According to most, the ideal option is to have different boxing gloves for various purposes in the gym. This means you need at least a couple of pairs—one to do the damaging heavy bag work and another softer pair to spar with.
But in reality, few people outside of professionals use multiple gloves. First, it's expensive, and second because it's not convenient to swap gloves mid-session, let alone do it numerous times.
This is why manufacturers go for all-around training gloves suitable for everything. People do that either way, but some gloves are marketed specifically as great all-rounders.
The Revgear S5 model even proudly states its purpose with the "all-rounder" tag on the gloves itself. I have tested them thoroughly and have a few things to say if they live up to their promise.
Pros:
Cons:
Revgear S5 Boxing Gloves Rating
The Revgear S5 model make a solid all-round boxing glove. They use premium leather and provide excellent protection of the hands. These gloves perform well in all areas of training.
overall
Quality
Protection
Feel/Comfort
Visuals
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Revgear S5 Boxing Gloves
Who Are Revgear
Revgear is one of the original martial arts brands and has earned recognition since the early days of MMA in the 1990s. They have equipment and clothing for many combat sports, and the catalog is very extensive.
With such a long history and so many industry professionals putting their trust in the brand, you can be confident that Revgear knows their craft inside and out.
Revgear knows what customers look for and have created the S5 boxing gloves to answer all boxing glove needs in a single package. Let’s first look at what Revgear says are the key benefits of the S5 model:
I've spent hard training sessions testing the Revgear S5 boxing gloves and I've listed my thoughts below!
Craftsmanship And Quality
Leather/Material
The leather is the best part of the quality of the glove. It is premium leather, and it has a nice texture and feel to it. It feels thick and durable and is one to last. The tightness is just right, so the leather is the best part of this glove in terms of quality.
There is a piece of mesh on the palm, which does provide breathability in addition to the ventilated thumb. Having mesh palms is more of a preference.
Some people like it, and others don't because it wears out faster than leather. But the mesh piece in the S5 is not big, and you will be parrying with the padded part of the palm anyway, so the mesh would not be a problem for durability.
Stitching
The stitching on the S5 All-rounder leaves a lot to be desired. Some places are stitched well, but there are also spots where the stitches pull the leather too hard. Then there are threads sticking out in some areas and stitches that are not in line. Something that Revgear needs is better quality control.
Lining
The lining is another area where the S5 gloves are of sub-optimal quality. The lining is some standard nylon, which wicks sweat nicely but doesn't have a very nice feeling because it has ridges all over. Without hand wraps, I can feel it while punching, which is irritating.
Then there is a big label inside with some safety information and another smaller label with the gloves' size. The feel of both is very annoying without hand wraps and is the thing I dislike about these gloves the most.
Padding
After going through the glove's worst parts, we return to the positive stuff. The padding is multilayered, so it can perform on all fronts, from bags to sparring. It is nicely rounded around the knuckle for extra protection.
I can say the distribution is excellent, and I haven't felt any discomfort or pain when hitting or blocking. The protection on the knuckles, in particular, is excellent.
There is a small piece of padding on the palm, which is perfect for parrying. Traditional boxing gloves lack this feature, but the S5 is a versatile glove suitable for all combat sports.
The palm padding is excellent for parrying kicks and knees. It is also perfect for Dutch-style drills used heavily in kickboxing, where partners trade combos and each uses their gloves like pads.
Comfort and feel
Shape/Bulk
The shape of the glove is very nice, not too big or too small. I have the 14-ounce version, and the outer size is reasonably big. The shape is rounded all around, especially on the knuckles. Like I've said before, I hate bulky boxing gloves because they make life unnecessarily complex, and while the S5 is not small, it's not huge.
The inside hand compartment is also well-sized. It is big enough to fit your hand with full hand wraps without being too snug. But it is also not too big and spacey, and you can get away with training without hand wraps.
Comfort
The Revgear S5 All-Rounder gloves are comfortable and feel good on the hands after they've broken in after a few rounds.
What I like the most about the feel is that the grip bar and thumb are placed very well, and when you clench your hand, it forms a perfect, tight fist with no unnecessary gaps that can lead to injury. The glove is quite stiff out of the box and will require some time to break in properly.
The gloves are very easy to slip in and out of, which I like. I also like the feeling of the thumb and palm, and in the final score I will give for these gloves, the only thing that takes away points in the comfort department is the lining and terrible inside labels.
Wrist Protection
Wrist protection is again at an average level, thanks to the mid-length wrist. I believe this is a design feature to fit the recurring theme of the S5, which is an all-around glove. This is not only in terms of exercises but also in terms of combat sports disciplines.
The wrist protection stands between a very tight boxing-style wrist and a flexible Thai-style wrist. You have good enough wrist protection, but you also have some available wrist motion necessary for clinching.
The Velcro strap is nothing special, but it works as intended and will last a long time.
Visuals
Revgear offers two-color options, all of which look nice with a vertical brand name, a horizontal model tag, and a logo on the thumb. The overall visuals are clean.
Bag work
I’ve tested the Revgear S5 gloves on all fronts to see if they really are a worthy all-rounder. On the bag, the performance is very good. The protection on the knuckles is excellent, and at no point have I felt pain or discomfort with the 14-ounce version.
The padding is very firm, which makes it ideal for bag work, and if you are looking for a glove with which you can swing with full power and not worry about feeling it, the S5 is a good candidate.
Personally, I like to feel my punches a bit more, while the rounded design and padding of the S5 provide more protection than feel. Which is, of course, ideal for those looking for that type of glove.
Sparring
Sparring-wise, the S5 also performs well. They are on the stiffer side of things, but not so much that it's bad. After a bit of a breaking-in period, I suspect the gloves will soften further and become better for sparring.
But they are still good out of the box. They are perfect for sparring where I train, just not as soft as some other dedicated sparring gloves.
Price and Competitors
Revgear has set a price of $89 for their S5 model ($80 using code "SWEETSCIENCE"), which is fair for what they offer. You will always have to compromise at that price point, and here it is with the quality control in terms of stitching and lining.
But for 90 bucks, you get a single pair of gloves, which you can use for everything in the gym, and the performance is good enough on all fronts.
These are also versatile and can be used for pure boxing, kickboxing, and MMA striking sparring, but they will serve kickboxers and those who do a lot of partner drills the best.
Summary
As an all-round pair of gloves, the Revgear S5 gloves do the trick. It's why we ranked them the best boxing gloves on a budget. They are cheap enough to not break the bank while giving you the versatility of use within your training. If you want premium boxing gloves that will last a lifetime, then you must check out my Hit N Move All Day Balance Boxing Gloves review.
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Revgear S5 Boxing Gloves
