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2010 Gear Review: Brine’s 2010 Elite Gloves

Built for Speed or Comfort?

I’m taking a look at Brine’s 2010 elite gloves, the Vengeance and Shakedown. They are designed to fulfill the desires of players who know exactly what they want out of their finger suits, speed or comfort. In other words, max flexibility or max protection. Glove technology can’t provide both yet. It’s not as if they are created players who weigh 400 pounds and have 99 speed.

Editor’s note: Read the other 2010 Gear Review’s to get more from Pete and Connor.

Brine Vengeance Gloves

Rating: 8 out of 10

The Vengeance is this year’s version of the Brine Silo. First thing I noticed with these gloves, after I regained consciousness from fainting at the sight of the pinstripes, is the weight. They were probably constructed of feathers from an angel’s wings and are game ready out of the box. Minimal venting options, but there’s no need for coolant with such a trim unit.

Doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason with the palm design but how often is the stick resting in your palm. The floating cuff disappears when you need it to and pops up correctly with your wrist motion. The Vengeance is the TIE fighter of lacrosse gloves. No shields, but superior speed. Maneuverability is world class but don’t be Your browser may not support display of this image. surprised if you notice checks to the hand you might otherwise not. This glove is highly recommended for players with smaller hands, people with no patience for break in time, and people who want to play the flute while wearing lacrosse gloves.

Brine Shakedown Gloves

Rating: 8 out of 10

Who remembers Minion from Twisted Metal, the Playstation 2 classic? Of course we punched in the cheat code to use this brute. Five out of five for armor and special weapon characteristics. Four out of five for speed. Who cares about speed? No 4th grader could stop us. Consider the Shakedown to be Minion, a brutally tough level boss with a strange back story (read: interesting color scheme).

Unlike the Vengeance, this glove is not game ready and depending upon your due diligence will take three to four days to break in but the sacrifice pales in comparison to the reward. You’re getting maximum protection on the meaty part of the hand. The floating cuff works perfectly like the Vengeance. Better knuckle strength than the King IIs as well.

There isn’t much ventilation but that’s the price you pay for added protection. Hands sweat when they are covered and modern gloves have reached their ventilation technology ceiling. These gloves are stiff and heavy off jump. If you have smaller hands, they might not be the best option for you even when they are broken in. But, if you are looking for an armored personnel carrier for your hands and you’re willing to log some prep hours, the Vengeance is the most protective glove Brine makes.

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Contact the author of this post at peter@lacrosseallstars.com.