I'm looking at ball gloves for 10u softball and 8u baseball players. I have a nokona and love it. They didnt have youth sizes when I was a kid but they do now. Anyone have experience with the youth versions? Any thoughts?

My only thought is don't spend a bunch of money on youth gloves. Nokona looks stupid expensive.

edit to add: If you're willing to spend that much on youth baseball, go for a bat instead. You'll get better performance out of that. Although glove will probably last longer.

Hell, considering Nokona youth gloves are $400 and most private lessons are $40 per session you're better off paying for 10 private lessons.

The first good bat I bought for my oldest in 8U was a new/old stock clearance of a discontinued Marucci Hex Alloy for $100 instead of the $300 current year model in 2018. It was a little big for him then (30" -10) but it was fine and he used it through 10U fall ball. Then made the jump to a 31" -8 CAT9.

I used a Nokona 20+ years ago when I played. I still have it and use it almost daily during baseball season with my kids. I had it restrung and it is perfect. I bought my oldest son one about a year ago. Great glove.

my thoughts...save the major glove buy til they kinda settle in to where they fit in HS/Summer ball.

alvtimes said:

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my thoughts...save the major glove buy til they kinda settle in to where they fit in HS/Summer ball.

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Wait..... let me edit my own post... kid was all district outfielder as fresh/sophomore.. then changed to all county all state infielder as jr/sr... my thoughts really dont matter here!!!!lol

The Day Tripper did a segment on Nokona gloves years ago. Pretty cool.

I got my oldest a small used Nokona off eBay for his first real glove to use in 8U. It is in great condition and perfectly broken in. He used it for a year before it was time for his younger brother to take it over. I ordered the oldest a S-100 for 10U. It came almost game ready with hardly any break in needed. It's a great size for him and it should be fine for several more years. I really wanted a Nokona when I was growing up but my family didn't have the means to make that happen so that probably played heavily into my purchase decisions. My hope is that they both take care of these gloves and can pass them down to their kids. They should last more than a lifetime with proper maintenance. Watching the video posted above makes me feel even better about the purchase and will buy from them again in the future.

A&M Chopper said:

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I got my oldest a small used Nokona off eBay for his first real glove to use in 8U. It is in great condition and perfectly broken in. He used it for a year before it was time for his younger brother to take it over. I ordered the oldest a S-100 for 10U. It came almost game ready with hardly any break in needed. It's a great size for him and it should be fine for several more years. I really wanted a Nokona when I was growing up but my family didn't have the means to make that happen so that probably played heavily into my purchase decisions. My hope is that they both take care of these gloves and can pass them down to their kids. They should last more than a lifetime with proper maintenance. Watching the video posted above makes me feel even better about the purchase and will buy from them again in the future.

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I get that.

And it's not really about the money at all. It's 1) even though my kids (well my oldest anyway) are pretty responsible, the number of posts I see about kids forgetting/losing gloves/bats/whole bags/etc gives me pause as to whether or not they'll really take care of it; and 2) I don't really see the point in a "lifetime" glove that a kid will outgrow.

I had a Nokona catcher's mitt in HS that got stolen in college. Still pisses me off.

Anyway, I'm on the side of getting them the high-end, custom Nokona (or other brand) glove when they get to HS.

I have an 8U and a 10U. I previously bought my oldest a nice Mizuno glove ($80) with intent to pass down to little bro. The Mizuno started coming apart mid season.

I wrote Mizuno and they sent me a new one. I decided to buy the youth Nokona and 2 years later it's in great shape and will be passed down in the fall when my oldest transitions to 11U.

We bought an 11 inch glove at the Nokona factory that was a demo for the Edge series and he's breaking it in here and there to be ready for fall.

I always wanted a Nokona, but no way were ny parents going to buy me one.

Your money your decision, but in some ways this is like buying a Corvette for your kid instead of a Corolla for their first car. Yes a Corvette is a better performer, but the Corolla will get the job done for what you need right now.

For 8u and 10u, all they need is a standard glove that can catch the ball. Hell, the kids from the Dominican republic at that age are using milk cartons as gloves and still develop high level skills.

If your son wants a Nokona, or any other high end equipment, give him a path to earn money and he can buy it himself. He'll value it better if he earned it that way.

AggieEP said:

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Your money your decision, but in some ways this is like buying a Corvette for your kid instead of a Corolla for their first car. Yes a Corvette is a better performer, but the Corolla will get the job done for what you need right now.

For 8u and 10u, all they need is a standard glove that can catch the ball. Hell, the kids from the Dominican republic at that age are using milk cartons as gloves and still develop high level skills.

If your son wants a Nokona, or any other high end equipment, give him a path to earn money and he can buy it himself. He'll value it better if he earned it that way.

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Does the glove also doom him to being a dou<he for life?

Harry Dunne said:

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AggieEP said:

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Your money your decision, but in some ways this is like buying a Corvette for your kid instead of a Corolla for their first car. Yes a Corvette is a better performer, but the Corolla will get the job done for what you need right now.

For 8u and 10u, all they need is a standard glove that can catch the ball. Hell, the kids from the Dominican republic at that age are using milk cartons as gloves and still develop high level skills.

If your son wants a Nokona, or any other high end equipment, give him a path to earn money and he can buy it himself. He'll value it better if he earned it that way.

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Does the glove also doom him to being a dou<he for life?

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I thought that was Mariucci


jk, y'all

I would check out Bayou City Baseball Company at bc2gloves.com . It is owned by a young Ag and his wife. I bought one from them at the Saturday morning Memorial Villages Farmers' Market at First Congregational Church on Beinhorn.

It is a good glove and the first time I have not bought myself a Muzuno in a about 20 years. They have a wide price range and can make custom gloves. Plus you get to help out a young Ag starting his own business.