Nokona Kimera AMG 1275 Glove Review

by "Rube"
(Minneapolis)

The Nokona Kimera AMG 1275 is a 12.75" outfielder's glove with an open rawhide trap web. The back is made of Kangaroo leather and the palm is thick cowhide. It has a closed back with a finger hole, and real wool padding for the back of your hand.

The first thing you notice about a Kimera glove is how light it is. Kangaroo leather has this quality, that's why they use it in their outfield Bloodline gloves too. In fact, with the exception of the color, the bloodline 1275 open web is almost identical to the kimera. Soccer players have long known that kangaroo makes the best leather for soccer shoes. Its light, breathable, keeps its shape when wet, and very hard-wearing. So its great to see this in a baseball glove.

You may also notice, when comparing it to other 12.75" gloves, that it appears much smaller than many of its competitors. I believe this is because the fingers taper a little more than say a rawlings, so from thumb-joint to the tip of the web is plenty big, pinky joint to pinky fingertip is probably more like 11.75". I don't have the measurements on hand to back that up, but the glove will look smaller than most outfielders gloves you see.

The palm is Tejas Steerhide all the way. The palm skin seems like it's a quarter of an inch thick. Besides the leather itself, there is no extra padding between the ball and your hand. Because of this, it almost has the quality of an old-school five finger glove, you can really feel the ball in your palm when you catch it there. This can be good or bad as if you're not used to it, the sting is a little sharper than some of your other expensive gloves.

When you toss a ball into an equivalent price range Rawlings open web glove - Pro-Preferred is probably most analogous, although the Heart of the Hide is what it competes with on price - it feels like you're grabbing a ball that's wrapped in a sock. As though there are several layers of padding between you and the ball. When you throw it at the Nokona, it feels like you're grabbing the ball. The leather is very flexible, but not pre creased as you'll find in other gloves, so you've got to find the right pinch style for you.

The thumb and pinky fingers both have packing along the outside edge to keep them stiff. So the glove never feels floppy, in spite of the very soft outer. The flex and palm do however feel softer and floppier than many other gloves in this price range. Again though, it does not affect the stiffness of its outer fingers (and thus, reach) but does make it squeezier off the rack, with a less defined crease than you'll develop in many other gloves in this range.

Each Kimera is handmade in Texas - this is true of all Nokona gloves. To get a glove from another manufacturer that is actually put together by hand, you have to spend about $399. The Pro-Preferred price point being the cheapest Rawlings that you'll find that is actually handmade. I'm not sure if other manufacturers actually have hand made gloves. For this reason, I think the $184 price tag is actually a bit of a bargain.

For $184, the Kimera line provides a lightweight glove with excellent feel. It doesn't have the padding gloves in the same price category might, and it does not appear as big in the outer fingers. But it breaks in well with an ever-deepening pocket and a steerhide palm that will last decades. The leather back is very lightweight and cool. The materials feel and probably are top of the line, the construction is as solid as you'll ever get (plus, its hand made) and the playability is spectacular.

**** of five for value
***** of five for quality
***** of five for playability