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Best TIG Welding Gloves – Welders Guide


This guide will give you our picks for the best TIG welding gloves of 2021. Dexterity is key with TIG welding. The gloves must be supple, durable and comfortable. Instead of giving you a long list of best sellers, we have chosen 7 gloves that we actually use on a day to day basis.

With other welding processes, a thicker glove is fine because you don’t need much dexterity. For stick and MIG welding, you are basically just keeping a steady hand while gripping your stinger or your MIG setup. TIG welding requires you to feed the filler rod – which is a very precise and technical skill. For this reason, thin gloves are a must.

TIG Welding Project
                        TIG Welding On Prepped Material : Pixabay

TIG gloves also tend to wear out quicker due to the thinner leather. They are more prone to holes and rips since there are way less layers than a traditional glove. This is why it’s important to select high quality leather. Well known brands will use hides that can resist heat over a long period of time. This is why skimping on your TIG gloves can cause issues later on.

TIG gloves also tend to fit tighter than stick or MIG gloves. It is important that they aren’t too loose, so you can achieve maximum dexterity. A good snug fit is what to look for – baggy TIG gloves can be a real pain to use.

Best TIG Welding Gloves

Miller Classic TIG Gloves

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These TIG gloves are the go to for us here at WM. The palms are unlined, which is great for warmer weather and longer hours. Lined gloves will usually make our hands sweat in the spring and summer months…

There is no break in period with these gloves! They aren’t stiff to begin with-  You can feed filler rod with ease as soon as you put these on.

The pigskin cuff is extended (6 inches) which offers your lower arm more protection from welding rays and grinding sparks. There is some thin internal padding, but not so much as to make you sweat. Also, the sheep grain palm is very durable, and allows maximum flexibility for the user.

One feature we enjoy is the pre curved fingers. This allows your hands to always be in position without stressing the glove. It is just a slight curve, but makes all the difference when you’re welding for longer periods.

The heat resistant kevlar thread on these provides maximum longevity, which is critical for high heat TIG applications. TIG gloves must be resistant to extreme heat, as the metal heats up very fast from the TIGs arc.

Tillman Goat Skin TIG Gloves

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Tillmans have been trusted for quite some time. These TIG gloves use top of the line goatskin. This supple, flexible leather helps a lot with dexterity and feel while welding. They also feature a reinforced thumb, which helps extend the life of these gloves – the thumb area is usually one of the first spots to split open on a welding glove.

They have a lower profile (4″ cuff) making them lightweight, but still protective of the lower arm area. These are unlined gloves – which makes them great for warmer days and humid conditions. Also, they are extremely light, which is a benefit for full time workers wanting less bulk in their gear.

These gloves also feature heat resistant kevlar thread seams. This is a common theme with high end TIG gloves. The kevlar thread is much more resistant to frays than traditional thread seams.

Tillman’s are a classic brand with a large following from industry professionals, and we love their gloves for our work. We have consistently seen their gloves last months longer than competing brands.

Lincoln Grain Leather TIG Gloves

 

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These are a classic and proven TIG glove. We keep several pairs of these in our welding shop. The thumbs have an additional sewn spread of leather for durability. They have a branded 4″ cuff which is the middle of the road size – it will protect your arms, but it is not the 6″ cuff featured on the Miller classics.

These gloves feature a very supple leather construction, which is essential for dexterity. The pattern you will see is that most TIG gloves aren’t lined. For most welders, learning the process of feeding filler rod isn’t easy to begin with; so we need all the movement we can get! Bulky gloves are not beneficial for TIG applications.

These Lincoln gloves have the time stamp of approval. They have been unchanged and used consistently for over 10 years by industry TIG welders. There is something to be said for an old school product that holds up in the real world.

Revco Tigster TIG Gloves

 

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These gloves have a very sleek profile – the elastic cuff is small and doesn’t travel far up the arm. They have a lightweight feel, almost like a gardening glove. The Tigsters feature high end goatskin, which is flexible and ideal for finger dexterity. Also, they added flame resistant cotton patches to the gloves exterior.

The Tigsters have a very flexible thumb, and have multiple patch reinforcements throughout the glove.

Revco is a black stallion brand and both are tried and true. We love using black stallion welding jackets, sleeves and gloves. If you want a very lightweight TIG glove, this is a great pick.

Tillman True Fit Premium TIG Glove

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These gloves are one of our new favorites. They feature internal elastic components for a better fit. This means they will fit snug while remaining supple. The contoured cuff is on the shorter side – it is still very protective, but it reduces the bulk found in gloves with very long cuffs.

The only thread used on these gloves is 100% kevlar. This equals extreme heat and abrasion resistance. Kevlar withstands the high temperatures found with TIG applications. They have also added kevlar inserts which provide additional protection for your hands.

