Grifter USA (www.griftercompany.com) is a new American-based, moto-minded company embracing both new and old. It represents the new by making fresh gear, eschewing tried-and-true trends for products that appeal to the burgeoning garage builder scene and spawning events like Born Free, Mama Tried and the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show. The movement embodied in these gatherings heralds the return of hand craftsmanship and trumpets the up-and-coming generation of motorcycle enthusiasts and innovators.
The Scoundrel Gloves by Grifter USA are comfortable, fashionable, and a great pair of motorcycle gloves for summertime rides.
It embraces the old by making their gloves the old fashioned way in a town steeped in manufacturing history. Gloversville, New York, reportedly was the “glove manufacturing capital of the world” at the turn of the century. Could there be a more appropriately named place to make gloves? And while Gloversville, like all mill towns, has seen its peaks and valleys, its tanneries and leather goods are still a source of community pride. Grifter USA sources leathers that are tanned nearby and works with a local glove maker to produce their hand-sewn product.
We’ve been wearing a set of Grifter’s “The Scoundrel” Gloves to find out how they hold up to daily use. It is a short cuff glove made from the tanned hide of an American Bison. The leather is thick enough to provide a layer of abrasion resistance but is thin and flexible enough to provide great feel and connection to hand controls. There’s no liner inside, simply leather on skin, and are immediately comfortable. With wear “The Scoundrels” are beginning to take the shape of our hands. Grifter applies a hand-antiquing and conditioning process to their gloves giving each set its own character, like patina on metal.
The leather is single-stitched, fusing together what is primarily two swaths of Bison leather, the thumb cut from another piece. So far the stitching has held up admirably with no loose stitches or fraying. A small strap of elastic sewn into the back of the wrist helps cinch them on and an XL pair fits ideally. Grifter suggests measuring around one’s palm to ensure proper sizing, and my wrist fit into the 8.5-9-inch category, placing it in the XL range.
“The Scoundrels” slide on quick and easy, are ultra-comfy, and the short-cut allows a breeze to circulate up a rider’s sleeves, making them a great set of summer gloves. Admittedly, styling is subjective, but we believe they’re a sharp-looking pair of leather gloves. They’re definitely not waterproof, so be prepared for soggy leather if you do get caught out. They rate average in protection also as there’s no reinforcement in the palms or hard knuckle protection. But that omission was deliberate. If a rider is looking for heavy-duty racing gauntlets, there’s plenty of them on the market.
The Grifter USA “The Scoundrel” Gloves are well-worth the $74 asking price. It’s an American-product made of quality material the good old fashioned way. We love their tactileness, comfort and styling and they’ll be in our gear bag for our upcoming ride to the 75th annual Sturgis Rally.
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