Adidas X Pro Goalkeeper Gloves Review - A Modern Adidas Glove

Adidas X Pro Goalkeeper Gloves Review – A Modern Adidas Glove

These gloves are essentially the Adidas effort to try and create a truly modern glove. I can never figure out why brands have interpreted modernity as removing the wrist strap from their gloves. I get the idea of making the gloves much thinner. What that gives you is a lot more finger mobility. When the fashion trend was to make gloves bulkier you did lose feeling in your hands a bit. That’s not an issue that you’ll have with the Adidas X Pro goalkeeper gloves. Certainly one of the things that I like about this most recent take on the X Pro goalkeeper gloves is the fact that they’re a bit thicker in the palm area. That usually helps you deal with the impact of a shot a lot better.

Essentially a lot of these modern gloves are prioritizing finger mobility in doing that though they are removing certain protections that gloves provided. For example, the wrist strap was there to be able to stabilize the wrist area to make sure that you wouldn’t bend your wrists after a hard shot. Without that added protection it’s going to be easier for goalkeepers to get hurt on a hard shot. There are ways that you could still purchase these Adidas X Pro goalkeeper gloves while getting that protection. You’d have to forcefully tape your wrists every time you use them. There are keepers that actually like this. I’ve already sort of glossed over some of the main things about the Adidas X Pro Goalkeeper Gloves that I’m going to be talking about. This is going to be a no nonsense review where I’m going to tell you exactly how I feel. 

Adidas X Pro Goalkeeper Gloves – Grip

If I had to pick out the best quality for these gloves it would have to be the grip. You may not like the way they fit or the way that they get when the backhand gets wet. What you can’t deny though is the fact that these gloves have one of the best grips on the market. When it comes to grip I always caution against falling in love with brand-new gloves that just literally stick to everything. A lot of times that’s not grip that’s going to last more than one game. Of course, there are glove care tips that you’re going to be able to follow to make sure that you can keep that new glove grip for as long as possible. That’s not something that’s relevant here though. 

With the design that these gloves have in the palm area you’re likely going to be able to continue better grip even as the glove ages. When you have a glove that’s just completely smooth in that palm area, and you get dirt on the gloves you may start feeling like the ball slips away from you. With some of the contours that these gloves have in the palm area you can prevent some of those issues. Plus you get sticky latex all the way down to almost your wrist area. Essentially these gloves run almost to your forearm. That can mean having an extra spot within your hands where you can expect to find some type of grip. Overall I would say that grip is an asset of these gloves not an issue.   

Light Gloves That Provide A Ton of Mobility 

This is another one of the main benefits of these gloves. They are purposely designed to provide this. So if they didn’t provide more mobility and a sense that you’re wearing really light gloves they would not have made it to market. At least, I would hope they wouldn’t make it to market. Anyway, the mobility within the finger area is going to allow you to get a more natural grip on the ball. That can actually help you not rely so much on how sticky the gloves might be. When you factor all that in, this is also a positive for durability. At least it is for goalkeepers who are very confident in their own catching abilities.

This does come with drawbacks which I do feel I need to point out. If you’re someone who feels like their fingers bend easily this is not a glove that’s going to benefit you. This is a glove for those goalkeepers that like to feel their hands really loose. As I mentioned before there’s no question that the glove achieves that. In fact, it’s not shy about the fact that it’s a glove for people who want to feel like they don’t have a bulky glove on. The problem with that is that you’re essentially forgoing a certain level of protection that you would be able to get from other gloves. This is a real issue that you need to contend with before purchasing these gloves.    

The Wrist Area Can Be A Problem

I’ve said this a ton of times on this site! The main issue with these gloves that have decided to remove the wrist strap is that you can get a unique level of stability with your gloves. When you have a strap then each goalkeeper can adjust that strap to be able to make sure that it fits what they’re looking for. When you don’t have a strap you’re going to have goalkeepers who need to wear a certain size because their fingers are long, but won’t fill up the wrist area. What that means is that you’re going to feel like the glove is loose all the time. You may be thinking that you can deal with that, and you may be right. It only takes one bad shot though for the lack of support in the wrist area to come back to bite you.  

