This review by Aaron McKenzie on the Onx Sports 16oz gloves.
I have been using them for about 6 months now and feel comfortable giving a detailed review that’s not just first impressions. I use them for sparring, mitt work, teaching, and a heavy bag work.
The reason I became interested in these gloves is I broke my 2nd metacarpal in my right hand in a fight last March and hurt it again leading up to my fight in December and during the fight in December. I heard about them from Justin big pygmy Wren and decided I would start looking in to them. I couldn’t find any reviews on them online because they’re still very new and there’s not a lot of info out yet. I’m a big review reader and the information I get leading up to a purchase is vital to my decision making process. I figure there are others out there like me so that’s why I’m making this review now.
I reached out to coach Trevor Wittman to possibly order a pair and he gave me more info on the gloves and told me how he has had hand injuries in the past and has watched countless fighters hurt their hands in other gloves. This was part of why he wanted to design a better and safer glove for fighters so I told him let’s do it.
A few days later I had a brand new box on my door step with a cool onx logo on it.
Inside the box was the gloves, a pair of gsox, a few decals, an instruction and serial number card and a key chain. The gloves looked great and had an awesome leather smell out of the box. Coach T and the instruction card told me how important and beneficial heat molding the gloves was, so I did that the first night I got them.
The process was simple enough, apply heat with a blue dryer for a few minutes then wear the gloves as tight as possible for a little while and I can say without a doubt it made for an amazing fit. I can literally feel my knuckle imprints inside the gloves. He said this process helps loosen up the gloves and help them have a more broken in feel and he was right.
Review:
I’m going to go ahead and fast forward a few months now after having used the gloves. Coach T recommends using the gloves without hand wraps and that’s what I’ve done since I’ve had them. This has been a crazy and wild time saver for me beats after breaking my hand I was trying to figure out any way I could to wrap my hands safer and keep them from hurting again including using old fight tape jobs retaped and those things with my old gloves still don’t feel as good as the Onx gloves.
In my old gloves I would struggle to be able to make a fist sometimes and now I know that’s not a good thing.
Fit:
I have average sized hands and they fit tight and comfortable on all sides. Especially to the edges of the hands which is different than my old gloves where there was room to slide around a little bit. The dual x straps seem to really lock my hand in and keep my wrist firm and hard to bend. There’s a lot less flexion than any other gloves I’ve worn which should keep me from hurting my wrists by them accidentally bending during a punch.
– only possible con: my professor tried on the gloves and he has large hands and he thought they were a little tight. (But this will be remedied by the new 18oz I have been told they have a larger hand compartment.)
Comfort:
These gloves are the most comfortable I’ve ever worn. The heat molding and high quality foam really adds a level of comfort I’ve never had in a pair of gloves before. That along with the ease of hand squeeze and ability to close and open my fist makes them very comfortable.
-con: the wrist protection can kind of pinch sometimes if the gloves were over tightened. But that loosened up as the gloves broke in more and is no longer an issue.
Face punch shock review:
The foam has a decently firm feeling to it from the outside and a softer firm feeling on the inside. This is different from my old gloves which seemed to be overly pillow soft on the inside and outside.
I was a little worried about the firmer feeling foam possibly hurting my sparring partners but that was never an issue.
I asked my sparring partners over the course of the first few weeks of sparring if the gloves hurt any more than others and if they noticed them being any harder and everyone said they were good. No problem or extra hardness at all.
Probably my favorite part of the gloves is the way the absorb shocks. I’ve hit countless skulls and elbows on the point and I feel it hit the glove but I do not feel any pain in my hand. The gloves dissipate the shock like none I’ve ever felt. I would feel every elbow in my old gloves and they did not feel good. Whatever foams they’re using are absolutely top notch I believe.
Materials:
The leather feels, looks, and smells great. You can see the care that coach Whittman puts into the stitching. The heat molded foam and other shock absorbing foams all feel top notch like a world class super car interior. You can definitely tell there was a lot of thought put in to the makeup of the gloves.
Final thoughts:
I absolutely love these gloves. I’m not being paid for this review or anything like that but I can without a doubt say I don’t think I will ever wear another glove. I would recommend them to anybody even my own mother. If you’re thinking about buying these gloves then do it. Even if you’re not thinking about buying them. Do it anyway. You will not regret it and I promise you that.
Thank you very much for your time and I hope this helps anyone on the fence about buying these gloves!
In the words of the founder:
“At ONX, we wanted to create a glove that was designed for performance. We understand the need for change. The increased evolution in combat sports is evident. We believe the need to evolve the equipment is now.”
The X-Factor Glove is the future. This technology stands alone in the competition of performance. The X-Factor glove is designed to leverage the users desired support of the wrist, the carpal and the metacarpal bones in the hand, while supporting your grip and hand position. While the internal strapping allows for adjustable sizing and support.
We know new perspectives and changing the norm with equipment will ignite optimism. Thinking differently have been a key asset to Trevor Wittman’s success. Wittman is the founder of ONX and the mastermind behind the designs.
He knew making a glove that would not need handwraps was outside the box and would be hard to comprehend for the user. So he spent 5 years testing the X-Factor technology with world class athletes and champions. His tests were structured to allow the tester to wear wraps, as this has been the norm in the industry. But also asked of the tester, was to wear the gloves with out wraps a minimum of one training session a week with out the wraps. Through his testing and feedback, many were reluctant to try the gloves with out wraps. The results of the tests were all in favor of no wraps with the X-Factor gloves.
X-Factor is the only wrapless glove on the market. Be different, be unique, be premium.
USES/SIZING/FIT
The X-Factor glove is available in three weights. 12oz. – 16oz. – 18oz.
– 12oz. GLOVE
- SPARRING: This glove makes a great full contact sparring glove for female or male athletes with a training weight of 135lbs or below. With the premium technology foam will benefit your hands and your partners. It also makes a great Tech-Sparring glove for athletes with a training weight of 165lbs or below.
- BAG WORK: This glove makes a great addition to grinding. With its unique fist compartment and Premium tech foam, the glove will withstand all bags from hardest heavy bags on the market.
- MITTS: This glove makes a great mitt glove, beacuse of its narrow design and premium tech foam. Recommended for users with a training weight of 165lbs or below.
– 16oz. GLOVE
- SPARRING: This glove makes a great full contact sparring glove for female or male athletes with a training weight of 195lbs or below. With the premium technology foam will benefit your hands and your partners. It also makes a great Tech-Sparring glove for athletes with a training weight of 214lbs or below.
- BAG WORK: This glove makes a great addition to grinding. With its unique fist compartment and Premium tech foam, the glove will withstand all bags from hardest heavy bags on the market.
- MITTS: This glove makes a great mitt glove, beacuse of its narrow design and premium tech foam. Recommended for users with a training weight of 215lbs or below.
– 18oz. GLOVE
- SPARRING: This glove makes a great full contact sparring glove for female or male athletes with a training weight of 285lbs or below. With the premium technology foam will benefit your hands and your partners. It also makes a great Tech-Sparring glove for athletes with a training weight of 300lbs or below.
- BAG WORK: This glove makes a great addition to grinding. With its unique fist compartment and Premium tech foam, the glove will withstand all bags from hardest heavy bags on the market.
- MITTS: This glove makes a great mitt glove, beacuse of its narrow design and premium tech foam. Recommended for users with a training weight of 300lbs or below.
To buy the glove, visit: ONX Sports
