Nokona Catchers Mitt Review
We are doing a Nokona catchers mitt review because Nokona is renowned for its quality in the baseball accessory manufacturing industry. These quality and expensive products are used by MLB players apart from the starters, youths, adults, and professionals. Nokona has four different series of gloves that are the most popular – Alpha, X2 Elite, AmericanKIP, and Walnut. All these series of gloves have products for different field positions.
In this article, I will do the Nokona catchers mitt review and try to suggest a suitable option for you. Keep in mind that we are talking only about the catchers mitt and not the best baseball catchers gear. Let’s find out whether Nokona has your most cherished gear in their basket or not.
Table of Contents
FEATURES | Alpha | X2 Elite | Walnut | AmericanKIP |
Image | ||||
Size | 30’’, 32'' | 33.5'' | 33.5'' | 33.5'' |
Material | Leather | Leather | Leather | Leather |
Break-in time | Game ready | Shorter | Shorter | Longer |
Age range | Youth (12+) | Adult | Adult | Adult |
Web pattern | Closed web | Closed web | Closed web | Closed web |
Color variants | Brown | Brown | Brown | Navy, gray, black, white, and blonde. |
Hand orientation | Right-hand throw | Right-hand throw | Right-hand throw | Right-hand throw |
Type | Catcher | Catcher | Catcher | Catcher |
Weight | 590 g, 630 g | 690 g | 660 g | 680 g |
Price |
As I mentioned earlier, Nokona has four popular series of baseball gloves. Like other brands, these different series of gloves do not differ in quality and grade. All of them are premium and hence priced almost similarly. Let’s find the features of all different baseball gloves on Nokona.
We all know that a closed web is the most popular web pattern for a catcher’s mitt. All three series of Nokona catcher’s mitts have closed web patterns to give the catcher enough support so that he can stop the ball in place. However, dual post or half-moon web patterns are also typical for catcher’s mitt of some other brands.
All of the Nokona catcher’s mitts are for the right-hand throwers. Therefore, these gloves go on the left hand, and the player throws with the right hand. The majority of the baseball players are right-hand throwers. Therefore, gloves for the right-hand throwers are readily available.
AmericanKIP series catcher’s mitt comes with modern color variants such as navy, gray, black, white, and blonde. In addition, all the catcher’s mitts are of an open-back design. Therefore, they have more flexibility in the wrist area.
The color of the lace is an important aesthetic factor. It is equally or sometimes more important than the color of the glove itself. Considering this, Nokona gives 14 different color options for the laces.
Nokona catcher’s mitts are expensive. All four series of gloves have a similar price. They are not classified in terms of price. Instead, the difference is in the design and the type of leather used. Although expensive, the rate is slightly higher. In fact, Nokona is one of the most positively rated gloves in the market, although the price is exorbitant. Therefore, I never doubt the value for money of any of the catcher’s mitt of this brand.
All different series of Nokona catcher’s mitts are high-quality, durable leather. The AmericanKIP series gloves make use of a steer hide. It is usually a kind of full-grain cowhide renowned in the consistency of the grain quality. KIP leather is also famous for its lightweight and softness.
On the other hand, the Alpha series gloves make use of steer hide and super soft leather to make the glove more lightweight and game-ready. This quality has made the Alpha series mitt suitable for starters.
Nokona X2 Elite series catcher’s mitts use Kangaroo leather and Stampede, which is the brand’s proprietary. Stampede is also a kind of steer hide. Combining these leather has made X2 Elite lightweight and game-ready, but not like the Alpha series.
The Walnut series catcher’s mitts use Walnut Crunch leather. This is also proprietary of Nokona. The steer hide gloves are also near to game-ready. However, they are heavier than the other three series of Nokona gloves.
Nokona gloves require less time to prepare for the game than their quality. We know that the break-in time and the quality of a glove are interrelated. If the leather quality of the glove is high, then the break-in period is more.
Nokona Alpha series mitts are made of softer leather. Therefore, they need relatively little time to make them game-ready. The other three series of gloves require more time to break in.
Nokona catcher’s mitts are expensive for beginners. However, the price of the mitts for the professionals is OK compared with other brands. This is because Nokona does not compromise the quality, whether it is a catchers mitt for 13 year olds, youth, or professionals. But as a starter, you may not want to spend that amount of money on your first catcher’s mitt.
Nokona is a premium and expensive glove. However, if you are searching for a professional catcher’s mitt, this one can be a great option.
Nokona catcher’s mitts are suitable for players of different ages. The 30” glove is ideal for youth and beginners. It has 32” and 33.5” mitts for adult players.
Nokona catcher’s mitt is for both adults and youth. The manufacturer designed X2 Elite, Walnut, and AmericanKIP series for adults. The Alpha series is for both youth and adults. In general, the price is a decisive factor for the youth when they purchase their baseball gloves. Nokona gloves may seem pricy for the youth compared to other brands. Therefore, although the quality is top-notch, the number of users of Nokona is not as much as Rawlings(Rawlings Player Preferred) or Wilson.
The AmericanKIP series glove is the stiffest among all the Nokona glove series. Therefore, it requires the most effort to prepare it game-ready. The break-in time is dependent on your expertise and break-in process. The Alpha series gloves are made with super soft leather. Therefore, they are the softest and require the least time to prepare for the game. The other two series are in between. They need a moderate effort to break-in.
32” or less is the recommended size of the catcher’s mitt for the youth. However, an adult who is just learning the game can choose the same size. The Nokona Alpha series offers catcher’s mitts suitable for youth in size and quality. We have you covered if you are looking for the best catchers gear for youth.
Nokona produces high-quality gloves that are suitable for professionals of any level. Some of the MLB players use Nokona gloves. Therefore, the catcher’s mitts are no exception in quality compared to the gloves of any other field positions by Nokona. The mitts are also suitable for adults and professionals.
Nokona does not offer baseball gloves of different prices and equivalent qualities. They never compromise their standard. For this reason, even though they have an excellent reputation regarding their quality, they are not that popular among the mass people. However, think you want to invest in a super comfortable and durable catcher’s mitt.
In that case, the Nokona catcher’s mitt will be one of the top choices. Therefore we hope our Nokona catchers mitt review helped you in finding a good pair.
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