Table of Contents
Introduction
The process of welding can be very dangerous. This is why it’s very important to wear protective gear. And one of the most important components of your welding gear is the pair of welding gloves. These gloves are specifically made to protect your hands against heat, flames, and electric shock. It’s very important to always wear them while handling a welder. The welding gloves vary by the welding process you’re dealing with.
Product | RAPICCA | Black Stallion | Lincoln Electric |
Image |  |  |  |
Description | The RAPICCA welding gloves are the highest quality on the market. They are designed from the best materials to keep you safe an offer you a comfortable experience.(Check price at Amazon) | The Black Stallion welding gloves are not far behind our first pick. They are high-quality and reliable for heavy-duty work.(Check price at Amazon) | The Lincoln Electric welding gloves are pretty good aswell. But they are better suited for light-duty work.(Check price at Amazon) |
When you lack the proper hand protection for welding, your hands can easily experience various injuries, such as electric shocks, skin burns, and more. Having your hand smashed, crushed, or cut accidentally is not out of the question either. You always deal with sparks, hot metal, dust, grime, hot flying objects, and various chemicals while welding. If you don’t have a good pair of gloves, your life could be at risk. And although we’re all inclined to always buy what’s more affordable, your safety is not something you should “save money” on.
Best Welding Gloves – How to Choose
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As mentioned before, your welding gloves depend on the welding process you’re dealing with. This means that it can be a little difficult to find the perfect welding gloves, especially if you’re not experienced. So let’s take a moment and talk about what exactly you should require from a pair of welding gloves.
Since you’re working with electricity, your gloves should absolutely have electrical insulation. You never know when something could go wrong. If you have to deal with a short circuit or any other electrical problem, a pair of gloves that can handle electricity can save your life. The same goes when it comes to the heat you’re constantly dealing with. Your gloves should have heat insulation as well. The burns that a welder can cause are no joke.
Another thing that your welding gloves should be capable of doing is having the ability to keep your hands dry. This means that they need to be moisture resistant. Having wet hands while dealing with an electric tool is definitely something you want to experience. And naturally, they should fit very well while also being flexible when working. You’ll need a full range of motion when dealing with any welding process.
You’ll also want a pair of welding gloves that can withstand the test of time and continuous wear. This is why the gloves must be very durable and long-lasting. The quality of the materials is very important, as the gloves should also be resistant to punctures and tear.
It’s important to opt for the gloves that are made from the materials needed for the specific application. And to get the proper fit, you need to measure your dominant hand.
Best Welding Gloves – MIG Welding Gloves
MIG (Metal Insert Gas) welding, also known as GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) is a heavy-duty welding process. This means that the gloves you’ll wear need to be very good and very safe. The most recommended ones are the high-quality goatskin gloves that have a heat-resistant lining. This is because of the amount of heat and spatters that you have to deal with during a MIG welding process.
Opting for an affordable set of gloves that don’t have the proper heat-resistant features can put your safety at risk. This is why MIG welding gloves are designed to be as thick as possible with various layers.
Another type of welding gloves that can handle MIG welding is the ones made from top-grain cowhide or deerskin. You can tell their quality by the way the leather molds around your hand. And this is very important when it comes to getting the much-needed protection during work. You can expect to invest $20 on a good pair of MIG welding gloves, and up to $50 for the best of the best gloves.
Best Welding Gloves – TIG Welding Gloves
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Now let’s move on to what types of gloves you need for the TIG welding process. TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding, also known as GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding), is a more mild type of welding, compared to MIG. This makes it excellent for welding very small and fragile pieces together. However, this doesn’t mean that they’re less dangerous if you don’t have the right protection.
The most preferred types of gloves by TIG welders are the ones made of goatskin or other thin and pliable materials. Their job is to protect your hands while also offering the much-needed movement. This allows you to handle precise welds that are made with the TIG torch. And since the TIG welding process doesn’t cause as much spatter as the MIG welding, these gloves don’t provide as much protection against heat.
On the other hand, TIG gloves feature extra padding around the pal are and outside of the hand. The purpose of the extra padding is to allow your fingers to maneuver hot surfaces. They’re also meant to be taken off immediately when they get too hot.
This also means that you should keep in mind that welding gloves made with Velcro straps can be impossible to remove fast. And this can be a problem when the gloves get too hot and you want to get rid of them. However, you can take into consideration heat-resistant Kevlar or wool foam lining for extra protection.
