CUT: Flat w/half-negative fingers. Palm extensively grooved to imitate musculature of hand. Extended wrist w/Velcro wrap closure
FIT: Goes on like a pair of dishwashing gloves. Backhand support is minimal, but very lightweight (a selling point). Snug without being restrictive. I wear 10/10.5/11 depending on the cut, and went with 11's on these, as they were advertised as being tight-fitting
LATEX: Duo-colored Aquasoft. Thickness probably 2.5mm, but I'm guessing
AVAILABILITY: Out now @ specialist shops & retailers alike
PRICE: 70 pounds/$120
REVIEW: I was eager to try these out the day I got them -- something about wanting to see if Uhlsport's claims of Aquasoft having 40% higher grip (especially in wet conditions) held water (sorry). And I've got too many gloves anyway, so gloves are to be bought to be worn; worn out; so more gloves can be bought (that's my thinking, anyway). I test a glove latex's grippiness by holding a ball one-handed face-down -- if no slippage with more than 75% pressure applied, then it looks promising. Aquasoft dry, no slippage from upside-down. But Aquasoft foam spritzed w/water from a spray bottle then left to dry a few hours before using is fantastic. On par with Absolutgrip in dry conditions, IMO. Problem being, with no outdoor/extreme weather to try them out on, I opted to use them indoors for a 6-a-side match.
Using super-soft Gunn cuts as my match gloves up until this point, the Akkurats took some getting used to. They have less surface area in which to catch with, but the sensitiviity and hand-to-ball contact seems better than dual-adhesion foams. A goal I conceded that I'd gotten half-a-hand on, I could feel the change of ball-spin through my fingertips as it spun past
Distributing the ball w/overhand throws, a couple of times I chucked it into the rafters (the indoor arena I play at has low-hanging rafters about 30' off the floor) when I wouldn't normally.
I also tried to parry a hard volley on the rise over the crossbar and the glove slowed the momentum of the shot so much I had to make sure the ball didn't die in mid-air and come down over the goal-line.
In a goal mouth scramble, I'd initially collected a loose ball one-handed (so sure the grip was I had in fielding it), but lost it as I was falling to my knees (it was cleared). Aquasoft almost engenders a feeling of over-confidence that you've gotten it, when in fact proper technique will insure as much
DURABILITY: In under an hour of play indoors (articificial turf), saw a small nick in the little finger of non-favored hand -- nothing major & to be expected given that these are made for extreme conditions (wet/outdoors). Probably made 5 saves on the night. The backhand has abrasion-resistant silicon overlays on the fingers for punching; no scuffs or marks
SUMMARY: There's been mention of Uhl biting off the adidas X-tenso's of a few seasons ago. Conceptually, they are the same, though the Akkurat Aquasoft's are touted as a wet-weather glove. Having not worn them initially for review purposes under those express conditions, I can't speak to them holding up in the wet (maybe later when my outdoor season gets underway in a few weeks). I'll say they look striking; are quite light & minimalist in the protection they afford, but with good "breathability"; grip when dry rates high, but, as I said, after dampening, is better than dual-adhesion foams on the market. High marks for "feel" (tactile sensation of ball-to-glove).
I am something of an Uhl brand loyalist, I admit, and probably will remain so. Most TGB'ers seem to think Uhl has lost the plot as of late, insofar as listening to what hardcore keepers desire. This may be so & my review of the Akkurat's "shortcomings" may in fact be down to not acclimating to it's differences from my usual game gloves. I will say they are not "bad," so much as "different." Stripped-down and sleek, as opposed to anything with a bowl cut or finger spines
im sorry.. but would never try a glove that looks like the akkurat series does... even if it were the "best" glove there is by reputation... and I have to question uhlsport´s designteam... what were they thinking??? Same goes for adidas as it seems that there 2009 range will be hideous aswell....
Thanks Clang, I'm glad you've reviewed this model because although I've had a lot of Aquasoft gloves I would have steered well clear of this particular model-so it's good to hear some feedback as to what they're actually like!!!!!
