Held Phantom II Gloves

I ride five days a week, twelve months a year in all sorts of weather - baking 110 degree heat, rain, snow, everything but ice. Needless to say, I go through gloves faster than the average Joe, so I was looking for something a little more durable, as well as something that offered as much protection as possible for my hands.

After a good bit of research, I decided to go with the Held Phantom II gloves. My oh my, are they nice! The integrated wiper blade on the left index finger is a much better solution than wiping your visor with your glove and smearing water everywhere when it rains. It's got gobs of protective features and feels like a tank.

Downsides? Feels like a tank. There's still plenty of flex in the hands, but they took a few weeks to break in, and it doesn't quite have the range of motion in the thumb area that I'd like. Don't get me wrong - they're quite comfortable - but they don't have the flex that thinner gloves have. From a protective standpoint, this is good, but from a comfort standpoint, it's a small annoyance.

The airflow is ok. Your hands don't sweat, but it's not exactly the same feeling as a forest breeze here.

The other downside is that they're stupid expensive. They've held up amazingly well over the last few months - not a stitch out of place and the leather is in great shape, but ouch, not easy on the pocket book. It does feel like you get your money's worth, but it's not a small amount of money. Still, I tell the wife that they're cheaper than hand surgery if you wipe out.

Would I buy them again? Yes.

If you don't require the greatest amount of protection possible in a motorcycle glove? You may want to look at less expensive gloves.

Do you want titanium covered knuckles? Get this glove.

I was looking for a pair of good quality track-use gloves which should last me a few seasons of riding and not compromise on safety or comfort. The usual suspects in the choice bracket were the A-Star and Dainese top ones. A bit of research and I found a lot of good reviews on Held Phantom series. Almost everyone had only good things to talk about them and people who had crashed in them swore by them. Decided to believe the words of fellow riders and took the plunge. I measured my hand and it came between a size 9.5 and 10. Decided to go one side up to be on the safer side and ordered the size 10 in full black.
PROS:
1. Full Kangaroo leather - kangroo leather feels amazing and extremely light weight. They are unbelievably light and this factor helps in reducing fatigue even if its minimal.
2. Stingray protectors - Stingray is the best out there for sliders and good to see it being used here to good effect.
3. Titanium + Kevlar - Safety is top notch on the Phantoms. These gloves feel bomb proof and are right up there at the top of the food chain in terms of safety
4. Comfort - The gloves feel very soft on the hand and the ventilation and finish is good too. They feel super comfortable right out of the box which is a good thing.
5. Price - for the money one pays for these, you get a lot of bang for your buck. Makes the deal only sweeter

CONS:
1. The size 10 feels just that wee-bit big for my hand. Its not a big deal but I get a feeling that a 9.5 would have probably fit better. But I am sticking with the 10 and not exchanging them for the 9.5 because they feel right despite there being an mm or two to spare above the ring and pinky fingers
2. The thumb is huge. Maybe Held used a camel's toe for digit ratios or whatever but its plain simple stupid how they messed up an otherwise perfect ergo and design.
3. The cuff closure velcro patch is a bit too small for my liking. would have preferred a bigger and more substantial closure patch.
4. The all-black is full stealth design and I prefer it that way. But a lot of people would miss the bling factors that an A-star or a Dainese carry. I had almost gone for the neon-yellow ones but then stuck to the black.

Would I recommend these gloves? a big YES
I am super impressed with the product. So much so that my next gloves purchase would most probably be a Held too.

Excellent long coverage gauntlet with comfortable armor and materials, no hot spots or chafing straight out of the box, good feel and grip on the controls. Did a couple hundred miles this week in them in 90F weather, no issues with being hot, I love how they look and the comfort.

