The grip strength will improve over time. I know my daughter has been moaning about how much her fingers hurt.

I got my Harbingers at Play it Again Sports for only $20. They're the leather flexfits, I'm really happy with the fit and the padding. I had to go to a man's size L, for crying out loud. They must run small. Either that or every other female buying these things has hands the size of a 5 year old!