Best Welding Glove Reviews 2018

Welding gloves are fairly inexpensive, but the more protection a glove offers, the more it’s likely to cost. For about $10, you can find a pair of gloves that offer your fingers, palms and forearms good protection. For about $50, you can find gloves that have other protective features—longer cuffs, reinforced padding, insulated interior and so on.

You can find cheap welding gloves, which is fine if you do minimal welding. However, for people with a number of welding projects in mind—and for people who need the gloves for everyday use—we recommend spending a little more to ensure your hands are adequately protected.

When shopping for the right gloves, you should mainly consider the job or jobs that’ll require their use. For example, some intense welding projects may require thicker gloves while a lighter set may be better suited for precision tasks.

That said, here are a few important features to think about when choosing your gloves:

• Size – It’s best to look for ones that not only protect your hands, but wrists and forearms as well. To give you an idea, an 18-inch welding glove will cover most of your lower arm, while a 21-inch glove will offer protection up to your elbows.
• Comfort and Dexterity –The last thing you want to buy is a pair of gloves that aren’t comfortable or prevent you from working accurately. We suggest searching for gloves that have a soft, cotton interior.
• Heat/Flame Resistance –If you know that intense heat and flames are commonplace at your job, look for gloves that are heat resistant or even flame retardant. Be aware that not all gloves are made to resist really high temperatures or flames.
• Durability –Some gloves are sewn with Kevlar thread to ensure that the stitching doesn’t come loose or catch fire
• Thumb Style –Although this boils down to personal preference, some welders may prefer a wing or keystone thumb design, which is more ergonomic, instead of the straight thumb design.
• Warranty –Most manufacturers offer some level of warranty, so you can try out a few pairs of gloves without any risk.

Welding gloves can be crafted from several different types of leather. Leather is the main component used in welding gloves because its strong enough to protect your skin from molten metal spatter, arc rays and sparks. To help you get the most protection, we’ve broken down some of the leather choices for you!

Deerskin provides a great deal of dexterity and a comfortable fit while offering good resistance against high temperatures. Because it’s a supple leather, gloves made from deerskin will, over time, take the form of your hand, making them extremely comfortable to wear after the ‘break in’ period.

Cowhide is the most common type of leather used because it’s known to provide the best heat-resistance when welding at high temperatures. Cowhide gloves are a great choice for MIG welding as they provide the right balance of dexterity, durability, comfort and abrasion-resistance.

Boarhide (pigskin) isn’t great for heat-resistance, but they’re really great for resisting oil and water. Gloves typically aren’t completely made of boarhide, but instead have boarhide patches to protect areas of the glove that are subject to the most wear-and-tear.

After you’ve thought about the types of features you want your gloves to have, consider buying several pairs so you can try them on before making a final decision. While a deerskin and boarhide blend may sound like the best type of glove for you, consider how bulky these may feel and if they’ll reduce your overall dexterity.

Some gloves are made with lighter safety features, so if you’re just welding a little, or if you want some gloves that have versatility, go for ones that are a little cheaper, thicker, and offer more in the way of heat protection and cutting resistance. That way, when you want to weld, BBQ, chop a lot of fruit or work in your garden, you’ve got just a pair of gloves that can adequately protect your hands while also providing you with decent dexterity.

Whatever gloves you choose, be sure they fit tightly enough to avoid having them slip off, but not so tight that your comfort or movement is limited. We recommend brands that offer easy returns so you can still try on and find the best pair of safety gloves without having to spend the extra cash.