Best TIG Welding Gloves: Lincoln K2981
Unsurprisingly, the Lincoln K2981 takes the crown in terms of being the best TIG welding gloves you can get today.
Made with premium-grade cowhide with Kevlar stitching, these gloves will provide the heat-resistance you need without inhibiting finger movement.
Here’s what the Lincoln K2981’s key specifications look like—
- Grain and Split Leather Exterior
- Unlined Interior
- 10-inch Length
- Reinforced Kevlar Seams
The K2981’s exterior is made almost completely out of grain and split leather.
They are highly dexterous gloves that do not come with an inner lining, letting you feel the TIG torch and tungsten rod for easy movement and better intricate welding performance.
The material used to make the K2981 is rated cut-resistant, so your metal workpieces cannot slice through these gloves and cause heat to heat to leak through the leather exterior.
Lincoln used Kevlar stitching to reinforce these gloves’ seams.
Kevlar is an anti-heat material that doesn’t fray as easily in the presence of arcs, so these gloves can last for several months beyond the average lifespan of TIG welding gloves.
Pros
- Longer-lasting durability
- Flexible fingers
- Heat-resistant materials
- Comfortable to wear
Cons
- Gloves could be longer
The Lincoln K2981 are some of the most fantastic TIG welding gloves on the market. They could be slightly longer, but they are incredibly flexible and hardly weigh a thing.
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Anyone who’s ever TIG welded in their life knows how meticulous it can be.
Sure, you need to keep your wrists protected at all times from hot arcs and pools of filler metal, but the puffy stuff made for MIG and stick welding are far too cumbersome for intricate TIG welding.
Instead, you need a pair of thinly-lined or even unlined welding gloves that provide heat resistance without inhibiting movement.
In this guide, you’ll see what we feel are the best TIG welding gloves of over 30 pairs that we researched.
Top TIG Welding Gloves Compared
Here’s a comparison between Top Welding Gloves:
| Product Image | Product Name | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best TIG Welding Gloves – Lincoln K2981 |
| Check Today's Price |
 | Best Premium - Revco T50 |
| Check Today's Price |
 | Best Budget - Caiman White Goatskin |
| Check Today's Price |
 | Tillman 1338 |
| Check Today's Price |
 | Superior Endura-378GKTFG |
| Check Today's Price |
Reviews of the Top Welding Gloves
While researching and testing a variety of TIG welding gloves, we came across several noteworthy pairs that we feel you should know about.
Best Premium - Revco T50
Key Specifications
- Kidskin Leather Exterior
- Cotton-Lined Interior
- 10-inch Length
- Keystone Thumb
The Revco T50 is often regarded for some a pair for super-premium welding gloves. Unlike the Lincoln and many of the models on this list, the T50 comes with cotton lining that doesn’t rub off onto your fingers and palms.
The lining is extremely thin, so as not to interfere with dexterity while also providing a bit of cushion to your grip.
The glove’s exterior material is what gives it a premium price tag. Using high-quality kidskin leather, these gloves are amazingly supple and even more durable than aged goatskin or cowhide while also ensuring full heat protection.
The T50 comes with a keystone thumb piece, which is a separate pocket stitched onto the glove for the thumb.
This increases your thumb’s range of movement, improving your grip exponentially without shifting the position of the glove.
Pros
- Premium-grade materials
- Thin, soft cotton lining
- Separate thumb piece
- Great for beginners
Cons
- Could be better without inner lining
All in all, the T50 by Revco is a fantastic pair of TIG welding gloves. This durable pair should last several months before the stitching starts to fray.
Best Budget - Caiman White Goatskin
Key Specifications
- Goat Grain Leather Exterior
- Unlined Interior
- 12-inch Length
- 4-inch Split Leather Cuff
The Caiman White Goatskin TIG welding gloves are often considered to be the best-value pair available today. Although it’s a super-inexpensive pair of welding gloves, they’re made of high-quality goat grain leather.
Without an interior lining, the Caiman doesn’t inhibit dexterity by allowing you to get a feel for your TIG torch, rod consumables, and control dials on your TIG welding machine.
These gloves are cut and puncture-resistant, meaning you can handle sharp objects without worrying about poking holes into your brand-new pair of gloves.
From your fingertips to the base, the Caiman measures in at 12 inches, including four inches of split leather cuff for extra protection for your forearms.
