“The Rav4 of Boxing Gloves”

Like a boxy Sport Utility Vehicle that performs like a champ

Intro

Before procuring gloves from both Twins and Fairtex, I had done some research that led me to believe Fairtex was the more premium of the two. To my surprise Twins Special is the one I like better. I understand now why I see them everywhere. I started out hating the look of these, and resenting Twins’ lack of selection and variety in glove models. They look like big bubbles with a weird boxy outcropping where the wrist meets the padding over the hand. Hence the comparison to Toyota’s small, boxy, yet super versatile SUV.

They are genuine leather and made in Thailand. Technically a muay thai or thai boxing glove, but if you check the glove stats page, they aren’t crazy off the specs of most dedicated boxing gloves. They are about as far away from a “Mexican Style” as you can get, with the exception of maybe the same quality of lining. Big, fluffy, and snug, yet they surprisingly don’t feel bulky

The Wrist 7/10

The wrist uses a pretty good velcro closure. I wouldn’t say it gets “tight” but it does get tight enough. The way it’s designed is that you can pull your fist in easily, like say angling your hand for a hook, but it does not allow your hand to be pushed backwards or the hand to angle side to side. I guess that is part of the muay thai style where you do have a bit of “grabbing” to do, but is designed well enough to secure your hand from going in any direction that would be bad.

Hand Comfort & Ease of Use 8/10

The simple velcro makes these very easy to slip on if training alone. They are snug, especially around the finger box, but I wouldn’t call them tight exactly. Maybe as snug as you can go without them being uncomfortably tight. I find that makes a secure and comfortable sensation. The thumb is also secure but does have enough wiggle room to probably accommodate a lot of different hands. There is a nice, big, thick grab bar, and the way the fingertips are constructed makes feel almost as if there is a second grab bar for them to easily make a comfortable fist.

Punching & Protection 9/10

Big, bubbly, and padded. These feel like some of the best hand and knuckle protection out there. They aren’t heavy or floppy. Despite the bulkiness, they aren’t so soft that they don’t feel good on a heavy bag (like TopBoxer Win1’s or the Rival Classic Sparring). The padding is slightly on the stiff side but feels like they will break in really nicely. You can definitely throw bombs with impunity and know your hands are really secure. These would be a solid sparring choice as well.

Other Features and Intangibles 6/10

Once more, the kind of odd look and shape I don’t think does Twins any favours. And their market position below Fairtex as well diminishes them a bit. But otherwise I don’t see why they don’t stand along side the big guns. They have a fighting pedigree, are really well designed, and offer something really good for anyone looking for the other end of the spectrum from a Mexican Style glove.

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