TPS R8 Pro

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

Open

[Aussie Joe 0]

TPS R8 Pro Lite - Purchased from HockeyGiant.

14' Red-Black-White

Previous gloves: Vapor XXX 14', A. Lilja Pro Stock.

Reason for change: Sick and tired of the XXX's palms falling apart even after a supposed repair job.

Fit - Very snug to begin with, but the fit loosened up a fair bit after a few uses. These took about 3 weeks or 6-8 sessions to break in and feel as tangible as my previous XXX's. 9/10

Weight - No difference noticed between the R8s and my XXX's. Acceptable weight. 9/10

Mobility - At the beginning I thought these gloves hindered my puckhandling slightly. They are not as flexible as the XXX's on the cuff. I soon found it was simply a matter of getting used to the differences between; well worn in Pro Stock and off the shelf gloves. - 9/10

Break-in - As stated before only a 3 week break in period to get the gloves feeling like normal. Really I could feel them breaking in even after 1-2 weeks. This part in particular really impressed me and again I put it down to the outter shell being light and flexible (its official name is Cable Knit "Armour Weave" according to the 08 TPS Cat.) I think the gloves surpassed my expectations in this aspect. - 10/10

Protection - To be honest the hackers in my league generally direct more punishment at your head then your hands. In saying this I have taken a couple of quick tucks off the boards, pushing myself off the via my knuckles. Good and solid protection.

I have also fended off a few stray sticks coming at me with force via the back of my palm. Again solid stuff. - 9/10

Durability - I have had these gloves only two and abit months. They have held up very well, inparticular the palms were a cause for concern for me coming off the terribly fragile XXX palm. The TPS dual nash and digi palms are holding up as well as can be expected. At the current rate I think I will need a repalm in about 1.5 - 2 yrs. Fairly good for a guy who is on the ice in these 3-4 times a week. - 9/10

Intangibles - Its hard for me to try on gloves before I buy because I live in a hockey wilderness. I had heard good things about the TPS R8 lines from the Aussie distributor of TPS. I assumed his praise was just good sales work but he was spot on about these gloves. I have fairly skinny fingers/hands and beleive these gloves could be slightly tighter around them. But this isn't a major flaw at all and to be honest after 2 weeks of wear, the gloves feel the same as my XXX's. My fingers aren't telling me there's a difference so Im not fussed about the increase in room.

Overall - Don't be afraid to try something new. I cannot say enough about this glove and the surpise its given me in its fit and feel. I now know why the TPS rep here moves so much kit about, simply put these gloves are strong and provide a great feel and level of protection.

Recommend for many hand/finger types, especially if you have thicker then normal fingers. - OVERALL 9/10

[eric42434224 1]

TPS R8 Pro Lite (Black/Nylon) 14"

(Not a lot of experience with gloves, so read review with that in mind)

Fit - I changed to a 14" after my CCM Por stock 15" leather gloves. These felt better with a more snug fit, more mobile wrist (likely due to glove size and lighter material of cuff). I like this tighter fit, but I think they arent as tight as some, but certainly not as loose as others. Seems a nice middle of the road.

9.5/10

Weight - They seem very light, and I noticed this during a game. Coming from gloves in my youth (23 yrs ago), these seem like feathers. 9.5/10

Mobility - They seem very mobile to me, with a ton of wrist mobility, and with the segmented fingers it feels like I am wearing nothing at all. 9.5/10

Break-in - Non-existent break-in. Super soft palm, and super-flexible glove out of the box. 10/10

Protection - Have only taken light slash, run-ins, boards, etc, and have felt nothing. I am sure they arent the most protective, but easily protective enough for adult league. 9/10

Durability - Just got them, so I dont have much info along the lines of durability....we will see. 9/10

Intangibles - Very light, semi tight fit, very loose mobile cuff, very light. Super soft palm with digitech overlay....very tactile and responsive...no slip, and relatively cool (temp) glove. Also like the more traditional, plain black look. Got them for $50 plus ship so it was a good deal, but after using them, I would pay full price for them. Good glove.

Conclusion - Affordable, good looking, light, no break in.....not much negative to say except that durability is not known.

