Schambach
Practically Family
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- 575
- Location
- Ithaca, NY
If you are looking for the absolute best, in terms of style, fit, materials, craftsmanship & durability, look no further than Churchill gloves. Their "Maverick' glove is IMO the quintessential leather glove in terms of design, and they offer it in 3 different lengths (regular, short 'police-style' and gauntlet) with a variety of lining options, as well as the option to add padding for further protection and a velcro strap for tighter fit at the wrist. The color selection is great, too. These come in at about 60 USD for the regular and short-wristed versions, with added costs as you customize them, up to over 160 USD for the padded gauntlets.
https://www.jrcglove.com/product-category/motorcycle-gloves/classic-motorcycle-gloves/
Here you can see the tan, short-wristed gloves with padding in action:
Geier is a great option as well, best to order those through TexasGoodGloves if you're from the States. I used to be all over these, until I discovered the Red Wings & Churchills, which I think are even better. The leather on Geier is thinner and less sturdy in comparison. These come in at about 60-70 USD. Here are my black unlined elkskin ropers & brown pile lined deerskin driving gloves:
Red Wing also offers both lined and unlined gloves, which I would almost expect to be made by Churchill due to the striking similarity in both style and color. These gloves are a great option for European customers, as Red Wing stores across Europe keep these stocked. The other brands I mentioned are primarily US-based. They come in at 100 EUR/100 USD.
Same pair of Red Wing 9230 lined Nutmeg gloves, new vs 5 months of use (not mine):
My personal pair:
Hestra gloves are nice as well. I have two pairs of them, but they feel much more fashion-oriented than the Red Wings or Churchills. If I had to go for a motorcycle ride or a week of camping in the forest, I'd take the Red Wings or Churchills over the Hestra's in a heartbeat. The deerskin is much softer on the Hestra's, which makes them feel more luxurious but also more like a flimsy fashion product instead of true outerwear. I don't think they would hold up to rain very well. They are hella nice and superbly comfy, though. The top ones in the pic below are 110 EUR, and the bottom ones are 170 EUR. Considering you can have the Red Wings for 100 EUR, these are not worth the price IMO. But what can I say, I just had to have them.
Here are mine:
The deerskin on the Red Wings is chrome tanned, so you'll know they will stand up very well to abuse and the elements. The Thinsulate lining on them is also super nice, soft & warm with a nice, hefty feel added to the glove yet without becoming too bulky.
If you're in Europe, the short-wristed gloves by Café Leather from Spain are also really nice. They are on the pricey side, coming in at 120-140 euros, depending on whether or not you go with the deerskin with/without the superb Kevlar lining, or the thick and supple elkskin. They do offer 15% off on your first purchase, however. Craftsmanship is outstanding, and the elkskin pair might just be my bestfitting pair of leather gloves. Here are mine in black deerskin & cream elkskin:
Nice breakdown! I'll add that Hestra makes all sorts of gloves, the ones you posted are indeed dressy and probably a bit delicate. They have a work line, as well as athletic stuff. Their "ergo grip" gloves are great, I use them for everything from dog walking to chopping wood to mountain biking and they've held up wonderfully. A bit um, sporty looking though. I have a set of churchills on the way to better match black leather jackets, hope they are as nice as I've heard.
