Spada Elite Gloves - Review

Having reviewed the Vortex glove, loving it and using it as my main riding glove I was excited to see what the Elite would bring to the table - the bar is set high so lets see how it performs.

Initial Thoughts

Spada is a bit of an enigma in motorcycling circles, a brand that consistantly delivers high end technology and construction wrapped up in a mid range price tag it is all to often overlooked in favour of more recognisable brand names, those of us who have got wise to the industry simply love the kit Spada produces and time and again it picks up industry awards and accolades over its more expensive competitors, to give a superb example the Elite is Spada's top offering for a race/sport glove and yet it costs between 30-60% less than most other comparable products - interested?

Construction

If you have read the reviews on here you will no doubt know that I scored the Vortex glove by Spada incredibly highly - gaining top marks in all tests which gave it the benchmark for others to follow - until recently though nothing really compared and my review Vortex remained on my mitts as my day to day riding glove, the Elite tries to expand on the protection level of the Vortex by including a honeycomb gel under the knuckle area which is designed to reduce force from any impact, much of the glove construction is similar and as such gives you a relatively light and comfortable product from the outset.

My initial feeling from the Elite was that it felt remarkably similar in a lot of ways to the Vortex but in terms of sizing the XL I had was bigger, I went out to find a retailer with the Elite in stock and other XL's seemed to be the same size - no massive problem though as you can go with a large and get exactly the right fit, however in terms of consistant sizing across the brand range it is worth pointing out for those of you inclined to buy over the interweb. Other than the finger length and girth being a touch bigger than I would have liked though the general construction does follow on from what you would expect of a Spada product, the kangaroo leather palm is soft and supple from the outset and the uppers a touch thicker cow leather with kevlar across the back of the hand for additional protection.

The Elite also offers Keprotech areas where the risk of abrasion is high in the event of an off and TPU sliders across the finger knuckles and wrist, the slider on the wrist is a touch cumbersome with tight fitting jacket sleeves but the wrist closure system opens up using a three panel system, the palm features an armour pad at the base of the thumb as well as a leather pad at the Scaphoid position which should offer a little extra protection when it is needed. In terms of ventilation the Elite is similar to the Vortex with punched leather along the finger which really does make a difference when it is needed, if anything I would say the Elite is a touch warmer but it is hardly noticable when you are moving.

Getting on to the price, well the SRP of the Elite is £79.99 - a top level race glove that can go against some of the very best for that money is incredible in itself, looking at the quality of some of the other offerings though the Spada construction is equal to or better than most and having worn other Spada models over extended periods the Elite should last a decent amount of time - in terms of my Vortex I have had them for 12 months, they still look and feel pretty good and have no split seams or loose threads, I would expect the Spada Elite Gloves to offer similar longevity.

• Full leather racing glove
• Pre-curved fingers
• Palm in kangaroo leather
• TPU ‘honeycombe’ composite moulds on knuckes and cuff
• Stretch panel on figers
• Coolmax lining in palm to draw away moisture
• Kevlar lining on back of hand
• Keprotec inserts at high abrasion points
• Carbon mould at thumb base
• Double leather reinforcement in palm
• Velcro closure at cuff and wrist
• Leather scaphoid defender
• All critical seams stitched using kevlar thread
• Attachment hooks

SIZES: Mens: XS - XXL­