Warrior QRL Pro Glove

[darkhors 88]

Pics of gloves as of 10/25/17 - Hockey Gloves

About Me

Male - 6'0'' - 180lbs

Mainly Forward/Occasional Defence

B/C level hockey

Usage time: 8 games (plus a few hours of stick handling in the basement)

Price: $150

Glove History: Eagle XP X70's

QRL Pro 15in

Fit (10/10)

Coming from the Eagles these fit very snug, but not in a bad way. After trying a pair of tapered gloves on, I decided I wanted to get a pair to replace my Eagles. These fit very nicely in the fingers. I thought they were a little tight at first, but I had a feeling that was because I was used to my 4 roll eagles so I decided to forget about that and just see how they work. The back of the glove also feels close to your hand, but at the same time feels very mobile. The more I put these gloves on, the more and more I like them. They just feel natural and connected without feeling constrictive.

Comfort (9/10)

Comfort is great. The wartech liner is soft against the back of your hand and the palm and gussets have smooth feeling to them. It lets you know they're there, but then you forget about them once you start playing. As mentioned in some other reviews these do seem to be a little warmer gloves because the palm and gussets don't have any mesh or spandex in them, but they just feel great on your hands. If there's one thing I'd change on these, it would be mesh or spandex gussets but keep the same palm material.

Weight (10/10)

I don't have much of a comparison except for my Eagles. The QRL Pro's are very light compared to them and that was a nice addition when I upgraded, but it also isn't a deal breaker if they aren't the lightest. I'm more concerned with the feel of the glove more so than the weight.  

Mobility (10/10)

The Axy-cuff is the #1 noted feature of this glove. The ability to protect your wrist but still have the movement of a glove with a very short cuff is what they're going for. When I first tried them on, I wasn't sold on the mobility. In the shop when I flexed my hand backward I did notice the cuff hitting the back of my forearm and wasn't sure if it was going to impede my play. Once I got on the ice, I didn't even notice it. I was blown away at how well it moved during game play and didn't hinder shooting or stick handling. I could do everything the same as my Eagles, except I was a little faster because of how connected the gloves were to my hands. They did a great job with how the cuff floats around with the spandex because it allows the cuff to move somewhat independently from the rest of the glove so you can still turn/supinate/pronate and have good protection to your wrist. I was trying to think of how I would change the cuff to make it more mobile, but again, once I started playing with it, it does exactly what it's supposed to and I don't even notice it.

Break-in (8/10)

I guess technically they aren't completely broken in yet, but honestly, I'm hoping they don't break in too much because I love how they fit and feel right now. After about 2 skates, they felt more broken in than when I first got them, but that was really just when I was trying to put them on and take them off. I'll try to come back to this in a month or so and update this to see how they've changed. I'm really hoping not much. I'm giving a 9 because they were a little tough to get on and off the first two skates. They weren't out of the box broken in, but still not anywhere close to an issue.

Edited - 12/2019 - I'm changing this to 8 because as they broke in, they continued to break-in/break-down on the inside of the glove creating an almost 4 roll type feeling for me when on. I want my glove to sit close to my fingers and open up a little on the back hand and then on the wrist, but these just kept getting bigger everywhere. They're not bad gloves, rather, you have to know if you like your gloves tight, these will break-in to the point of not being tight at all eventually.

Protection (9/10)

So far, I haven't had anything that has really tested the protection of these. I don't normally block shots with my hands and I haven't had anyone try to slash my hands that I'm aware of, so I can't really rate this yet. However, one of the reason I bought these is because of the use of back hand protection and the Axy-cuff. As I mentioned in the mobility section the Axy-Cuff works great and definitely adds a layer of protection that I didn't have with my Eagles without compromising mobility and feel. The back of the glove has very good foam with the plastic inserts and because it's an anatomical glove, it allows the glove to move in different directions while still providing adequate protection. An example of this is when you try to grab a puck out of the air and you don't close your hand in a normal position. The glove can flex/bend in a variety of ways to aid in the mobility but because of the foams being setup as they are, they still provide very good protection to the back of the hand. Also, one thing I wanted was good protection on my index finger like I have on my Eagles. The QRL pro's have very good protection here. With the way people slash at sticks during beer league, this is often a spot that gets overlooked on some gloves, even the regular QRL's. The Pro's provide excellent protection here and was another reason why I choose these over the regular QRL's.

