Shoeless Jane Gloves- any experience with these?

[obbay]

First I want to thank CLM265 for asking the question that introduced me to these gloves!
DD will be 15 this fall and has always used the soft, game-ready gloves. Now I'm thinking its time to get a real glove that she won't grow out of and that will last her as long as she takes care of it.

On a post here I saw the shoeless Joe/Jane gloves and it looks like an excellent, well made glove that she can use right away but will also last.

Does anyone have personal experience with these gloves?

DD pitches and plays 3B, sometimes SS. I was thinking of getting a 12" glove, but somewhere in a discussion on those gloves I saw 11.75" recommended over the 12" for IF. Do they run big? DD is not a big girl- 5'-2"/115 and won't be getting any taller .

Thanks!

 

[nanotech14]

Dd and I held some, they look well made and are game ready soft. But other then that don't know anything about them.

 

[CLM265]

The Shoeless Jane gloves sure look like nice gloves but they looked a little to substantial for my 8YO so I ordered her a Mizuno MVP Fastpitch Series 11.75" GMVP1175F1 for $75. The Mizuno looked like a nice glove so we'll have to wait and see. It's really tough to find a workable nice glove that's good quality for a young player that plays a ton of softball.

Mizuno MVP Fastpitch Series: GMVP1175F1

Maybe I'll get her the Shoeless Jane for the next one.

 

[JoeKC]

obbay

My DD has used a 11.75 H-web Shoeless Jane the last season, and is very happy with it. She was having a hard time making quick transitions using a heavy, deep pocketed Nokona, so I ordered 5-6 gloves from Justballgloves.com. Included in that order were higher end Worth, Mizuno, Wilson and Shoeless Jane gloves. She handled and tried-on all of them and immediately chose the Shoeless Jane. The rest were returned to Justballgloves.com for a quick refund. It was a great way to get all the gloves in the same place (my home) so she could compare them side-by-side.

Since she was accustomed to a much bigger/heavier glove, the Shoeless Jane initial felt almost too light weight.... she fussed about the stinging her had a couple of times. Frankly, that lasted only a day or two. The additional feel and shallower pocket eliminated the problem she was experiencing previously transitioning from catching to throwing. She keeps the Nokona in her bag for "outfield" work, but the reality is she probably won't use it again.

The Nokona is a great glove, but that particular model/size was my mistake. I had been buying her inexpensive gloves up to the time she started playing 14U. At that time, I wanted to buy her a glove that would last her the rest of her playing days. I bought a 12.5" glove to "grow into"... There was two things wrong with that choice. First, the 12.5" glove was too big for playing 3B/SS. Secondly, she was playing a very competitive level of ball by that time. Playing over 100 games a year, and practicing a couple of times a week year-around meant she needed the best tools for the current situation, not something to "grow into".

A couple of additional points.... My DD is roughly the same size as your DD (5'3" 120), for what that is worth. I believe the size of the glove should be determined more by the role she has on the field vs her physical stature. To that end, a velcro adjustable strap on the back of the glove allows players to custom fit the glove to their hand size.

Shoeless Jane 11.75 H-Web

 

[obbay]

Thanks JoeKC- sounds like you have already been down the road I'm on! I know the pitcher's glove tends to be bigger, but she fields the position well and I wouldn't want to handcuff her with a heavy glove. that said, I want her to be able to continue to play the left side of the IF as well. thanks!

 

[Sting Ray]

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[Lenski]

First I want to thank CLM265 for asking the question that introduced me to these gloves!
DD will be 15 this fall and has always used the soft, game-ready gloves. Now I'm thinking its time to get a real glove that she won't grow out of and that will last her as long as she takes care of it.

On a post here I saw the shoeless Joe/Jane gloves and it looks like an excellent, well made glove that she can use right away but will also last.

Does anyone have personal experience with these gloves?

DD pitches and plays 3B, sometimes SS. I was thinking of getting a 12" glove, but somewhere in a discussion on those gloves I saw 11.75" recommended over the 12" for IF. Do they run big? DD is not a big girl- 5'-2"/115 and won't be getting any taller .

Thanks!

I don't have personal experience with the Shoeless Jane gloves but have friends that have bought them. They both state that the gloves wear out very quickly.......they get to floppy.

 

[longball00]

My 12U DD has used a 12" Shoeless Jane for 2 years, and absolutely loves it. We bought it while at an out of town tournament between games, drove back in time for warm ups, and it was game ready. We only owned it a half an hour! She had probably played over 200 games with it, plus practice and pitching lessons. They offer a reconditioning/retanning service for $18. You send it back and they take care of it. I sent it in 2 weeks ago for this process to maintain the glove, and had asked them to check the ring finger finger stall because the material in there seemed to bunch up and DD had a hard time getting her finger in it. 4-5 days later, I received the return box. Opened it up, and they sent a brand new glove without even mentioning it to me, and didn't charge me the $18 for the program. That's awesome if you ask me!

Lenski, I have found that if you take care of the glove, and keep it clean, and oiled ( Lexol is the best!) they won't wear out. Because of the softness of the glove, you do have to tighten the strings once in awhile to keep it firm, but any glove needs that.

DD and I are very happy with this glove.

 

[jacman]

I have a shoeless Joe glove I've used for 2 years. It's held up very well for me and is my personal favorite. DD opted for Nokona despite the added weight and break-in time. She's also very happy with hers.