Hayabusa Pro 10oz Gloves

Introduction

Hayabusa is one of the top MMA brands in the market now, and I love their products for the simple yet elegant designs, the cool falcon logo, as well as the high quality and innovative product features.

The technology put into their 10oz gloves does not disappoint as well. However, they've decided to go with only one weight - 10oz for the bag gloves, and a separate weight of 16oz for sparring gloves, nothing in between.

Official Specs

• Premium leather gloves
• Unmatched comfort due to natural curvature and breathable design
• Ultimate hand and wrist protection for both fast and hard hitting
• Secure fit and exclusive lining prevents shifting and slippage
• Crafted with only the best material and design to withstand the most grueling bag work and support optimum striking performance with every punch

Aesthetics

This is one cool looking pair of gloves. Instead of flashy flames or dragons, it has a simple white print of a peregrine falcon. Not something you see on a glove everyday. The white thumb area also makes it slightly more interesting than regular all black gloves.

Both the bird and the Hayabusa logo are printed on, but show no sign of fading so far after a couple month's use.

Form & Fit

At 10oz, the gloves seem a bit small at first glance, but is pretty roomy inside. It's a bit stiff inside at first, but softens up after some use. The inner lining is a slightly rough/textured which allows it to grip on and prevent shifting of the hand, but it's not so rough that it feels uncomfortable. I wouldn't have noticed it if not for using the Everlast gloves with silky smooth lining.

The lack of other weight choices may be a factor for some who prefer larger/heavier weighted gloves, but I've seen the 16oz gloves and they don't look that much bigger and fit almost the same.

Functionality

Hayabusa's gloves offer a dual strap system for increased wrist protection, and I must say it certainly feels very snug on the wrist with little or no shifting. It has an inner velcro strap that wraps around like a regular strap, and an outer strap that goes over the inner strap to further tighten it.

From a practical perspective though, my first concern was the amount of time it'd take to strap on the gloves as we do put on and take off our gloves a few times during a training session at my gym. (Fumbling with straps when everyone else is ready is not cool.)

Fortunately, the inner strap has a bit of elastic, which allows me to keep the inner strap on all times after adjusting to my wrist size, and only use the outer strap like a regular pair of gloves. The downside is that slipping on the gloves can be a little tight.

Despite being a 10oz, the foam padding is still good at absorbing shock. During padwork and heavy bagwork, I can go fairly hard without needing handwraps. The curvature of the glove is spot on, and I can feel my knuckles against the bags instead of my fingers.

Being a fan of light gloves, this one is excellent for working speed and technique. It is after all, a bag glove. In the same vein, this is not the most suitable gloves for sparring, even light sparring. While it does a great job of protecting your knuckles, it's not so face friendly for your sparring partners.

Affordability

Official US price is US$ 85 (SGD$ 110) and is pretty much in the same price range as other quality boxing/MMA brand gloves. You do need to factor in additional for shipping to SEA, which might cost anything between US$15 to US$40, bumping up the price by a significant margin.

Unfortunately, it's not easily available through official sources in SEA thanks to our relatively younger MMA scene here, although there is an official Australian distributor if you visit the Hayabusa website. That said, prices are actually more expensive than US prices, and I'm not sure you save that much on shipping, unless of course, you're in Australia.

An easy alternative is to get a pair off eBay, some sellers offer free international shipping or other freebies, making it fairly accessible and affordable.

Conclusion

If you're already paying almost US$80 for a pair of gloves, you might want to consider stepping it up just a bit more for a pair of quality branded gloves, if you can find decent shipping options. You're paying for quality and technology that's worth every penny in my opinion.

Disclaimer

All comments in the review are my own personal opinion. Prices provided in brackets are merely for reference and are based on exchange rates at the time of writing. 

If you like this review and found it helpful, please post a comment or let the company or retailer know too. Should you decide to purchase them online, you might want to consult the online buying guide for advice.