How To Choose the Best Welding Gloves?

This a great question ? - Advancements in materials and better sewing patterns means there is a wider spectrum of welding and safety gloves to choose from compared to a few years ago.

So which ones are the best welding gloves if there is so much choice, well lets see if we can help you decide.

WHAT TYPE OF WELDING WILL YOU BE DOING?

This would be the main factor in what are the best welding gloves for you. Are you MIG Welding, TIG Welding Or MMA Welding.

Each of these processes has a particular need to protect you from getting burned and protection from injury.

MMA WELDING

MMA welding produces high heat and spatter but not much movement and dexterity, therefore hand protection is the main thing to look for here with strong stitching and a good lining. Cow split leather guantlets are particularly suited to MMA welding and these make the best welding gloves for this process.

High quality welding gloves have Kevlar double stitch stitching with reinforced palms and thumb pieces. They need to be made from grade "A" leather otherwise they can be very stiff and inflexible. The gloves being quality lined is also a good feature.

Take a look at the Parweld Panther PRO Fully Lined Welding Gauntlet, these are a great choice and not too expensive.

TIG WELDING 

Tig Welding generally produces low heat but is delicate as you need to "fee"l the filler rod as you feed. You need a welding glove that's soft and supple but also wears well. The Best TIG Welding Gloves tend to be made of goatskin which is soft and provides great dexterity. The trouble with goatskin is that if it gets too hot it goes hard and stiffens. Therefore look for a glove that has finger protection and isn't made from one whole pice of goatskin.

My favourite TIG gauntlets are the Panther Pro TIG as they are a lightweight welding glove with  reinforced joint guards. They have suede sections so that they dont go hard when heated. They also wear well and last so much longer that the standard Goatskin TIG gloves you usually find.

MIG WELDING

The best welding glove for MIG welding depends on what welding current you are welding at. Obviously the higher the welding current the more protection from that heat you need. At High welding currents (typically over 300 amps) I would use the fully lined gauntlets and forsake a bit of "feel" for the more protection from heat and burns. Lower down the heat range ie for light fabrication I would go for a lightweight gauntlet such as the Panther PRO MIG Glove

AUTOMOTIVE MIG WELDING

For welding thin materials you need dexterity as well as heat resistance. I always use the Panther Pro TIG gloves for welding on cars as they give me a lot of feel the  trying to weld joints. I just find the normal gauntlets a little too heavy and cumbersome. 

We well a lot of these types of glove to the automotive technicians and they are very popular.

SEVERE HEAT ENVIRONMENTS

These may require even more heat protection so you will find these types of gloves with heats shields such aluminium and extended cuffs.

SAFETY FIRST

Wearing a pair of gloves while welding is an absolute must, not only does it protect your skin from burns and possible cuts, especially when welding thing cars steel panels it also protects you from dangerous UV light exposure and the subsequent cancer risks of this. Therefore its important you get a pair of gloves you like and that are comfortable so that not only will they protect you, but you will also use them.