I’ve talked about GloveGlu a couple of times on the site before. Recently I’ve become an even bigger fan of it. One of the problems that I see goalkeepers having with it is thinking that GloveGlu alone is going to make your gloves last longer. Just using the product is going to automatically maximize your grip. When you buy any product with such high expectations there’s a good chance that you’re in for a let down. With this in mind I wanted to talk about what GloveGlu actually does for your gloves. To ensure that you’re using the product the right way. That’ll potentially make buying the product a much better investment.
One of the main things that I hear when it comes to complaints about GloveGlu is the fact that the price tag is eerily close to what you may have to pay for another pair of gloves. Especially some of those goalkeeper gloves that are on the lower end of the price scale. Many of these options can be great practice gloves. Does this mean that it only makes sense to use GloveGlu on gloves that cost you over 100 dollars? Not really because a bottle of GloveGlu could potentially last the life cycle of at least a couple of gloves. Especially if you use it in the right way. Let’s get to how GloveGlu can potentially help you improve your grip. Plus the do’s and don’ts with this substance.
Can GloveGlu Truly Improve Your Goalkeeper Gloves’ Grip? – Yes or No?
The short answer is yes and to be complete there are going to be goalkeepers that feel a sense of improvement in their grip even when they’re applying the product the wrong way. That’s an issue because it can lead to the glove wearing out much quicker than it needs to. I’ll get to that a bit later. What you’re going to get with GloveGlu is a stickier glove. That’s what the product aims to do. I’ve talked about how just having a sticky glove shouldn’t necessarily be enough to feel like you’ve got grip. For a lot of goalkeepers though that’s the main thing that they’re looking for. If the question then was does GloveGlu make your gloves stickier? The answer to that is a massive yes.
Here’s where I’ve seen the most debate with the goalkeepers that I’ve talked to. Like I said, some of the guys will be really happy with the fact that their gloves are stickier. In fact, before something like GloveGlu it was really hard to find ways to get your older gloves to be as sticky as they were on the day that you bought them. Now with this substance you can do just that. Then again having a sticky glove isn’t the end all be all of goalkeeper glove grip. Before we get further down the rabbit hole I would just say if you like your gloves to be sticky this is a great product. You’re going to feel considerable improvement.
Don’t Use GloveGlu As Your Only Cleaning Method
Now that you know that GloveGlu will in fact make your gloves sticker it’s fair to give out a couple of warnings before you go out and buy the product. The biggest mistake that I see goalkeepers making is not cleaning their gloves after using them. Especially if you’re going to use GloveGlu. What was once sticky during the game when you first used the product can harden and make your glove actually lose grip if you don’t put in the effort to clean the product off the glove. What’s going to happen when you do that is that you’re going to have to use more GloveGlu to get the glove to where you want it to be the next time around. Over time what I’ve seen is that the latex hardens a lot quicker without proper care.
In the worst case scenario a product that you started using to be able to improve your grip is going to have the opposite effect. Some goalkeepers really don’t care because their mindset is that they can go ahead and buy a new pair of gloves once the old ones wear out. Think about it this way though. You’re buying an extra product that’s going to set you back like 35 dollars. If you don’t use it properly you may have sticker gloves, but you’ll have to end up paying more at the end of the year for the pairs of gloves that you’ll use during the season.
Can All Gloves Benefit From The Substance?
Is this a product that can be recommended for all goalkeepers and all gloves? That answer in my book is clearly no. If you have a traditional latex glove you’re going to be able to benefit from using GloveGlu for sure. What you don’t want is to be using the product on these gloves that have a foam based palm. This is very typical of gloves for kids or some cheaper option out there. Then again if you’re using those types of gloves you’re probably not going to be thinking about GloveGlu. You could buy a new pair of those gloves for about 20 dollars when the product to make them sticky is going for more than 30.
When we look at it like that, there are different reasons why GloveGlu might not be for you. Even if the glove that you’re wearing could benefit or give you an increased performance level if you did use GloveGlu. What happens if you do use GloveGlu on gloves that are a bit thicker and are made from that foam surface that I was talking about? You may actually get some short term benefits. With thicker gloves just keep in mind that they are going to absorb anything that you put in them much quicker. So you’re going to want to make sure that you wash them thoroughly after using GloveGlu on them.
Is The Improvement Noticeable?
There’s a ton of debate on this, at least amongst the goalkeepers that I’ve talked to about this product. Some people argue that if you have a clean glove that’s filled with natural grip already then you’re not getting a lot from GloveGlu. That comes back to what I’ve talked about in the sense that the glove will feel stickier to me that’s a fact! With this in mind, if you like your gloves to feel stickier and that gives you a sense of confidence in your catching ability then it makes perfect sense to use the product. If you’re one of those goalkeepers who make the argument that it’s better to have a clean glove and natural grip then you’re probably not even reading this far into the article.
What I do want to warn against is this idea that using GloveGlu on older, dirty gloves is just going to be like a magic potion that turns back time. I’ve talked about this quite a bit already. There’s going to come a point where just using the product on a dirty glove is going to make the latex harder. Therefore, you’ll certainly be losing the effect as the game goes on. As I said in the worst case scenario you’ll end up with glove palms that hurt you not help you. To sum things up then I feel the product works great when you’re proactive about general glove care.
Moments When It Doesn’t Make Sense To Use GloveGlu
Should you be using GloveGlu on perfectly new gloves that have great natural grip? That’s going to depend on the gloves that you have. If we’re talking about a 200 dollar pair of pro goalkeepers gloves right out of the box I would hope you wouldn’t have to use anything for them to provide perfect grip. Now, in that same scenario if we’re talking about a 30 or 40 dollar pair then it could be a good idea to give them some extra help. This is something I’ve actually explored while doing some reviews. What I’ve found is that getting some of these gloves with a middle of the pack natural grip can help enhance your experience with them.
If you have for example gloves with a large latex palm area that covers even part of the wrist adding GloveGlu can be a massive help to those gloves. I would hold off on using the substance with gloves that have great natural grip for a couple of reasons. If you do use GloveGlu on them, I would recommend that you clean them thoroughly after the use. That way they don’t stay sticky and build a layer of gunk that’s going to hamper the natural grip. Deep cleaning gloves too often can actually accelerate their decline. When it comes to gloves with great natural grip I would say hold off on trying to add to that until you see some of that natural grip falling off.
Should You Buy The Substance For Your Gloves?
For me the price tag had me on the fence on whether to buy it or not. I’m going to be 100% honest with this one. Ultimately it’s a good item to have in your bag for emergency reasons. Why do I say this? Let’s say that you’re in a game on a dirt filled field and you feel that you’re losing grip. This can be a great moment to give the gloves a quick spray of water then squeeze some of the excess out and hit them with some GloveGlu. Is that going to give you a major advantage? Maybe not, but in a lot of ways what it does is provide that extra boost of confidence. I hadn’t mentioned this sense of the placebo effect in the entire article, but it’s a fact that GloveGlu plays within this realm.
Who’s going to benefit from using the substance? The goalkeepers that firmly believe that they are getting a benefit from it! In other times that I’ve talked about GloveGlu, what I rely a lot on is this idea that grip isn’t always about the glove being sticky. At other times though for goalkeepers the most important thing is for you on a personal level to have confidence in the glove. If making it stickier with GloveGlu is the way you want to get more power to you! Like I said since I’ve incorporated it to my bag I like having it as a use in case of emergency substance. That can help you in rough conditions. Whether that help be actual help or just mentally calm you down.
