Flux core arc welding comes with a very specific set of risks and hazards. A good set of safety equipment is always a must. And the welding gloves are the most important piece of safety equipment in this case.
If you are in the market for a welding glove for flux core, I suggest you go with the Lincoln Electric K2979. It’s a well-rounded set of welding gloves that is fit to fill the needs of most welders out there. It provides excellent comfort and has industrial build quality. So, you can be sure that your safety is secure with a pair of these.
However, everyone’s needs are different. There might be some other glove that fits your specific needs much better. For that reason, I suggest you take a look at all the products on this list of best welding gloves for flux core to know which one is the best choice for you.
What To Look For In Flux Core Welding Gloves?
In a flux core, you generate tons of electricity and heat. So, whatever gloves you choose they have to be very efficient at resisting heat and electricity. So, in the case of flux core synthetic materials are off the table. They melt easily on high heat and can burn you.
What you need are pure leather gloves. Cowhides, deer Skin, goat skin – these are all great at protecting the wearer from heat, electricity, and splatter. Sometimes these would be infused with kevlar or some other tough material to further enhance the level of protection.
Flux core gloves are also quite heavy. As you are working with extreme levels of heat providing proper protection is usually given more focus at the expense of dexterity for flux core gloves.
7 Best Flux Core Welding Gloves
These are the best welding gloves for flux core welding. Take a look at all of them and decide for yourself which fits your requirements the best.
Lincoln Electric K2979-ALL Traditional Welding Gloves
This is a great overall everyday use pair of welding gloves. With their medium-length cuffs and two-tone aesthetic, they do look nice and professional. They also have adequate comfort and protection. The leather glove has added leather reinforcements that make it thick and durable.
The inside cotton lining makes it very comfortable to wear and work with. Not to mention that it is usable for all kinds of welding with how protective yet flexible it is. You will not have to worry about losing out on protection while trying to be precise.
The kevlar stitching on this pair is reinforced with leather welts. This means however harsh use you put this through it won’t fray or fall apart. Durability and longevity are a great plus point of these gloves. You do not need to worry about the stitches falling off or the patches fraying.
Specifications:
Features:
Layered Protection: The base of the glove is leather. On top of that, there are leather patches added to increase the durability and protectiveness of this unit. These gloves can withstand the harshest of sparks your welding can throw at them without batting an eye. Even on open flames and hot metal, you don’t need to worry at all.
High-Quality Seams: These gloves have really good kevlar stitching. Kevlar stitching is extremely durable on its own. But these gloves go even farther, they have leather welt reinforcements on every single seam of this glove. All of which makes it hard to tear or fall apart.
Comfortable Heat Resistant Lining: These gloves have a great cotton inner lining that is also heat resistant. This means that you will remain both cool and comfortable. Your hands won’t get as sweaty as they usually would. The comfortable and breathable lining makes this glove suitable for long welding sessions.
Pros:
- Double layer protection
- Reinforced seams
- Heat resistant inner lining
Cons:
- Shorter cuffs
- One size might not fit everyone
Miller Electric Large (263339) Welding Gloves
These pair of welding gloves from miller are both in a comfortable price range as well as good quality. They are not too long yet have a respectable cuff size. If you are looking for a basic pair of welding gloves that get the job done at a reasonable price then these are quite good.
They are made from cowhide leather. Which gives them both a good hand feel and high durability. The palms are also reinforced with pigskin for an added layer of grip. This helps you get more accurate control over your equipment. There is kevlar stitching in here for even more protection.
They are not too long or too short, a very basic medium-length pair of welding gloves at 13 inches of length. The cuffs are a moderate length providing adequate protection. Working with both flux core and MIG welding these are a very good pair of welding gloves.
Specifications:
● Color: Blue
Features:
Kevlar Stitching: These Miller gloves are not stitched with any ordinary string. They are stitched together with a strong Kevlar for increased durability and longevity. You never have to worry about the stitches getting frayed or damaged.
Added Dexterity: The palms on these gloves have a lair of pigskin added to them. This extra layer of pigskin allows the glove to have more grip and texture. Which improves your control of the equipment you are holding a lot.
