Buying the best pickleball gloves can save your hands from injury, sweating, or stiffness while playing the game.
When playing an intense match of pickleball, you can hurt your hand, or by sweaty hands and loose grip, you can damage your fingers. To avoid that, you would need a glove that gives protection to your hand without restraining your movements. A good pickleball glove not only protects your hands but also boosts your game by providing a tight grip and enhanced control.
Pickleball gloves absorb moisture while allowing air to pass through, meaning you won’t have sweaty hands while you feel comfortable and natural holding the paddle. This helps in improving the game and strengthening the grip over the paddle.
However, there are numerous options available on the market and it has become quite hard to choose from these pickleball gloves. To help you, we have tested several products and put together the top 7 gloves that pass our testing. We also put a buyer’s guide at the end to help you further understand the type of glove you want.
Compression of 7 Best Pickleball Gloves
Image | Name | material | weight | Check Price on Amazon |
---|---|---|---|---|
HEAD Airflow Tour Racquetball Glove | Spandex, Nylon, leather | 2.4 ounce | Check Price | |
Optima Max Grip Racquetball Glove | Cabretta sheepskin | 2.19 ounce | Check Price | |
HEAD Leather Racquetball Glove | Synthetic leather | 2.4 ounce | Check Price | |
Bionic Men’s Right Hand Racquetball Glove | Leather | 0.63 ounce | Check Price | |
Python Vintage Synthetic Racquetball Glove | Leather | 3.84 | Check Price | |
Franklin Sports Pickleball Single Glove | Leather | 2.4 | Check Price | |
Tourna Hot Glove Mitt for Tennis and Pickleball | Fleece | 1.28 ounce | Check Price |
Top 7 Best Rated Pickleball Gloves Reviews in 2023
1 Head AirFlow Tour Racquetball Glove
The Head AirFlow gloves come with perforated leather that allows air to flow in and keep your hands comfortable and sweat-free. This glove is made of premium Cabretta leather with small holes within the leather for airflow that ensures a dry and cool fit. Despite holes, the grip of the gloves is ensured and it protects your hand from any damage. Furthermore, even with the holes and upper mesh, the gloves don’t sacrifice grip quality or protection of your hands. The glove is made from spandex, nylon, and leather making it durable and capable of protecting your palms.
Airprene is used in this glove to protect your knuckles and ensures proper ventilation while you play pickleball. Nylon backing keeps air passing through keeping your hand comfortable and cool while you play for a longer period. You Can also check the Best Elongated Pickleball Paddles.
Overall, the grip provides a good grip while being durable and is constructed well in terms of ventilation and durability. The only downside to this glove is that it gets wet and saturated more easily as compared to other gloves.
- Well-constructed.
- Proper ventilation.
- Comfortable wear.
- Better protection.
- Gets saturated.
2 Optima Max Grip Racquetball Glove
The most used and top glove on our list is the Optima Max glove that provides maximum control to the players while ensuring sweat-free palms. Furthermore, this glove has a double-layered reinforced palm that protects your hand despite being soft. It helps to maintain touch, control while you play wearing it. The gloves feature ultra-thin upper skin that is breathable and flexible and doesn’t affect your hand’s grip.
Despite being ultra-thin, it doesn’t sacrifice control and protects your palm from any damage.
These gloves provide tacky grip and allow air to pass through keeping your hand sweat-free and comfortable while you play an intense match. In short, this gloves covers all the aspect that you are looking for starting from protection to control and stability. It won’t disappoint you while you’re playing an intense match for a longer period.
- Tacky grip.
- Ultra-thin flexible leather.
- Double-layered palm.
- Breathable upper mesh.
- No flaws found yet.
3 HEAD Leather Racquetball Glove
HEAD provides the best athletic equipment and its gloves are the same thing, they are built with protection spots all over them. It is made up of synthetic leather that is flexible and doesn’t affect your hand movements with the paddle. Furthermore, there is a webbed silicone grip that protects your palm and thumb while you play. It also gives a sticky grip that allows full control over your paddle and doesn’t affect your movements.
With breathable upper mesh, your hands won’t get sweaty and lose grip while it keeps you cool and comfortable. The ventilated spandex fabric keeps the air circulating ensuring that you stay at your peak all the time.
Due to the padding on top of the breathable mesh, the gloves seem soft but they protect the knuckle and palm. It is lightweight and flexible enough that it doesn’t become a hurdle to your movements.
There is a built-in head knuckle designed specifically to protect your knuckles while you play pickleball. The slight downside to this glove is that there are some stitches problems in some of the gloves while most of them are of top quality.
- Enhanced protection.
- Breathable upper mesh.
- Over time, you may face loose stitches.
4 Bionic Men’s Racquetball Glove
The next product on our list is a Bionic glove that is made specifically for men and if you need a glove for sweaty hands, then this is the best choice for you. They are built in such a way that it ensures proper ventilation and for further sweat-free palms, it absorbs moisture while providing a tacky grip. The glove itself is durable and protects knuckles and palms while being flexible. Furthermore, the knuckles have padding on them that protects them while sliding or diving on hard surfaces.
With an anatomical pad system, it ensures a better grip even in rain and absorbs moisture so your hand would feel sweat-free. They are designed by an orthopedic hand surgeon to ensure that it protects knuckles, and palms from any sustainable damage.
It is made up of goatskin leather which is flexible yet durable and hard-wearing, so it will last long. The terry cloth inside the glove absorbs moisture and it is also inside the wristband that ensures better control over the wrist.