Best Welding Gloves – Stick Welding Gloves
Stick welding is the informal name of MMA or MMAW (Manual Metal Arc Welding), that’s professionally known as SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding). This form of welding is excellent for welding most alloys or joints and it can be used indoors, outdoors, but also in drafty areas. And for this welding process, you’ll need gloves made from a thicker cut of leather.
You can choose between the gloves designed from the split grains of elkskin, goatskin, and pigskin. And since the Stick welding process isn’t very difficult, you won’t need flexible gloves. However, the pair of gloves does need to be very thick and protective. This is because Stick welding gives off a high amount of heat and sparks. Compared to MIG and TIG welding gloves, Stick welding gloves are much easier to find and are even more affordable.
In this article, we’ll talk about Our Top 3 Welding Gloves.
Best Welding Gloves – Comparison Table
Product Name | RAPICCA | Black Stallion | Lincoln Electric |
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High-Quality | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Cut-Resistant | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Heat-Resistant | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Kevlar Thread | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Versatile | Yes | Yes | Yes |
MIG Welding | Yes | Yes | Yes |
TIG Welding | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Flaux-Core Welding | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Stick Welding | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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1 RAPICCA Leather Forge Welding Gloves
Description
The RAPICCA Leather Forge Welding Gloves are designed for a wide range of applications that involves high heat. This easily makes them one of the best pair of welding gloves on the market. These gloves can be used for MIG welding, TIG welding, Stick Welding, BBQ, and even as wood stove gloves. The feature that makes them superior is their ability to handle the heat at 932F for 16 seconds. This gives you enough time to immediately take them off.
RAPICCA was founded in 2014 in Gardena, California. And despite being a fairly new company, they’re now a world leading brand that provides a large range of had protection products. They are specifically known for considering safety as a necessity, and not a luxury. This is why they have some of the best prices in the industry. They work hard to offer the best protective products for hands at a price that everyone can afford. Hundreds of thousands of happy customers trust and respect them globally.
Thanks to the Kevlar-insulated cotton with air-isolated aluminum foil, these gloves can make any welding process much safer. They are made with a reinforced double layer of Kevlar padding on fingers, palm, elbow, and back. Another thing you’ll love about RAPICCA is that they are among the very few manufacturers that make these types of gloves with double reinforced Kevlar all over the glove. And this is very important when dealing with heavy-duty welding.
You will also benefit from a one-year warranty and an excellent customer service that lasts a lifetime. However, one thing you should keep in mind is that they’re not designed to last decades. Although they can handle extreme heats, one thing that gives up after 2 years of continuous use is the stitching.
Features
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The RAPICCA Leather Forge Welding Gloves feature an extreme four-layer heat-resistant protection. Their outermost layer is made of a double layer of Kevlar padding leather. For the intermediate layer, a composite product is used by laminating a type of high-heat resistant air-isolated aluminum foil, and flame retardant cotton cloth. And for the inner layer, an 100% soft insulated cotton lining is used. This makes the gloves extremely resistant to heat, which makes them excellent for MIG welding.
When it comes to their stitching, they use a flame-retardant threat stitching for high-heat and extremely cold temperature resistance. More than that, it’s also sweat-absorbent, breathable, and allergy-free. This makes them great at keeping your hands dry as well. These gloves are specifically designed to withstand temperatures up to 932F (500C). They’re recommended for MIG welding (GMAW), TIG welding (GTAW), Stick welding (SMAW), Flux-Core welding (FCAW), forging, and other high-temperature applications.
Another thing these gloves feature is superior safety for your forearms. They have an extra-long glove that measures 16 inches and it also has a 7.5in-long sleeve. This is ideal for protecting your forearms from grinding debris, hot coals, open flames, and welding sparks. You can also use these gloves to deal with hot kitchen ware and hot steam. These gloves are highly-effective even when you’re using them in extreme environments.
Thanks to the extreme wear-resistant protection, these gloves can handle continuous usage for at least a year. And if you’re not welding for a living, and you’re only using the gloves from now and then, you can use them for a very long time. They’re made from 1.5mm thick and soft shoulder split natural cowhide leather. This makes it highly heat-resistant, wear-resistant, puncture-resistant, cut-resistant, and oil-resistant.
