The One Glove – Invictus Review
Following The One Glove’s recent launch of their brand new range of goalkeeper gloves we were lucky enough to get our hands on 4 of their new models to test and review! After much deliberating and a lot of help from our readers on Twitter and Facebook we decided that the first glove we would review is the brand new ‘Invictus’ glove.
So over the last few weeks we have been putting the Invictus to the test in a wide range of weather conditions and pitches and we are excited to share our thoughts on this glove with you all!
Basic Info:
- 4mm Quartz latex palm
- Squared Roll Finger Cut
- Elasticated Double Wrap Strap
- Removable Fingersave spines (thumb included)
- Latex ‘Impact Sacks’ to Aid Punching & Shock Absorption
- Highly Comfortable Internal Neoprone Mesh
- Retail Price: £31.99 – £34.99
- Brand: The One Glove Company
Initial Impressions:
As mentioned at the top of this review we actually had 4 brand new pairs of gloves available for testing and had to make the difficult decision which pair to try first. I loved the look of the Invictus glove and it got a lot of attention when I asked our readers to pick which glove we should test first so it’s not just me who loved the look of it.
The gloves come in a standard zip up glove wallet – although this has had a bit of a make over since I last received the Pulse and Nova models and definitely looks a bit more expensive and professional. There is still no real revolutionary updates to the glove bag but I will keep mentioning it in our reviews until someone impresses us!
Each glove comes within their own individual plastic cover which is useful for ensuring that the gloves don’t stick together when storing them which is a very quick way to ruin gloves.
So what made us pick this glove first?
- I was keen to try out The One Glove’s new Quartz latex to see what it had to offer
- I really liked the look of the glove
- I love a roll finger (and this is pretty close)
Ultimately though the decision was secured by one thing! A week before the gloves arrived, I dislocated the index finger on my right hand and having removable fingersave spines meant I could wear this glove whilst protecting that finger at all times.
It’s actually been quite a while since I’ve used finger protection on a glove, usually I stay well away or just remove them but having the option to remove individual spines was really beneficial in this instance.
The finger protection itself is made up of individual plastic spines which have Velcro attached – designed to keep the finger protection in place which whilst it has been done before isn’t common place and is a great idea.
The gloves also include a spine for the thumb which is a big benefit as I know a lot of gloves miss out the thumb – much to the disappointment of goalkeepers.
As someone who doesn’t usually wear spines, the gloves felt a little tight and ridged when I first tried them on but I was still able to easily make a fist and the spines felt pretty solid and provided a lot of support. I also tried them without any spines in which is more like what I’m used to and they felt nice and comfortable
The Invictus glove is equipped with a ‘Quartz’ latex which is designed to be a real all-rounder, with good grip in both wet and dry conditions with a real emphasis placed on durability.
As it is a Quartz latex the gloves don’t have a layer of plastic over the palms to try and pick off like the other One Glove models I have tested which both had a Contact latex but it does mean that it is important to ensure that you give the gloves a good pre-wash before using them.
Performance and Durability
I’ve been testing the Invictus glove over the last 6 weeks and have used them in a variety of conditions including rain, wind, sun and even a little bit of snow and hail as well as on a variety of surfaces including grass and 3G.
Due to my finger injury I started out just wearing the gloves whilst coaching and was really impressed with the finger protection it offered as well as the amount of grip the gloves had.
After a couple of weeks of recovery I was back training and felt comfortable enough in the gloves to wear them in matches also, although I did remove the finger spines (except for the injured finger) which made the gloves feel much more natural to me.
I’ll admit to having my own pre-conceptions about what to expect from the Quartz latex – a good solid level of grip in all conditions and a high level of durability – and this is precisely what you get from these gloves.
They felt great throughout the different weather conditions and have held up fantastically well after about 14 uses they are still in great condition. If you look very closely at some of the finger tips there is a few speckles of wear but otherwise aside from a bit of discolouration they are almost as good as new and the grip is still definitely going strong.
Focusing on the grip, they performed really well in all the weather conditions I used them in and didn’t let me down but there is a cost to having a latex for all conditions and the cost is that whilst it performs well in all conditions, it doesn’t quite excel like the Contact latex does in the dry and also doesn’t quite have the grip of a aqua latex in the wet.
I really enjoyed wearing these gloves and will probably continue to do so for another couple of weeks for matches whilst my finger continues to recover but I guess the best way to describe the Invictus glove is ‘an absolute all-rounder’.
Want customisable finger protection? You’ve got it. Want great grip in the dry and wet? Yep got that too. Want a glove that is durable and going to last? You’ve definitely got that!
Value for Money
These gloves retail between £31.99 and £34.99 a pair depending on if your size, which as with a lot of the gloves from The One Glove puts them in a sort of middle ground price point for goalkeeper gloves as you can pick up some great gloves for £20-25.
But the difference in price is that you are paying for a really good high quality glove that uses high quality materials and rather than comparing them to the £20 market, realistically they should be judged against some of the higher priced brands and in this market they are great value for money.
Where can you get them?
The gloves are available now directly from The One Glove Company’s own website:
Check out their YouTube launch video here:
One Glove - Invictus
Appearance - 90%
Comfort (inc Protection) - 88%
Grip - 83%
Durability - 90%
Value for Money - 90%
88%
A Solid All-Rounder
A great all round glove that performs well in the wet and dry and offers fantastic durability and excellent finger protection. If you don't want to commit to a specific Wet or Dry latex then this is a fantastic option!