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David L. from California
January 7, 2019
I got back into sport riding after a 14 year layoff, I wanted to update some my gear taking advantage of the current design/technology and updated safety materials. I have two pairs of older Held racing gloves that have been serving me great (the Profil and Galaxy from the early 2000s), the concise fit, quality materials (Kangaroo palms with rivets) and build quality has been very good and these gloves are still more than serviceable. But I wanted to look at a more updated, safer pair of gloves, the Phantom II looked like a great replacement. The good news is that the Phantom II seems to have maintained all of Held's heritage of quality and fit, while keeping to a fairly conservative design (not too many features or gimmicks) and only adding safety features that are effective. Fit: Held's halve sizing gives you more choices to get the best fit. An example is my gloves are size 7.5, anything larger or smaller doesn't work well. There are also options on longer or shorter finger lengths,further enhancing specific fitment needs. The pre-curved fingers and box stitching conforms very well and provide a seamless feeling interior for the palm and fingers. And the perforated inner fingers actually helps cooling. Quality: The materials are high quality, the unlined kangaroo palms remain the best material IMHO, great tactile feel and very good suppleness/conformity. The armor and protection seems well thought out with good protection over the knuckles, fingers and palm. The usage of Ti, shark skin and SuperFabric optimizes the materiel for the specific function. The overall armor and protection is much more built-up than my older gloves, I'm confident that the Phantom II are much safer. The Bad: The upper gauntlet closure is fairly small and might have problems fitting over thicker forearms/sleeves. The gauntlet's Velcro closure needs to have a simple pull tab for easier removal. The price for these gloves are not cheap, I had to think twice before spending this much on these gloves (my previous Helds were $130 and $160 respectability). Conclusion: I am a satisfied Held glove owner. I like their commitment to quality, fit and living up to their heritage; excellent gloves overall, worth a consideration (despite the higher price of entry). 
I got back into sport riding after a 14 year layoff, I wanted to update some my gear taking advantage of the current design/technology and updated safety materials. I have two pairs of older Held racing gloves that have been serving me great (the Profil and Galaxy from the early 2000s), the concise fit, quality materials (Kangaroo palms with rivets) and build quality has been very good and these gloves are still more than serviceable. But I wanted to look at a more updated, safer pair of gloves, the Phantom II looked like a great replacement. The good news is that the Phantom II seems to have maintained all of Held's heritage of quality and fit, while keeping to a fairly conservative design (not too many features or gimmicks) and only adding safety features that are effective. Fit: Held's halve sizing gives you more choices to get the best fit. An example is my gloves are size 7.5, anything larger or smaller doesn't work well. There are also options on longer or shorter finger lengths,further enhancing specific fitment needs. The pre-curved fingers and box stitching conforms very well and provide a seamless feeling interior for the palm and fingers. And the perforated inner fingers actually helps cooling. Quality: The materials are high quality, the unlined kangaroo palms remain the best material IMHO, great tactile feel and very good suppleness/conformity. The armor and protection seems well thought out with good protection over the knuckles, fingers and palm. The usage of Ti, shark skin and SuperFabric optimizes the materiel for the specific function. The overall armor and protection is much more built-up than my older gloves, I'm confident that the Phantom II are much safer. The Bad: The upper gauntlet closure is fairly small and might have problems fitting over thicker forearms/sleeves. The gauntlet's Velcro closure needs to have a simple pull tab for easier removal. The price for these gloves are not cheap, I had to think twice before spending this much on these gloves (my previous Helds were $130 and $160 respectability). Conclusion: I am a satisfied Held glove owner. I like their commitment to quality, fit and living up to their heritage; excellent gloves overall, worth a consideration (despite the higher price of entry).
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