Pros
- Cut-Resistant
- Wear-Resistant
- Puncture-Resistant
- Extreme Heat-Resistant
- High-Quality Materials
- Durable and Long-Lasting
- Kevlar Insulated Cotton
- Air-Isolated Aluminum Foil
- Can Handle 932F for 16 Seconds
- Can Be Used Fr Both Welding and BBQ
- Superior Safety and Security For Forearms
- Extreme Four Layer Heat-Resistant Protection
- Handles MIG, TIG, Stick, and Flux-Core Welding
- Reinforced Kevlar Layer Padding on Fingers, Elbow, Palm, and Back
Cons
- Not the most comfortable pair of welding gloves.
2 Black Stallion Revco GM1611 Top Grain Leather Cowhide MIG Welding Gloves
Description
The Black Stallion Revco GM1611 Top Grain Leather Cowhide MIG Welding Gloves are high-quality and can withstand extremely high temperatures. Its job is to make your work as safe as possible. It can be used for various types of welding, such as Stick welding. However, its incredible ability to handle hot surfaces makes it ideal for MIG welding. You can use it for TIG welding as well, but they might not offer all the flexibility you need.
Thanks to the soft cotton lining, these gloves are not very bulky. This means they can be used for more precise welding applications. And its seamless index finger increases your ability to maneuver the welder when you’re in the middle of the job and the surfaces are getting hot. The palm is made of grain cowhide leather, and the back is designed with split cowhide leather. This makes it ideal for various heavy-duty welding processes. However, these gloves don’t offer elbow protection.
With the perfectly-placed reinforcement patches, these gloves give you all the freedom you need to handle MIG welding. You can find reinforced patches in the glove’s palm, thumb, and strategically placed o the index finger. It also offers a drag patch for side padding and a rest patch for wrist padding. This makes these gloves a great choice for both professionals welders and hobbyists. You can expect them to last a few years if they’re not worn continuously, but for a professional, this pair might last a year or two.
The glove is being held together by Kevlar stitching, which makes it more resistant in the long run. This is because Kevlar stitching resists high heat much better and has higher wear resistance. You can expect up to 6 months of daily, heavy-duty welding.
Pros
Buy on Amazon!- High-Quality Materials
- Kevlar Stitching
- Seamless Index Finger Design
- Soft Cotton Lining But They’re Not Bulky
- Handles MIG, Sick, and Even TIG Welding
- Strategically-Placed Reinforcement Patches
- Grain Cowhide Leather Palm, Split Cowhide Leather Back
Cons
- Their heat-resistance could be better.
3 Lincoln Electric DynaMIG Professional MIG Welding Gloves
Description
The Lincoln Electric DynaMIG Professional MIG Welding Gloves is a pair designed for those that spend a lot of time welding. These gloves feature an innovative inside liner that makes welding safer. But unlike our first pick, it doesn’t have elbow protection. However, the top hand features a 3-layer FlameSoft liner which makes it optimal for heat resistance. On the other hand, the bottom hand has a 2-layer cotton liner that offers great dexterity.
Thanks to the unmatched comfort, these gloves are just as good for TIG welding as they are for MIG welding processes. The flexibility offered by the grain leather palm and seamless trigger finger allows you to deal with sensitive welding jobs as well. And the foam padded liner provides cushioned knuckle protection while the elastic top is made to offer a form fit. But don’t worry, the elastic is not strong. You will be able to take the gloves off immediately when they get too hot.
With the moisture-absorbing cuff, you will manage to maintain your hands dry throughout the whole welding process. The inside twill cotton cuff liner can absorb moisture and offer an even higher level of comfort. And the exterior 4in split leather cuff can offer the heat and abrasion resistance. You will also benefit from industrial durability. This is because it’s made with top grain and split leather while Kevlar thread is used to keep everything together.
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Pros
- High-Quality Materials
- Durable and Long-Lasting
- Innovative Inside Liner
- Offers Great Comfort
- Moisture-Absorbing Cuff
- Sewn With Kevlar Thread
- Has a 3-Layer FlameSoft Liner
- Features a 2-Layer Cotton Liner
- Offers Enough Dexterity For MIG, Stick, and TIG Welding
Cons
- The liner in these gloves is flammable. This makes them unfit for out-of-position work.
Conclusion
Your hands need all the protection they can get when you need to weld something. The more heat you’re dealing with, the more heat-resistant the gloves need to be. We included gloves that are great for MIG applications, but that can also be used for other types of welding. This will help you find the perfect welding gloves for your needs.
