Thick gloves with lots of protective features and big, double-layered gauntlets. Three cinch straps on the gauntlets. Comfortable. webBikeWorld visitors may recall our recent article on the Held Ninja motorcycle gloves (review). These quickly became my favorites after riding for years with a now beat-up pair of Teknic Violator gloves (review). Well, love is fickle, so say hello to my new favorite, the Marsee “Primatista Gaunto” Race Gloves.
I find it very interesting to learn that a company who is famous for its tank bags and who is starting to build a reputation for its clothing can build what is apparently the ultimate racing-style motorcycle glove. The Marsee Race Glove has more protective features than any other race glove we’ve seen at any price.
Of course, we’re not about to compare the Marsee gloves with other brands in a “crash off”, but if looks and feel count for anything, these gloves make my hands feel invincible. Marsee also claims that the gloves are “race tested” by many motorcycle racers and on the Bonneville Salt Flats, so that counts for something.
Why race gloves? They’re supposed to be designed to handle the maximum amount of stress for motorcycle racers. That is, of course, assuming they stay on the racer’s hands…
I heard a story once from a motorcyclist who survived a horrendous accident on an Interstate highway. How bad was it? When they stop traffic on both sides to land the helicopter, you know it can’t be good news.
He was cruising along in the fast lane and a deer jumped out from some bushes in the median. I was actually on the road that day and got stopped in the ensuing traffic jam, but I didn’t realize what had happened.
The bottom line was that in addition to multiple fractures and internal injuries, one of his gloves came off when he hit the deer. Not to get into the gory details, but let’s just say his hand will never look the same.
For some reason, the part about the hand really stuck with me over the years. I’ve become phobic about protecting my hands, which would probably be the first thing that hits the ground in a get-off. The Marsee Race Gloves are the first pair I’ve ever worn that mitigate that fear.
The gloves start with what feels like a very thick leather base. The thickness gives a different feel on the grips than other gloves, but it doesn’t take long to get used to it. Marsee claims that the leather is cowhide from France and Korea, and I’m not sure if that makes it better or not, but it feels very soft.
There are double layers of reinforcement on the thumb and forefinger (a single section), around the top and sides of the little finger, the tops and backs of each finger and more. In fact, there’s so much reinforcement on the base layer that it looks almost like the entire glove is double-protected.
The gloves include some very big protective pads on all of the knuckles and both sides of the wrist and even way back on the gauntlet. The pads are covered in what looks like a metal mesh with a clear coating over each. Kevlar is used under the high-impact areas on the sides, palm and the huge gauntlet.
There’s a huge “floating” padded knuckle protector over the back of the gloves that is attached as part of the leather in the front but with a soft flannel-like fabric lining that gives the protector plenty of room to move without binding.
Marsee added a comfortable moisture absorbing inner liner inside the gloves, which helps make them comfortable to wear. The fingers have hidden stitching, so the seams inside rub slightly against my fingers, which is the only downside, but unavoidable.
The gauntlet is the sort of pièce de résistance of these impressive gloves. It’s a full 5″ (130 mm) long, beyond the wrist. It’s actually a double-layered gauntlet that’s designed to open wide enough to fit over a bulky sleeve.
It has three cinch straps; two at the back of the wrist on the gauntlet with small D-rings to grab and Velcro to hold them closed.
The other cinch closes under the wrist and the end of the strap hides behind the outer flap of the gauntlet. The cinches and the long gauntlet means that the gloves are slightly fussier to put on and take off than gloves with a single cinch, but worth the trouble.
Take a look at the photo at the top of this page — Lori, our Women’s Clothing editor, was pulling as hard as she could while using her leg for leverage and the gloves did not budge off my hand.
Try that with a pair of wimpy Brand X race gloves! When the Marsee Race Gloves are worn properly, there’s apparently no force that will strip them off my hands. That gives me peace of mind you could only imagine…
Conclusion
These gloves are a steal at only $103.00. We ride with many different motorcycle products during a years’ time, and we’re familiar with most of the gloves on the market, but we haven’t found any with as much apparent protection as these. Double kudos to Marsee for designing them and for bringing them to market!
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