Wilson vs. Rawlings

Wilson vs. Rawlings If anyone turns on the television to a major league baseball game, it is easy to notice the players’ gloves. Many professional baseball players have two favorite brands of gloves. Some prefer a Wilson gloves and others prefer a Rawlings glove. Both gloves are made with tremendous quality, so basically it comes down to which glove the player would rather use. After using both gloves; I prefer to use a Wilson glove. Although many people think of Wilson and Rawlings gloves to be similar, they are actually different because of the type of leather, the price, and the inner and outer lacing. The first main difference I noticed between the two gloves is the leather. Wilson uses leather that is called Pro-Stock Select leather while Rawlings uses kip skin leather. On the outer shell of the glove the kip skin leather has a deeper color, but Wilson has a rich two-tone color. Another difference is over time the kip skin leather never tends to fade or tarnish. The Wilson will begin to fade and lose some of its color. The reason that the Wilson gloves tend to lose the color in the leather is because it is more delicate. Because this happens, a Wilson glove requires glove conditioner to be added once a month to prevent the leather from losing its color. Also another good quality that the Wilson glove has is its ability to be broken in. The Pro Stock Select leather is softer than kip skin; therefore, it can take months to break in perfectly. A Wilson glove usually takes a few weeks to break in. Because these are the two largest glove manufactures; then, we all know they come with an immense price. These two gloves can be priced so high that many people turn away from buying them. Rawlings always has the more expensive glove. Rawlings uses the explanation that the leather and the materials they use are of a higher quality. Wilson sells two types of gloves called Wilson A2000 and Wilson A2K. The A2000 glove is made mainly for pitchers and infielders because they are made in a smaller size. The Wilson A2K is a step above the A2000 and is made mainly for outfielders. Rawlings showcases three types of gloves: Heart of the Hide, Pro-Preferred, and Primo series. These gloves can be made for any position in any of these three types. The price of the A2000 is $200 compared to $250 for the Heart of the Hide. Then the Pro-Preferred is priced around $300. The two largest selling gloves for both companies have the largest price difference. The Wilson A2K sells for $300 while the Primo ranges around $400. Even though many players will spend a lot of money on either of these gloves, no one is ever disappointed when they use their glove. The last difference between the two gloves is the inner and outer lacing. Most people will not pay attention to the small details of the lacing, but how it is laced can change the glove. A Wilson glove is laced from the inside to the outside. It helps prevent large and over hanging laces being left on the outside of the glove. The Rawlings gloves are laced from the outside to the inside; therefore, this leaves laces all over the outer shell and some in the inner shell. That can become a hassle when a player is trying to throw someone out at home plate. Instead the player has laces to bother his transition. Most players do not think much about how the Rawlings gloves are laced, but the players that do have the tendency to grumble.
Almost every baseball player has owned one of these two gloves. Many players will agree that they are the best gloves made. Basically it boils down to what the player likes to use. Every baseball player has a preference on his glove and how it is broken in. No matter if a young man is in high school or a professional player buys a new glove they are never disappointed with a Wilson or Rawlings baseball glove.