Medium Length: Some people prefer longer cuffs on welding gloves while others prefer shorter cuffs. This miller glove caters to the middle ground with its medium-length cuff. Not too long but not too short either.
Pros:
- Has added pigskin for extra grip
- High quality Kevlar stitching
- Cuff fits most people
Cons:
- Comfort issue for some people
- Size selection is limited
MAGID TRX848L Inferno Series Welder’s Gloves
If you want a pair of short cuff welding gloves that have a lot of control and grip then these are a strong contender for your choice. These also look quite stunning. I know looks aren’t the priority when it comes to welding gloves but these do look very nice if you are into that sort of thing.
These are made with goatskin leather. Which means they are thinner than other welding gloves. What this material gives you is extreme dexterity and control. If your top priority is control and precision then these are the perfect match for you.
They also have a wide selection of sizes available. Whatever size your hands are, you are bound to find a size that fits on your hands exactly. Which is an important thing when you consider that these gloves are more focused on control and precision.
Specifications:
Features:
High Precision And Control: The flexible and thin goatskin leather allows the user to have a lot of precision and control. You won’t even feel like you are using your equipment through a pair of gloves. The rigidity of the average glove is not present at all in this pair of gloves.
Back Of Hand Protection: These gloves come with extra padding with patterns added to the back of your fingers and hand. These added sections increase protection for the back of your hand. In the case of an impact or harm caused to the back of your hand, you will still be protected and safe.
Increased Comfort: The insides of these gloves are covered with soft fabric. Which makes them not only breathable but also very comfortable. You can have these gloves on for hours on end without experiencing any kind of strain or fatigue.
Pros:
- Highly comfortable
- Back of hand protection
- Extra grip and dexterity
- Unintrusive cuffs
Cons:
- Too thin to handle high heat
- Durability issues when used in high-temperature welding
Caiman 1878-5 21-Inch One Size Fits All
Of all the welding gloves I have looked at, this is my favorite. With how universally good and well-rounded this glove is, it’s very easily the top pick and the best choice for most welders out there looking for a pair of gloves. If you want the overall best then this is it, this is what you are looking for.
This is made of deerskin. The material not only gives this greater heat and flame resistance but also gives enough flexibility for you to work without any kind of restrictions. The one size fits all design means you do not have to worry about fitting or multiple users at all.
The extra-long cuffs on these gloves provide extensive protection on your entire forearm. So, these are great in terms of protection. They also have pigskin patches on pressure points so the gloves are less prone to wear and tear.
Specifications:
Features:
One Size Fits All: It’s a huge issue when the new glove you just got for work doesn’t fit. With this pair of gloves, you don’t have to worry about fitting at all. One size fits all sizes of hands. You can put it on and easily adjust it to your hand size and get to work immediately.
Long Protective Cuffs: The longer cuffs on this pair of gloves are super effective in providing protection. This not only protects your wrists but covers a large portion of your forearms as well. This means you don’t have to worry about sparks flying up too high and hurting you.
Protective Patches: The base glove is made out of deerskin. And there are also patches of pig hide added in places as both a protective measure and to increase durability. There are patches on the wrists, palms, and other places acting as reinforcements. These reinforcements prevent wear and tear and also add extra heat resistance.
Pros:
- One pair of gloves fit almost all users
- Added reinforcements patches
- High durability and heat resistance
- Kevlar Stitching
Cons:
- Cuffs can be too long for some people
- Can get sweaty easily
Drake Off Road Tools 400 Welding Gloves
If you want a quality usable pair of welding gloves but want to spend as little as possible; then this is the one for you. Sure, this isn’t the best thing in the market, there are tons of better options in every criterion. But there are no other gloves in the market that are this cheap yet are still this high quality.
They are a relatively basic pair of welding gloves. They are made from cowhide leather. The stitching is exceptionally well for this price range. The cuffs are short but that is to be expected here too. It is overall a well-built pair of gloves that will serve you well.
