eventually started coming around to them (obviously you want to look sick on the field too). Getting them in real physical form though, they are really good looking gloves. Some people might say they look a bit flashy and garish (something more for younger customers), but they actually just look sweet when you put them on. Everything about the glove looks quality, and for once there's no abundance of loose sewing thread.

Pretty impressed i've got to say. I was initially very skeptical about the arched back hand and how well it would actually hold up to some big checks but it seems to be pretty sturdy so far. It's probably not the best protection wise, but it's adequate. Personally, I would have preferred it to be a closed off back hand so that the entire arch doesn't end up getting slapped off one day. I can imagine there's a sweet spot where a lucky check would really hurt too. On that note, it certainly looks like the Brine King 5s are going to be a definite improvement.

The 'Skylight' technology (aka putting bits of hard plastic on the tops of the fingers) may also be a marketing ploy, but it seems to do the job. Checks to the fingers aren't really felt too much and thankfully the fingers are pretty flexible straight out the box. Not quite as flexible as my Reebok 10k gloves, but I don't think there's much potential for them to gradually get more immobile over time. I'm sure they'll break in very nicely over time.

The thumb is reticulated meaning that there's multiple segments to allow greater thumb mobility. This definitely seems to be the case and it's a pretty fantastic way of increasing flexibility without sacrificing protection. It probably wasn't as flexible as I would have liked straight out the box, but it's something that will probably break in nicely over time.

The rest of the glove is actually fairly low profile and a lot of the weight seems to have been sheared off, particularly around the back hand (as you might expect). I'm quite happy about this as I would definitely prefer to lose a bit of protection to get some more flexibility.

In terms of ventilation, the gloves at first appear to be pretty ventilated. Lots of breathable mesh on the palms, the large vent underneath the arched back hand and the vents on the knuckles all theoretically provide multiple ways for air to get in and out of the gloves. However, the knuckle vents probably don't actually do much venting as there is material directly behind them inside the glove. The large vent on the back hand doesn't really let all too too much through either as it's pretty thick mesh. Not quite as ventilated as you'd expect for something that has sacrificed back hand protection to throw on the large vent...

The palms are pretty nice and look to be durable as well as offer decent grip, although it could definitely be better. My Reebok 10k Gloves have excellent grip comparatively (albeit, not tremendously durable) and i've heard good things about the grips of other high end products such as the Warrior Regulator gloves. I believe these are pretty much the same as the Brine King 3 gloves essentially.

Overall:
A surprisingly good glove, overall it is a very sound choice and is only getting cheaper as the release of the King 5s draws closer. Generally well designed throughout however some questionable choices in terms of ventilation and protection on the back hand. If you're looking for reliable protection on the back hand, you might want to look elsewhere as it is definitely something that could be torn off with a good check (rendering the glove unprotective there). Not advised for someone that gets abused a lot on that part of the hand.

8/10 - Good choice that ticks most of the boxes. Might want to wait for the King 5s though if you can't get them cheap.