Bearpaw Bodnik Speed Glove

I have to admit I wasn't too keen on this glove when it first arrived. For a start it had cuts all over the leather.

I contacted the retailer straight away to complain, but found out that it was supposed to be that way. So cue a rant about hipster aesthetics. In fairness it looks fine, I get where they were going with it.

Design and Build Quality

The quality is actually very good. The image here is after a couple of years (not used all the time) and it is still going strong.

The stitching is still ok, and it has been used to dig around in the wood for lost arrows, rubbed against god-knows what and treated pretty badly.

Visually, it's had a bit of wear around the edges, but since they were going for that hipster vibe from the start it's hard to tell if the marks are from wear or if they were there at the start. I guess that's a good design/marketing strategy in the long term.

One thing I didn't fancy was the bright white branding running around the edge of the glove. Older Bearpaw gloves I've had don't go so crazy with the branding and they're the better for it. But again, you get used to it. As long as the glove works as a glove you can forgive unnecessary additions.

Comfort and Fit

Comfort has to be one of the main concerns with a shooting glove and this one was... fine. The large version was good enough for the three sausages I stuffed into them.

But, I did not initially like the X8 textile used in the fingers. At the time I was trying to replace my old Bearpaw Damascus glove, and the difference was pretty stark. The Damascus glove let you feel the string, to the point when at 45#, my fingers were starting to hurt, but it was worth it for the release you could get. When changing to the Speed glove, it was like having a sheet of cardboard between your fingers and the string. Very little feeling and the worst bit was, it felt so slippery in comparison.

Many months later I was stuck for a glove and had to go for the 'emergency' Speed glove that lived in the boot of my car. When you have no other options, you're just happy that you have a shooting glove, so I cracked on, didn't shoot as well as normal but as I say, it was just nice to have a glove.

The next week I forget my glove again and go with the emergency glove. From this point I just stick with the Speed glove and shooting improves. I guess the moral of the story is that you can get used to any shooting glove as long as you've got no other choice and have formed the leather to the right shape over a few weeks of use.

The search for the ultimate shooting glove continues. But f durability is an important factor in a glove, this might be the one for you.