Hot Glove Mallet for Glove Break-in and Shaping

I used this and some Black Rock Leather N Rich and was shocked at how well it broke in two new baseball mitts. Do yourself a favor and watch some videos online of professional glove-break-in-guys, glove doctors, whatever they are called to give you a game plan of what to do with this rather than just beating the hell out of the pocket of your glove. The handle end works really well and loosening up the finger holes of a new mitt or "re-opening" the collapsed finger holes of an older mitt. I did have to wrap a little athletic tape around the handle to get a better grip thought. The varnished smooth finish makes it a little slick to hold on to.

There are a few negative reviews about this mallet falling apart. No problems so far, but to be safe I may drill and glue a securing dowel to make sure the ball doesn't fly out. I don't know anything about gloves and didn't realize the process of breaking in a glove. The mallet seems to be the ticket for breaking in my mid-tier Rawlings glove. More hammering is required, but the glove is already looking better after some work.

I did a lot of research and put money down on multiple mallets for my glove collection before concluding that this Hot Glove offers the most bang for the buck. In fact, everything I've bought from Hot Glove has been functional and affordable, like their glove treatment. This mallet has a ball end that not only allows you to create a ball shaped pocket, but flatten out those random bubbles and wrinkles in the leather. The stick end is tapered to shape the finger stalls, and I find that it grips securely despite not having a knob. The length could use an extra inch to get higher up into the pocket, but you can always just turn the glove upside down and pound upwards into web to stretch it out. I was worried about how lightweight this was but it's actually faster to swing and not as tiring as some more solid wood mallets. Lastly, I was concerned about the 2-piece construction, but it has not failed me yet and I'm sure allows this product to be much more affordable than a 1-piece. This is a must buy if you're serious about breaking in a glove and want something faster than using a weighted softball.

I gave this mallet 4 stars, because Amazon would not let me do 3 1/2. I got this because I really did not have the time to break in a new glove by using it (my old glove literally fell apart on the field). It did the job nicely. Between a few days of practice, and a few nights beating the glove into submission, my new glove was ready for my next game A few improvements would be a longer handle (I skinned the middle knuckle on my index finger on my throwing hand using this mallet). Wearing an old batting glove may prevent this. I also wish the "head" of the mallet was the size of a Softball, and not a Baseball. The reason being is a larger head it that would have made it easier to build a deeper pocket. Also, the handle is smooth, so I had to wrap the end in Athletic tape to get some extra grip

several years ago, when my kids got up to little league age, I bought a new baseball glove to replace the one I had in high school. I've struggled to get it broken in properly, especially for the ring and middle fingers. I had been trying to stretch out the leather with some sections of doweling I had cut down, but those became very difficult to remove. This thing though, I can grip the ball portion of it and twist it into place to stretch out a finger. My hand fits better in my glove after 1 week of using this than it has after 4 years of trying to break it in through use. Well worth the money.

Before I bought this I was using a rubber hammer from my workshop. This is much better and allows to really build up a pocket in a short period of time. I basically sat on the couch every night for a week beating this into my glove and I had a perfect pocket in no time. I also used the Rawlings glove oil and would pop the glove in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to loosen the leather up and then continue to pound the glove with this mallet. If you do decide to microwave your glove do a few things: make sure you use a glove oil on the glove and make sure it is a liberal amount. Do not put the glove in the microwave for more than 20 seconds. If you put in in for longer you risk cooking it and destroying the glove. The most important part to have oiled well are the laces and those are what are in danger of cooking (drying out and becoming brittle, cracking, breaking) if you leave the glove in for two long. My method was oil glove, 20 seconds in, take out, beat with mallet for 5 minutes, re-oil, back in for 20 seconds, beat with mallet. Keep repeating until you are tired or your arm hurts.

This is a cheap tool, keep that in mind. It does the job on the pocket, though not ideal for breaking in the rest of the glove. I just broke in two gloves and it didn't break, so it is worth it. However, it should be one of a few tools you use. Otherwise get one that is shaped like a little bat.

Indispensable tool for breaking in gloves. Slick ball is easier on leather than home-made ball-on-stick versions. Have POUNDED many a glove with this thing, HARD. No sign of the ball end loosening. The nice smooth finish allows wiping dark streaks of dye off before working lighter colored gloves (hint: Murphy’s oil soap will clean it up good as new). Wish the handle was a couple inches longer.

Excelente

Great purchase! Does exactly what I wanted for my ball gloves, used this for both my hard ball and softball gloves. Happy with purchase and would recommend to anyone that wants to work their ball glove in better and faster.

Muy bueno para amoldar el guante de piel y hacerle el pocket, esto un poco de agua caliente y listo

Excelente producto

Works great but needs a nub at the end of the handle as can be slippery with dry hands but overall great product