Durability (9/10)

Ok, so this is updated as of 10/25/17. I've been using the gloves full time now for almost a year and the durability has been very good. The only issue I've had is that I got a small cut on the thumb area of one of my gloves. This is just on my right thumb and I'm not even sure how it happened. It's been a while and it doesn't seem to be getting any worse, but I will say that the material in this area is very, very thin. I do wipe the snow off of my blades during the games, so it's possible that it happened while doing that one time, but again, it hasn't gotten any worse. I just need to fix it and I think it will be fine. As for the palms, this is exactly why I went with the pro version. The palms are still in very good shape. I just use a small knob at the top of my stick that's black cloth so it doesn't seem to be as bad as using a longer wrap, but the palms are holding up well with no signs of premature wear.

Palm (10/10)

Absolutely love this palm. The was the deciding factor as to why I went with the Pro model over the regular QRL. I absolutely hate the grip that was added to the QRL palm. The Pro palm is smooth, yet tactile and I can really feel the stick and puck through the glove. I haven't noticed any degradation of the palm yet, but it's early in the overall use (Side Note: I will say that if it's anything like my eagles are, I will be very happy. I've had my Eagle's for 13 years and I just now had a seem break where the gusset and palm meet on my index finger. Original palms still going). The stitching on the Warriors looks to be well done and with the way I take care of my gloves, airing them out after each session, I suspect these to hold up well.

Conclusion (94/100)(Updated break-in score as of 12/2019) (Updated with Durability score - Previous was 96 without Durability)

Overall as my first experience with an anatomical type of glove I think the QRL Pro's are a great option for those looking for a great feeling and mobile glove without sacrificing protection in the wrist/forearm area. I really, really like how the glove can bend and flex accordingly to your hand no matter what you're trying to do. This is something that 4 rolls don't provide on the same level. These gloves are light and feel very connected to your hands and also provide good feedback from the stick which is a necessity for me. There is only one thing that I would change on this glove out of the box and that is replacing the current gusset with mesh or spandex gussets. That would improve the air flow of the glove and I think provide just a bit more feeling to what is already a great glove.

 

So I'm still very happy with this glove overall. After using them for so long, they are getting a hair looser and I'm actually very happy about that. I did feel they were a little too tight when I first got them, but I do like that my fingers are close to the entire glove. The same thing that I would have changed before is still the same now. The mesh gussets would have been a better option for breath-ability but it definitely isn't a full deal breaker. 

Edited December 11, 2019 by darkhors
Updating durability and other segments

[marka 526]

Howdy,

Look, I'm a pretty new hockey player.  When I show up to the rink, folks there in some seriously crusty old equipment make it really, REALLY clear that I have a lot to learn and that the best hockey equipment in the world isn't going to bridge that gap for me.  So why in the world did I buy a set of $150 Warrior QRL Pro gloves back in March, shortly after they were introduced?

I'll get to that.  I promise.

What: Warrior Covert QRL Pro 14” gloves
Purchased Date: 3/2/17
Price paid: $149.99
Purchased From: Total Hockey (Now Pure Hockey)
Usage: Averaging 4 games a week, since purchase.  ~100 games at this point.
Previous gloves used: Bauer Supreme One.8 14” (two pair), Winwell Anatomic Air Ported

Fit
I'm going to start off with fit because this is why I bought new high end gloves rather than older high end stuff on clearance (my preference) or even used equipment.  I like tight fitting gloves.  I started my brief-to-this point hockey career with some used Winwell Anatomic Air Ported 14” (I think?  Might have been 15”) gloves.  I never liked them.  They always felt like they were falling off my hands and that got worse as I played in them more.  Next up was some clearance Bauer Supreme One.8 14” gloves.  These were MUCH better.  I liked them so much, I bought another pair when I found a deal on some clearance ones.  

As you probably know, the Supreme is Bauer's 'anatomical' or 'contoured' fit line, with the Vapor the 'tapered' fit and the Nexus the 'traditional' fit.  The anatomical gloves are supposed to fit fairly tight everywhere, the tapered are supposed to be tight in the fingers/backhand with a relaxed fit in the cuff, and the traditional fit is supposed to be looser everywhere.  Different folks like different things, seemingly with the majority liking either traditional fits or maybe a tapered fit.  I like tighter fits.

Here's the thing with the One.8's.  I loved them when they were new, but the first pair wore a hole through my right palm in fairly short order (around 50 to 75 games or so).  When I put the second pair into action they were great at first but when they broke in they were loose enough that I caught myself thinking about adjusting my gloves out on the ice rather than playing hockey.

That was not good.  I'm an awful hockey player.  The last thing I need is to be distracted too.  So I went looking for a tight fitting glove.

