Every GK has a preference for how their gloves are cut (e.g. flat, flare, roll, negative). Parents, if you are supporting a player who is new to the GK role, your first step should probably be to go a store and try out the different finger cut styles. My son's first 2 seasons, gloves were bought based on colors and brands. It wasn't until he played in a pair of "negative cut/negative roll" gloves that he really began to appreciate the cut, and then he really fell in love with and embraced the position because he was more comfortable - ergo more confident. So, our appreciation for the game has matured over the years. Now, here we are with a pair of Renegade gloves that he loves. I bought these gloves for my son at the last minute, in a state of panic after I realized we didn't condition his gloves from the previous season and his first middle school tryout was only days away. I thought we'd buy these gloves as an emergency stop-gap until I can buy him a higher quality glove. As it turns out, this is a high quality glove and he loves them. When I asked for his thoughts about the gloves and about buying something else, he wasn't too keen on using anything different. It seems Renegade has won the loyalty of this GK. As far as credentials: my son plays GK for a travel club team in NCSL (2005, 14U). This year he started playing for his middle school team, which is very competitive in Mid-Penn, class 6A. He trains with two semi-pro trainers. He works hard, and he loves these gloves. Regarding the wear comments - I've found that all gloves will begin to break down if they aren't cleaned regularly and properly. That's the nature of the material - soft and sticky to stop the ball... if dirt or that black turf material gets into the pores, then yes, any glove will turn into slick cardboard and become brittle. That's not unique to any manufacturer of good gloves. My son loves the Renegades and our experience is that these are at least as durable as the $140 gloves, if not, slightly more so.
