Akadema is company established in 1998 by two brothers Joseph and Lawrence Gilligan. Lawrence Gilligan, ex professional baseball player, noticed that there had been little or no innovation in baseball gloves for decades. Thus, he decided to do something about it. Akadema with its innovation in mitts brought “A Game” to the field and achieve a higher level of play.
Akadema has revolutionized the industry by making innovative gloves for infielders, outfielders, catchers and pitchers. Since the each position is unique, they decided to incorporate unique patented technologies into their gloves to enhance a player’s performance on the field. Their most distinguished feature is that all of them are made of high-quality leather.
Their Reptilian glove, is patented near fingerless design creates a natural air pocket which acts as a shock observer for initial ball impact, and in that way it’s making glove to hand transfer smoother and quicker. Moreover, when the ball initially hits the glove, it makes a depression that allows the ball to sit longer in the glove. This approach in design also acts as a shovel for easier ground ball scooping.
When “Stress Wedge” technology is patented between the index finger and thumb, Akadema’s Praying Mantis came out with shock-absorbing protection for the hand against injury and sting when receiving the ball.
Then, they made the innovation in infielders’ glove with the Funnel. They made an open glove by inverting the thumb and pinky finger.
Further, they raised the level of play in outfield with the Claw. The Claw offers three wider finger stalls that are much larger than a regular glove.
At last, they made certain products for maintaining their gloves. They offer mitt masher, glove conditioner and glove lace. Besides gloves, they offer wood and metal bats, footwear, batting gloves, apparel, eye wear, equipment and travel bags.
However, how does Akadema compare with some of the other brands such as Nokona and Worth? When we compare Akadema with Nokona the thing that stands out is the long standing of Nokona products. They have been around for three-quarters of a century and therefore are a company with a long time reputation. The special features of Nokona products are their gloves which use special leather. There is the choice between kangaroo, buffalo and cowhide and the gloves are all handmade by craftsmen. These handmade gloves give that extra special feel when worn. Apart from gloves a range of Nokona products also include gear bags, lotions, bats and mallets. Though the gloves are handmade they are still reasonably priced when compared to a brand like Akadema. Therefore a comparison of the Akadema baseball gear with Nokona and Worth is very difficult. All have their highlights with Nokona having the special feature that their gloves are handmade and are stitched with leather that the customer can choose from.
On the other hand, Worth Sport Equipment has their products being used by many collegiate teams. They offer a wide range of bats with some accessories. The prices of Worth compare well with Akadema.
There are many manufacturers of baseball and softball equipment. While going in for purchase of any equipment it is best to understand your needs for the purchase. Then, when shopping your softball equipment the price is very important especially if you shop at budget. However, if you are serious sports player you will probably ask for quality and therefore you will go for famous brands.