Complete Disappointment

This is first time I've ever gone out of my way to write a review... and this is over a year after buying this mitt. Here's the short version: This mitt is an insult. I fell in love with the mitt for my 13yo at the time, because the size is on the smaller end, yet the quality felt exceptional. The color scheme was beautiful, yet still clean. We took our time breaking it in, using only a pitching machine. No matter what we did, how we manipulated our fingers, or whatever strategy we used, the mitt does not close. The padding near the base of the mitt is so poorly constructed, you are unable to even come close to closing it. We then shifted gears and gave it to my 10yo, thinking the smaller hand size might make the difference. Nope! Even worse for him. So the mitt was unusable at any level of travel. Since then, I've spoken with the parents of every kid I've seen using this model. Not one of them loved the mitt, and all had the same problem. At this point, the mitt is useless. Thus, we took a gamble and tried to reshape it. I've broken in probably 50 gloves, mostly catchers mitts. I worked on this thing for hours and hours to try and find a shape that would consume the ball the way it should. Zero success. No change at all. We've tried loosening laces. Nope! This mitt has been such a colossal disappointment, it genuinely makes me sad. The kids are bummed because it's unusable. Please don't make the same mistake we did.