Blocking out the Burn – Buff’s Eclipse Gloves (continued)

Pull tabs at the wrist and middle finger help make putting the gloves on, and pulling them off, quick and easy, even when the gloves were soaking wet. I also discovered that I was able to handle fish easier, and even grab during landings or in live wells faster, which helped minimize their time out of the water, and prevent accidental contact with the boat deck. The combination of the silicone dot pattern and abrasion resistant film on the palms of the Eclipse Glove is particularly good at maximizing grip when wet.

One interesting benefit of the Eclipse gloves is the increased grip, even when wet

Both of the gloves dry quickly, but the Eclipse Glove dries about 30% faster than the Elite Glove because it is thinner and the suede palm material does take a little longer to dry. As an added plus these gloves definitely are more odor resistant than just about every other glove that I have fished to date, due to effective use of anti-microbial fabric, and while air-drying the gloves helped reduce the overall stench factor I still found myself tossing these gloves in the washer once in a while to help keep them fresh and clean feeling.

I found handing fish quicker, easier, and safer with the Buff Eclipse gloves

Price and Applications: When I compared the Eclipse and Elite gloves side by side they performed similarly in most categories, but the more affordable $35 dollar Eclipse Series offers freshwater anglers a little more dexterity and faster dry times than the more robust $45 dollar Elite Series gloves. I also felt like the Eclipse gloves were a little more breathable, making them the gloves that I found myself favoring on those really hot days.

If fishing for bass is your primary application the Eclipse Sungloves strike an ideal mix of the protection you need, and handling characteristics anglers want. Anglers that target more toothy species, employ thicker braided lines or cable, and regularly fish in inshore environments will benefit from stepping up to the Elite Series for that extra level of abrasion resistance and cut protection.

The Eclipse gloves feature double layer fabric reinforcement between the index finger and thumb for maximum durability from abrasion... like lipping bass

Both gloves did an absolutely fantastic job protecting my hands from the sun, and the use of 80% polyester and 20% spandex combine to create a glove that is extremely comfortable and breathable, even when wet. The UPF 50+ rating measures the amount of UV radiation that penetrates a fabric and reaches skin. A fabric like the ones used in these gloves that is rated with a UPF of 50 will allow only 1/50th of the sun’s UV rays to pass through. In other words, it blocks 49/50ths or 98% of the UV radiation. UPF 50+ is the highest possible rating and Buff states that samples of these fabrics have been tested for UV protection by LEITAT—Textile Technology Institute in accordance with the standard AS/NXS4399:1996 “Sun protective clothing--Evaluation and Classification.”

Even after a season of use the only damage was a few fraying threads. The gloves continue to perform well

In terms of competition there are a number of major players in the sun glove game including Glacier Glove, Aftco, Simms, and Fish Monkey. Most of the competitors offer similar gloves at the $29.99 to $34.95 price range so the Buff Eclipse is on the top end of the spectrum, but easily one of the most feature rich and well-built gloves available, and certainly worth a premium of just a few dollars more. Anglers looking for a lighter, more aggressively priced Buff sunglove, can select the Aqua Series for $25.99 or ultralight Solar Series which retails for only $17.99.

Ratings:

Pluses and Minuses:

Conclusion: I always recommend anglers to consider sun protection with the amount of hours and days that we spend on the water. Buff has a one two punch with the Eclipse and Elite Series, and depending on your favorite species or preferred application these two gloves will have you covered, literally.

Buff continues to raise the bar when it comes to their sun protection garments and the Eclipse Gloves are no exception. These are excellent gloves for bass and fly anglers

The Eclipse Glove is our Editor’s Choice Award winner for bass anglers, and delivers an exceptional balance of performance, handling, and durability. They handle so nicely that there are times that I even forget the gloves are there, and beyond just protection from the elements they even provide anglers with a firmer grip on catches, which is a very good thing for both anglers and fish.

Your hands are one of the most important “tools” in your angling arsenal, and it makes sense to protect them so that you can fish with greater effectiveness, and the Buff Eclipse sungloves do such a good job blocking out the burn that you can really enjoy those long days on the water to the fullest.