Review: Endor Finders Espirit Replica Gloves

[Aradun]

The Endor Finder Espirit replica biker scout gloves are a new entry in the options for scout gloves. EF debuted these gloves stating that they were “made precisely like the original spirits without the need for removing a strap and dying the suede patches.” One thing unique to their construction, when compared to competitors, is the inclusion of the zipper for the gauntlet. According to EF, the zipper is included to ensure that the gloves maintain the form of the originals. The zipper will need to be removed for Basic Clearance, which I’ll address further on, but first I’ll share some initial impressions, and then provide a comparison to Wampa Wear’s scout glove. Why Wampa? Simply because that’s what I currently own, and they are probably the most popular option for Scouts. Lastly, I talk about the removal of the gauntlet zipper.
 
Let’s get to it! Right out of the delivery bag these gloves felt light and the leather soft and supple. The softness of the leather was evident in the impression that the thumb made on the palm of the leather from the way it was folded, which can be seen in the photo below.
 

 
I’m fairly certain that the impressions made from the stitching and thumb itself will fade away with use and time. The construction of the gloves is solid and appears true to the originals when compared to photos of the vintage Espirits. I ordered a size large based on the sizing chart and found the fit true to size and very comfortable. These are quality gloves.
 
Comparing them to my size large Wampas is where the differences become really apparent. The EF gloves are indeed lighter, softer, and more supple than the Wampas. I found them to be much more comfortable than the Wampas too. A contributing factor to their overall comfort is that the liner used in the EF gloves is much lighter and thinner than that used in the Wampas, which gives the EF glove a much less stiff and snug feel in comparison. I think it will provide adequate warmth in cold weather troops, but for those hot climates or summer troops, I think the EF glove will be far more comfortable to wear than my Wampas. I don’t see any need to remove the liner like some do with the gloves of other competitors.
 
SIDE BY SIDE (Wampa on the left / EF on the right)
 




 
There are different qualities when it comes to leather, and I’m no expert on those qualities or what makes one type of leather better or worse than another. That being said, the leather used for the EF glove has different characteristics to that of the Wampa. It has a finer grain pattern, making it much smoother and, IMO, nicer in appearance when compared to the coarser grain pattern of the Wampas. The EF leather is also a lighter weight leather. It is slightly thinner than the leather used for the Wampas, which I imagine is a contributing factor to the glove’s overall lighter feel, suppleness, and comfort. I’m looking forward to these gloves developing a nice wear with use and age.
 
As for price, Wampa can’t be beat with its $60 price point, but EF’s current pricing of $95 puts it on par with the pricing of other quality competitors like KeepTrooping and Crowprop. I feel that the price is worth it, especially given that it offers a more accurate and true to form construction in comparison to its rivals.
 
The EF gloves do include the hidden zipper on the underside of the glove like the originals and the Wampas. My only quip is with the pull used for this zipper. It’s not your standard zipper pull. As you can see from the photo below the pull is attached to a link which is then attached to the zipper.
 


 
My concern is that the shiny silver pull will be popping out from under the leather concealment and dangling around whenever I’m waiving. It’s certainly no deal breaker and if it is an issue, it is easily addressed by removing the pull from the link, and just using the link itself as the pull.
 
Speaking of zippers, how about that gauntlet zipper? This is what sets the EF glove apart from its competitors. Most scout glove options currently available don’t have this feature and instead have a faux flare where the zipper would be. The inclusion of the zipper in the EF glove does indeed ensure that the glove is true to form and is a really nice touch for those who are all about accuracy, but just can’t get their hands on an original vintage pair from 40 years ago!
 
But that zipper has to be removed in order to achieve even Basic Clearance. So, what is the best way to remove it? I was going to use an x-acto knife to carefully cut the zipper out, but there is very limited real estate between the leather seam and the teeth of the zipper. I was really leery about having the knife scoring the leather, or worse, slice through it, if it slipped. Scissors weren’t an option either, as the blades proved to be too thick to make a cut in the limit space available.
 
Removing the zip was easy enough, as you just need to pop it off of the teeth with a screw driver, but for the teeth of the zipper, I used a very small flat head screw driver, as wide as a single tooth, which I inserted under the edge of the tooth to pop it off of the nylon. The teeth snapped off without issue, and what was left behind was the finished edge of the nylon to which they were mounted. What’s nice about this removal process is that there won’t be any issue of the nylon fraying like there would be if it was cut. The most challenging part of the removal was the zipper stop. Luckily, the stop was molded plastic and not metal. Here, I did resort to using an x-acto with a large chisel blade, and carefully pressed on the stop, snapping off small portions at a time until it was free from the nylon. Worked like a charm and any threat of damaging the leather during the process was removed. Sorry, I didn’t think of capturing photos of the removal process.



 
Bottom line, I find the Endor Finder’s replica biker scout gloves to be a great addition to the options currently available, and personally, I like them much more than my Wampa Wear gloves, which will now be relegated for use with my JFO Scout. These gloves won’t disappoint with their solid construction and excellent quality from a well-known and trusted vendor. A shout out to [mention=53781]plagu3is[/mention]  for making these available. I’m not sure what EF’s plan is for future production (i.e., made to order, stock item, or production in runs), but if it’s in your budget, I highly recommend grabbing a pair when they are available.

[iceknyght]

Agreed with everything you said about the comparison.  The only thing I think I liked better about the WW gloves is that they taper just a smidge at the wrist and because I have thin wrists/forearms, that part fits me a bit better.  Other than that, the EF gloves are much better overall.

Also, my WW gloves are mediums and I got my EF gloves as large and for me, they fit/look very similar in size.  

And do you think a pair of needle nose pliers would work as well with the removal of the zipper?  I might try both.

[kayelbe]

Got mine yesterday!  As you pointed out, there's a HUGE difference in fit/comfort between them and WW.  These new ones are lighter, thinner, and just feel better.  

Also, thanks for the tip on removing the zippers!  I was not looking forward to cutting them off.

[Hask]

I find my IB gloves to be light and comfy do you know anyone that has a pair you can compare?

[Aradun]

I find my IB gloves to be light and comfy do you know anyone that has a pair you can compare?

I’ll have to ask around in my garrison. May take some time to coordinate a meet up if there is someone, but I’m happy to check.

[Hask]

Thank you 😀

[Dart]

I got mine in today. Agree with the general sentiment with regards to comfort and fit. I have a size XL and they fit properly.

As for the zipper removal, I have a pair of small, curved scissors that I used to cut the zipper out. Just made sure that the leather around was pulled back enough so that I could make tiny little snips without making a hole in the leather. Took all of about 10 minutes for both gloves.

I too have reservations about the zipper pull on the inside wrist but it's a minor thing to deal with if I decide I don't want it there anymore.

Overall, I really like the fit and would definitely recommend these to anyone who's looking and has a bit more of a budget.

[SharkForge]

I was in between sizes on their size chart so I ordered 2 pairs. a L and XL. What is interesting is the large pair I have are actually bigger than the XL. They both fit about the same in the fingers but for some reason my XL pair of gloves are ever so slightly snug around the base of my thumb compared to, what should be smaller, the L pair. Both fit me overall well and the feel of them are lightyears above my Wampa pair. It feels like the size tags were swapped on my particular two sets of gloves haha. Regardless, both work great so I now have a backup pair! These will be much much nicer for the SWFL heat!

[Cyril]

une petite paire de ciseaux à moustache et le tour est joué 😇

[wide]

On 8/26/2023 at 10:53 AM, Cyril said:

une petite paire de ciseaux à moustache et le tour est joué 😇

Cela a été très utile, merci !

This was super helpful, thank you!