If you’re looking for a premium glove there’s a good chance that you’re going to stumble across the Adidas Predator Pro Goalkeeper Gloves as an option. They are currently one of the top options offered by Adidas. Right off the bat I got the sense that Adidas has learned from their mistakes with their previous generation’s modern cut gloves. If you’ve been around the site before you know that I heavily criticized some of the modern gloves, many of which were heavily influenced by this trend of Adidas gloves of developing goalkeeper gloves that are much lighter and thinner than ever before. At the same time someone from Adidas decided to forgo wrist straps for goalkeeper gloves. I’ve always been against this move, but it is what it is.
When you’re out shopping for goalkeeper gloves there are key elements that you have to take into account. A lot of times the problem is that at the store or when you first get the gloves it can be hard to test the product in a way that’s really going to give you a sense of what it’s like to use them out on the field. Knowing this I’m going to try and give you an in depth look at the glove and the things that you’re going to want to take into account before you buy. An important thing to point out is that when it comes to goalkeeper gloves the way that they fit can seem great for some people, and extremely uncomfortable for others. I’m going to try and be extremely fair when speaking about this aspect.
Adidas Predator Pro Goalkeeper Gloves – Grip
Without a doubt this is one of the most important things that people look for in goalkeeper gloves. These days we see all these videos that show you just how sticky goalkeeper gloves are. For the most part though gloves don’t tend to stay sticky. That’s one of the problems that leads many of us to ultimately leave gloves that in theory still have some life left in them. They just don’t provide the grip levels that we’d like. These gloves when they’re completely brand new tend to be really sticky and provide a ton of grip. They are the type of gloves that you can put together, and they’re going to stick to each other.
As I mentioned though, you may be let down if you think that these gloves are going to stay as sticky as they were day one after a couple of days of use. I’ll get to that in a bit though. One of the things that I really like about these gloves is that the type of palm that they feature is going to allow you to keep them sticky if you care for them properly. Also, if you stay away from turf or hard fields you’re going to be better off. Where you play with these gloves or any gloves does matter. When it comes to grip with these gloves I would have to give them an 8 or 9 out of ten. When brand new, and you can extend that level of grip for a while.
Palm Durability & Thickness
I mentioned that I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the first versions of these modern Adidas gloves. One of the reasons why I wasn’t such a fan was because I felt the glove was not thick enough to be able to give you the right protection against hard shots. There’s no question that the fabric with which goalkeeper gloves are made has allowed glove manufacturers to create gloves that are able to provide decent protection without having them be too bulky. You still want to make sure though that there’s a little more meat on those bones. These gloves in my opinion fulfill that because the palm is a little thicker. That also helps with the durability of the glove. There are some questions though when it comes to durability. They may not be ideal for rough fields.
If you are only playing in beautiful grass fields, and you take steps to clean the gloves after use and don’t let them dry out in the sun, these gloves are going to last for a long time. That’s actually great news because these are not cheap gloves by any stretch of the imagination. Durability in general for goalkeeper gloves is going to vary a lot depending on how often you use them, where you use them, and the care that you give them. The good thing about these gloves is that they are thick enough to handle some scrubbing on the palms. When you play in a turf field you’re going to want to scrub them down and dry them in the shade. That’s going to help you maintain the grip.
Adidas Predator Pro Goalkeeper Gloves – Wrist Area Fit
Without a doubt this is one of the biggest issues for me with modern goalkeeper gloves. I’ve always said that I prefer that gloves have a strap. The reason why is because some of us like to really wrap the glove tight to make sure that you’re getting enough stability in the wrist area. I would say that these Adidas Predator Pro goalkeeper gloves offer an even more modern take on the strapless goalkeeper gloves. These gloves feature a harder type of fabric in that area. That’s going to allow you to have a bit more stability. The problem is it makes them harder to put on. That’s something that you want to take into account, especially if these gloves are for your kids.
If you don’t like the fit that you get without the strap, what you can always do is add tape to the glove to give yourself a bit more stability in that area. After a while though if you’re taping your wrists above the glove which could be a good idea if you want to get more stability there’s a chance that this wrist area will start to deteriorate a lot quicker than perhaps the rest of the glove. If this lack of a strap is as much of an issue for you as it is for me there’s a chance that this won’t be the glove for you. Just based on that alone.
Backhand Durability & Comfort
The backhand of these gloves is one of my favorite parts of the entire glove. It’s going to allow you to have a lot of mobility in the fingers. They are completely enclosed though so that could be a good thing in wet weather games. It’s not as easy for water to bleed through these gloves. At the same time because of the fabric there’s a good chance that your hands will get hot and sweaty in the glove on hot days. The mobility aspect though can really help these gloves’ case overall. There’s one thing that I want to point out in one of the listings that I saw of these gloves on Amazon: it said they had finger spines that’s not the case.
In fact, there are a couple of things that you should be aware of when it comes to the listings on Amazon. It also says the gloves come with a wrist strap that’s also not the case. It’s sad really because a lot of people feel cheated, and this means that the gloves are getting a lower rating than they deserve because they are improperly listed. When it comes to comfort I mentioned that I really enjoyed the mobility that these gloves provide. It’s something that I take into account quite a bit. Do keep in mind that it can get in there because of the material that’s used to make the backhand of the gloves. This is an issue though that you could experience with most of the goalkeeper gloves on the market.
Best Ways To Care For These Gloves
There’s a bit of bad rep for these gloves’ durability. That may be an even better reason to make sure that you care for them properly. They are in my opinion thicker gloves that are going to hold up well to getting cleaned out with a toothbrush. You can use soap and water or shampoo, if you want to get real technical buy a specialized goalkeeper glove shampoo. In any case what you want to do is make sure that you generate enough foam with the substance that you’re using. To be able to scrape away the dirt on the gloves. This is especially important if you’re going to be using these gloves on turf fields. Those rubber pellets rub up against the glove and make you lose a lot of grip.
The next step is making sure that you leave them out to dry in the shade. You’re not going to want to keep these gloves in the sun at all. Even if you’re not drying them out, these gloves are not going to benefit from getting a lot of sun. I just mentioned that because of the materials that they are made from it can get really hot inside the glove. So keeping them out in the sun is not a good idea. How often should you wash them?
That’s going to depend on how often you use them. If they are just your game gloves you should look to wash them after every game to have them ready for the next week. If you use them for practices you can wash them perhaps once a week as well just make sure that you pick a day in which you’ll be able to allow them to rest for maybe 2 or 3 days to have them dry out.
Final Thoughts On The Adidas Predator Pro Goalkeeper Gloves
This is a pair of gloves that I feel will suit people who are into Adidas gloves very well. Ultimately they are an upgrade on some of the previous models. I feel the thicker palm makes it, so you’re not feeling the burn of every single hard shot. That was something that I felt some of the earlier versions of this same model lacked. They doubled down on the strapless model. I appreciate the fact that they’re trying that out. I’m not exactly sure why this is still a trend. For pros, I get it because you tape your wrists anyway. For us mere mortals it can become an issue. I’ve always said that I’m not a fan of the lack of a strap.
Ultimately if you’re into Adidas gloves this is a good next step in that line. It’s a cut that you’re going to be comfortable with. You’ll certainly have a better sense for how to care for the glove. Other than Adidas fans who is this glove for? This can actually be a good glove for a lot of goalkeepers. It features a decent grip. They can last about a season if you care for them right and play on good fields. A solid buy across the board especially if you get them at around that 100 dollar range. That’s exactly why they are good to very good middle of the road goalkeeper gloves.
If you still want to buy the gloves after this honest review be sure to use my link to help me continue making this type of content!
