Hi all,

I got some new gloves to replace my Dainese Full Metal Pro as they have a nice hole in the palm where the stitching and leather got torn apart. Now the full metal pro has served me well but Dainese is exxy and you are paying predominately for the brand. I decided to try some Ricondi as I've heard good things about them. I got them off Marshy and was easy to deal with him and quick post too!

Santa (postman) delivered them today and opening the package was pleasantly surprised to find them well packaged. Initial impressions are good and looking at the construction of these gloves combination of kangaroo and cow hides and double stitched seams gives the impression of quality. The full metal pro had threads everywhere which they didn't bother to clean up at the factory and first impressions count so plus one to Ricondi.

Putting them on for the first time and it was a snug fit. I was worried as the Dainese was a 8.5 in sizing but the Ricondi was 9. However the size fits perfectly. It needs to be broken in but the comfort felt like you were putting on a pair of merino gloves. They felt like they were padded on the inside. The pinky and the ring finger are also stitched together which is good as the last thing you want happening is to lose your pinky or tip of it or break it or fracture it (you get the point)

Lots of carbon and Kevlar encases these gloves. The palm of your hand is protected by a Kevlar type padding and a carbon fibre slider as well. The edges of your pinky are protected by carbon sliders again. On the overside, your middle and index finger's are protected with carbon sliders as well again! Knuckles have these huge sliver metal bits and more carbon.. who would have guessed?!

The leather that goes over the wrist is a lot longer than that of the Dainese ones. There is another carbon wrist slider that protects you if you tumble. They really seem to have armour in all the right places. The Velcro locking mechanism seem to be fairly straightforward and locks your hand in the glove so the chances of them coming off are going to be very very rare.

The only gripe I have with these now that they are in my hand is that the hole for the thumb seem to be made of swollen thumbs. I mean the rest of my digits are snugly hugged by leather and whatever the padding is made of on the inside, but my thumb feels like it could do with a little fattening up by Maccas. I will get over it and break them in over the next day or so.

The initial riding test will be on the 19th and I will report back with more.

First impressions 9/10