Comments: The Easton Synergy GX and GX-HL gloves have significant merit, but they also have some flaws and lack some of the sophistication and advanced features of competing elite gloves.

Fit

I fully agree with the designation of the Easton Synergy GX & GX-HL as contoured fit gloves. They are the tightest gloves I’ve ever tried on. If you like snug gloves this is definitely worth trying on. If you prefer a roomy, floppy fit typical of traditional four roll gloves you’ll want to pass on the Easton Synergy GX and GX-HL.

When I drop my arms to a vertical position and relax my hands all tested sizes and versions of the GX remained locked in place.

Both the GX and GX-HL have interior backhand pads that can be folded back so that they extend out toward the cuff to create more space if preferred. But even when I do that the snugness in the fingers of both models is sufficient to keep the gloves from sliding off my hands.

The GX’s distinctive snugness is tightest in the fingers, tighter in fact than any other glove I tested, moderately snug at the knuckles, then tapering off a bit down the backhand and palm before flaring out a little at the wrist to allow for mobility and to make the glove a little breathable.

The finger gussets on the GX are made of a sturdy, black suede that does not stretch but it does breathe a little thanks to the 4 or 5 perforations on each side of each finger. The non-stretch suede helps keep the player’s fingers properly placed for maximum protection from the lateral finger pads and improves the responsive feel of the glove as you curl your fingers.

The GX-HL incorporates a well designed combination of fabrics in the gussets which I think is a very smart way to maximize responsiveness and durability while still providing breathability and flexibility. The tip or anterior portion of each finger gusset is covered with the same ivory, Hyper-Sense, microfiber suede on the HL palm. This wraps around the sides of the tip to about half way down the top segment of each finger providing good abrasion resistance.

This design makes the fingers more responsive than any glove with all stretch polyester gussets.

From there to the valleys between the fingers there is a black, microfiber fabric with four-way stretchability that is the right thickness to have a good balance between durability and breathability. I like this design solution a lot and I hope I see similar combinations in future models from other surviving brands.

The finger liner in both models is a black, slick, microfiber, moisture wicking fabric that differs from the liner that covers the backhand pad in the GX and the inner cuff on both models. It is lightly ribbed along the long axis of the fingers and works well to reduce friction when inserting and removing one’s fingers from the snug sockets.

This next part will be a little difficult to follow so read slowly and do your best to stick with me. Reference the online photos of the glove interiors if I’m not making sense to you.

The specs listed on the Ice Warehouse page say that the finger liner is Easton’s Nano-sense thermal liner while the rest of the liners in the backhand and cuff are its Bio-Dri liners. However, the label “Bio-Dri” appears nowhere on the GX, nor GX-HL gloves while the “Nano-sense” label appears on the interior cuff on both models. The interior cuff liner with that Nano-sense label has light texture that falls just short of being perforated and therefore looks like it is designed to help evaporate moisture but I’m skeptical of its heat management capability despite Easton’s description of it as a “thermal” liner. The blue fabric lining on the backhand pad in the interior of the GX has exactly the same texture as the red fabric bearing the Nano-sense label on the inner cuff.

The black fabric on the backhand pad in the GX-HL is different from the black cuff lining that bears the Nano-sense label but seems to be the same as the lining that’s in the fingers.

How’s that for confusing? After spending some time trying to figure out which liner was which I got so confused I didn’t know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt.

Based on my examination of the materials and my familiarity with Easton’s other Bio-Dri liners from older Synergy equipment my guess is that, contrary to the specs listed on the Ice Warehouse pages for these gloves, the fingers of both gloves have the Bio-Dri lining along with the backhand pad of the GX-HL and the cuffs of both gloves and the backhand pad of the GX have the Nano-sense thermal lining. At least that’s how I would have designed it and it’s consistent with the Nano-sense labels but none of the tags nor the official Easton website are specific enough to provide any confirmation of that. If Ice Warehouse cares to add an editor’s note to this review maybe the experts there can clear all this up.

I discovered a serious flaw with the thumbs on the models I tested. The finger proportionality is inconsistent when it comes to the thumb on all the sizes and versions I tested. The Right hand thumb compartment is too short and small with a shorter tether on both the GX and GX-HL but the problem is especially pronounced on the HL. The thumbs are a little bit short on the left hand as well but not nearly as much. This seems like a consistent flaw across sizes because the size 15s are too long in the fingers, just as one would expect, except for the thumb which is proportionally shorter and feels about right.

The problem becomes obvious when I’m stick handling. I shoot left so my right hand is at the top handle of the stick and my thumb needs more length than it gets. This makes the fit unacceptable to me and disqualified these gloves from my purchase decision, however, if your fingers and/or thumb are a little shorter than average it might still work for you. It’s always possible that I just happened to get a flawed batch of gloves. Just be sure you actually do some stick handling when you’re trying these on or the issue might not seem as obvious.