Haha I reserve my right to make shallow, immature comments regarding glovedesign.... All Im saying is that for me, the design is a big factor when deciding between gloves. Of course we´re all different and have different preferences to what we think look good. But just my 2 cents... It´s´a shame that you didn´t get the chance to design them bigrobo. Coz the absorbframe you´ve photoshoped (the yellow - black) does really look good! That design + a wrapped thumb would really do it for me! And make me change from Nike to Uhlsport again!
But did forget to thank you clang for your review! It´s people like you that makes this community interesting and useful. Kudos.
Thanks 1 and all for feedback.
Towards the end of solving the "problem" of getting used to an Aquasoft glove w/greater surface area, JK has their SMU of the Aquasoft Chimera. Not quite so busy looking, if aesthetics are important
The guy I deal with buying gloves locally told me he'd re-established gotten an Uhl account some years after the company being in the wilderness in the US, so I jumped at the chance to order from him (+ we're experiencing a recession here, so I wanted to give him my business!). May update my review to include what the Akkurats are actually made for (crummy conditions). I didn't consider this, too, but the fabric the body is made of isn't climate-controlled (like Outlast). If it's cold & wet while playing, the water might keep Aquasoft's gripping properties up but the insides of your hands clammy. So in that respect, maybe they're better for modeate climates like CA/FL/TX/AZ,/Dubai/springtime/Oceania-Asia during its rainy season. and indoors, HA!
2.5mm is too thin for my liking. Although I don't care for the design either, consistently thin palms is what has put me off Uhlsport in recent years. That, and non-wrapped thumbs. And no internal latex.
justin07: 2.5mm is too thin for my liking. Although I don't care for the design either, consistently thin palms is what has put me off Uhlsport in recent years. That, and non-wrapped thumbs. And no internal latex.
Possibly my favourite thing about this forum.....the diverse range of opinions we get (and the vast majority of times the fact that its appreciated that everyone is different). I for example just cannot ake to internal latex and like a thinner palm, cant actually say I'm fussed about wrapped thumbs either way.
Other than this what intrigues me most about the above glove is its fit. It looks pretty unique to me and seems to be going in the complete opposite diredtion of the current trend of thick/bulky roll figer cut gloves.
Partly it's the principle. Uhlsport doesn't offer options that just about every other company offers, and I can't understand why they don't, so I've basically written them off in favor of the companies that listen to feedback.
justin07: Partly it's the principle. Uhlsport doesn't offer options that just about every other company offers, and I can't understand why they don't, so I've basically written them off in favor of the companies that listen to feedback.
Similar here Justin. I was a dedicated Uhlsport man and wore the Speczial Glove for my first 4 seasons. Then The Selsport Wrappa came along and Ive just not seen Uhlsport in that same light again. Thats just my opinion though and I guess can be a little short sighted as Ive not worn Uhlsport gloves since 2001, but I just feel Uhlsport have not offered what they could have.
I was in the same boat. Wore nothing but Spezials for the longest time. Then i switched to the Wrappa but when they were not available in the US on a regular basis I had to switch again. Uhlsport fell off the list as they didn't appeal anymore.
I often feel like I'm a proffessional Uhlsport moaner, but they do infuriate me in lots of different ways, that said, I do like their single-mindedness in doing something different, and though I love Aqua-soft, I'll probably, on balance, steer clear of these.
They do need to sort Absolutgrip out and make their top end gloves available in Aquasoft-They're getting left behind by Sells,Selsport, Nike and Reusch; companies who are giving people what they want.
I wish they'd come on TGB and talk about why they do, what they do and get some feedback from people and answer their critics once and for all.
To be honest, I wish uhlsport would make their top gloves available with 4mm Super Soft they give to endorsees. Absolutgrip is my least favorite "high-end" foam, it feels way too thin and is way too inconsistent for me to feel confident in. I liked Aquasoft, but typically do not use wet weather specific foam.
Totally agree guys that uhlsport just seem to be way off the mark with certain things, this goes not just into gloves and clothing but their whole brand and approach i.e the 'pro patch issue' we like to bring up on TGB.
It seems that they don't listen at all to their customers and seem very bullish in their approach. A sort of 'Its their way or the highway' attitude.....