10 Best Tactical Gloves (Review) In 2021

You’ve got to ask yourself – what do you want from a pair of tactical gloves? The answer should be pretty simple – protection and dexterity. You need to be able to pull the trigger on a Glock 43, apply the brake on your motorbike, and reach into your pocket for your phone or radio (not all at the same time). On top of that, tactical gloves need to keep your knuckles safe and stop your hands from freezing up in the winter. The FREETOO Tactical Gloves are our Best Choice to answer this call.

Developed for police and special operations units, these gloves can handle anything you throw at them. Made from a mixture of high-quality materials, they have a dual-layer synthetic leather palm that provides perfect grip, whether you’re holding a firearm or a motorbike throttle. Your knuckles are protected by a thick rubber guard that sits on a layer of sponge. When your knuckles hit a solid object, it causes your hand to bounce back, reducing the impact. Plus, everything is double-stitched to make sure it stands the test of time. For more quality products like this, check out our guide to the best work gloves and pick your favorite pair.

In every Buying Guide, we look for an affordable option for those with a slightly smaller budget. This product might not be quite as good quality as the other products or have the same impressive features, but we think it’s a fantastic affordable option. Like a lot of tactical gloves, the REEBOW Military Tactical Gloves have a synthetic microfiber leather material palm. The reason this material is so popular is that it’s super durable, doesn’t crack or fade like genuine leather, and it’s much cheaper to manufacture. The rest of the glove is made from breathable and stretchy nylon.

As you’ll see from the product pictures, these gloves have knuckle protection. The only problem is, on these gloves, they’re a bit too soft. They’ll provide some protection if you fall or hit a solid object, but they won’t stop your knuckles from breaking. For that reason, we wouldn’t recommend them as motorcycle gloves. For everything else, they work great.

There are two things we love about these Glove Station Tactical Gloves. Firstly, they have a low-profile design that fits tightly to your fingers. You can operate a firearm with any of the gloves on this list, but these gloves make it easier. The flexible neoprene material follows the contours of your finger joints, allowing you to complete fiddly tasks with ease.

The second thing we love is the breathable padded mesh fabric. Granted, these aren’t the best tactical gloves for cold weather, but when the suns bearing down, you’ll be so thankful for this material. They allow air into your sweaty palms, keeping them cool so you can concentrate on the task in hand. The textured grip palm is made from Syntech leather and all of the materials are double-stitched together, ensuring a long life for these gloves. We haven’t even got round to talking about the molded knuckle plates. They’re hard enough to protect your knuckles in a hard fall, without affecting the range of movement these gloves offer. Be sure to always have them in your tactical backpacks.

We’ve chosen this pair of tactical gloves from Mechanix Wear as our Premium Pick. That’s simply because they provide the most complete protection. You might have noticed that they don’t have a hard knuckle protector like most of the gloves on this list. Instead, the knuckles and fingers are protected by TPR (thermoplastic rubber). This isn’t as effective at protecting your knuckle in a motorbike crash, but it’s much better for everything else. Your hands will come out unscathed, no matter what you put them through wearing Mechanix Wear MultiCam M-Pact Tactical Gloves.

The palm is covered in D3O palm padding, a material that absorbs and dissipates high-impact energy and vibration. That makes these gloves perfect for operating an automatic weapon. The other fabric used on these gloves is called TrekDry – it conforms to the shape of your hand and allows air to reach your skin, keeping it cool. These tactical gloves are so good, some military service members have swapped out their standard gloves for a pair of these.

Not all tactical gloves provide a high level of protection. If you’re looking for something a little more streamlined, these tactical gloves from Ironclad are perfect. EXOT-PBLK-04-L Tactical Operator Pro Gloves don’t have a hard knuckle protector, which makes them a little easier to move around in. Instead, your knuckles are protected by a thin layer of neoprene. This will stop you from getting any abrasions but it won’t be much help in a high-impact crash.

One of the stand-out features on this glove is the EXO embossed palm. Made from synthetic leather, it has a unique patterned design that helps your hand stick to anything. It’s perfect for keeping a solid grip on your Airsoft gun. The other feature worth mentioning is the suede cuff puller. It’s designed to make these gloves super easy to pull on in an emergency. If you don’t need high-level protection from your tactical gloves, we’d highly recommend these. You may also be interested in some of the best tactical wallets form our list, so check them out.

