Held Gloves

[ECX585]

Good Evening!

I was just wondering about the HELD PHANTOM GLOVES. Does anybody have a pair? Are they comfortable? Will they last? How bad are they in the colder weather? Will glove liners help?

Thanks

[Guest]

Good Evening!

I was just wondering about the HELD PHANTOM GLOVES. Does anybody have a pair? Are they comfortable? Will they last? How bad are they in the colder weather? Will glove liners help?

Thanks

I have had a pair of Held gloves for a number of years and can highly recommend them. They were made back when Held was a family owned company and the gloves were manufactured in Germany. I cannot vouch for the current gloves. They have worn well under the most severe weather conditions and fit very precisely without any pinching. Glove liners would not fit under these gloves. They can get cold below 32 F.

[VF1000R]

Good Evening!

I was just wondering about the HELD PHANTOM GLOVES. Does anybody have a pair? Are they comfortable? Will they last? How bad are they in the colder weather? Will glove liners help?

Thanks

I have a couple of pairs of the Phantoms that I use exclusively for racing. They are the most comfortable gloves I have ever had. No idea how they do in colder temperatures but I probably wouldn't use them in low temps. I use my TourMasters for cold days.

[Twox48]

Can't speak for the Phantoms but I recently bought some "Steve" model and can say they're the most comfortable gloves I've tried on. As far as longevity goes they're still new so I can only say that I spoke with a guy at the shop I bought them at and he's had 3 pairs in 17 years! He wears them most every day and said he gets 2 times the life from Held than any other brand he's tried...

[Motor_Ref]

Good Evening!

I was just wondering about the HELD PHANTOM GLOVES. Does anybody have a pair? Are they comfortable? Will they last? How bad are they in the colder weather? Will glove liners help?

Thanks

I have a pair of the Akira model. The gloves are very nice.

I started to have a problem with what looked like stitches coming undone.

I called their importer/distributor and they were not very welcoming with warranty service.

I think that the gloves were better when they were made in Germany.

[ECX585]

Thanks for the input, guys. I finally made the jump and ordered Held Phantom gloves for my gf and I from Sportbike Track Gear, and here are my initial impressions:

Contrary to the Held sizing chart, both pairs of gloves were too large. I returned mine for a size smaller and my gf's for two sizes smaller.

The gloves are SERIOUSLY COMFORTABLE, but...........the thumbs are waaaaay too long! I had several different people try them on, and all complained of the thumbs being too long. I'm taking them to a local luggage repair shop and having them shortened a bit. (I SWEAR I'M NOT A TROLL!!)

There seems to be a bit of inconsistency in the craftsmanship of the gloves (which were made in Hungary). After receiving the proper size, my right glove fits perfectly (other than the thumb) but the left one is just a bit long in the fingers. I assure you that both of my hands are the exact same size.

Both pairs of gloves seem to be stitched well and of decent overall quality, but I'm worried about how long they'll last. Kangaroo skin is really, really thin and even with its superior abrasion resistance, I don't know if it will last. Time will tell.

Lastly, my experience with Sportbike Track Gear was O.K, but could have been better. They charged my credit card and then forgot to ship the original order. Reaching them via phone was EXTREMELY DIFFICULT (took several days of trying) and emailing was only slightly more productive. The exchanges went well after I was finally able to reach them, and their prices (which are negotiable) were very good.

I'll post more on the longevity of these gloves and any future dealings with STG as time goes on.

Ride safe!

[ECX585]

UPDATE: My Held Phantom gloves fit wonderfully! (After taking them to the local leather guy to have them altered to to fit my seemingly stubby thumbs.) These gloves are incredibly comfortable and provide more feel than a drunk chick on prom night. They really do enable the rider to receive great feedback from the bike. Another great thing about this kangaroo hide is that the gloves stay super soft--they don't get crusty after long, sweaty rides. They are pricey, but so far I would recommend them. I just recently took an MSF course with my gf, and the instructor has a pair of Held gloves that he's worn for nearly 10 years. If I get that kind of mileage, I'll certainly be satisfied.

[elizilla]

I have a pair of Held Steve gloves that I bought in 2001. I've probably got 100,000 miles in them. The thumbs were too long when new, and I was going to get them altered. But as they broke in, the thumbs worked their way down and fit perfectly. I wouldn't want them any shorter.

Just this year, I started getting a tiny hole in the fingertip on one glove. So I bought a replacement pair of Steves, and demoted the old ones to use as spares.

I've never had any other gloves last more than a season before they wear through. Also, I've never had any other gloves that were comfortable immediately the way the Held Steves are.

I don't think the new "Made in Hungary" Steves are as precisely made as the old ones were. But they are still better made than any other gloves out there.

Oh, the other thing that's great about Held gloves, si that the colors don't bleed onto your hands when the gloves get wet from rain or sweat. And the gloves dry quickly and without getting crunchy. Definitely a higher quality leather and better tanning processes.

[Leeworthy]

keep up updated on the long run review. I am looking for a new pair, but want something that is good for the cooler weather as well.

