If you have played baseball for quite some time, you must know about Nokona. This brand offers American-made baseball gloves for beginner, youth, and professional players.
The answer to questions like, “Are Nokona baseball gloves good?”, is quite obvious. These leather baseball gloves are widely loved due to their leather quality and excellent craftsmanship.
Among many of Nokona’s great products, these three gloves appear the most popular among players. Check out their best characteristics, ratings, and the position they are intended for:
| NOKONA Alpha Youth Baseball Gloves | Nokona Walnut Baseball Gloves | Nokona DesertKIP Pro Gloves | |
| Model | S-200I | W-1175H | DK-1275H |
| Pattern | 11.25 inches | 11.75 inches | 12.75 inches |
| Positions | Any position
(youth baseball) |
Infielders | Pitchers and fielders |
| Materials | Full-grain kip
Soft leather |
Top-grain steer hide | Kip and steer hide |
| Back | Open back | Open back | Open back |
| Webbing | I-Web | H-Web | H-Web |
| Best characteristics | Index finger padding | Flexible and stable due to quality materials | Index finger padding
Lightweight |
| Break-in period | Short | Short | A bit longer than usual |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year |
Table of Contents
Notable Features of Nokona Baseball Glove
Despite being mentioned often, these three popular models are not the only thing the brand has to offer. They have been consistently creating good products for all positions on the field, whether you are a rookie, youth player, or in a professional game.
1. Materials – They made their own leather
The unique thing about Nokona gloves must be the top-quality leather. The brand started out as a leather goods manufacturer before moving to producing baseball products. Therefore, their gloves are made from different types of top-quality hides, depending on the designated baseball positions.
Here are the leather types in their collection:
- Full-grain steerhide
- Full-grain AmericanKIPTM
- Supersoft Steerhide (Nokona SupersoftTM)
- American Bison
- Japanese CalfskinTM
- Australian Kangaroo
- American Caiman
Their tanning processes are also famous due to their genuine ability to retain the leather temper while improving supplement and durability.
- Alum tanning
- Vegetable tanning
- Chrome tanning
Therefore, according to most Nokona gloves reviews on Reddit, the quality leather keeps the gloves in good form and condition for over 10 years.
2. Models
Nokona makes baseball gloves for a wide range of games and leagues, including youth baseball gloves, fastpitch softball, adult baseball, and softball, as well as adult fastpitch.
The brand has various sizes and design collections covering all field positions, with different webs, lengths, material types, and personal preferences.
It’s a popular opinion among customers that Nokona gloves’ leather is very soft. Therefore, they are the best pick for pitchers, among other field positions. In fact, the brand provides gloves for many professional pitchers, including:
- Michael Kopech – Chicago White Sox pitcher
- Ryan Pressly – Houston Astros pitcher
- Cole Irvin – Baltimore Orioles pitcher
- Brooks Raley – New York Mets pitcher
Other than that, it also makes outfield gloves for Taylor Ward from the Los Angeles Angels.
3. Performance and craftsmanship
Nokona is among the few brands with American-made baseball gloves, as its entire production process is located in the country, from designing to manufacturing.
Every Nokona glove is known to be handcrafted to ensure all the elements, including web types, unique patterns, laces, colors, and especially leather types, are carefully chosen and well-built.
The brand is also proud of its EdgeX design construction, where the technology ensures excellent alignment of all the glove elements.
4. Price
Indeed, Nokona gloves are not cheap gloves; they are, in fact, even more expensive than many Wilson and Rawling products. Below are their typical price ranges (excluding the more high-end pieces):
- Baseball gloves: $350 – $450
- Fastpitch gloves: $400 – $540
- Youth gloves: $300 – $450
Therefore, many of those who want to enjoy the quality of these products yet with a softer price may look for vintage Nokona baseball gloves. If you know how to scout at the right places, you might get a good deal starting from $130.
5. Pros & Cons
- High-quality and durable leather for more than 10 years of use
- Leather varieties are impressive due to self-manufacturing
- Mostly easy to break in, providing a game-ready feel
- Multiple design details for comfort: open back, shearling cuff, soft and supple leather, index finger padding, etc.
- Various ranges of gloves for all positions, especially suitable for pitchers
- Top-quality American-made products
- Expensive gloves
Discuss more here:
Posts from the slowpitch
community on Reddit
Are Nokona Gloves Worth the Money?
Nokona gloves are indeed among the field leaders, as their products already stand out with the quality leather alone. Most of them last 10 to 15 years of standard use, which already justifies the high price tag.
Many love American-made products due to their advanced technology and craftsmanship involved, and Nokona gloves are among the few products to meet such requirements and show the quality of production. This is also why they are at such a high price.
Indeed, to make sure the glove is worth our investment, we need to pay attention to measurement, field position, and unique features of the glove before purchase.
Conclusion
All things considered, now you should probably have your own verdict to answer the question, “Are Nokona baseball gloves good?” It’s no doubt that the brand makes excellent products with impressive care, quality, and craftsmanship.
If you decide to get one, it would be a worthwhile experience; undoubtedly, playing baseball with a good pair of gloves can bring a sense of readiness.
Rogers is a hardcore baseball enthusiast. He joined Nations Baseball as a writer to share his knowledge and help others realize their passions for the sport. Roger is striving towards becoming a coach at his local baseball club.