What I wanted to find was a glove with a velcro strap across the back of the wrist so that it just could not ever come loose.  I used to race motorcycles and that was how you made gloves stay in place.  Everyone I talked to about that thought I was a complete nutter.  So I kept looking and then noticed Warrior was coming out with an AnyFlex cuff.  It was designed to stay tight and close to the wrist, attached to the rest of the glove with some mesh to provide some mobility.  It seemed like the driving force with this design was increased protection from slashes & such, but I was interested entirely because it seemed like they might stay on my hands better.

Of course, this was a new design for Warrior and it was only on their high end gloves, the Covert QRL Pro ($150 retail) and Covert QRL ($200 retail). The cheaper gloves in the line (QRL3, QRL4, and QRL5) had a different (more traditional) style wrist/cuff.  That wasn't awesome, but I put a pair of them on at my local Total Hockey and loved them.  Compared to every other glove I tried as well as my Supreme One.8's, there just wasn't a comparison.  They just felt super.  So I violated my own rules and bought them.

The first game, I wondered if I'd gone too tight.  I needed to use two hands to put the gloves on, with the 'other' hand pulling up on the Axy Flex cuff to get the glove fully on my hand.   However, that was a tradeoff I was more than willing to make (remember, I'd have been ok with a velcro strap!)  I mentioned needing to do this and all the experienced people again thought I was insane.  But when they were on my hands, I loved them.  No hint of falling off.  I never thought about them at all.  And that was perfect.

As they broke in over the next 10 or so games, that gradually changed a bit with the cuff getting a little looser.  Today, around 100 games in, I can easily put them on 'one handed” and my hand slides right in past the cuff without needing to hold it in position with my other hand.  The fit is correspondingly a little bit looser all around.  It feels like I have a little more room in my palm/backhand area with the glove on and if I shake my hand moderately / try to the gloves come off.  They are still tighter than the Supreme One.8's they replaced however and I haven't yet tried on another pair of gloves while standing around getting skates sharpened that I like the feel of better.  Most important, they still don't ever feel like they're sliding off during a game.

I don't notice much difference in flexibility / palm feel / whatever in most gloves I try on and these seem to fall in the “average” category there.  I did recently put on a pair of Warrior's new Alpha QX glove with the “butter soft palm” and can confirm that that indeed is a more flexible / compliant palm than the Covert QRL Pro palm, but its more flexible / compliant than any other glove I've tried on too.

I'll rate fit as 11 out of 10.  They really are exactly what I wanted.

Note btw that Ice Warehouse calls these a “Tapered Fit”.  I don't agree.  Certainly they have plenty of wrist mobility for me (and in that respect may compare directly to other “tapered” gloves), but every part of these gloves is close to my hand/wrist.  It seems to me that there's a lot of blurring of the lines between “Tapered” and “Anatomical”/”Contoured”

Speaking of fit, here's a super cool tracing of my left hand, so that you can compare it to your own:

Protection
Let's move onto protection.  Here's the thing... I don't regularly slash my hands with sticks.  While it happens in games occasionally, I fully expect that “how I get slashed” is WAY more important than “what gloves am I wearing” in terms of how likely I am to experience pain.  I can confirm that catching a puck on the end of your unpadded finger still really hurts, as does blocking a shot with your unpadded palm.  I've tried both and wouldn't recommend it regardless of what gloves you're wearing.

That said, the glove seems pretty protective to me.  There's certainly less of your wrist exposed with the Axy Flex cuff vs. the other gloves I've used / tried on.  That has to be a good thing, protection-wise.  The outside padding seems fine and comparable with other gloves and I've blocked a few shots / slashes with the outside of the gloves with no pain at all.  Keep in mind that I'm a low level beer league guy, so YMMV.  I imagine Marc Methot has better people advising him than me though.

Given all that, I'll rate the protection as 10/10, mostly because the Axy Flex cuff seems like it should do a better job than most any other glove I've seen.  The only times I've felt something are situations where any other glove would have resulted in the same type of pain / bruising or worse.

Weight
One of the gloves tips the scales on my trusty, completely uncertified, postage scale at between 10 and 11 ounces.  You can compare that as you see fit, but on my scale of “how much do they seem to weigh in comparison to other gloves / do I notice the weight”, I'm going to rate them as a 9/10.  They don't seem at all heavy, but they don't seem crazy light either.

