Gefiltefish

Glove: Eagle PPF (2009 retail), Tufftek, being used since Feb 2010 (about 30 games) Previous gloves: Bauer One95, CCM Vector V10 (2010), NB Vapor XXXX Pro, Eagle X88, Easton SE16 Fit- I slowly made the transition from traditional/loose gloves to contoured gloves like the CCM Vector and Bauer Supreme. After using those for a while and dealing with durability/protection issues I started researching Eagle PPF's. Although these are a 4-roll design, they fit much tighter than the Bauer 4-Roll or Easton SE16. The gap between the palm and backhand is tighter as is the width of the hand. I would compare the fit of the 2009 version somewhere between a Bauer 4-Roll and Vapor. They are longer than both models though in finger, backhand and cuff length. Since I transition from the contoured gloves, I was hoping for a tighter fit (which I got with the 2010 PPF, see below). The fingers on my 2009 model don't have the liner in the finger slots. This makes for a very "hollow" feel in the fingers. Overall, these gloves are in a class-of-their-own in terms of fit. Hard to compare with any other glove I owned. 8.0/10.0 Weight- Very light. The only other gloves I have owned which were lighter were the One95's and XXXX Pro's, but these gloves were a lot smaller overall and not as protective 10.0/10.0 Mobility- This is what I was worried about the most. Several members here helped me out before my first purchase. I use a long stick and "bend down" on the inner wrist-guard a lot. I previously owned a pair of Eagle X88's which gave me wrist problems on my upper wrist. As soon as I transitioned to the Vapor XXXX Pro, the pain went away. I also took two weeks off as well, so perhaps the wrist healed... Regardless, the PPF's allow me to bend my wrist just fine. It is not as loose as the One95, XXXX Pro or SE16, but I have not had any problems at all. The finger mobility is fine despite 2-piece fingers and I have had no problems with any other wrist maneuvers. Although it is not as 100% mobile as I would want, I have few complaints otherwise. 9.0/10.0 Break-in- Virtually non-existent. That is the beauty of Tufftek and the MSH2 palm. 10.0/10.0 Protection- This is by far the most protective glove I have owned. The foams are dense and there are plastic inserts throughout, which really helps. I play defense and also am the crease guy on the power play. I have taken several slashes and shots to the hand with no problems. I did get a wrist injury when a player ran into me, but that would have occurred with any glove. The only negative is that the MSH2 palm is sooooo thin that it does not absorb stick vibrations well. A small price to pay though and I cannot hold it against the glove. 10.0/10.0 Durability- Even post-Vaughn buyout, these gloves still have amazing build quality. I cannot compare it to pre-Vaughn, but I have very few complaints. There were some loose thread ends, but so far the exterior, palm and liner show no other signs of wear. I am very impressed. 9.5/10.0 Intangibles- The gussets on these gloves are made of MSH2 and I would have rather seen a spandex or mesh material standard. The thumb also has no flex at all which was a transition from my previous One95's. The Eagle thumb is locked and sits in the natural thumb position. The One95 thumb is bent in towards the palm a bit and can be moved rather easily. That was a bit of a transition, but I realize most people would not transition from a contoured One95 to a traditional PPF! Conclusion- These gloves were close to what I was looking for. I found something even closer with the 2010 PPF (see post below), but I still use these gloves at least once a week and am very happy with the protection and build quality. I would not hesitate buying Eagle gloves again (and have!). 9.5/10.0

Sorry about that Chadd! Thanks for the merge... Thanks for the advice J22. I may search for a slighly used bat on eBay, but your suggestions guides me what to look for.

Thanks for the advice so far... Shopping at the monkey now... I am in the Milwaukee, WI area BTW. We have several stores, but like out LHS, they seem to really charge more than online! Looks like there is not much for the $75 - $125 range for bats. It goes right from $75 to $200+. Errr.. I was hoping to get everything (I don't use batting gloves) for $250 or less.... This is just a brief beer-league season that may or may not go next year. I will try eBay...

I took about 10 years off and am going to be playing softball again this year. I am looking to buy new stuff and am hoping I can get clued in on the best sites. The IW, TotalHockey, etc websites for softball equipment!!! Any advice/tips on certain products? I need: Glove Bat (I usually liked them long) Cleates Pants

Technology is still there. There will be a U+ Octogun coming out....