The only downside of this glove is that its size and it is advised that you try it once before buying it to avoid any inconvenience. You Can also check the Best Graphite Pickleball Paddles.
- Moisture absorption.
- High protection.
- Designed by a hand surgeon.
- Better grip.
- Must check the size before buying one.
5 Python Vintage Synthetic Racquetball Glove
Python Vintage is the most lightweight glove that provides protection and tacky grip while protecting hands. Their grip is the most important factor to account for as even in harshest conditions, you won’t lose your grip over the paddle. It has elasticized back and wrist that ensures that the grip remains fit and comfortable while you play. Furthermore, synthetic leather gives a better grip with the paddle so you can move the paddle however you like.
This glove features lock stitching that makes it a durable and budget-friendly choice. With a 1-inch wider elastic, you won’t find a better grip anywhere else. It also protects your hand with synthetic leather that absorbs the impact while being extremely flexible.
The only downside of this glove is that this glove grip on the other end is a little snug for women and there are better gloves available for women. You Can also check the Best Edgeless Pickleball Paddles.
- Elastic for flexibility.
- Better grip for men.
- Synthetic leather.
- Budget-friendly.
- Not the best choice for women.
6 Franklin Sports Pickleball Glove
Franklin sports have manufactured a glove specifically for pickleball that is of premium design and is a one-piece glove. The durability of these gloves is the same as the baseball gloves and since they are one-piece, they are much more durable. Furthermore, an adjustable wrist strap helps to hold a secure and strong grip while you are playing. The thumb and the finger are padded for increased protection and grip and help to keep your hand sweat-free.
It is easy to pull off and in and requires less effort than normal gloves. Moreover, with the cut-away fingers, you won’t have to feel sweaty anymore while you are playing for a longer period. The wrist strap allows the grip to remain strong and tacky even in the harshest conditions and you can adjust it however you like.
All the materials on the gloves are breathable and absorb moisture so you won’t feel sweaty or wet as it results in a loose grip. If you are a heavy sports player or player that needs a glove for heavy games, then this one would be the best choice for you.
The only drawback of this glove is that it has cut-away fingers and is misshaped and some players don’t like that and are against it. You Can also check the Best Pickleball Machines.
- One-piece construction.
- Adjustable wrist strap.
- Increased protection.
- Padded fingers and thumb.
- Tacky grip.
- N/A
7 Tourna Hot Glove For Pickleball
If you are looking for a glove that can keep your hand warm in the coldest situations, then the Tourna hot glove would be the best choice for you. The gloves have openings on both sides which makes taking off and putting on easy, all you have to do is slit your hands in it and you will get a tacky grip. It is 100% made up of breathable fleece that protects while keeping hands sweat-free. Furthermore, you won’t feel the difference while wearing this glove when holding the paddle as it gives a natural and strong grip.
When playing in cold seasons, cold hands can result in bad shots and this glove comes in handy as they keep your hands warm. You can use this glove any time you want either be a warmup or a serious match.
As you are directly holding the pickleball paddle there is no sacrifice of control while the glove protects and keeps your hand comfortably. The only downside of this glove is that it isn’t for large hands as the opening is for medium or small hands.
- Durable
- Best for winter.
- Tacky grip.
- Made of breathable fleece.
- Better control.
- Not for large hands.
Buyer’s Guide
There is a common question that why do you need a glove and why is it important. The reasons are important and you need to know them before you choose the best glove that meets your requirements and needs. Knowing these factors can save you time to narrow down your research.
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Protection
The main purpose of pickleball gloves is to protect your hands while you are playing from any sustainable damage. If you are an aggressive player then wearing a pickleball glove can save your hands on hard surfaces. Furthermore, during games accidents can happen that can lead to an injury, and having a glove to protect you from any mishap can be a valid choice. Pickleball gloves can protect your knuckles, palms, and fingers while you are playing an aggressive match.
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Grip
The second most important thing about gloves is that they provide a better and strong grip on the players. Pickleball gloves are tacky or made of sticky leather and that stickiness helps you hold and feel the paddle with full control. With a better grip, you can control the paddle however you like and move it around freely.
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Moisture Absorption
Another big advantage of gloves is that they help you keep your hands warm and sweat-free while you are playing in cold weather. They absorb moisture and keep your hands comfortable while you play an intense match. Whether you are playing in cold or hot conditions, the gloves absorb moisture to avoid the risk of bad grip and keep your hand comfortable. Some of the gloves come with perforated holes that allow air to pass through while some use breathable mesh that allows proper ventilation even in cold weather while keeping your hand warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are pickleball gloves made of?
Pickleball gloves are made up of stretchy materials like neoprene, leather, lycra and use special leather-like sheepskin for flexibility. You should opt for a better quality glove if you want it to last long while providing an enhanced grip.
2. Are Racquetball and pickleball gloves the same?
There is little to no difference between racquetball and pickleball gloves as both main purposes are to provide a strong grip while being comfortable and protecting your hands.
3. Can you use golf gloves for pickleball?
Yes, you can use golf gloves for pickleball. The only consideration is that the golf gloves must not be very stiff.
Conclusions:-
In the end, all the reviewed gloves can be considered top-notch considering the features they provide. In our opinion, Optima Max Grip would be the best pickleball glove available on the market as it provides control and comfort no matter what the conditions are. However, you can choose from among our list according to your demands and requirements and you won’t be disappointed.