CCM CL 500 or CS 400

[Matty33 6]

It's time for new gloves and I've narrowed it down to the CCM CL 500 or the CS 400 and was looking to see if I could get some opinions on a couple things to help me with the decision.

I like the 400 and it's price is better but I'm concerned with how the kevlar reinforced palm performs during actual use. It felt like it could be too stiff while playing and might bunch up, anybody have experience with that?

The other question I have is if the 500 feels that much better overall than the 400 to warrant the money? Unfortunately no local shops carry the 500 so I can't try them on. I also considered the Reebok 11k as I like the idea behind it but again I can't try on any Reebok with the KFS so I'm going to stick to the 2 CCM choices.

Any info would be appreciated!

[Cosmic 178]

One of the "go to" guys I speak with at one of the retailers strongly advised against the CS 400, due to discomfort in how the bottom hand slides along it when you go to shoot. I never tried it on, I just took his word for it.

I tried on the Reebok 9K and the CCM CL 500, neither was really a "match" for my hand type. Neither were as comfortable as I like a glove to be, nothing really that I can pinpoint and articulate though.

I am in Warrior Covert DT2-I love the fit (I wear a 15 inch in the DT2, be warned that the sizes run small. So, I was in Bauer Vapor APX previously, and the 15 inch was too big. Now, the 15 inch DT2 is perfect. A friend of mine with small hands commented also about how small the 15 inch DTs looked, and said 'I would be a 14 in these gloves.' I think he is usually a 13 inch).

I like the palms too- durable and they give great stick feel.

Only thing I do not like is the contoured fit in the backhand, as I prefer tapered for better wrist mobility, but in all other areas, these are awesome (for my hand).

[x-axis 44]

I have the 500s and tried the 400s in store. I can't comment on the stick feel from the 400's kevlar palms, though they felt significantly stiffer. I'd assume they'd feel much different broken in.

The biggest difference aside from that is the 400s have plastic inserts and are used in the ahl and pro teams...etc....and they feel more bulky.

Otherwise the fit is just about identical.

Personally I would opt for the 400s instead of the 500s. Not worth the extra 60 unless the weight of the glove matters to you that much.

[Matty33 6]

Thanks for the info. My only concern with the 400 is that kevlar palm, both how stiff it remains after break in and stick feel in game.

I can't seem to find any reviews of the 400 from anyone who's actually used them on ice. It's definitely tough to justify $60 more just to get different palms but I also don't want to find out the kevlar palms aren't great other than wear factor.

Looking more into the gloves I'm going to throw the Reebok 9K in the mix too. I don't think the 11k is a big difference from the 9K and I do like the 'glove in a glove' idea. I like a close fitting glove but I haven't seen the kinetic fit gloves in person, checked all the local shops too.

Has anyone used the 400 or 9k on ice?

[cause4alarm 6]

I'm interested in the CS400's strictly because of their Kevlar palms. My favorite gloves had Kevlar palms and I've never had any problem with the "feel".

For me, the palms felt fine right off the shelf and didn't require much break-in, although the rest of the glove did a little. I've probably played almost 10 years with those same gloves. The leather fingers and the backs of the gloves wore out while the palms are still intact. Kevlar is practically indestructible for hockey.

Unless you're the kind of guy who insists on buying new gloves every season, I'd highly recommend giving Kevlar a shot.

PS: I love Kevlar.

[BrondonZA 0]

The protection on the both the glovse are great , they are both extremely comfortable but the only downside on the CS400 is that the palm has kevlar renforcement which gives it a rough sandpaper like feel and when u grasp tightly onto the stick its very unpleasent.

[Matty33 6]

I think I'm going to try out the CS 400's, still a little concerned over the kevlar but I also can't justify the money to get the 500's.

I was heavily leaning towards the 11 or 9K's this morning but I think the cuff would be too long, I like a shorter cuff and the Reebok appears that it would probably actually extend past my elbow pads which would be annoying.

Once I get the 400's and can try them out I'll update everyone and then do a review later on as well.

[Matty33 6]

Just to follow up on this. I got the 400s in and initial impressions were that the palm was definitely stiffer than normal but the gloves felt comfortable. I've been able to skate with them once so far and the whole glove needs some breaking in for sure, pretty stiff all around but by the end of the skate they were already pretty well on their way to loosing up.

Some interesting things I've noticed about the palms so far:

-Though the palms feel rough I haven't noticed that feeling come through when actually holding a stick

-On a non grip stick the palms were actually less grippy than I anticipated, this could have to do with the gloves not being broken in yet. I had a tough time securing the bottom hand on shots/passes

-On a grip stick they worked great, I had thought they'd grip too much causing the bottom hand to stick more and make stick handling difficult. No such problem, felt fine with the grip which was used in the later part so the gloves were slightly more broken in by that time.

[Matty33 6]

I don't have enough info yet for a true review so I'll update this thread.

Having some serious concerns about the kevlar and non grip sticks for the lower hand. It could be that they're still not 100% broken in but I'm finding it very hard to clamp down on the bottom hand on a non grip stick. Once you get some sweat into the glove it's better, still not great, but it's like the 1st period of a game I have to use a different stick.

No issues on the top hand, with or without a tacki-mac grip it's fine. I'm hoping it gets better or these are going away soon. Any suggestions to get around the issue I'd love to hear. I've never done the candy cane stripe with tape near the bottom hand but maybe I have to try that.