When Whittling, what is the solution when you need to protect yourself from cuts, or when the wood you are whittling has a weak grip?
That’s where the need for gloves comes in and you will need to find the best whittling gloves for you to buy. “What are some of the ways you can differentiate a quality glove from a none quality one?”
To answer everything you need to know about gloves in whittling, I will share with you four categories of gloves you can use in whittling and 2 categories of thumb guards that you can wear to the fingers of your choice you can choose the best whittling glove/gloves to purchase. Remember you are dealing with sharp tools and so if you prefer not to use gloves, you should be extra careful not to injure yourself.
Our top picks – Best whittling gloves comparison table
Cut Resistance Gloves
Beginners 1st Choice
- Can wear in both hands and both sides
- Has a high dexterity
- Good grip due to the silicon strips
- Cut resistance
- Comfortable to use due to kevlar fibre
Cut Resistance Gloves With Non-Slip Grip
Best Gripped Gloves
- Excellent grip due to added rubber in the palm
- High dexterity
- Cut resistance
- Comfortable to use due to kevlar fibre
Cut Resistance Gloves With Leather Palms
Best For Large Carvings
- Excellent when dealing with large projects
- Very comfortable
- Chips do not stick due to the leather material used
- High dexterity
- Cut resistance
best whittling gloves Buying guide
Cut Resistance Gloves
Cut resistance gloves are made from kevlar fiber and they give comfort when whittling. This is one of the best whittling gloves mostly beginner’s choice and one unique advantage of this category of gloves is that you can wear one glove in any hand.
The dexterity is high and working with this category of gloves is easy. It does not store too much heat when whittling and this is a good feature because you can whittle for longer wearing it than others.
The grip is also high due to the use of a silicone strip in the palm bringing a stronger dry drip preventing your hand from slipping.
The downside of these gloves is that chips of wood stick to the gloves and that can be a little bit irritating, when you use them for some time, it gets fuzzy and this speeds up the rate of wearing out.
Cut Resistance Gloves with Non-slip Grips
This category of gloves has added rubber, some come fully palmed and others come with dots. This makes you hold on to your tool and the project better. The Ultralight, using 18-needle knitting technology, ultra-high elasticity fits the palm perfectly. The gloves are light and this increases the dexterity of the gloves
With this type of gloves, you won’t have to worry about chips sticking on your palm because the palm itself has been rubberized.
Due to the dexterity of the gloves being high, this will give you ease in using and added comfort in your hands because the rubberized palms give more grip when whittling.
The downside of these gloves is, due to the rubberized palm, the gloves tend to be warmer and they might be uncomfortable.
Cut Resistance Gloves With Leather Palms
These gloves are best won when whittling large objects. The make gives comfort when whittling and the good feeling on your hands when holding the knife and wood will make you enjoy the process.
The leather prevents the chips from sticking as you whittle and this and gives more comfort than the rubber palmed.
When looking for the best whittling gloves, you will need ones that are also durable. The material used to make these gloves make them very durable and they will give you a long service when whittling.
Due to the high-quality material used, one of the downsides of these gloves is that they are expensive and this will start creating questions in your head like whether it is worth the expense.
The other downside is that the material used makes the gloves warmer and this might be uncomfortable they start to warm up mostly when the climate is hot.
Steel Wire Reinforced Gloves
These are a unique type of gloves where instead of using kevlar reinforced cut material, they are made with small gauge steel wire woven in the cloth fibers creating very tough, cut resistance gloves, and this makes them stiffer.
These gloves give comfort to your hands when whittling and you will enjoy the process when thinking of the best whittling gloves to buy, this should be on your list.
The beauty of these gloves is that you can choose whether you want the palm to be rubberized or dotted, or even plain. Another pointer is that the gloves have no right or left hand to put on, you can wear any glove in any hand.
The downside of these gloves is that the dexterity is slightly lesser than the basic cut gloves and the wood chips get stuck in the fiber. The material frays after some time and this speeds up the speed of wearing out.
Finger Guards
In whittling, if you are not looking for the best whittling gloves, and you are looking for other ways you can protect yourself, don’t worry because I got you covered.
Finger guards are for those who find it bulky to wear gloves and with finger guards, you just put on the fingers you need to protect.
The finger guards are best for hot climatic conditions and unlike the gloves, they won’t warm your hands to a point of discomfort.
The level of dexterity is high and this gives comfort when whittling and this will make you enjoy whittling your projects.
The only downside in these finger guards is that they can be a little loose and this might be a problem because they might be coming off when whittling and sometimes not covering your hands full when whittling can bring unexpected injuries.
Athletic Tape
The difference between the thumb guards and athletic tape is that with the athletic tape, you can to can make the right size guard you need for your fingers that won’t slip off while whittling.
Another good quality is that it can come off without tearing to be re-used later. The athletic tape has high dexterity, has good grip, holding your tool and wood without fear of any slipping.
They are super affordable and if you have a low budget, this tape will get you through your whittling. Whittling doesn’t have to be boring and this tape has not only brought comfort, but also aesthetic appearance to whittling. The tapes come in different colors.
The downside is that it gets dirty easier than others and like other finger guards, you can accidentally injure the uncovered fingers so be extra careful.
Conclusion
When looking for the best whittling gloves, make sure you choose the ones with good grip, cut resistance, and the comfort it gives when whittling.