Boxing gloves are the most important things to get when you are boxing. They not only protect your hands and wrist when punching, they also protect your sparring partner when sparring. Getting a pair of gloves that are flimsy are not worth it because they will cause injuries to you.

Boxing gloves are mainly made out of two materials. Yohttps://hotpcsoft.com/ukeysoft-spotify-music-converter/u can actually get leather boxing gloves and Polyurethane gloves which is commonly known as PU leather. You probably are wondering which one is better and what the actual difference is. 

In this article we’ll go through the difference between the different types of leathers, which one is better and ultimately which one you should spend your hard earned money on.

We’ll take a look at PU boxing gloves first.

PU Boxing Gloves

PU boxing gloves are made from artificial leather. Artificial leather gloves are usually a lot cheaper to buy than full grain leather boxing gloves. They can be good for beginners however if you are intermediate or more advanced then we recommend getting proper leather gloves.

PU leather is created using split leather which is then overlaid with a polyurethane coating.

Some brands use PU Leather on their gloves but call it a different name. It’s all a marketing, truth is it’s synthetic leather.

Some PU boxing gloves do look good however they are not durable and if you use them a lot, chances are they will probably end up ripping on you.

That’s not to say gloves made from PU leather are completely rubbish and a waste of money. Some will last you a good while if you do not use them much and only use them for once a week.

However if you do use them more than once a week then we would highly recommend investing your hard earned cash into a pair of leather boxing gloves. Not only will they last much longer, but they will end up protecting your hands better and generally speaking are more comfortable.

Leather Boxing Gloves

These are what you want to be using. They are usually more comfortable to wear and look a lot better. When you buy a new pair of leather gloves they will have that distinct leather-y smell to them as well.

You can also tell the quality by just looking at them.

If you train more regularly then getting a pair of leather boxing gloves would be a very good investment. They are much better than PU gloves and last longer than them while also being much more durable.

Not only that but gloves made with real leather tend to be more comfortable to wear.

When looking at leather boxing gloves, there are different quality of leather you can get as well.

Let’s quickly take a look at the various quality of leather:

Full Grain Leather – This is the best leather you can get. It has a luxurious feel while also being smooth to touch. The grains are visible. We only use full grain leather when making our boxing gloves and equipment.

This type of leather is the highest quality and lasts the longest as well as it has a thin layer that protects it from any damage and aging. It looks great and performs even better.

Top Grain Leather – Top Grain Leather is the next best thing after full grain leather. The surface of the leather is sanded and a coating is applied to make it to make it shiny. This type of leather is more bendy and thinner as the layer is separated from it.

It is more affordable than full grain leather.

Genuine Leather – Many people are assume genuine leather is the best leather you can get because it has the word ‘genuine’ in it. This is not the case. Genuine leather is real leather however it is made from the lowest quality leather.

It is made from the waste left from the rest of the leather. You can see the difference when you compare genuine leather with the other qualities of leather. The quality is generally lower and will not last as long and will wear out a lot quicker compare to the higher quality leathers.

This quality of leather is more widely available and much more affordable. It may be more affordable but you would be compromising quality.

Now that you know more about the different qualities of leather lets check out the different types of leather available

Cowhide Leather

This type of leather is probably the most commonly used for boxing equipment. And with good reason as well. It’s super durable, flexible is comfortable and lasts along time.

Many brands use cowhide leather to make their gloves including ourselves with our Elite Gloves.

Goatskin Leather

Goatskin Leather is a great leather because it is thin and water resistant. It is more flexible and softer than cowhide leather because of lanolin contained in the leather. This type of leather is actually more durable than cowhide leather and because of this we chose to make our Renegade Boxing Gloves out of goatskin leather.

Goatskin leather has distinctive grains on the leather and just from looking at the leather you can tell it is top quality. As Goatskin leather is water resistant they are much easier to keep clean. If you want to learn how to keep gloves clean, check out this article.

Buffalo leather

This type of leather is more thicker than conventional cowhide leather is just as strong. Buffalo leather tends to be more durable than leather as well. Because of the strength and thickness of Buffalo leather it cannot be ripped so any boxing equipment made using buffalo leather will last a long time and will not wear out.

Vinyl Leather

If you are vegan or against using animal products then Vinyl leather would be the choice for you. Vinyl is usually made from plastic or resin. Vinyl is a versatile material and is waterproof.

Vinyl gloves are cheaper but the downside of them is they can rip easy and when sparring can cause cuts to your partner.

Conclusion

There are different types of leather’s you can go for when looking for a pair of boxing gloves. It all depends at what level you are and how often you plan to box for. If you are a beginner or don’t box often then go for a pair of PU boxing gloves. They will be cheaper and should be enough for your needs.

However if you use are boxing more and are at a more advanced level then it is paramount you get yourself some leather boxing gloves. Not only will they protect your hands better, they will last much longer.

Boxing gloves made using leather are also usually more comfortable than their PU counterpart.

Which boxing gloves do you get? The choice is yours!