According to Easton Helyx10 is a form of foam that is claimed to be exceptionally good at widely dispersing impact energy thereby diffusing the force of an impact well off of the axis of that impact. It is found in the padding of the GX and that fact is highlighted on the thumb.

Easton labels the thumb on its HL version as using Hyperlite foam which Easton claims is good at resisting abrasion and tearing in addition to impact protection. That’s not an important feature in a situation where the foam is not exposed.

I can’t tell any difference in the thumb protection offered by either foam configuration but the thumb on the HL is a little more flexible and the fingers seem a bit softer in the GX.

The thumb has only one compartment and it’s where most players want it; In the tethered pouch that touches the stick for maximum feel and dexterity. I’ve never known the thumb section of a palm to wear out so that shouldn’t be a problem.

The thumb has a reinforcement overlay on the GX but not on the HL. The patch is well placed and ample enough to provide extra abrasion protection without significantly reducing feel. It is not designed to be grippy. The thumb gusset uses the same suede as the main palm on both models and it’s perforated to make it breathable.

While the thumb flexibility of the HL is decent it’s simply not a vital feature in my view because as a practical matter the thumb does not need to move much during almost all, if not all stick handling maneuvers. It’s the other fingers that have to move. I can touch my thumb to my pinky a lot more easily with the HL than the GX.

 Cuff

The short but very protective cuff on the GX flares out a little below the wrist but not very much, as one would expect from a contoured glove. The liner material has a NanoSense label on it.

The cuff on the underside of the wrist has a small flap that is 2/3 connected on the thumb side of the wrist and unconnected on the little finger side. There is a four inch long by half inch wide ribbon looping from the edge of the thumb side of the flap to the larger adjacent cuff section. It has no elasticity at all and seems to be there solely to make the gloves easier to hang up to dry. There is nothing to make the bottom flap snap back in place during wrist extension.

There is a small, triangular piece of elastic connecting the two largest pieces of the cuff forming a notch where the radius bone at the top of the forearm (the side in line with the thumb) pushes on the cuff. This adds a slight amount of give to increase range of motion but it’s not significant due to the protective outer cuff and cuff roll.

The top of the outer, protective cuff and cuff roll have a little give to them but not enough to avoid a little interference with my elbow pads at the far ends of my wrist extension range of motion when taking a wrist shot or a backhand. The issue is slight on the lower stick hand. Even without elbow pads the potential for interference is noticeable. This problem is most acute on my upper stick hand on wrist shots. On my lower stick hand, backhanding a shot does not generate interference as long as I have time to change hand positions for a textbook backhand shot. If I don’t have time to change my grip the limitation is there but it’s not profound and would only manifest strongly during rare maneuvers at extreme range of motion. Since there is some give to that part of the cuff the issue could diminish as the glove breaks in, but I can’t confirm that.

Also contributing to this limitation, the protective outer cuff roll does not shift position relative to the backhand or cuff like on some other elite gloves.

I strongly suggest trying this glove on with your elbow pads and experimenting with a wide range of stick handling maneuvers and shots before you decide if it will work for you. That’s always good advice but it’s especially true for contoured gloves because even small differences are amplified by the unique characteristics of each player’s hands, forearms and style of play.

 Slash Guards Recommended

Even though this cuff doesn’t flare very much the cuff doesn’t track with wrist motion and therefore does not remain protective of your forearm and wrist when the wrist is flexing forward, and the bottom flap is likely to get bent outward over time. That makes wearing a slash guard on your wrists a recommended accessory.

Flexibility

Even with the excellent protection from the Helix10 and Hyperlite foams topped with plastic inserts, little flexibility is sacrificed as a tradeoff for that protection. Aiding the flexibility are the mostly nylon cable mesh and finer nylon wrapped little and index fingers with the index and middle fingers designed with three pad segments.

The vinyl coatings on the HL have a thin silver accent line and the thumb of the GX has raised, flexible, chrome, plastic accents that I think look classier than the silver piping on painted on the HL.

 Heat Dissipation

I suspect both the GX and GX-HL are highly likely to run warm. There are ventilation holes in the fingers and palm of the GX and GX-HL but not in the palm of the GX-HL. The gussets of the HL are more breathable which might make up for the lack of perforations in the palm.

I prefer that my gloves have some kind of venting for both heat release and post game drying whether it takes the form of small perforations in the palm or larger ports on the backhand and/or fingers and I’m glad to see that Easton designed some palm ventilation into this model. I wish more companies would follow their lead.

