I've been using these gloves over a year with pretty regular abuse.
It took a while for the foam to soften up a bit but now that it has, it feels awesome.
I use the gloves for a lot of my pad and bag work because they refuse to break down.
If i accidentally use them in sparring, I have no worries - they've never received a complaint and everyone i've showed them to agrees that the padding feels new.
If anything, they don't let my partners feel enough - not compared to those cheapo everlasts that everyone wears (on pads, bag, AND sparring
)
The SOFTEST pairs of gloves I've ever owned were Ringside 20oz heavy hitters (the red, white & black ones), and the Ringside Ultimate Classic 16oz training gloves. They both felt the same as far as padding - very cushy; but the 20ozers were a little bit wider & took up more space (making defense a piece of cake). The IMF gloves aren't as bad as these, but I'm pretty sure they're softer than my dedicated Twins 16oz sparring gloves; eventhough I use them a lot more & are more broken-in.
EDIT: just wanted to add that I love these gloves and next to my Grant super bag gloves, they're probably my second favorite.