Pros
- Comfortable to wear
- Highly flexible, supple material
- Better grip
- Long gloves with tight cuffs
Cons
- Could be more heat resistant
These Caiman TIG welding gloves work great, and they don’t look half bad. Make sure you do not handle hot metals directly while wearing these gloves.
Superior Endura-378GKTFG
Key Specifications
- Goatskin Leather Exterior
- Kevlar-Lined Interior
- 12-inch Length
- Cut and Puncture Resistant
The Superior Endura-378GKTFG is a superior pair of gloves for TIG welding.
The materials don’t do much to protect your wrist from direct contact with heated objects, but they do work at protecting your hands from the high temperatures of the welding arc.
Made using a goatskin exterior with a thin-gauge Kevlar interior lining, these aren’t as dexterous as other gloves on this list.
Pro users may find the combination of these two materials far too limiting, but for beginners who aren’t focused on the aesthetics of the weld, there should be an issue.
These gloves come in at between 10 and 12 inches, including the length of the cuff. Without a strap, these gloves tend to droop but not when welding overhead.
Pros
- High-quality materials
- Cut and puncture proof
- Reinforced with Kevlar stitching
- Comfortable
Cons
- Could be more dexterous
These gloves are far from being near the top-performing TIG welding gloves of all time, but if you’re looking for a pair for lighter-duty TIG welding jobs, the Superior Endura-378GKTFG is a superior fit.
Tillman 1338
Key Specifications
- Goat Grain Leather Exterior
- Unlined Interior
- 12-inch Length
- Glide Patch
The Tillman 1338 is one of the more impressive pairs of TIG welding gloves we’ve tried. The exterior is almost completely made of goatskin leather, while the inside of the gloves is not lined or padded with anything.
This means you’ll have a better feel of your workpiece and TIG equipment at all times while wearing these white gloves with brown cuffs.
Speaking of the cuffs, they measure in at four inches, protecting your forearms from sparks and heated air. And with a keystone thumb piece, you can move your thumbs easily without dragging the pinky with it.
A thoughtful feature in the 1338 is the glide patch. The slightly slippery patch lets you drag your hand, TIG torch, and tungsten rod along the surface of your base metal easily and seamlessly.
Pros
- Highly dexterous TIG welding gloves
- No inner lining
- Long, high-quality-leather cuffs
- Slipper glide patch
Cons
- Cannot handle heated metals directly
An amazing piece of TIG welding PPE, the Tillman 1338’s glide patch truly is a game changer in terms of welding comfort.
FAQs
Here, we’ll address the most FAQs about TIG welding gloves.
TIG welding gloves are made using thinner sheets of animal hide to improve flexibility and dexterity. They can come with or without an inner lining, though the best models are unlined to give the user as close to a real-feel with gloves on as possible. Stick and MIG welding gloves, on the other hand, need as much resistance against the high-temperature arcs as possible, so their interiors are lined with a thick cotton lining or another heat-resistant material.
You shouldn’t. TIG welding gloves are designed with dexterity in mind, not so much with high-temperature heat resistant. That’s why you’ll see many of the models listed above unable to handle heated materials directly. On the other hand, you can use MIG and stick welding gloves while TIG welding, though their puffiness can make it difficult to produce intricate welding designs on thinner metal sheets.
The lifespan of each pair of TIG welding gloves varies from model to model, but on average, you’re looking at between six and eight months at max. However, the frequency of use can affect the longevity of the gloves, as well as storage placement and welding technique. These gloves come with paperwork that describes how to use and maintain the gloves properly to extend their lifespans.
You should replace your pair of TIG welding gloves as soon as there’s a whole in the material or when the stitching comes apart. The worst thing you can do to your personal safety is to continue using worn-out gloves since heat can easily penetrate the exterior and inner lining. TIG welding gloves, even our premium pick, aren’t that costly, so don’t be stingy when it comes to PPE.
Summary
Our list containing the best TIG welding gloves was created after a long period of research, so we’re confident you’ll find the perfect fit on this list.
Even though we highly recommend the Lincoln K2981, we’ve provided several alternatives that offer different ranges of safety and flexibility that you might appreciate.
If not, you’re free to leave questions and feedback in our comments section.
Last update on 2024-07-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
