Relace, Don't Replace: Glove Repair at Burghardt | BSG
Posted by Burghardt Sporting Goods on Sep 4th 2026
Relace, Don't Replace: Glove Repair at Burghardt
Your broken-in glove has a snapped lace. A relace brings it back for a lot less than a new one.
A good glove takes a season or two to become yours. The leather molds to your hand and the pocket forms right where you catch it. Then a lace lets go at the web, the shape goes soft, and it feels like the glove is finished. Most of the time it has years left in it. A relace is all it needs, and we do that work right here at the counter in New Berlin.
What relacing actually does
The laces are the rawhide strings woven through your glove that tie the fingers, web, heel, and pocket into one piece. They take the pounding every time you catch, and they wear out well before the leather shell does. When they fray and snap, the pocket loosens and the glove stops closing the way it should. Relacing pulls the old laces and threads new ones through the same holes, so the glove tightens back up and holds its shape again. You get your glove back, not a stranger's off the shelf.
How a relace goes at the counter
Bring it to the front desk
No appointment needed. A staff member looks the glove over and tells you which laces are shot and which are still fine, so you only pay for the work it needs.
Pick the repair
Small jobs stay small. A single section like a pinky, a finger hole, or the web runs $10 to $30. A full relace, every lace replaced, is $90. If the leather is dry, add conditioning for $15 while it is apart.
Choose your timeline
Standard turnaround is a few days. When a player cannot go without it, a 2 to 4 day rush is $25, and a 24-hour rush is $40 if the glove is in by 2 PM.
Pick it up ready to play
Same glove, tight again, pocket holding. No break-in period to start over, because the shape you spent seasons building is still there.
Signs it is time to bring the glove in
- A lace has snapped or is fraying through
- The pocket has flattened and will not hold a ball
- The web wobbles or is pulling away from the fingers
- The heel folds instead of staying firm
- The laces feel stiff and brittle when you flex them
When a repair makes sense, and when it does not
Relacing is the right call when the leather is still good and the laces are the problem. Sometimes a glove really is done, and it helps to know the difference before you drop it off.
Relace it
- Laces are frayed or snapped
- Pocket has gone loose
- Web or heel has softened
- Leather is still supple and intact
- It is a glove that already fits the player's hand
Replace it
- Leather is cracked or dried all the way through
- The shell is torn, not just the lacing
- A youth glove the player has outgrown
- The padding has broken down in a catcher's mitt
If a new glove is the honest answer, we would rather tell you that at the counter than take your money for a repair that will not hold. When it is time to move up, the staff can size the next one with you. You can browse current models first on the baseball glove pages.
It is not only gloves
The same idea runs across the repair bench. A slick or worn bat grip gets pulled and rewrapped for $5 plus the grip in about ten minutes, so mention whether the player swings righty or lefty. Lacrosse players can have a head restrung at the custom counter, men's for $20 plus material and women's for $30, with your choice of mesh and string setup. A fresh string job resets the pocket too, which keeps the stick legal for high school play. If you are trying to figure out how often that needs doing, read our take on how often to restring your lacrosse stick, and when you are ready for a new one, the complete sticks are on the site.
One thing about glove steaming
Steaming is a break-in service, not a repair. We coat the leather, steam it soft, and work it with a mallet so the pocket forms faster. Once a glove has been steamed it cannot be returned, so steam it only after you have decided it is the one.
Burghardt Sporting Goods
15333 W National Avenue, New Berlin, WI 53151
Phone: (262) 790-1170
Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM–9 PM, Sat 9 AM–7 PM, Sun 10 AM–6 PM
When you love the game like we do, you can't beat Burghardt!