Durability
Here's another place where I'm blown away by these things.  As I mentioned, I wore through the right palm (I'm a left handed stick user) of a set of Supreme One.8 gloves in maybe 50 to 75 games.  I also wore through the end of the outside canvas / material on a finger padding, which exposed the internal plastic covering and foam underneath.  My next set of Supreme One.8's wore a little better (I switched to Tacki-mac grips during that period), but still showed a decent bit of wear on my right palm and loosened up quite a lot.  Internal foam on both gloves in the fingers also loosened up and would bunch up / slide around / whatever.

With these gloves, I've used Tacki-mac grips exclusively and spray the inside with a 50/50 alcohol / water mix after every game.  This makes it not a direct comparison to that first pair of Supreme One.8's above, but the QRL Pros still look and feel almost new.  No loose threads.  The right palm has a couple letters of the screen printed “SMART PALM” text worn off.  The outside of my right index finger where I grip the stick is maybe showing a bit of wear.  But in general I'm 100 games in and these things are still pretty much brand new in look/feel/function.  VERY impressed.  The only thing I've noticed is that my right palm seems like it might have gotten a bit more stiff when I first put the glove on, but that's it and I'm not entirely sure I'm not making that up.

My rating here is 10/10.  Probably it should be an 11 like the fit rating, but I've already done that once.

This top hand palm is holding up well:
As is the outside of my index finger area:

Intangibles
Style/Looks aren't my most important criteria with most any hockey gear and certainly not functional protective gear.  I think the gloves look fine, but so do lots of other gloves.  Only you can make that call for yourself anyway.

One intangible style thing that does matter to me is “how much does my wife hate my hockey gear?”  The other gloves I've used have reeked.  They were bad enough that if I wore them for any amount of time, even just putting them on for 10 seconds and then taking them back off, my hands would smell horrible.  And lord help you if you sniffed the inside of the first pair of the Supreme One.8 gloves I used.  I still remember the expression on my son's face when I tricked him into doing that.  That's going to be responsible for some therapy dollars later.

The QRL Pros attempt to address that with their Polygiene / WarTech FnC (Fresh and Clean) liner system.  It seems to work.  My 100 game gloves won't knock you over when you hold them up and breathe deeply and I've never washed them.

I'll lump 'dexterity' in here too.  When I was asking for recommendations for tight fitting gloves I heard lots of comments from folks about how they need a ton of wrist mobility, etc.  I seem to be able to move my hands/wrist in any direction / orientation I want to with these gloves on.  The thumb is flexible (I have not cut the loops) and its easy for me to pickup a stick or puck off the ice, etc.  The index finger has three foam segments and I can curl my finger with the glove on just as tight as I can curl it with it off.  Keep in mind that I'm an old guy that just started playing though.  I have crap hands in terms of stick handling, so maybe you younger, more flexible, and/or better skilled folks will have a problem I don't have.  But this is my review, so do your own.

Axy Flex cuff:

All together, I'll give the intangible rating a 10/10 as well, with the primary reason being the lack of stink.

Cost
I like to put cost as its own category in my reviews (this is my 2nd one, now I'm an expert!) because its a  factor for everyone.  If there's a single good thing about starting hockey later in life, its that in terms of life/career/etc I'm reasonably established and can afford basically any hockey gear I want to buy without needing to eat ramen noodles.  That doesn't mean I WANT to spend money I don't have to though, and these gloves were no exception.  As a top level glove, they're on the expensive end like all the rest.  However they are only 75% of the cost of the regular Covert QRL gloves, and outside of some seemingly minor palm differences I couldn't really tell any difference between the two.

They do cost more than previous high end clearance gear or used gear, but that's not even close to a fair comparison.  As such, I'm going to rate the cost as 9/10.  They're a decent chunk of coin, but they're a great buy in comparison to the only other glove I like as much, the Covert QRL.

Conclusion
This was a hard purchase for me to make, or for me to justify to myself.  Compared to those guys I sit next to on the bench that have been playing for a while I looked horrible before and still do today.  These gloves didn't change any of that.  But I don't care.  They don't fall off my hands, they're comfortable to wear, they don't stink, and they've been really durable.  If I lost these in a horrible boating accident, I'd order another pair immediately.  They earn an overall 10/10 rating from me.  I can't imagine how they could be better.

About me
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 175 lbs
Location: Youngstown, OH (Pittsburgh, PA hockey area)

I'm a 47 year old parent who got skates and a stick when his son got interested in hockey, then discovered I loved it.  I've been playing for a little under 2 years now, typically on the ice four or five times a week.  Nobody would mistake me for someone that is good at the game, but I'm slightly better than a true beginner at this point.

Mark

Edited August 6, 2017 by marka
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