As I mentioned before there are of course ways that you’re going to be able to increase that sense of stability. Mainly it’s going to come down to you tapping your wrists to add some pressure in that area. You can tape your wrists and then put the gloves on. This can help you “fill up” that part of the glove, and hopefully you won’t feel like the gloves are about to come off every time you face a shot. The other option is to use tape over the wrist area. Essentially the tape is going to be taking the place of the strap that Adidas removed. For goalkeepers that tape their hands regardless, taking this extra step may not be much of an issue.    

Are These Adidas X Pro Durable Gloves?

These gloves are more durable than a lot of people realize. This is because the latex is not as soft. That can be a bit of a contradiction for some, but hear me out. For years, we wanted to make goalkeeper gloves with soft latex so that they would be able to provide better grip. Now what we’re essentially seeing are gloves that are a bit tougher in that palm area the latex is nowhere near as soft. The benefit that you have with that is that you’ll have gloves that are more durable. For grip this type of latex tends to be naturally sticker. As time goes on what you can do is go ahead and use Gloveglu as you clean these gloves so that they can remain sticky. 

I would actually not feel uncomfortable using these particular gloves on turf fields. That’s a rarity for sure because most of the time when you spend north of 100 dollars on goalkeeper gloves you’re not going to be too keen to use them on a rough field. This latex can handle it though. Just make sure that you wash off the gloves right after you use them. If the gloves are more or less new you’re going to even be able to clean them with baby wipes. What you want to do is make sure that those black lines from the rubber pellets in the turf are removed. If you leave those on there they become harder to remove, and they can make you lose a lot of grip even if the glove doesn’t rip.     

Are They A Good Value At Their Current Price?

The price on these gloves is right around 115 dollars the last time I checked. All things considered, that’s a good price I think for these gloves. What really helps them out is the durability aspect. I’m actually more worried in that regard about the backhand area on rough fields. More so than the palm. I know the palm is durable enough, but with the backhand you may get it caught in a rock or whatever it may be in a hard field and that part may rip before the palm. That worries me a bit when talking about prices and durability. Another element that I think makes these gloves an even better buy is the fact that you can use them as game or practice gloves.  

If you’re someone who really likes these gloves I would recommend getting maybe two pairs and using one as your game gloves the others as practice gloves and then making the switch when the practice gloves wear out. You can do that or wear the same pair for both games and practice, but naturally you’re going to be changing gloves more often. I do get the sense that just on paper the price may seem steep for some. Within their price range though the Adidas X Pro Goalkeeper Gloves are one of the better options on the market.    

Who Are The Adidas X Pro Goalkeeper Gloves Best Suited For?

Only a certain type of goalkeeper, essentially those more serious about the craft, are willing to put up 100 hundred plus dollars for goalkeeper gloves. At the same time you have to be someone who is comfortable with gloves that don’t feature a wrist strap. I did a recent article about the gloves that some of the world’s top goalkeepers wear. It was really interesting to see that Adidas sponsored Spanish goalkeeper Kepa had a strap added to his Predator Pro model. There are versions of these gloves or stores where you can get a version of these gloves with a strap. At least I think that’s the case. 

If you can’t find the strap version you’re going to have to either get used to the feeling of the gloves being kind of loose. What you can always do is tape your wrists. Plenty of goalkeepers prefer doing this over the strap because in essence you have a lot more control over the stability that you get with a glove. When you’re not taping your wrists, and you’re just using the strap there are essentially only levels of comfort that you can choose from. Whatever the case may be I certainly understand that there’s a market for these gloves. There’s actually a lot to like about the Adidas X Pro Goalkeeper Gloves.  

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