The adiStar is unchanged since we last tested it. It comprises a leather palm with a half mesh, half Lycra-style upper. The higher mark reflects the fact that we've damaged a couple of pairs of synthetic-palmed mitts in the interim: as a vegetarian it pains me to say it, but leather is just tougher.
The adiStar is one of the more comfortable mitts on test thanks to pads of a dense springy foam called Adiprene. There's a solid pad over the ulnar nerve area and two looped pads at the base of the fingers and across the base of the thumb/middle of the hand. They cushion the hand equally well on the tops, shoulders, hoods and drops. The cuff is elasticated. To ease removal, there are tabs on the end of the middle and ring fingers. The back of the thumb is towelling, for nose wiping. The Adidas three-stripe design is reflective.