How a Kachi Custom Glove Gets Made

Six to eight weeks. Seven steps. Built by people who've used pro-level gloves in pro-level games. Here's every step — the ones you participate in, the ones we handle, and the ones that get your glove game-ready before it lands on your porch.

Step 1 — Pick Your Position & Start Your Build

Choose the position you play — pitcher, catcher, infield, outfield, or first base. Each position has its own pattern, web style, and pocket depth, designed around how the position is actually played. Browse the position-specific guides if you want the long version:

• The Pitcher's Glove Guide
• The Catcher's Mitt Guide
• The Infielder's Glove Guide
• The Outfielder's Glove Guide
• The First Baseman's Mitt Guide

If you're not sure which position fits your build needs, the Kachi Size Guide walks through it position by position and age by age.

Step 2 — Configure Your Build (Day 1–3)

You spec the glove — position, size, web style, pocket depth, shell leather color, trim leather color, lacing pattern and color, personal embroidery, heritage-flag embroidery. Two ways to do it:

• Via the 3D builder — live visual preview updates as you make each decision. (The builder is currently being upgraded — see the note below.)
• Via email — send your specs to hello@kachigloves.com with your position, size, and any color/embroidery preferences. Carlos's team replies within 24 hours with a build sheet to confirm.

Not sure about a specific decision? Email us your draft. We'll respond with a review and recommendation before you commit.

Step 3 — Design Approval (Day 3–5)

Before your glove goes to the factory, our design team sends you a rendered approval — showing the exact leather colors, lacing, web construction, and embroidery placement. You approve or request changes. Most approvals happen in 24–48 hours.

This step matters. Factory production is committed once you approve — so the rendered preview is your last chance to catch anything off. We're patient here. We'd rather take two extra days on approvals than build you the wrong glove.

Step 4 — Leather Selection & Cutting (Week 2)

Your Japanese Kip hides are individually selected from our tannery supply — the same tier that goes into NPB-grade professional gloves. Each panel is cut from a specific area of the hide chosen for grain density and structural integrity. A glove isn't a one-size-fits-all sheet of leather — every shell, palm, finger stall, and lacing strip is cut from an optimized zone.

Step 5 — Construction & Lacing (Weeks 3–4)

Hand-stitched construction. Hand-laced web and welting. Every Kachi glove is built by craftsmen whose day job is pro-spec gloves — not mass-market retail. Typical labor time on a single custom glove: 8–12 hours of focused work.

Step 6 — Embroidery & Finishing (Week 5)

The personal touches go on last so they don't get damaged during construction:

• Heritage flag embroidery — wrist strap or pinky placement, free for any of 11 Latin & Caribbean baseball nations.
• Name, number, or short text — typically on the thumb stall or pinky.
• Team logo or custom artwork — submit your vector file with your order; we'll match thread colors to your design.
• Final conditioning — a light pass of lanolin-based conditioner so the leather is supple but still has its long-shape memory intact.

Step 7 — Quality Control & Ship (Week 6)

Final inspection: lacing integrity, pocket shape, embroidery placement, leather finish. Any glove that doesn't pass QC goes back through the appropriate step. If it does pass, it ships — typically arriving within 2–3 business days of shipment.

You get a tracking number and estimated delivery on ship day.

After Your Glove Arrives

1. Use it. Don't overthink it. It's game-ready.
2. Condition it every 4–6 weeks with Kachi Glove Conditioner & Leather Oil. Full care routine: Glove Care Instructions.
3. Store it correctly — pocket protected with a ball, web up, indoor closet shelf. Not the trunk, not the garage.
4. If anything fails because we screwed up — stitching, lacing, leather, embroidery — your Lifetime Craftsmanship Guarantee covers it for the life of the player.

The 3D builder, temporarily

Our 3D glove builder is being upgraded. While that's happening, the email path above is the fastest way to spec your build. You'll get the same end product, the same six-to-eight-week timeline, and the same lifetime guarantee — and a real person from Carlos's team walking through your spec with you.

If you'd rather wait for the builder to come back, that's fine too — message us at hello@kachigloves.com and we'll let you know the moment it relaunches.

Common questions

How long is the wait, really?

Six to eight weeks from order approval to your front door, in most cases. We don't pad estimates — that's the actual range. If we slip past eight weeks, we'll proactively tell you, not the other way around.

Can I rush an order?

Not at this stage. Custom Japanese Kip construction can't be sped up without sacrificing quality. If you need a glove sooner, the Kachi Standard line ships in 3–5 business days and is built from the same Kip with our most popular pattern presets.

Can I return a custom glove?

Custom builds are non-returnable since they're built to your exact spec. But the Lifetime Craftsmanship Guarantee covers any manufacturing defect for the life of the player — so if anything breaks, we fix or replace it.

What if I want changes after I approve the design?

Once you approve at Step 3, the factory is committed. We can't change leather colors or pattern specs after that. Personalization-only items (an embroidery name or number) can sometimes be adjusted mid-build — email us right away and we'll see what's possible.