Sizing, this is the big one, I read the reviews and did the measurements (9.25 inch hand), was sure a 10 would be a good match for XL Alpinestars and Dainese, but found the 10 to be much larger. I exchanged for size 9 and it seemed snug prior to the ride with a bit of play here and there, they quickly loosened a bit and are still sloppier than an XL Dainese and A-stars due to larger volume around the fingers (length is about the same). A-stars XL is actually rather tight pre-ride but after an hour in the heat they loosen a bit, however I still get some soreness after a long ride cause they are really tight (but feel custom fit). The Dainese XL is looser and is really a great compromise, and the Held is the loosest but also no hand pain and still reasonably tolerable slop (the pinky is the sloppiest finger and feels a bit fumbley)

The Phantom stitching is kind of meandering, but can't find a functionality issue anywhere, the kangaroo die job looks really deep, hope it does not fade, cause these things pop like crazy (got the yellow, Hi Viz). The stingray is very flexible and the superfabric is very stiff, but the gauntlet is well designed and no pressure points exist. The throttling motion could be restrictive for some, but I did not notice any issues, can run to stops without glove binding.

The glove exceeds my expectations, I love the look, the protection, control, comfort, and feel; a bit loose for my thin fingers, but not a deal breaker. Highly recommended.

I read all the reviews and ordered an 8 because I usually wear a 9 or 9 1/2. Mine actually ran pretty true to size. I figured I could soak them and stretch them but I should have returned them instead. Now the fingers fit well, but the thumbs are still a bit snug. The way the thumbs are constructed they just can't stretch as much as the fingers can, and I don't want to risk bursting the stitching with too much force.

As others have said, the ulna protection interferes uncomfortably with full throttle movement. Maybe if I'd gotten a 9, it would be laid out right for my hands; can't say.

If the thumbs are more than a tiny bit snug right out of the box, or if the stiff side thing jams into your hand when your wrist is bent fully back, return them and go a size up. Don't be an optimist like me. By the time I figured it out, they were unreturnable.

I don't notice any of this on the track, but I do on the street sometimes. After an hour on the bike I notice the thumbs. I should probably admit I simply lit a match to three hundred beans, or at least get a pair of something else for street riding.

I haven't crashed in these yet so I can't judge the protection. As for durability I've only got a few months of riding on them. For the price they should be like new aside from dirt and break-in, and they are.

It sounds like Held needs to figure out how to get their sizing consistent. I'm pretty sure I would be 100% happy with these gloves if I'd gotten them a size larger. But how many tries would it have taken to get a pair that was the size they said it was? This pair of eights was at most an 8 1/2. From what people are saying, maybe the nines I ordered would be a ten. Ridiculous.

I have been wearing the Phantom since Held first released them, the original Phantom is my favorite glove, I have owned a least 4 pairs of them for my racing seasons, currently still have 2 that I wear.
Figured I would give these a shot since they were on sale for a while when the original distributor dropped them. I have only done a track weekend in them, but so far they are OK, the fit in the hand seems to be just as good as the originals, but like some others on here the thumb for some reason is a little long. Then my biggest complaint is the new knuckle system, I know it is supposed to help move air, but really it is just a little too big compared to the old style, which fits over my knuckles perfectly.
I have not crashed in these so I can not comment on that, but they seem to be built just as well as the OGs. Still has the sting ray in the palm and their new material on the forearm and pinky. It does feel like they added a bit more foam on the inside which is nice also, and the kangaroo leather still allows plenty of feel. These gloves will last a lifetime if taken care of. One of my OG pairs have gone down at least 3 times since owning and still have barely any sign of the damage done to the rest of my body and the bike. :D

So all around the glove is a great glove if it fits your hand properly. I just do not get why the thumb is so long and why the knuckle protection has to be so big, other than that I trust this glove to do its job and hopefully I will just get used to the thumb part over this coming season.

These are a tad difficult to size. I have long fingers and relatively large hands. For some reason, as others have suggested, the thumbs are too long, which takes away from an otherwise great glove. This is my first Held glove, and I have had gloves from several other brands before, but nothing in this price range. Most of them were short, and I wanted a gauntlet glove with more protection. I thought I would try these because of Held's solid reputation on gloves.