[Beck]

I have an older pair of Held gloves which gave me lots of miles of service without any signs of major wear anywhere. The only wear visible is on the metal studs on the palms where the paint had already worn off. The beige/yellow Kangarro palms have also aquired some black staining from my grips and the black Kevlar textiles on the top of the glove have taken on a slightly greyish tint from UV exposure. Otherwise, for gloves that I have used for close to 10 years, they still look pretty good and ready for some more miles. Helds are washable, and I suggest that you do wash them once in a while to get rid of the salts that come from hand perspiration that can start degrading the leather and textiles on the glove. Only thing that I don't like with the gloves are, they do not have straps on the wrists to help retain them on your hand in the event of high G flailing accidents.

I bought mine from "Helimot" in San Jose, CA, who I think, used to be the exclusive distributor here in the West Coast, if not the USA. They don't carry Held anymore because, the gloves production had been moved from Germany to other countries. I think he said that he couldn't guarantee the quality of the gloves, which was the biggest selling point for Held products, if they are coming from different suppliers around the globe.

Beck

95 VFR

[mick]

I have a pair of Held Steve gloves <snip> I've probably got 100,000 miles in them. <SNIP> Just this year, I started getting a tiny hole in the fingertip on one glove. So I bought a replacement pair of Steves, and demoted the old ones to use as spares.

Exact story here. Changed mine out at about 100k. THE most comfortable gloves I've ever owned. Hope they are still around at the next 100k mile mark.

[ECX585]

keep up updated on the long run review. I am looking for a new pair, but want something that is good for the cooler weather as well.

I'm going to buy a pair of thermal liners for the cold season.

[RustyA]

Boy! Talk about a timely thread. I just ordered a pair of Phantom gloves on Monday. Should be here today. Got them from Held USA. Pricely, yes. Friends have them, and rave about them. Will see how they do.

[VF1000R]

I crash tested my Phantoms a few weeks back in a race. I ended up with my hands pinned under my body as I slid down the asphalt on my stomach. The back of my hands were on the asphalt, so the knuckle protection was tested. I didn't have a single mark on my hand afterwards. The Helds did the job. :warranty:

[RustyA]

I crash tested my Phantoms a few weeks back in a race. I ended up with my hands pinned under my body as I slid down the asphalt on my stomach. The back of my hands were on the asphalt, so the knuckle protection was tested. I didn't have a single mark on my hand afterwards. The Helds did the job. :warranty:

Good to know. :fing02: Any threads come loose?

[VF1000R]

Good to know. :warranty: Any threads come loose?

Nope, no threads loose. I'll probably pitch them because the knuckle guards are ground down a bit and I don't want to risk it but they came through well.

[JZH]

I think he said that he couldn't guarantee the quality of the gloves, which was the biggest selling point for Held products, if they are coming from different suppliers around the globe.

He probably realised he couldn't charge twice the retail price any more... :warranty:

I think my first pair of Helds came from Helimot, back when I was living in CA. But my next pair I bought in Germany for half the price--and that was full retail. It kinda sucks that Held quality appears to have gone downhill. Oh, well. Maybe they'll fix that...

Ciao,

[RustyA]

I got my gloves on Thursday. Tried them on, and had to send them back. Wrong size. When I ordered them. I talked to, forgot his name. But anyway. We talked about sizing, and how to measure. My hand measures about 9 3/4". So I ordered a size 10 based on what he said. The gloves run small in size. The problem I had was the finger length. I got long fingers. I'm now waiting for my size 12's to show up. Sounds like shoe sizes. LOL

[Joe Foe from Buffalo]

Anyone else have a problem with Held gloves causing your hands to cramp up?

[RustyA]

Anyone else have a problem with Held gloves causing your hands to cramp up?

I have a pair of Astars that do because the fingers are not long eough. That's why I'm trying Helds.

[Joe Foe from Buffalo]

Well my problem is for sure the gloves to be clear. I switch gloves and the problem goes away. They are kinda made to fit your hand different then other gloves from what I can gather. It's not that bad and have been living with it for about two years with these. I just know I have this problem with them and have herd/spoken with others that have the same problem and know I probably will not get another pair of them since you can't walk in to a Held dealer and try them on and Held has not come out and addressed it even after I have contacted them.

[McCleod]

I got my gloves on Thursday. Tried them on, and had to send them back. Wrong size. When I ordered them. I talked to, forgot his name. But anyway. We talked about sizing, and how to measure. My hand measures about 9 3/4". So I ordered a size 10 based on what he said. The gloves run small in size. The problem I had was the finger length. I got long fingers. I'm now waiting for my size 12's to show up. Sounds like shoe sizes. LOL

A friend of mine said that Held will custom size their Steve gloves. Do not know how pricey it was. I like mine. Regards, McCleod.

[RustyA]

Got my Held gloves the other day. They exchanged the size 10's for 12's with no problems. My fingers fit now. :fing02: Gloves fit great. The palm is so soft. I can feel again. :goofy: I can't believe the difference between them and my Astars. Won't take long for these to break in. :goofy:

[ECX585]

And the saga continues.................I still love my HELD gloves, but with only one very light season on them, one of my gf's gloves (Held Phantoms) broke today. The cheap looking velcro strap actually pulled right out of the glove--turns out it was only glued on rather than stitched. I've contacted Held and we'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted.

[RustyA]

I'm in love with mine. :goofy: :biggrin: Would I spend that much money again for a pair of gloves? Yes I would.