Heat dissipation in most hockey equipment is very important to me but it’s not as vital for my gloves because my hands don’t sweat much. If yours do, you’ll need to weigh the snugness of the GX gloves against how adequate you think the palm and finger ventilation is.

The red and blue microfiber liners in the GX should help it dry faster. No liner is likely to help much, if at all, with heat dissipation in any snug glove with minimal or no air flow. Its primary value is going to be with accelerating drying time.

 Antimicrobial Treatment Uncertainty

On June 6, 2017 I asked Easton via Facebook PIM what the antimicrobial chemical is that Easton uses to treat their Bio-Dri material but I have received no response and I don’t expect one.

I’ve searched the web for the secret ingredient of Bio-Dri and I don’t think it’s out there so Easton probably considers the info proprietary and has managed to keep it a closely guarded secret for a long time.

Easton makes no claim about treating interior foams with antimicrobial agents so it’s reasonable to assume that the interior foams are probably not treated.

The SINQ palm does have an antimicrobial treatment on the GX but no such claim is made regarding the Hyper-sense microfiber suede of the HL.

 Protection

The protection along the top, backhand of the GX and HL gloves is superb, but feels a little softer on the HL and I can feel blows there more than on the GX. The plastic inserts over Hyperlite and Helyx10 foams significantly improve protection in both gloves.

The formidable lateral pads protect the fingers well.

 Palm

The HL’s Hyper-sense palm does not include an overlay so it feels thinner because it is. The overlay on the Venta Laminate Suede palm of the GX doesn’t detract significantly from feel in my opinion but if you’re sensitive about feel then the HL has an edge. Both palms have a similar texture and feel comparable.

Both palms are designed to have Hyperskin fit which seems to mean it fits tightly to the contours of your palm. The microfiber suede on the GX palm is called Sinq and is blended for both softness and durability, and is infused with some kind of antimicrobial treatment the exact nature of which is undisclosed. Easton says it reduces odors by up to 60% but does not provide any context or comparisons by which to judge what that number means.

The Venta Laminate Suede seems to pertain only to the overlay on the GX even though the label is printed on the Sinq part of the palm. Venta probably refers to the perforations that provide ventilation and Laminate probably means it is either coated with something that reduces abrasion or it is itself the lamination that protects the Sinq layer beneath it. Again, Easton’s support information is too vague to know for sure. The overlay is ample and relatively well placed at the bottom edges of the palm but its diagonal path to the base of the index finger does not reinforce the valley between the index finger and the thumb. This is an unusual choice compared to the reinforcements on other gloves.

While both palms are thin neither is at all stretchy. This adds to the tightness of the fit and adds stability to the finger gussets.

All my sticks both with and without grip coatings interact well with the Venta Laminate Suede and the HL’s suede.

 Weight

The Easton GX and GX-HL feel very light to me despite their elite protection. Each of my old Easton Synergy 1300 gloves weighs 349 grams after all these years even after losing some material which is a heavy weight by modern standards so you can bet I can feel the difference when trying on almost all the new contoured models on the market but even the largest differences are not a practical performance issue in my view.

For those of you who really care about it, Easton claims the size 14 version of the GX weighs 319 grams but my scale reports 315 grams. Easton claims that the GX-HL weighs 307 grams but my scale reports a lighter 295 grams.

By way of comparison, lighter models include Warrior’s old Luxe model which weighed in at 273g and the Covert QRL Pro at 292g.

Comparably weighted models include the 2012 Warrior Franchise at 307g, the 2014 Bauer Vapor APX2 reported to weigh 298g,  the 2016-17 Bauer Supreme TotalOne MX3 which Bauer claims weighs 318 grams but my scale reports a slightly lighter 310 grams, the 2016-17 Vapor 1X reportedly 305g but my scale claims 300g, and the 2014 Easton HSX at 317g.

Heavier modern models include the 2014 version of the Bauer APX2 Pro at 331g and the elite protection and features of the True XC9 which add up to 356g.

 Subjective Elements

By my taste, the exterior color and materials design of the gloves are appropriately bold with a nice, modern line. However, there is a color clash problem with the red, black and white version I tested. The red color of the middle vinyl PU on the middle and ring fingers and the knuckles beneath them has a slight orange tinge to it which is different than the red nylon surrounding it. It’s not different enough to look like an intentional two tone design. It’s a close color to the surrounding red, but definitely just different enough to look wrong, so it falls into the uncanny valley and it looks like a mistake. Whether it was intentional or not doesn’t ultimately matter. The result is still the same. The color dissonance is still annoying and makes it look less classy.

 Durability

All the GX gloves I tested display Made in China tags. Everything appears to be very well constructed. I can detect nothing at all sloppy about them.

A long term assessment of durability is not something I can offer, but I see no reason to think they won’t hold up well.
From: Dan, Wichita Falls, TX