Warrior QRL Pro version Gloves vs Retail version

[Coldclay 53]

Does anyone know the difference between the Pro QRL Gloves and the Retail QRL gloves? I noticed the Pro's are $50 less with a slightly different palm and lighter in weight? The Retail version has an upgraded palm, different material along the fingers, back of gloves and slightly heavier... Are the Axyflex cuffs the same length? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Hills 717]

@dsjunior1388 any idea about this?

[ntwusc 62]

I tried both on this past Sunday, and the biggest difference I could tell were the sponge mesh gussets on the QRL vs. the stretch spandex-type gussets on the QRL Pro. The combo of shell materials was a little different, but I liked the Pro's better. The only difference I saw between the palms was a grip print on the butt of the palms on the $200 QRL. The cuffs fit exactly the same to me. 

 

If I were choosing between them, I'd probably go with custom QRL Pro's once they're up on the customizer.

[Dangles83 24]

Not sure if this helps, but this was a direct quote from Warrior based on the QR1 vs QR Pro:

"We use the bone system in the QR1 which is a better plastic then is used in the QR Pro and the QR1 uses the Smart Palm + which is an upgraded palm then what is on the QR Pro. Additional benefits include the QR1 having more material options as well as more color ways then the QR Pro does."

[Cosmic 178]

Due to shipping anomaly, I ended up with both the QRL retail, and the QRL pro. I prefer the pro. The IW videos, as well as the catalogue spell out the obvious differences (palm, gussets, materials used on the exterior). There are a few not-so-subtle differences, that I noticed:

 

I) The "Palm Blocker"/ "Pinkie Blocker"

 

A) QRL 

 

The QRL has thick foam used as its palm blocker, without a plastic insert. I think that there is a thin layer of HD foam on the top, and then mid density foam comprises most of this piece. If it had a plastic inset on top, backed by the thick layer of mid or HD foam, then it would be perfect, but the foam by itself did not really perform well in my "hills-style" slash tests. 

 

 

The QRL has exceptionally tiny layers of foam along the pinky, that I do not think do much of anything. 

 

B) QRL Pro

 

Although the QRL Pro looks unimpressive in this area, as the palm blocker does not have as much size as the QRL, it does contain a plastic insert, backed by a thin layer of foam. This held up better to my unscientic slash testing. 

 

Similarly, the pinkie blocker contains plastic inserts, backed by very thin layers of foam, which held up better to my slash tests, than did the QRL. 

 

II) The backhand liner

 

A) QRL has a perforated liner:

 

 

B) The QRL Pro has the standard liner.

 

III) This is really the question that I want to have answered, but I was not able to determine. Is the foam/ plastic package identical, in regard to the finger and backhand blocks? I cannot tell from just looking at the gloves, so I called Warrior. I talked to 2 reps yesterday. The first read from the catalogue (which I have, and which is of no help), after I asked her this specific question. The second (in this person's defense, she said that the guys who would know were at lunch, and that she did not know but would try to help) person I spoke with recited the catalogue to me vertbatim (he knew it like the back of his hand), but he did not seem to know the answer to my question. He told me that better foams are used in the QRL, but was he just being a salesman? He seemed to sure, but then when I asked, "What about the lack of a plastic insert insert in the Palm Blocker and pinie guard for the QRL, while the QRL Pro has the plastic inserts," he did not have any response, as this was news to him. I did ask this gentleman if his specialty was hockey gloves, and if he could answer questions for me, and he said, "Yes, he is the guy to talk to." So, I am still unsure if the protection packages are identical or not between QRL and QRL Pro. The QRL looks a little more robust, but it can be due to an optical illusion being created by different shell materials used on the 2 gloves.

[RickDC 24]

I bought the QRL and to be honest.. I wasn't that impressed.. In the QRL, my hands felt very warm, sweated like crazy, the palm became a bit "squidgy" and felt like it was holding sweat.

Went back to my Reebok 30k, and it was night and day, dry palm.. Little to no sweat..

 

:-(

[Cosmic 178]

1 hour ago, RickDC said:

I bought the QRL and to be honest.. I wasn't that impressed.. In the QRL, my hands felt very warm, sweated like crazy, the palm became a bit "squidgy" and felt like it was holding sweat.

Went back to my Reebok 30k, and it was night and day, dry palm.. Little to no sweat..

 

:-(

 

I forgot to mention that too- very subjective/ unscientific/ anecdotal, but when I was watching TV just wearing the gloves, the QRL seemed to heat my hand a bit more than the QRL Pro. I am not sure why that would be, since the QRL should breathe better, with its perforated backhand liner, covert mesh exterior down the middle, and the mesh gussets. Maybe the leather creates some sort of heating effect, that the full nylon shell mitigates. This is pure speculation/ subjective/ unscientific. If I wanted to make it scientific, then I could get an infrared thermometer (I saw a guy do this for motorcycle helmets), but I am not quite at that point yet. 

 

I am happy with the QRL Pros, gonna likely take the QRLs back and exchange for maybe another STX RX2.1 (in a different flex and curve, maybe).