We recommend various goalkeeping brands on this site, and regularly update our list of favourite gloves. The Rectrix 1.0 GK gloves — created by our partners at Rectrix Sport — sit at the top our list for all the right reasons. They’re high spec, comfortable, durable and offer the best value for money.
So exactly what makes the Rectrix 1.0 gloves worth buying? What does Rectrix do better than other goalkeeper glove brands?
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SPONSORSHIP: Rectrix are currently running a "buy 2 pairs, get a third FREE" sponsorship promotion on gloves purchased through Amazon. Terms & conditions apply. Full details are published on the Rectrix Sponsorships page.
How We Rate GK Gloves
We never recommend GK gloves based entirely on looks, or because they have a well-known sports brand name behind them. Any experienced Keeper will tell you: many of the small, specialist GK brands offer just as good — if not better — goalkeeper gloves as the world’s biggest sports manufacturers, at a fraction of the cost.
Also keep in mind that your goalkeeper gloves will get muddy, battered, torn, and worn out so quickly that you can barely afford to worry about the branding!
We rate gloves on the criteria that matters:
- Performance
- Comfort & Fit
- Value for money
Learn more about this criteria from our GK glove buying guide.
So let’s put the Rectrix 1.0s through their paces…
1. Performance
Above anything else your gloves need to perform on match days. You need to depend on them whatever conditions are thrown at you. They need to work on all surfaces — no matter how dry, wet, or even icy. Here’s what spec Rectrix offers.
High Quality Contact Latex Palms
The premium quality Contact Latex palms on the Rectrix 1.0s offers superb grip that’s only enhanced with water. This means it’s excellent for wet and muddy conditions, as well as dry summer days.
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For those of you that aren’t familiar with grip types, you can learn more from our Glove Latex Guide. Contact Latex is the highest grade, and is suitable for all abilities — right up to professional level.
Having personally played in these gloves for over 20 games on a mixture of 4G and grass, I can confidently say that the latex durability is superior to many popular, and more expensive brands. The grip lasts — which is testament to the quality of the latex.
Durable ‘Dumbo’ Foam Backhand
Rectrix offers exactly what you want from a goalkeeper glove backhand: durability, flexibility, and the ability to punch the ball.
One of the downsides to many pairs of GK gloves on the market is that they over-complicate their backhands with lots of slippery and/or bumpy plastic features which make it impractical for punching crosses. Those gloves are guilty of style over practicality.
In our opinion, Rectrix have got it right with the slightly firmer ‘Dumbo Foam’ backhand material, because it’s:
- Durable and much less prone to splitting/cracking than many other alternative materials.
- Protective of your hand, without compromising flexibility (it’s slightly firm, but not restricting).
- More water resistant than softer, porous materials (which only adds unnecessary weight to your hands in wet conditions).
- Grippy enough to punch a cross without the ball slipping off the fist (i.e it’s not a ‘shiny’ surface without any friction).
Plus the backhand looks amazing, too. The retro/classic looking design has nods to the 90’s football era, and really catches the eye.
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Sturdy ‘Quick-Release’ Strap
One of the best features about the Rectrix 1.0s is undoubtedly its thick, robust, and easily-adjustable velcro strap. Many other pairs of GK gloves within the same price bracket feature narrower, weaker straps (up to 40% smaller).
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The Rectrix strap achieves two things:
- It makes your wrists feel extremely strong. When you wear these gloves, you immediately feel the difference in the strength of your hands.
- It’s much easier to tighten than any other pair of gloves we’ve used. The plastic ‘quick-release’ tab means that Keepers can easily tighten (and re-tighten) their gloves to preference before and during games. No more hassle!
It’s also worth noting that the strap also has a unique, intricate design made up of carefully stitched criss-cross lines. We’ve not seen anything like it.
2. Comfort & Fit
Just like with football boots, your GK gloves need to fit correctly and feel comfortable. Here’s how the Rectrix 1.0 Gloves faired in this department.
Negative Cut ‘Natural Fit’
While your favourite glove cut is largely down to personal preference, there’s no doubt that the Rectrix 1.0s are elegantly manufactured.
The premium ‘negative’ cut of the Rectrix 1.0s not only provides a natural, comfortable fit around the hand — but also offers a little extra padding at the fingertips due to the way the materials are stitched.
The fit is designed to maximise performance. You only need to try on other cheaper gloves (such as most Flat Palms) for a brief moment before you’ll begin to notice the huge air pockets and ‘flappy’ backhand. Cheaper cut gloves do not compare to the Rectrix 1.0s in terms of grip and control of the ball.
Learn more about Goalkeeper Glove Cuts.
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Correct Sizing
Rectrix provide a size chart on their website, and offer youth and adult variations.