The bestselling point of these gloves is once again the price point. They will end up lasting a lot longer than a lot of others that cost a lot more. The price to performance ratio outweighs all the other cons and lack of features these gloves have. If you are on a tight budget then give these a try.
Specifications:
Features:
Amazing Price To Performance: The best part of these gloves is how budget-friendly they are. You can even consider buying one just to keep a spare pair. With how cheap they are you would expect them to fall apart soon but these are long-lasting, really good quality pair of welding gloves that you will not regret buying
Locked Stitches: Even when the materials are good, gloves can still fall apart due to poor stitching quality. That is not the case with these. These have locked stitches that don’t go loose and last much longer than regular stitched gloves.
Very Comfortable: These gloves have a soft cotton inner lining that makes wearing them very comfortable. The fabric is light and breathable so you can easily have them on for long working sessions. The soft inner section will prevent any scratches or scuffs on your skin.
Pros:
- Quality locked stitching.
- Very budget-friendly
- Comfortable
Cons:
- Very short cuffs
- Not the most heat resistant
- Low cut resistance
Steiner 21923-L Welding Gloves
These gloves are much longer than most other gloves at 23 inches. They have very good cowhide leather and foam insulation. Which means that they are durable against very high heat. You can handle very hot metals without worrying at all with these insulated gloves.
What adds more heat protection are the extra-long cuffs that cover and insulate large portions of your forearms too. Low-quality gloves heat up too fast when handling hot metal for too long. With these Steiner gloves, you can handle hot metal for a long period easily.
The wing-style thumb design helps you wield torches easily. And the reinforced thumb strap means increased durability on that pressure point. You can flex and put an extensive strain on these gloves without any kind of sustained damage at all.
Specifications:
Features:
Foam Insulation: These gloves have the added protection of foam insulation on the back and the forearms. So, when handling high heat or excessive amounts of hot sparks your arms remain safe. And the insulation also means that you can handle hot metal for much longer without worrying about getting hurt.
Extra Forearm Protection: The sleeves on these pairs of gloves are much longer than the average glove. These sleeves are also insulated and quite form-fitting. Which means they directly cover and protect a large section of your forearms.
Wing Style Thumb: The average thumb design on an average glove restricts the movements a fair bit. This wing style design however helps you move your thumb as naturally as you would move it bare-handed. This means you can grip your welding torches more naturally and firmly.
Pros:
- Insulation increases heat resistance
- Thumb and other reinforcement patches
- High-quality shoulder split cowhide
- Extra grip due to thumb design
Cons:
- The extra length can feel intrusive
- Can feel stuffed very easily
Caiman White Goatskin Welding Gloves
The Caiman goatskin welding gloves fit a very specific niche very well. They are made out of goatskin. So, they fit in that comfortable spot between high protection and high flexibility. If you want a flexible glove that is still very protective then this is it.
The cuffs on these fit very well on your sleeves so they are a snug fit. They won’t fall off easily. These cuffs are grained leather so while short they still provide an adequate level of protection.
Specifications:
Features:
High Flexibility: The goatskin leather ensures that you have the utmost level of flexibility and precision while also having enough protection from heat and sparks. These do not restrict your movements at all.
Short Protective Cuff: Some people dislike having long cuffs or sleeves but don’t want to skip out on protectiveness. These gloves have high grain split leather on their cuffs. These cuffs also are form-fitting. Which means your wrists remain heavily protected?
Professional Looks: With a brown and white color scheme these gloves fit in well with all kinds of work environments and don’t look intrusive.
Pros:
- Great flexibility
- Looks good
- Form-fitting cuffs
Cons:
- No forearm protection
- Gets dirty easily
Conclusion
Welding gloves are a crucial part of your protection setup while welding. You need to get a good pair of welding gloves to keep yourself protected while welding. I hope this article helped you make the best decision for yourself. If you still can’t decide then you could always go with the best pick Lincoln Electric K2979.
Thanks for sticking around till the end. I hope you liked this guide on the best welding gloves for flux core. I wish you all the best, and until next time, stay safe and goodbye.
