It's interesting to note
that the list price of the Joe Rocket Atomic 2.0 gloves
is $10.00 less than the
Joe Rocket Phoenix 3.0 gloves.
We're not sure where the
Atomic line fits in the Joe Rocket line, but you'd think
that for 10 bucks less you'd get less leather and
comfort, but you'd be wrong.
In fact, we found the Atomic
gloves to be more comfortable and cooler than the more
expensive Phoenix gloves, which is puzzling. Since
the Atomic gloves have been in the Joe Rocket lineup
longer, it makes us wonder if they're cutting too many
corners lately with their redesigned products.
Not that the Atomic gloves
are perfect by any means, but we liked them enough to
rate them as our #2 pick after the
REV'IT! Monster
gloves.
This supports our claim that
too many synthetic materials can sometimes make for a
cheaper-feeling glove. The Joe Rocket Atomic 2.0
gloves use 65% genuine leather, 15% synthetic leather,
10% Nylon, 5% grain leather (?) and 5% "rubber badge",
whatever that is.
The entire palm and fingers
of the Atomic gloves are apparently made from a seamless
(but thin) piece of leather, and this immediately gives
the gloves a better internal feel, without all the seams
and threads and whatever junks up the inside of the
Phoenix gloves.
The material used on the
back of the gloves is very stretchy, which allows the
gloves to spread with the rider's hand. The backs
of the fingers are also made from leather and they're
heavily perforated, which gives the Atomic gloves about
the best air flow in this group.
There's not quite as much
synthetic leather used on the palms on the wear points
under the knuckles and along the thumb, which probably
adds to the comfort level but possibly at the expense of
longevity. "Chamude" brand synthetic leather used
in the Atomic gloves, which is claimed to feel exactly
like leather but with better abrasion resistance.
There's a strange-feeling
piece of rough material just over the wrist, which we
assume has been added for abrasion resistance. Joe
Rocket's marketing materials claim that Schoeller
Metallic Kevlar is used in the Atomic gloves, and this
small wear patch may be it.
The extra section of
synthetic leather at the tops of the palms tends to
bunch up with a firm grip on the handlebars, which
detracts from their otherwise comfortable feel.
The cuffs on the Atomic
gloves are very similar but no better than those found
on the Phoenix gloves. The stretchy material is
also the Aeroprene brand of neoprene, but the cuffs have
the same type of too-small strap and what seems like not
enough hook-and-loop to last for more than a few dozen
attachments.
Conclusion
All of the summer motorcycle gloves we've reviewed in
this group have compromises, and although the Joe Rocket
Atomic 2.0 gloves are far from perfect, they're among
the best of the bunch in our opinion, especially when
price is taken into account. Whether or not they
would protect better or worse than any of the other
gloves is the question.
We place
these second after the REV'IT! Monster gloves.


