Fitting:
Yet again, American Leathers offered the free hand tracing fax to ensure proper fitting. They also offered to make one to fit if a stock size didn’t work for me.
The neoprene knuckles allow the glove to stretch over the back of your hand when you flex your hand into a fist shape rather than being rigid like some all leather gloves. This helps keep the fingerstalls tight on an extended hand as well as one that has the fingers flexed at full draw.
The fingerstalls came a little tight with regards to circumference but they will loosen up ever so slightly with some use and then be form fitted to my hand perfectly. The fingerstalls have rounded corners that come right at the middle joint in your fingers when flexed. The edges of the stalls didn’t bite into my hand, but the stalls also covered the entire finger beyond that joint with the fingers flexed like you would at full draw. This was an absolute PERFECT fitting fingerstall.
The wrist strap was cut to angle back up the wrist, which is a detail a lot of gloves don’t have. This is perfect for a shooting glove because of the way the tension is dispersed across the wrist strap. Physics dictates for the strap to be higher on the palm side of the wrist than the back side and it was cut to lie in the perfect position across your wrist without stretching out the strap material.
The fit of this glove is superior to ALL other archery gloves I have tried. It is a fit that has to be experienced to truly understand how wonderful it feels.
Extended hand:
Partially flexed hand:
Flexed hand:
String Feel:
The stalls are thick enough to protect your fingers from the string well, but flexible enough that you have a positive idea of where the string is on the stalls. The hide is slick and releases the string quickly and quietly. It has just enough friction to feel stable on the draw and not overly slick like some of the calf hair releases that make it feel like it’s going to let go of the string. It gives the very best feeling on the string of any glove or tab that I have ever used. It’s simply the perfect blend of protection vs. suppleness and slick yet not slippery. It has given me very clean and consistent releases right from the start. Most new release aids I try have a break in period and I keep going back to my original tab. This glove exceeded my expectations for string feel and I am most confident that I won’t be going back to my old standby tab after trying this glove.
Ergonomics and Ease of Use:
As for how the glove interacts with the archer and bow, it’s just right and covered above. There is however a couple more things worth mentioning. By using a glove, the archer and hunter can easily cut out the finger tips of their favorite hunting gloves then wear this underneath giving you the exact same feel year round but with the added bonus of warm hands in winter. Because it stretches over the knuckles it remains tight and won’t bunch up under gloves for warmth.
Also the combination of the supple, but tough buffalo leather and the neoprene gives you a nice tight fitting glove that allows you to easily remove arrows and/or go through your pockets or hunting bag with the glove on. Some of the other gloves I’ve had and most tabs just feel awkward and in the way when reaching into a pocket or at the range removing arrows. So, I’ve found myself taking them on and off repeatedly during practice. This glove fits snug and yet is supple enough that I haven’t found myself removing it and putting it back on when at the range or for digging through my pockets. This is just a little thing that I’ve noticed when wearing this glove, but one that is nice.
Overall impression:
This may yet be the very best release aid on the market for the traditional archer; it is by far the best that I have tried. It is simply a pleasure to use. I get very consistent releases with it. It is made from the finest materials available. It fits so stinking perfect that other gloves and tabs become annoying to use by comparison. The string feel is ideal. This glove really enhances my shooting experience in a way that no other glove or tab has been able to do. The sticker price is high at $60 and I was very reluctant to try one due to this alone. However, I am really glad that I did. Other than the bow and string, my release aid is my most frequently used item for archery. I use it on every single shot I take. All the little details put into this glove makes it worth the asking price due to the quality of the product, the execution of the product, and the way it enhances my experience.
A little about me:
I’m just an outdoorsman; I love to hike, fish, hunt, camp, backpack and view wildlife. I work hard for a living and value saving as much as I can. I don’t own a lot of sporting equipment but I try as much out as I can. When I do buy something for myself I almost always buy second hand or on sale because it’s the only way I can afford to have nice equipment for the things that I love to do. I tend to research almost all of my equipment purposes by looking at the product with a discriminating mind, reading reviews, checking YouTube, asking other users of the products questions, and trying stuff out as frequently as possible before buying anything. I have tried probably about 8-10 kinds of tabs and 6-8 types of gloves through the local archery shop, at the local range, or through second hand purchases online.
I was very hesitant to try this glove specifically because of the sticker price as compared to most other tabs and gloves, but now I feel it was absolutely worth it. This glove is one that just plain works for me and feels great to use.
Topic: American Leathers - Big Shot Crossover Review - A+ (Read 1013 times)