The Rectrix 1.0s have a slightly tighter fit than most other brands — partly due to the ‘natural’ negative cut fit. Having trialled the gloves with Keepers of all ages and hand sizes, the general consensus was to go up a size if you’re on the right on cusp of two different sizes on the chart, or if you prefer a looser fit.
Movement & Flexibility
It’s difficult to maintain strength in goalkeeper gloves without compromising finger flexibility. But Rectrix have done a great job of it. The slightly-firm backhand, soft interior and overall snugness strikes a great balance of flexibility, sturdiness, and comfort.
What I particularly like about the glove design is the way the slits are widened around the outer knuckles to offer maximum flexibility as your hand expands in size when clench your fist. Again, this just adds to the natural feel of the gloves.
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Available in the UK & USA
3. Value For Money
Rectrix gloves are only £31.97 ($46.97) for all sizes.
While many of the Rectrix 1.0s features are available from other manufacturers — those gloves usually cost around £40. Rectrix provides enormous value for money. And it doesn’t end with the gloves.
Here’s what else you’ll get…
Free Delivery
Rectrix offers free delivery on all purchases due to their partnership with Amazon.
That’s a significant saving, considering I’ve paid up to £5 (~$7) for the delivery of my GK gloves from other brands. I’m sure many of you have, too.
30-Day Amazon Guarantee
Trust is important when buying from a small glove brand. But if you have any problems with your Rectrix gloves, you’re protected by the biggest brand in the world — Amazon — with a 30-day return period.
This means that provided your gloves are unused, you’re welcome to return them for a return or exchange without requiring the seller’s permission.
Free Returns On All Popular Sizes
Rectrix 1.0s are eligible for free returns, whatever the reason, on all popular sizes. This currently includes 6-11s (white option). So if you want to try on a different size, or do not like the look/feel of the gloves, you won’t have to pay to send them back.
Buying from Rectrix (via Amazon) is basically risk free — which is remarkable considering some of the most popular sports brands and retailers still do not offer a free returns service.
Glove Bag Included
Rectrix 1.0s come complete with a zip case to store away your gloves after use. It’s a nice touch because your gloves will inevitably get muddy and smelly after regular use!
Again, most other GK brands only provide disposable packaging, meaning you’d need to purchase a glove bag separately. So the free zip case adds to the value of the Rectrix gloves.
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Available in the UK & USA
Genuine Reviews
The glove reviews you’ll see on social media are questionable as they could be coming from friends/family, sponsorships, or paid partnerships.
The difference with Rectrix is that their gloves have been reviewed by verified Amazon customers. And fake reviews on Amazon are constantly regulated and removed.
So when you buy Rectrix 1.0s you have a very good indication that the gloves are exactly what they claim to be. You simply don’t get that reassurance from the majority of other glove brands.
Room For Improvement?
It’s hard to fault Rectrix 1.0 gloves considering the low price tag. But here’s what we suggested to Rectrix Sport as potential improvements:
Slightly Thicker Palms
While the latex palms fully absorb the power of tough shots with ease, one improvement would be to make the latex even thicker for even more cushioning. When I asked Rectrix Sport about the possibility of doing this they answered:
“Currently the Rectrix 1.0s are equipped with the best possible Contact Latex at a thickness that creates the perfect balance of lightness, flexibility, grip, control, durability and low price. We recognise that some Keepers might like extra-thick palms — so we have plans to produce an upgraded version that falls into a different price bracket.”
They also emphasised that thicker gloves can absorb so much water on wet matchdays that it can compromise performance. It’s a valid point: heavy gloves are neither comfortable or beneficial to your game.
Hybrid Or Roll Finger Versions
We suggested that the Rectrix 1.0s could come in different glove cuts to suit all preferences, since the slightly tighter fit might not be to everyone’s taste. Here was their response:
“Our current business model is to create one all-round glove at a time, and we believe that the natural fitting negative cut offers Keepers the best possible matchday performance. We have prototyped hybrid versions of the Rectrix 1.0s — but they’re a little more difficult to perfect. We’ll most likely create entirely different hybrid and roll finger gloves with various different features to appeal to all tastes.”
More Colour Variations
We felt that the Rectrix 1.0s could benefit from some more colour variations. Rectrix provided an update on that for us:
“We’re currently in the process of releasing a Blackout version of the Rectrix 1.0s. Plus we also have plans of incorporating gold into some new designs — it’s going to look great!”
Update: Rectrix launched the Blackout 1.0 Gloves in December 2020, and they look and feel amazing. If anything these are even more smart looking than the original white version. We hope to see even more colour variants in the future.
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Given the high spec features, low price tag, comfort, unique styling, and top customer service — the Rectrix 1.0s fully deserve the recognition we give them on this site. We highly recommend them.