I’ve been wanting to get my hands on these gloves for a while. I feel like they’re a version of the Elite gloves that I always talk about that I typically wear. What stood out to me, though, is that they’re a bit thinner. That’s a way to get with the times a bit with a more modern cut glove. Interestingly, the brand went with the color scheme that Elite has made popular with their gloves.
Was the marketing team trying to get people to associate their gloves with what Elite was selling already? That’s an interesting idea because I would bet most of us would’ve thought to resemble perhaps a better-known brand. Whatever the case may be, the first thing that I wanted to see about these gloves was whether or not they were a knockoff product.
There are a lot of brands that live off of creating cheap imitations of what most well-known brands offer. I explored this idea in a recent article. If you look on Amazon, you’ll find plenty of gloves that want to mimic what Adidas or Nike are offering. In most of those cases these gloves are going to cost maybe 20 to 30 dollars at the most. That’s not the case with these GRIPMODE Aqua Hybrid Goalkeeper Gloves. These gloves are targeting the middle-of-the-pack market.
Do they offer the right incentives to be a glove that you should take a chance on? The short answer for me is yes, and that’s why I’m actually writing this review. If you’ve read through some of the other ones on the site, you know that I’m fascinated by this middle market under 100 dollars. This is where I try to find value deals, and these gloves may just fit the bill.
What’s The Main Selling Point With These GRIPMODE Aqua Hybrid Goalkeeper Gloves?
These gloves are meant to provide a little bit of the best of both worlds. People such as myself who can’t really embrace the ultra-thin modern gloves are better served with options like this. What you’re getting is a glove that promotes a ton of mobility. It’s not an old-school bulky glove that’s going to feel heavy on your hands. At the same time, you’ll also be using a thicker palm.
The benefit of the thicker palms is that you won’t be feeling the sting of the shot as much as you would with thinner gloves. If you’ve read through some of the other reviews on the site, that’s my biggest knock on the modern cut gloves that are almost skin-tight. These GRIPMODE Aqua Hybrid gloves even use the term hybrid in their name to reflect what I believe is their main selling point.
There are other elements that I think are evident within the glove that may not be the biggest selling point, but I do want to mention them. The latex on these gloves, for example, is more durable than I think people give it credit for. That can also be traced back to the fact that we’re dealing with materials that are a bit thicker. The grip levels are also very decent across the board. Again, I’m not saying that those two elements are the biggest selling points, but I did want to start out creating this short list of attributes that make these competent goalkeeper gloves.
The Main Difference Between These Gloves & the Elite NEO Aqua
I’ve already mentioned that, for me, these two gloves are modeled after each other. I’m not necessarily sure which brand came out with their version first, so I’m not going to comment on that element. There are two main differences that I see between both gloves. There are very subtle differences. It’s just evident to me now that I’m looking at both gloves at the same time.
In my opinion, these gloves are a bit thinner than the Elite option. That could favor mobility for some people. If you’re looking for a glove, though, that’s going to help you soften the blow a bit on those hard shots, then maybe the Elite gloves are going to be a better fit for you. The other difference is also very subtle, but I get the sense that the GRIPMODE gloves have a full neoprene backhand that covers the entire finger area.
If you’ve seen the Elite gloves, you’ll know that they have a larger latex covering around the finger area. You could argue that this means that the Elite option should provide a better grip because of this difference. We’re really splitting hairs here, though. I wouldn’t necessarily expect to see a massive difference when you’re actually using the gloves in a game or practice setting.
Neither of these differences are substantial, and that may put a lot more emphasis on the price difference, which is a few dollars, but they could carry some weight over time. That price difference is going to favor these GRIPMODE gloves. They are a bit cheaper than the Elite option.
Who Can Benefit From Wearing These GRIPMODE Aqua Hybrid Goalkeeper Gloves
There are plenty of goalkeepers that are going to be able to benefit from these gloves. Of course, I have two types of goalies in mind specifically that I feel are perfect for these. The first goalkeeper is the college keeper or someone climbing the youth ranks. You’re starting to play some serious competition. Again, if you’ve read through some of these reviews before you know that we love these middle-priced gloves here.
These gloves are right on the sweet spot of about 70 to 80 dollars. The price tag may be a bit steep for someone who is just starting out and getting their feet wet in the position. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend such thin gloves to a kid who is starting out. You need more protection from those hard shots because you’re likely going to make more technical mistakes in the process. College kids on a budget though, you guys are really going to be able to benefit from these.
The other type of goalkeeper that I think is going to benefit a lot is the one that’s been playing the position for maybe one or two years. You probably started out wearing no-name brand gloves or really cheap options. Now that you know what the game is all about you can take that next step and get these gloves that are arguably the more professional type of option.
At Their Current Price Tag, They Can Be Game & Practice Gloves
The reason why I’m saying college kids can really benefit from these gloves is exactly because of the price tag. Yes, you could argue that 70+ dollars is a little steep for some college kids. That’s the thing, though. These can be your all-around gloves. Buy two pairs and have them as game and practice gloves, or buy one and wear them out in both games and practice.
I want to pause here and talk a little bit about how long you can expect goalkeeper gloves to last. This is, of course, a topic that I’ve covered on the site more than once. What a lot of people don’t understand is that training every day is going to make the glove last a lot less. I remember back in my days, I could go through a pair in about a month. When it’s daily training, you really don’t have enough time to wash the glove and care for it.
Since, at a certain level, you may be going through gloves at a quicker rate than any recreational player, you’re really going to benefit from finding a gem in these middle-priced gloves. From my point of view, these GRIPMODE Aqua Hybrid gloves can be the gem that many of us are looking for.
Should You Look Into Buying These Gloves?
Are you the college kid on a limited budget? Then the answer is yes, you should be looking into these gloves, especially if you’re coming from the Elite glove models or other options that are a bit similar. You’ll feel comfortable with the gloves right from the jump. I do think that’s an underrated benefit that we’d all like to have with goalkeeper gloves. A lot of times, I feel I’ve given up on gloves quickly because I just can’t get used to the glove fast enough so I’d rather come back to what’s familiar.
I do get the sense that these gloves are not for everyone. That’s something that I always want to talk about with these reviews. As I said before, they may be too thin for some young goalkeepers. This can be an issue for you even if you’ve got some experience under your belt. If your hands are too thin, that can be a real problem. What happens is that you’ll end up feeling the whole impact of the shot, and go all the way down to your wrist. I have this issue because I have skinny hands. There’s no shame in that; we’re not all built the same.
Thankfully, goalkeeper gloves are designed to be able to cater to people with different needs and wants. These gloves can be a great option for the experienced goalkeeper who’s looking for that value deal on goalkeeper gloves. They may be a bit too thin, though, for some of us. There are still good deals to be had within this price range with thicker goalkeeper gloves.