Next up, we’ve got a pair of tactical gloves from HIKEMAN. We reckon these are some of the most versatile gloves on this list. Whether you’re buying them for airsoft, riding your motorbike, or for serious tactical operations, these gloves are up to the task. HIKEMAN Full Finger Touch Screen Tactical Military Gloves also have one feature that we haven’t seen yet – touchscreen finger design. You can operate your smartphone, tablet, and any other touchscreen without taking these gloves off. Granted, it’s easier to operate a touchscreen with your bare fingers, but it’s a great feature when you don’t have time to waste.

The palm is made from a PU material (synthetic leather) that is both super durable and remarkably flexible. The rest of the glove is made from either nylon or spandex. The thickened knuckle is our only real complaint about this glove. It’s no way near hard enough to protect your knuckles properly. One of the product pictures shows the glove punching through a wall – we can tell you now that that’s not going to happen.

If you don’t feel like you need knuckle protection from your gloves, the Mechanix Specialty Covert Black Gloves could be perfect. Mechanix Wear is one of the biggest manufacturers of hard-wearing work gloves in the U.S. so you can trust the quality of these gloves.

As we said, they don’t have anything to protect your knuckles, but that means they’re much more flexible than a standard tactical glove. So, if you need your fingers free to complete delicate tasks, these gloves are ideal. Like the last Mechanix Wear gloves we looked at, they’re made from TrekDry. This material conforms to the shape of your hands, reducing the build-up of heat and perspiration. The other material used is 0.5mm AX-Suede, which provides amazing dexterity and gives extra trigger finger mobility. You may combine them with some of the best tactical vests from our list, so check them out.

We think these tactical gloves from TitanOPS are the best-looking on the market. If you closed your eyes and dreamed up the perfect military tactical gloves, this is probably what you’d picture. From the dark green nylon to the matte-black knuckle protectors – they look mean, tough, and very ‘military’. But are they all style over substance? The simple answer is no, but let us explain why. TitanOPS Full Finger Hard Knuckle Tactical Gloves are made from a mixture of nylon, lycra, and microfiber leather. That makes them extremely durable and kind of flexible. Honestly, they’re not the easiest gloves to move your fingers around in. So, if you need a lot of dexterity, keep searching. But in terms of protection, they work great. In the Amazon review section, there are stories of these gloves protecting the rider’s hands in motorbike crashes.

The reinforced knuckle is made from rubber. Hit something solid at full force and the rubber will dissipate the energy and bounce your hand backward. It’s not the hardest knuckle protector we’ve seen, but it will keep your hand safe. Then, you’ve got the palm protection. Most of the palm is covered in synthetic leather and has a reinforced grip for maximum durability. The inside of the fingers is covered in a microfiber material that feels like you’re using your bare skin. So, to sum up, they’re not the best tactical gloves on this list, but they will still protect your hands and look cool doing it.

Next up, we’ve got another pair of tactical gloves from Mechanix Wear. These are the cheaper versions of the Mechanix Wear – MultiCam M-Pact Tactical Gloves that we featured as our Premium Pick. At about half the price, these gloves are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a budget option. But don’t think that, because Multicam FastFit Tactical Touchscreen Gloves are cheap, they’re not high-quality. They feature a lot of the same materials and technologies as their more expensive counterparts.

The most notable thing they share is the TrekDry material. Designed to keep your hands cool and comfortable, this material lets air reach your skin whilst still keeping it protected. One of the reasons these gloves are cheaper is that they don’t have any knuckle protection. With that in mind, they are only really suitable for light tactical adventures. If you’re going into a dangerous environment, we’d recommend buying a more protective pair of gloves. The other thing is that they’re not very warm – they look quite thick but they are too breathable for cold-weather activities. For more must-have products for your adventures, check out our election of the top tactical pens.

The last gloves on our list are perfect for tactical ventures on hot sunny days. As you can tell from the product pictures, Ventilate Wear-Resistant Tactical Gloves are fingerless gloves. That’s great for keeping you cool, but no way near as protective. Fortunately, they provide ample protection to the rest of your hand. On the back of the glove, there’s a hard knuckle area that is designed to follow the contours of your hand when it’s relaxed. That means, when you clench your fist, there’s less bulk to get in your way. Like most tactical gloves, they have a synthetic leather (PU) palm with an anti-skid grip. Plus, the rest of the glove is made from spandex, which gives you plenty of flexibility.