Final Score: 9.5/10

[Jarick 5]

TPS R8 Pro Gloves (50/50 Outer)

Size: 13"

Time Used: 2 months

Fit

These gloves are a bit loose on me, although my hands are probably 12.5" with 13-13.5" fingers, so I compromise on the size. They do move around a bit if I rotate my wrists back and forth. But they are incredibly comfortable gloves, and if you like them a bit loose you will likely love these. I did notice there are some foam pads on the back of the hands and thumb that give you a tighter fit, similar to Eagles, but you would have to cut them off the gloves to achieve a really loose fit. 7/10

Weight & Mobility

For being so large, they aren't as heavy as expected. The 50/50 outer shell likely helps with this, although I suspect there aren't as many plastic inserts as other high end gloves. The cuffs allow plenty of wrist movement, better than most gloves on the rack today. The fingers move very freely right from the get go. For the most part, I don't notice that they are on, which is good. The palm feels good, not overly thin or thick, but very soft and comfortable on the inside. 8/10

Protection

The rolls seem to have great protection, but I have taken a couple slashes and whacks to the side and they hurt quite a bit. I believe they could use more plastic inserts around the fingers. The thumb seems adequately protected. 8/10

Durability

I've only had them a couple months now, but there is some stitching that looks to be coming loose. The palm seems to have some wear even though I'm using Tacki-Mac grips that are supposed to have very little. I'm not sure the gloves will last much beyond one season, although they still look great. 7/10

Price

At first glance, they seem to be a bargain, especially on the clearance rack. But with a lack of protection around the fingers and the suspect durability, they may not be as great as they seem. Still, they are a good glove for the money. 9/10

Intangibles

The look is great for these gloves, embroidery on the logo is top notch, and they have almost no break-in time.

Conclusions

For a 4-roll type glove, these have a great price, although they might not have the protection and durability to back it up. I am happy with them right now, but will likely try some One95's or similar gloves next season.

Overall 8/10

[Jarick 5]

TPS R8 Pro Gloves (full nylon)

Size: 12"

Background - I purchased another pair of TPS R8 gloves and have used them for the past year, so I thought I would make another review. After a season with Bauer One75's, I wanted a little more protection as I had a few numb and bruised fingers from slashes and pucks. The Bauers did not have any plastic inserts, so I shopped for gloves that would have plenty of protection. Because my 13" TPS R8 gloves broke in so much, I decided to try a pair of 12" gloves.

Fit - at first the gloves were fairly tight, but after a couple hours of skating, they loosened up and are now fairly comfortable, although I do like my gloves tight. The fingers are about 1/2" too short, which is my only complaint with the fit, although I can still use them without issue. The tapered fingers are a nice tough as there is less slop once broken in. Another benefit of the 12" glove is a short cuff which allows plenty of movement. I use large Jofa elbow pads which are long on the forearm and knock into the cuff of most gloves, but these aren't an issue. 8/10

Weight & Mobility - the gloves feel fairly light, not as much as some of the lightest gloves without plastic, but lighter than most 4-Rolls. Still, glove weight isn't much of an issue overall. In terms of mobility, the cuffs have a nice split to them which allows for full wrist movement and of course being a 12" glove I get even more freedom. After a couple skates they felt broken in for the most part. 9/10

Protection - compared to my previous review, I haven't had any issues at all with these gloves. I believe because of the loose fit of the previous gloves, I was getting hit on the outside of my fingers, rather than the padding taking the shock, if that makes sense. The only injury I've had with these gloves is trying to glove down pucks, and obviously it's not a goalie glove so it's of my own stupidity. I can whack the outside of the gloves with a stick and it absorbs and disperses almost all of the hit, and outside of the Warrior gloves with the bone system, that's about as good as it gets for a glove. 9/10

Durability - on nearly every pair of gloves I've used, the stitching seems to come out of the thumb, especially on the bottom hand. It happened with the previous TPS gloves, with my Bauer Supremes, and TWICE with these gloves. Otherwise the stitching has held up a lot better than the previous TPS gloves. I have used sticks with Tacki-Mac grips, Oggie textures, and both cloth and currently Powerflex tape. The palm has worn through the first layer on the top hand but oddly enough the wear slowed down quite a bit. The palms seem to be fairly thick though they are soft, so that may have helped with their lifespan. The nylon on the gloves is worn in spots although there are no outright rips or holes. I believe I will get another 1-2 seasons out of these gloves with a repalming before needing replacement. 9/10

Intangibles - I still think the TPS are some of the nicest looking gloves, especially in the red and black colors that match my team's New Jersey scheme. The palm was incredibly soft and comfortable for several months until they became crusty.

Conclusions - it's a shame these aren't made any more because they were a nice alternative to the other 4-Roll gloves on the market. But they are still all over the place on clearance. I have tried PPFi's, Eagle Talons, and some Warriors but keep coming back to these gloves.

Overall 9/10