There is such a variety and so many choices for boxing and kickboxing gloves. You can spend anywhere from $20 to upwards of $300 for a pair of gloves. Because I’m not a professional fighter, I knew I didn’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on my boxing gloves, but I wanted a really good quality pair that would last.
After researching and looking at dozens of different gloves, I found a pair that have everything I was looking for. These Venum Elite Boxing Gloves (check the price on Amazon here) really are the perfect balance of quality, comfort, protection and price. They were under $100, really comfortable, very supportive and well cushioned, and they still look almost new after a year of almost daily kickboxing sessions.
What I Really Like About These Gloves
The quality of these gloves for the price point is outstanding. There is literally no wear and tear on these after a year of use. The stitching is still tight, there are no loose threads, and the graphics look new. These gloves just feel like a high quality glove.
These gloves are surprisingly soft and comfortable inside, yet when you put your hand in, it feels locked in and super supported. I also really like the longer velcro cuff that gives your wrist even more reinforcement.
I also love how these boxing gloves have a nice thick padding around the knuckles, but they don’t feel heavy or bulky. They are compact, yet really protect and cushion my hands when I hit the bag.
They also come in so many different colors. I like a toned down color so I chose grey, but they also have some pretty cool looking gold and black, red and black, and gold on white gloves. The white on white are really beautiful too. There’s just so many options on colors, I think there’s one to fit every person’s style.
What to Look For in Boxing and Kickboxing Gloves
The gloves I have are beautiful but there’s more to a boxing glove than meets the eye. So never base your decision solely on the look of your gloves. There are several factors you’ll want to take into consideration when shopping for a new pair of boxing gloves.
Support and Protection: A glove with solid support that provides excellent protection for your hands and wrists should be a top priority. Look for a glove with plenty of high density foam for shock absorption, an attached enclosed thumb, and padding in the palm.
Quality: Leather will always be the longest lasting material for boxing gloves. But genuine leather gloves can be quite pricey and won’t always be the most comfortable and practical for everyone.
Synthetic leather can feel and perform very closely to genuine leather (sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference) and the price point of synthetic leather can allow manufacturers to put better craftsmanship into the rest of the glove design.
When manufactures are able to put their focus on better craftsmanship, this can translate to things like double stitching on both the outside and inside of the glove, and higher quality materials on the inner portion of the glove. Look for a boxing glove with tight double stitching and no loose threads.
Comfort: Everyone’s hands are different sizes and shapes, so a pair of boxing gloves might be extremely comfortable for one person, yet painful for another.
This is why I highly recommend buying a pair of gloves on Amazon Prime. If they don’t fit your hands correctly, you can easily return them and try a different pair without a return fee. I had to do this a few times to find the perfect fit, so I appreciate the ease of this process.
Also, remember that gloves need to be broken in, so most of the time it will take a while for them to mold to your hands and feel just right.
A word about price: You can buy gloves for hundreds of dollars, but honestly if you aren’t fighting professionally this really isn’t necessary. There are really great quality, comfortable gloves, for under $100 that you will love like the ones I suggested above.
BUT…I would not recommend buying the cheapest pair out there either. You can get gloves for $20 on Amazon but they won’t last, and most importantly they will not protect and support your hands. Don’t take the chance of getting injured and having to sit out of trainings for months just to save $40. Take it from me, someone who has had to stop kickboxing because of an injury. It will not be worth it!