I was looking at gloves made of cabretta leather that have similar thickness: from $5/ea to $18/ea, and I'm asking myself: why is there a $12 difference between these two gloves?

So I called racquetworld, and they tell me that the $5 glove uses an inferior cabretta leather, while the $18 glove uses premium cabretta leather.

How true can this statement be? Do they use sick sheep for one and cloned sheep for the other?

You got me curious. Apparently there are differences in the material based on geography. Tanning can probably also make a difference, as would stitching...

A leather produced from the skins of sheep which have hair instead of wool, i.e., straight-haired sheepskins. The leather is produced in India, China, South America, and Africa, the best grades coming from the latter two areas. In the United r States, the term is generally considered to indicate specifically a Brazilian sheepskin. Cabretta is generally chrome tanned and has a very fine grain and a strong fiber network

(from http://cool.conservation-us.org/don/dt/dt0539.html )

They are rated by Grade, thickness, & quality. Just like any other product. When products are produced there are the best and seconds. There is a difference between the 2.

kyles

They are rated by Grade, thickness, & quality. Just like any other product. When products are produced there are the best and seconds. There is a difference between the 2.

Not sure about the ratings, but I do know that Gearbox makes the absolute best gloves I have ever used. I never wash them, play a couple hours twice a week, but have been using the same 8 gloves for over a year now. Amazing....