Danger Equipment Evolution DT Semi-Leather Sparring/Training Boxing Gloves (16oz) Review
See them at dangerboxingshop.com
Brand
Started in 2004, Danger Equipment is a brand who produce high quality gear, made in Thailand and deliver to countries across the world, with a strong focus on Western martial arts communities. Their goal is to provide customers with the broadest selection of Martial Arts gear and apparel, the highest level of service and the most competitive prices. In the UK you can find their gear over at Danger Boxing Shop.
Danger Boxing Shop sent us a pair of these gloves to test out and provide our feedback for them.
About the gloves
The Evolution gloves are designed for all areas of training, with the intention of providing great protection during pad and bag work as well as sparring. They’re available in a range of bright colours and they can brought in the standard 10, 12, 14 and 16oz options.
These would go great with the Danger Equipment Evolution Shin Guards which we’ve also reviewed.
Weight and distribution
These are well balanced gloves, obviously the majority of the padding is across the knuckles and back of the hand, but this weight is countered by a thick wrist strap which supports the glove nicely. The thumb on these is also pretty well padded, as well as being fixed in place and tucked behind a thumb guard attached to the main body of the gloves.
Visuals
I love the look of the Evolution gloves, there’s a bit of a trend recently with Muay Thai equipment to use really bright colours and these are no exception. They’re available in pink, orange and green (the colour tested) if you’re buying from the UK store, www.danger.shop, but the full range is available at dangerboxingshop.com. On the version we have, the gloves have a black wrist strap, extending about halfway up towards the knuckles and over the thumb. The rest of the glove is the chosen colour. On the coloured part of the back of the hand is ‘Danger’ in their stylised white font, and below this on the black section is the Danger Equipment ‘DE’ logo in white. Across the wrist strap is another ‘DE’ logo, this time in metallic gold, and the weight of the gloves. Finally on the inside of the wrist, where the strap is attached, is another white ‘DE’ logo, with ‘Semi Leather’.
I’m a big fan of the way these gloves look – the contrast between the bright colour and the matte black just makes these gloves so eye catching, so they certainly stand out in the gym. The only drawback I’ve found is some discolouration around the fingers of the gloves, just a small patch, but consistent across both gloves in the pair. I don’t know if there was a dodgy batch of material, or something in the treatment process or what, and they aren’t particularly noticeable if you aren’t looking for them, but it is a bit disappointing.
Below you can find our Fight Gear Focus video giving you a close-up, visual look at these Gloves. Make sure you check out the rest of the video series and Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss any of our future videos.
Materials
The majority of Danger Equipment’s gear is made with Semi-Leather as opposed to real leather. While this is often a cost cutting measure to ensure the best value for money, Danger Equipment actually use semi leather for a pretty cool reason – as a brand they support People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and believe in avoiding animal products when alternatives are available. You can read all about this in their blog post What is Semi-Leather?
Danger have used four layers of shock absorbing padding for maximum protection, as well as a satin nylon lining to help repel moisture.
Traditionally leather has been used in the manufacture of boxing equipment because of its durability, but the semi leather Danger use is very high quality, to the point that it not easy to distinguish from real leather gloves. Overall the quality of the materials in these gloves is top notch.
Craftsmanship
Like the rest of the equipment we’ve reviewed for Danger the craftsmanship on these gloves is very high quality. There’s not a stitch out of place anywhere, and the semi leather covering is spread evenly, though there is some bunching of the material around the base of the thumb.
The thumb is well positioned, tucked tight against the fist and behind a thumb guard, helping prevent painful connections with your thumb against the pads or bag. Additionally the palm of the glove features mesh panels to keep your hands from over heating as you’re training.
Comfort/use
The first impression I had when I was trying these gloves is how tight they are, to the point that it was a bit of a struggle to get my hands in. This was the case for the first few sessions using them, but once they were broken in a bit they were just a really snug fit, which stops them from slipping at all during hard training sessions.
Similar to the other Danger Gloves we’ve tested (the Deluxe Ultimate Fighter Sparring Gloves) the thumb is fixed in position. This is great as far as protection of the thumb goes, but it does limit the flexibility of the gloves which isn’t ideal as far as Muay Thai clinching goes but otherwise they’re a great choice of gloves for any form of striking.
Cost
Normally retailing at £55 on www.danger.shop they’re currently available at a reduced price of £44.99, which makes them great value for money if you asked me – they’re priced low enough that beginners could consider them as a first pair of sparring gloves, whilst they’re high enough quality that a more experienced fighter may consider them when looking for an new, affordable pair of gloves.
Looking to buy these?
See them at dangerboxingshop.com
Pros/Cons
+ Great colour design
+ Well made
+ Great protection
– Tight fitting, though improves as they break in
– Gloves are quite inflexible
