Wilson GST 1005 Football - Worth it ?

**SWVA-Football** · October 22nd, 2006, 07:43 PM

Hey guys, lately I've been eyeing the Wilson GST 1005 football because of the fact that it's an actual leather football, it is used by high-schools and NCAA Division 1 teams around the nation, and because the 1005 pattern is supposedly "smaller" than the normal NFL pattern, making it easy to grip and to throw.

I'm about tired of these fake composite leather balls, so I have been wanting the real deal.. however, the main obstacle, of course, is the hefty price which weighs in at about $70-80, which of course is pretty steep just for a football.

So has anyone here ever used one before? If so, how does it grip/throw/perform? And how durable is it? Would you say it's worth the price?

I may look towards getting one for Christmas.. I felt of one the other day at Hibbit's and it really felt amazing.

For those of you slightly unfamiliar to it, here's a photo of it and some links:

F1003 med 1787

WILSON GST PRODUCT INFORMATION

WHAT MAKES THE WILSON GST ONE OF THE BEST FOOTBALLS AVAILABLE

These keypoints off of the Wilson websites are what really make me want it:

* 1005 "small" pattern - easier to grip and throw
* In blind playtests, 82% of the players preferred the Wilson GST football over the competition!
* Wilson combines the unique panel shape of our neoprene lining with the seams of the ball and the 1005 Pattern to create deep channels. This makes the Wilson GST game ball the most gripable football available.
* But don't take our word for it...just ask Bob Ladouceur the Head Coach of De Las Salle High School, the #1 ranked high school team in the nation. "We've used the Wilson GST the entire 2001 season and our players love it!"

Thanks in advance to anyone that replies .. much will be appreciated!

**AppyDawg40** · October 22nd, 2006, 08:07 PM

haha chubz i know you want the best but thats a bit much...we have those at appy and honestly i dont like them half as much as i do our older ones....

**NotSoSilentBob** · October 22nd, 2006, 08:10 PM

[censored] you need a woman...

**SWVA-Football** · October 22nd, 2006, 08:12 PM

I'm not trying to prove anything guys, I just want a leather football.

And why don't you like them as much as your older ones? Too slick? Too small/big?

**AppyDawg40** · October 22nd, 2006, 08:16 PM

i dont know man...probably just me....but as a reciever i think they're harder to catch...takes a good while to break them in and even when they're "broke in" they still feel pretty stiff...

**SWVA-Football** · October 22nd, 2006, 08:19 PM

Ah, I totally understand what you mean .. it did feel pretty stiff but that's how I thought most leather balls were supposed to feel.

I can honestly say that I've never actually messed around with any leather balls - only composite leather balls - so I have no idea how they perform or how easy they are to throw or to catch.

All I know is that I always hear how they're really durable and how they are used for high-school and NCAA teams, so that's the main driving point in terms of why I want to try one out.

It's an expensive price to pay for a football, like I said, but I'd be willing to pay that much for a good, leather football that would last me a long, long time.

I just hope the breaking-in part that you mentioned doesn't make it too hard to do anything with ..

**knight_67** · October 22nd, 2006, 08:49 PM

i got one, just doesn't keep air in it...
i've used better

**SWVA-Football** · October 22nd, 2006, 08:52 PM

So the air goes out of it pretty quickly? [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Dang .. not sounding good so far .. I was hoping for more positive opinions about it.

What are some other leather footballs that are the same size (with the slightly "smaller" pattern) but that are of higher quality?

**knight_67** · October 22nd, 2006, 09:00 PM

well, mine don't keep air thanks to the weather i guess
it stayed in the back of my truck (rain, snow, sun) for a long while...
i think the old 1005 was decent enough for me though

**SWVA-Football** · October 22nd, 2006, 09:05 PM

I know what you mean about the weather part .. I remember I had a football out in the winter once and it was just totally messed up in terms of its shape and its durability. It almost felt like it had a big "hump" in it or something.

How was the texture of the latest GST (1005 pattern) in terms of throwing? Was it slippery or did it feel about right?

I know that licking your fingers just before throwing helps make the texture of the ball more "tacky" (and using a damp towel is another supposed method according to the box), but I'm not 100% sure about the effectiveness in terms of throwing since I obviously couldn't be throwing it in the store!

And also one more thing:
What made the old 1005 better?