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I'm sure John from fightstuff will help with this one too....
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I sure well. Here's a guide I wrote to help you with your choice.
A Guide to Boxing Gloves
Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
Colour and the pattern design of a glove is really down to personal preference. The real question should be what oz and brand should I buy?
The weight of a boxing glove is measured in ounces. The range can be between 6oz to 18oz. However people will rarely go under an 8oz gloves or over a 16oz, so for the purpose of this post we will say the range is between 8oz to 16oz. I will now provide a synopsis of why you would choose a particular oz.
8oz and 10oz Gloves: These two ounces are the weight of a glove you would use if you went in for a professional fight. However some people will use these ounces for pad and bag work as opposed to use bag gloves. The reason why is that the added weight will build strength and punching power.
12oz Gloves: Generally these gloves are used for pad and bag work. They can also be used for light free sparring. No hard head shots.
14oz and 16oz Gloves: These two ounces are generally used for free sparring. The heavier the oz of gloves relates to how much padding is in the glove. It is important that you use at least a 14oz gloves when free sparring this is not only for your protection, but also your partners.
I would always recommend buying a branded name when it comes to boxing gloves. A good pair of boxing gloves can last you years. However a copied and unknown brands can be inferrer and only last a few months. I have seen copied and unknown branded gloves with the dye coming out after one training session and the leather splitting because its made of pvc. The main brands I would recommend are Fairtex, Twins and MTG.
Finally when wearing boxing gloves you should wear hand wraps to reduce injury.
This guide is to follow up on my guide to boxing gloves. I am writing it to give you an insight into boxing gloves and how they are produced. I made the statement in my previous guide that you should always purchase branded gloves, which still stands. Unbranded gloves are often poor quality with the leather splitting and the dye coming out after just a few training sessions.
I often get asked the question which brand is the best. The truth of the matter is that most branded gloves are constructued in the same manner to each. Some of the brands are even produced by the factory. For Example, Twins and King. I have always favoured a Fairtex Boxing Glove and a Twins Bag Glove.
A Fairtex Boxing glove is very well constructed. You maybe thinking if all boxing gloves are constructed in the same manner with little differences why would I choose Fairtex. The reason why is at the time of purchase Fairtex’s branding was stronger than Twins. If you take TV sets for example most of them use a LG tube inside. The only difference is the name on the outside of the set. This is where marketing and reputation comes into play.
At the time of purchase of my Fairtex gloves I was seriously considering Twins. These were the two main brands back then. However I went for Fairtex due to their brand as stated before. However after talking to a number of users of Twins at that time I found out there seemed to be an inherit flaw with their velcro straps. The velcro closure would quickly lose it’s ability to secure the wrist strap. I am now happy to report that Twins have now fixed this design flaw and their velcro closure is as strong as the other brands on the market.
I am now using Twins elasticated closure boxing gloves. The reason why is that I find them very easy to slip on and off. Also with a velcro strap glove the velcro will eventually wear out. However saying that I still have my Fairtex gloves with a velcro strap from 5 years ago and the closure is still secure. I guess it’s down to personal preference.
When considering a boxing glove you shouldn’t just buy solely on the brand name. Brand names do not take into consideration the scenario in which the glove will be used. For Example, if you buy a 8oz glove and use it for free sparring with your partner you will not be very popular. It is important to take into consideration the purpose in which you intend to use the glove. I have always said to my students that 8 -10oz gloves are for professional fights, 12oz are for pad and bag work and 14 - 16oz gloves are for free sparring. If you are unsure please contact us or ask your instructor for further guidance.