The protection and quality of construction look pretty high end. The gauntlet could be a tad bigger: it is a real struggle to get over the cuff of my jacket, and does not allow for the velcro to get more than barely fastened. I am able to get the cuff under the jacket more easily, but I am unsure which way I will end up wearing it most.

I have ordered a half size down: a size 9.5 Held. The original order was size 10; my actual hand circumference was about 9.25", so I ordered erring on the large size. It fits almost perfectly in the fingers, but just a hair too long, and the thumb is definitely too long. I figure the half size down should be perfect, but I expect the thumb will still be slightly too long.

Still, I would rather have a thumb slightly too large than too tight on my gloves, as I have had issues breaking in stubborn gloves from Icon and Alpinestars that used to make half my hand go numb after even a short ride. It took several wet cycles to get them comfortable enough for long rides.

I may post a further update once I get the 9.5 size to try on, but I expect fit will be as good as it gets, which is pretty darn good and very comfortable.

I had considered some of the GoreTex options (Race Tex and Air N Dry) from Held also, but I changed my mind. I got some free waterproof Acerbis gloves with my gear order, so I elected to not compromise on the glove I would wear 90% of the time for the sake of the 10% wet riding. I always keep a couple pairs of gloves with me when I ride long trips on the VFR, so this works for me.

PROS:
- Premium materials
- Great "feel"
- Excellent protection*
*Assuming they aren't defective

CONS:
- Run large
- Ulna protection prevents moment
- Poor quality control

I was looking for a gauntlet style glove for occasional track days. After trying several of the different name brand lines, I decided on the Held Phantom II. The material and technology is incredible. The feel was very good for such a protective glove. This is where the praises end and the nightmare begins...

The fit was almost a whole size larger (based on my measurement I should wear a 9-9.5 and selected an 8). After my first day of use, I realized that my right glove was actually smaller than my left. It probably was factory defect and would also explain why the finger stitching came undone about half an inch on my middle finger. This was after my third usage. To make matters even worse, the ulna protection interferes with bending your wrist enough to open the throttle. It became a noticeable problem, enough that it alone would make me consider a different glove. I tried other gauntlet offerings from Alpinestars and Dainese and think that I will go with the Dainese Metal D1. Wish me luck with the warranty claim.

This pair of gloves was a second choice to the, then unavailable, Titan. While these gloves are comfortable and seem to offer good protection, they turn out to have some issues. Unlike previous held purchases, this glove began to fall apart at the seams after less than four months of real use. Revzilla was right on the ball with a warranty claim however, the end result from Schuberth NA and Held was mail-in service for a fairly poor quality repair.

I don't expect better durability and service for a glove at this price point and as such would suggest purchasing $20 throw away gloves before choosing these.

Wow, so impressed with this product. Fit is a tad big, should have gone with the size 8 from the start, but according to the sizing listed here I would been more leaning toward the 9, if your'e in between I would say just order both and send one back. Held does make half sizes, but RZ doesn't carry them for this product as they do for the titan (at least not at the time of this writing).

In the 9 the pinky is way too long, but the other fingers are ok. I read that the pinky are long for some, but that could be due to improper fit.
In the 8, proper size, all fingers feel great.
The super fabric feels very strong, and the closed cell foam padding everywhere is great feeling.

All around great product.

Mine were Made in Hungry if anybody cares.

Good quality product. However fit wise I found them to be slightly longer in the fingers than what I have experienced in other gloves. I intially got the small size and found them to be too tight, but the medium is slightly longer finger wise like i said. Also found the kangaroo leather on the palm side of the gloves dig into your hands natural creases as they break in. It gets a bit umcomfortable after riding past 2-3 hours. On the other hand this leather makes you feel like much more connected to the controls, almost as if riding with bare hands, which feels great.