Twin Special Gloves Review 2018
Twins Special has been a leading brand in the production of boxing gloves for years now. It's one of the most prominent glove brands in Thailand, and anyone who has trained in Muay Thai more than likely has owned a pair or more of Twins. Since the brand produces numerous of gloves, I wanted to take a minute to dive deeper into all of them. My Twins Special Gloves review will detail the important features so that you will have a clearer picture of the brand's products to help you decide which pair of gloves will work better for your needs.
Boxing Gloves
Size/Weight
The Embossed Gloves come in the fewest amount of sizes: 8, 10, and 12 oz. Both the 8 oz. and the 10 oz. are typically used during amateur fights. People usually save the 12 oz. for training purposes.
For the Boxing or Air Flow Gloves, they come in the most sizes: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 oz. The smaller sizes from 6-10 oz. will be found on fighters in professional bouts. Whereas the heavier ones can be found on those training.
Lastly, the Fancy Boxing Gloves are available in the following sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 oz. As per usual, the 8 and 10 oz. are standard in fights, while the 12, 14, and 16 oz. are used by many while training.
When you are selecting your glove, it is important that you choose the right one for your specific method of use. You will want to go for a 10 oz. or smaller if you are competing. These are lighter gloves and are common amongst those competing no matter which martial art they practice.
If you go for a 12 oz. glove, you may still be able to get away with it in competing as women and those with smaller hands tend to have to use that size. However, gloves that are above 12 oz. are reserved for training. Generally though, the higher the number, the heavier the glove. It has more padding for a greater level of protection, making them ideal for training purposes in comparison to the lighter weight gloves.
Design
The standard Boxing Gloves and Airflow Gloves lines are not designed with any kind of patterns that jump out at you. Rather, they simply have the Twins Special logo; some have it once on the back of the glove while others have it there and also on the wrist straps. Other than that, the Boxing and Airflow Gloves just come in a range of different colors.
Embossed Gloves are about the same in terms of appearance. In fact, they actually don't have as many color options as the previous two.
Now, if you are looking for something that will stand out in the crowd, then you may want to turn your attention to the Fancy Boxing Gloves line. The only difference between this line and the Boxing and Airflow Gloves are aesthetics. However, the Fancy Gloves do live up to their name.
The Fancy Gloves line feature a number of color designs and patterns, all of which are bold and will have anyone doing a double take to your gloves. Some have intricate dragons drawn on in gold or silver, the dragons proudly standing out against backdrops of purple, red, black, etc. Others feature flag designs from various countries like China, Thailand, the Philippines, and the United States.
For those of you who are looking to make a statement with your gloves, then you want to go for the Fancy Boxing Gloves line. If aesthetics do not concern you much, then you can stick with the Boxing Gloves, Airflow Gloves, or Embossed lines.
Concerning the rest of the design, all of the boxing gloves are remarkably secure. They contain Velcro fasteners that both add security and allow for an easier time putting them on and taking them off without help.
These have an attached thumb and the ability to open a bit more overall due to the fact that they are made with Muay Thai fighters in mind. Since Muay Thai requires clinching, the fighters require more mobility in their hands. Some users appreciate this flexibility in the gloves while others may feel it to be a tad awkward.
Also, another design choice that indicates the gloves are meant for Muay Thai (or even kickboxing) is the additional side padding. This extra bit of side padding is useful in catching both punches and kicks.
Protection
Twins Special are known for providing some great protection in their boxing gloves. As previously mentioned, the gloves have additional side padding for parrying kicks. Beyond that, there is a good amount of knuckle protection that can serve you well during training against a heavy bag.
It is perhaps due to all of this padding that the gloves can come across as bulky. Also, these do require a breaking in period as they can be tight at first due to all of the padding. Nevertheless, all of the padding does well at keeping your hands safe.
There is good wrist support with the gloves as well thanks to the sturdy, high-quality Velcro wrist strap.
Comfort & Durability
Although it may take a minute to break in these gloves, once you have loosened them up, they fit well enough. The padding ensures that your hands won't feel fatigued after heavy use. Some models even have an air mesh inside for breathability. Unfortunately, not all of the boxing gloves have this, so some may lack the ability to breathe.
As for durability, the gloves are all made from 100% cowhide. This genuine leather is meant to hold up over time. No matter how hard you hit, the stitching shouldn't tear so you should be able to use these gloves for awhile.
Training Bag Gloves
Size/Weight
The Training Bag Gloves are offered in four sizes: Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large. As these gloves are meant to be used just for training for pad work or bag work, they are generally sized according to how well they fit on the individual person. To help you get a general idea, a small size can usually equal out to a 12 oz. glove
Design
These bag gloves are designed to help you get the most out of your training sessions. They are made to fit snug, so they do not come across as nearly as bulky as the boxing gloves. As for the wrist, it is simply elastic.
When it comes to aesthetics, they are just as plain as the regular boxing gloves, however. As you are simply meant to just train with these, aesthetics usually are not an issue with anyone. They do come in a number of colors, most of which you can find on the company's website.
If you are looking to purchase a pair of these training gloves, then understand that they do come designed in two separate ways: full thumb or half thumb style.
Protection
The training bag gloves offer more than enough padding to keep you safe while using the likes of Thai pads or punching bags. Because of this, they are rather hard since they need to keep you safe. That makes them too much to be used in sparring as they will more than likely hurt your sparring partner.
They don't appear to require as much of a breaking in period as the boxing gloves, however. Users seem to appreciate the snug fit more than anything.
Comfort & Durability
As with other Twins Special Gloves, these are made using 100% cowhide leather so they are designed to withstand heavy abuse. Feel free to train as hard as you'd like and not worry about these gloves giving up on you anytime soon.
When it comes to comfort, these training gloves don't feel too constricting even though they fit snug. If you opt to go for the half thumb style, you even get an extra bit of ventilation as well to increase airflow. Some users even note that the half thumb design allowed them extra freedom to do things such as additional exercises or work a stopwatch without removing their gloves.
Conclusion
It seems like Twins Special isn't slowing down anytime soon as a leading producer in boxing gloves whether for use in competition or training in the gym. Their gloves are all handmade and built to last, making them a favorite among professionals and hobbyist alike. I hope that my Twins Special Gloves review answered any questions you may have about the brand and the gloves they offered so you can decide which pair are right for you.
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