Finding a good pair of gloves can be difficult. These days we all shop online but even if you go to the store and try each pair on, it won’t tell you the whole story of what that glove is capable of. It will be brand new and not broken in, so you won’t know how it truly fits around your hand. There are rarely bags to punch nearby and if there are, they aren’t secured well enough. You definitely can’t spar in store either, unless you don’t mind a few days behind bars. The upside is maybe you can get some rounds of bare knuckle sparring while you’re in prison, practice never hurt.
The good news is, I’m here to tell you the story of what this glove is good for based on my experience, and what others have said. Let’s review the RingSide IMF Tech Lace-Up 18 Oz Sparring gloves.
In summary, here are my thoughts on the glove:
- Great looking glove with simple, vintage look. Comes in Black/White or White/ Black combo. Also come in 14 oz, 16 oz, and 18 oz sizes.
- Great quality interior and exterior that is built for long term use and durability.
- Offers great protection for hands without hindering impact.
- Super comfortable and “hugs” your hand.
- Best price and value for quality provided.
I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
If you’re ready to buy it use the following link on Amazon. Make sure you don’t go searching for the “training glove” version of ringside gloves as they’re not as good quality as these. Shop here if you’re ready. You can select the color and size once you click through.
Otherwise, let’s get into the nitty and the gritty.
Aesthetics
The first thing I noticed once I laid them out in front of me is how good they look. This is a good, vintage pair of boxing gloves. Not too much going on, simply a dual color combination and a beautiful “let’s get to work” vibe about them. Its perfect if you aren’t necessary a flashy fighter who likes colors and dyeing his hair. Think Mike Tyson in all black. My particular pair is in black and white variation but it comes in a white/black combo as well. I prefer the black because the wear doesn’t show as quickly over time as the white does. Definitely a good looking glove depending on what you like. Not much I would do different so 5 out of 5 on looks.
Quality
As soon as you unwrap the glove you can feel a sense of good quality. They don’t have a cheap plastic glove feel to them. With a lot of boxing gloves you can tell right away that they don’t feel like they will be one with your hand, even after breaking them in. These gloves are well made. The stitching is done perfectly with no flaws, the laces tie great and the leather has an overall pleasant look and feel to it. The main thing I noticed is the padding, its very well done and doesn’t have a “spring” feel to it. Nothing I would do different so another 5 out of 5 here.
Protection
Speaking of padding, once you start hitting stuff with this bag you realize just how well padded they are. Whether you are hitting the bag or your sparring partner, you feel comfortable when throwing. The padding provides excellent protection while still being able to feel the impact of your punches. My shoulders are notorious for hurting after 5 rounds on the heavy bag and these are one of the few gloves that I can use if I want to avoid pain and discomfort after practice. My fists usually don’t hurt when fighting or training but they protect the knuckles well. So due to my shoulder pain being non existent, another 5/5.
Comfort/Fit
Even before you break these gloves in, one thing you will notice is they hug the hand pretty great. They’re more of a glove that adjusts to your hand and grip rather than a boxing glove that you have to adjust to. One of the things I hate the most when buying new gloves is that “spring” like feeling I get of my punches bouncing off when I land. These gloves don’t do that, they go straight to impact without feeling like there is give. Once you break them in that is where the real fun begins. You feel the punches land solid the way you intend them too.
“What about the laces? Do I need someone to tie them every time?”
The laces allow for a more adjustable grip around your wrist than most velcro straps. The downside is you need a partner to get them just perfect. However, I usually just tie them prior to training, tuck the laces and slide them on. Doing this I get a nice and tight fit that holds comfortably. So you don’t need a partner to work, but if sparring, I usually recommend tying them nicely and tucking safely with a partner even though you can do without one. Again no complaints on comfort and fit so another 5/5 in this department.
Durability
I’ve had these gloves for about a year and so far they still look fairly new in comparison to other gloves that I have owned in the past. They have good durability as long as you don’t leave them outside in the elements, you won’t see too much wear and tear. These gloves are quality and the material keeps conditioned well. I did see complaints online about the palm side of the glove losing leather but I haven’t experienced that and I’m not sure if that is a competitor review or how soon it happened to that user. Wear and tear is normal with most gloves and something like that wont affect functionality of the glove. So on my end, have to give it another 5/5.
Price/Value
Unless you get them on sale, these gloves average about $80. This is well worth it for a glove of this quality. There are cheaper gloves out there for about $35 but you will get what you pay for. You’ll end up needing to buy a new pair much sooner, especially if you’re a frequent user. So if you ask me, these gloves are well worth the $80 and provide more value than what you pay for them. Sorry to say, or not, but another 5/5 here.
What Can They Be Used For?
These gloves are labeled sparring gloves but they are definitely multi purpose. I’ve used them for all forms of training with good success. Hitting the heavy bag feels great with them because you can really dig into your punches without worrying about pain, discomfort or give in the glove. The same goes for the pads as well but what about sparring?
During sparring you may feel like the good padding will make your punches softer, this is not the case. I feel every punch land flush and at one point, felt the shape of the opponent’s face when I landed a flush one, again, without pain or discomfort. So they definitely live up to the “sparring gloves” name but are also excellent multi-purpose gloves.
What Others are Saying
To save you some time googling other reviews here is a compilation of what I seen online. Most people have mentioned that they are comfortable and excellent quality.
Here are some direct quotes:
“Probably the best sparring glove I ever used.” Totally agree with this guy.
“Comfortable and forms to your hands.”
“…Didn’t take long to break in…provide great protection.”
The few complaints I heard were a “small hand compartment” for a guy who sounds like he has fairly large hands, and another who claims injury, which is most likely due to user error than product. No matter how crappy the gloves I used in the past were, I never was injured because of the glove but more so my form.
WARNING
Do not confuse this with the cheaper version that are called “training gloves.” The training gloves have a tendency to wear pretty quickly. These however, are excellent quality. The way to tell the difference is the price and the colors. These gloves only come in black and white options and are $80+ in comparison to the cheaper, multi colored version.
Benefit Highlights
Let’s summarize some of the things worth noting form the overall review here.
Benefits of RingSide IMF Tech Lace Up Sparring Gloves
- Multi Purpose – I wanted to highlight this first because these gloves truly are multi purpose. They’re great for sparring, heavy bag work and pad work as well. They provide excellent protection and your punches will feel solid when you land them.
- Great fit – one of the things that really stand out about these gloves is how good they fit. They really do hug your hand instead of feeling like you have to adjust to it, it adjusts to you. Ringside did an excellent job with the padding here.
- Durability – As I’ve said, after over a year’s worth of consistent use, they still look like fairly new gloves. They definitely are worth the price and you should run, not walk to go buy these.
Final Verdict: 5 out of 5 Stars – Go Buy Them
The reason I chose these gloves as my first product review is because it is the best pair of gloves I have owned for the price tag they come with. They really are the whole package and I would recommend these gloves to anyone.
You can buy them here at a good deal:
Get to Work
Don’t wait to long and order these gloves so that you can spend more time training than shopping for gloves. I know this review sounds like nothing but the positives but I can assure you I was 100% objective and Ringside doesn’t even know I’m doing this review. The reason it sounded so positive is because my experience with them was. So nothing left to do but to get to training.
Drop me a comment below if you have any questions.
Brawl all day!
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