These Tillmans are made primarily from high grade goatskin, which provides greater dexterity and feel.

Tillman Onyx Top Grain TIG Gloves

 

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These are the most supple gloves of the bunch. They provide incredible dexterity and come soft out of the box. They are completely unlined which means there is no extra bulk that will get in your way.

These gloves also feature full kevlar stitching for maximum heat resistance. They feature “kidskin” material which is used on gloves that require maximum hand movement. Kidskin is made from small goats and is hard to come by in a welding glove.

We recommend these for any TIG welder that wants to maximize hand feel and dexterity.

Tillman constantly provides some of the most cutting edge glove offerings on the market, and these are no exception.

We also really like the black color way in the kidskin. These look better for longer since they won’t show any dirt or burn markings. Although all of our gear gets trashed eventually, it is nice to have some clothing that looks nice for awhile.

Caiman Goatskin TIG Glove

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These are one of the top selling TIG gloves on the market, and for good reason. They feature premium goatskin for hand feel, and goat grain leather for a heat resistant cuff. These cuffs are longer than other models, which means your wrist and lower arm will be more protected.

Similar to the Onyx’s, these gloves are completely unlined which provides maximum feel and dexterity. These gloves are also competitively priced considering their high end features.

We recommend these for the budget conscious welder who wants their gloves to last as long as possible. Brands like Caiman are starting to compete with the major manufacturers, and their gloves are definitely worth checking out.

Black Stallion Alpha TIG Gloves

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Similar to the Tillman Onyx gloves, these black stallions are also made of kidskin. This supple goat leather is one of the best choices for TIG welders. High heat resistance paired with softness – makes for an incredibly long lasting glove.

These gloves do have an extra “drag patch” which will protect you in very high heat scenarios. This is nice to have when you are TIG welding with amperages of 200 or even more.

The seamless index finger also adds to the dexterity of these gloves. It allows for more movement and is not as restrictive as some of the other gloves. By eliminating unnecessary seams, glove manufacturers add more finesse to their gloves usability.

Something to always look for (in any welding glove) is kevlar stitching, and these gloves have that. Kevlar thread is very heat resistant, which has made it a staple for most welding gloves.

Last but not least, these Black Stallions have a cushion lining on the rear of the glove. This provides comfort while not restricting your movements in the palm and finger areas. The foam cushioning is very nice to have with any welding glove you may be considering.

Competitively priced and built to last, the Alpha TIGs are worth a look.

Defiant Metal TIG Gloves

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These are a newer model that we have been very pleased with. Certainly one of the best looking TIG gloves we’ve seen, but they offer much more than just looks.

The premium goatskin on these is some of the best leather we have come across. It is extremely flexible and does not burn easily. It will even hold up well during very high amperage TIG welding, where a lot of gloves will fail.

The leather is also double layered. While this does add a bit of bulk, it really helps with the longevity of the glove. Most glove makers are not using double layered construction, so we were really excited to try these out.

Not only do these gloves feature kevlar thread stitching, it is actually double stitched. This makes them stand out against their competitors. We have not had the stitching fail yet, and we don’t see it happening any time soon.

Just the way we like it, these TIG gloves are unlined which helps with hand movement. Unlined gloves are one of our main criteria when selecting a TIG glove.

If you’re looking to try out a newer brand that is super high quality, the Defiant Metals are definitely worthy.

Dewalt Premium TIG Gloves

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These gloves feature a large cuff that has an adjustable strap on it. This makes it easy to cinch it down to make sure that no sparks get in. Most TIG gloves do not have this feature, so Dewalt really got creative with it.

The buffalo leather palm offers longevity from abrasion and high heat. It is not common to find buffalo leather in a welding glove, but it is very high quality so it makes sense that Dewalt picked it for their TIG glove.

As with some of the other models, these gloves feature a seamless index finger. This allows for more movement and also means that there is no seam that will rip when the glove wears out.

Kevlar thread stitching comes standard on these gloves, which is nice to see.

This pair of gloves is quite expensive compared to the rest, but we think the price is justified with the high quality construction. You are also paying for the Dewalt brand name since they are so well known. For a TIG welder looking for a top of the line glove, the Dewalt premiums are a great choice.

Wrap Up

TIG gloves can be tricky to choose because you need to maximize your hand movements for TIG applications. If the gloves restrict your movements, then they aren’t worth buying. This is why we feel it’s necessary to choose gloves with the most supple leather possible.

It is really hard to learn how to feed rod if you can’t move your fingers much. All of these gloves listed above are perfect for beginners who are practicing their TIG dexterity.

We hope this narrowed down the best TIG welding gloves for you. We will continually update this article as we find more gloves that are worthy and long lasting.

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