2.5 Welding Glove Recommendations
These pairs of welding gloves are in my shop. I usually use the ones on the left because they're looser and easier to pull on and take off. Any kind of heavy, long leather glove works for welding.
Welding glove recommendations
The main purpose of welding gloves is to protect your hands and lower arms from sparks and heat. Welding gloves are typically made of heavy leather, extending almost up to the elbow.
As a right-handed welder, I find that the left glove is actually the most important because my left hand is closer to the arc, the sparks and hot work pieces. While you can get away with a bare hand holding the MIG welding gun, your other hand will definitely need protection. When I’m welding, I rarely wear a welding glove on my right hand.
Here are some welding gloves that I like. The criteria for choosing welding gloves are simple—they need to protect your skin while giving you some dexterity, so I’m sure there are many decent options out there beyond these ones. Even a good set of leather work gloves will work if necessary.
WZQH 16" Forge Welding Gloves
- about $18 USD
Good, basic, long leather gloves like these are essential when it comes to welding. You can use gloves like these for other jobs involving hot items.
If you’re Canadian you’ll often get a much better deal on these gloves if you buy from amazon.com rather than amazon.ca, even with the exchange and added shipping costs.
RAPICCA Leather Welding Gloves
- about $20 USD
Reasonably priced, heavyweight leather gloves, these are made with extra layers of protection where you’ll need it most. And exactly where is this? When you’re MIG welding, it’s usually the index finger of your non-dominant hand that needs the most protection from heat.
Caiman White Goatskin, Long Cuff Gloves
- about $23 USD
Like any goatskin glove, this pair is soft and flexible, and you can still feel objects through the glove. Although these gloves don’t provide enough heat protection for general welding use, they are very good for light-duty jobs around the shop, such as grinding, drilling, and handling steel. For welding, they won’t provide as much heat protection for your index finger as you’ll probably want.