Hayabusa Classic Lace Up Boxing Gloves Review

Hayabusa Classic Lace Up Boxing Gloves (16oz) Review

Summary:

We would say these are definitely a glove for enthusiasts rather than those training casually, but Hayabusa have put a lot of effort into making it a well-designed glove which ticks all the right boxes.

Brand

Hayabusa are a popular brand, with strong ties to MMA, but also branching out to various individual martial arts as well. They strive for high performance, and many of their products feature bold, unique designs. They are currently working alongside Glory Kickboxing as the official equipment suppliers.

About the gloves

The Hayabusa Classic laced boxing gloves are not one of Hayabusa’s leading ranges, but rather their twist on a more classic style of boxing glove, which might attract the eye of die-hard enthusiasts. The gloves are based on the updated design Hayabusa made for their partnership, meaning these carry with them a competition-level design and quality. They’re also the model which Hayabusa have used as a base for custom-made competition gloves for their sponsored fighters.

The fact Hayabusa don’t shout about these gloves as much as their other ranges is probably an indicator that they’re aimed at a slightly different class of fighter – appealing much more to well-informed boxers looking for a great, classy lace-up glove.

These are only available in two sizes; 12oz and 16oz, rather than the full range of sizes we’d rather expect, although these should give you enough of a choice for most types of training.

Visuals

These gloves are a brilliant departure from Hayabusa’s normal style, feeling much more streamlined than, say, the T3 Boxing Gloves. They’re only available in black, but the use of different textured leathers makes it a good looking choice.

The majority of the knuckle area, as well as the palm is built with a matte black leather with no shine to it, while the thumb section (which extends to the hack of the hand and wrist) is made with a slightly more traditional shiny black leather. This contrast between the two textures makes for a subtle yet interesting effect when catching the light, making them much more interesting than if they used the same leather all over.

Other than the Hayabusa logo on the back of the hand, the other main visual is the embroidery on the back of the wrist. Here the Hayabusa logo is stitched in, with a series of diagonal lines opposite, which makes for an interesting look.

Overall I think the design is really nice, but can’t help but wish these gloves received a little more in terms of colour choices.

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/Craftsmanship

Unlike many of Hayabusa’s releases which are made with their engineered ‘Vylar’ leather, these gloves are actually made with genuine leather – another move which should appeal to those looking for a more traditional glove.

The inside is liked with a nylon-like material. To be honest this is the area I think lets the gloves down a little. These definitely aren’t a comfortable soft material, but it surprises me that they didn’t use a similar material as seen on their T3 range. While the comfort isn’t quite as nice, the material does mean that the gloves don’t soak up sweat, and never quite seem to be too damp after a long session.

As far as lace-up gloves go, these have a moderately close fitting wrist, which helps to get a nice tight fit. The lack of ridges may put some people off, but the laces sit quite comfortably in the seam above the wrist, and the back of the wrist has enough padding that it doesn’t feel completely flat.

These gloves don’t have any breathable mesh, but are made with a load of moderately sized perforations all across the palm – about 14 holes on each glove. I absolutely love this, and it makes far more of a difference than the pointless 3 small holes other gloves tend to add.

Comfort/use

I mentioned earlier about the good fit around the wrist, and overall the fit in other areas all feels fairly good too. If anything, I’d say that the 16oz version of these we’ve tested seem a little bit knuckle-heavy, but it doesn’t feel too unbalanced.

The benefit of this of course, is there’s a good amount of knuckle protection, which – let’s be honest – is kind of the point. The padding is of a medium density, and seems to have a good spring to it, almost feeling like a cross between your typical high level foam and IMF.

As well as the knuckle padding, there’s some padding on the inner wrist, which helps for comfort and protection. These are just flat panels, so are mostly for comfort with the laces, but are still thick enough that they add a little protection.

Surprisingly, despite the thick knuckle padding, it’s pretty easy to open the hand, with a good amount of finger movement (especially for a 16oz glove). Obviously this is pretty handy for sparring. As well as the fingers, the thumb compartment also feels well designed. It almost feels a little forward facing, but doesn’t feel tight or uncomfortable at all.

Cost

These gloves are sold for $119.99 which works out around £105, meaning that in comparison to other brands, these would definitely be considered a premium glove. The funny thing is, this price actually puts these below the price of their popular T3 Boxing Gloves. Obviously, the T3 range is packed with a load of features which these gloves don’t have, but if you’re looking for a great lace-up glove, this means that this is a great price for some Hayabusa gear.

In comparison to other brands, these are still a pretty solid glove for that price. When you go over 100, there’s a certain amount of quality we’d expect, and the Hayabusa gloves meet that expectation.

Looking to buy these?

This graphic is to illustrate the areas this product excels in, and is not intended for direct comparison to other reviews.