Best Tactical Gloves for Solid Protection Without Sacrificing Dexterity or Performance

Given the different gloves available in the market, you may want to choose one that will not hinder your hands from accomplishing the intended task. Tactical gloves is no doubt the best option. These gloves are surprisingly diverse, offering different benefits depending on the job at hand. 

To help you wade through the plethora of options, our team has compiled a list of the best tactical gloves available today. We’ve broken down the pros and cons of each, and given you some guidance on what task they might be suited for. Your search for the perfect tactical gloves ends today.

Best Overall: 5.11 Tactical Hard Times 2

Best Overall

5.11 Tactical Hard Times 2

Versatile and durable tactical gloves with strong knuckle protection and tough materials.

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Mobility

The 5.11 Tactical Hard Times 2 gloves are incredibly versatile, providing excellent flexibility and mobility for whatever task you have to complete. Despite featuring hard knuckle protection, you can still bend the gloves and maintain a full range of motion. Additionally, the material allows you to slip them on and off with ease, a problem that many tactical gloves fail to address.

Knuckles Protection

The 5.11 Tactical Hard Times 2 gloves have unique hardened knuckle protectors. Four knuckles are grouped into two distinct barriers. They are rigid but not to the extent that you can’t move around. They are also a bit flexible but not to the level of not providing adequate protection.

Palm & Grip

The grip panel on the palms of these gloves doesn’t have the ridges or bumps that other gloves might have, but it’s still incredibly grippy. They’re made from goat leather, a great material that is more weather-resistant than most other types of leather.

Breathability

While many people complain that leather gloves sacrifice breathability for mobility and heat retention, the 5.11 Tactical Hard Times 2 goes beyond expectations. The goat leather is more breathable than almost any other kind of leather, and the 4-way stretch top gives you a nice airflow in and out of the material.

Wrist Closure

Sporting an adjustable hook and loop wrist closure with standard velcro fastenings, you won’t have to worry about these tactical gloves slipping off at the worst times. The material is comfortable enough that you won’t feel it rubbing against your skin even with a tight fit.

Best Hard-Knuckle: WTACTFUL Military Tactical Gloves

Best Hard-Knuckle

WTACTFUL Military Tactical Gloves

Constructed with synthetic leather, has a comfortable grip with excellent touch-screen capability.

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Mobility

The Wtactful Military Tactical Gloves feature incredible stitching and component design that provides users a near-full range of motion, perfect for military work or riding motorcycles.

Knuckles Protection

These tactical gloves have some premium knuckle protection made from thermal rubber that is amazingly impact-resistant. While the single-panel hard knuckle protectors aren’t flexible enough, they give your knuckles enough room so as not to feel cramped.

Palm & Grip

Because these gloves were designed with shooting and riding in mind, you can be sure that the palm is comfortable and grippy. The synthetic leather material folds and fits nicely to your hand and provides enough sensitivity to get a feel for what’s going on.

Breathability

While the material and extra layers of fabric give you excellent mobility and sensitivity, it isn’t the most breathable out there. We found our hands to be sweating quickly due to the synthetic leather but this doesn’t affect the gloves’ overall performance.

Wrist Closure

Featuring a tactical-standard hook and loop closure design, you can adjust the wrist fit for these gloves on the go.

Best Temperature Resistant: TAC9ER Kevlar Tactical Gloves

Best Temperature Resistant

TAC9ER Kevlar Tactical Gloves

Built with weather and temperature-resistant kevlar and hard plastic knuckle guards.

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Mobility

Despite their multiple layers of material, the TAC9ER Kevlar Tactical Gloves are surprisingly flexible, allowing you to perform various tasks in the field. Also, the thermal protection keeps your hands warm, ensuring your fingers don’t lose functionality in the cold.

Knuckles Protection

The knuckle guards are constructed from hard plastic, meaning they’re fairly flexible. Additionally, they provide middle-of-the-road protection compared to the rest of the market provisions.

Palm & Grip

One of the standout features of these tactical gloves is the palm and grip. Kevlar lining inside the gloves ensures maximum protection from impact as well as weather conditions. Also, the reinforced external grips outfitted with special bumps guarantee efficient grip on whatever tool you’re working with.

Breathability

Since these gloves are designed with temperature resistance in mind, they’re not the most breathable pair we’ve included in this ranking. However, that’s often a selling point for many, meaning your hands won’t get cold in the snow and won’t burn on a hot surface either. However, they can get sweaty if you’re wearing them in a hot environment for long periods.

Wrist Closure

While these tactical gloves have an industry-standard hook and loop closure, they also feature a hanging loop that serves as a convenient storage option.

Best for Shooting: PIG Alpha Gloves

Best for Shooting

PIG Alpha Gloves

Made of flexible synthetic leather material that pairs well with tough stitching and textured grip.

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Mobility

In terms of mobility, the PIG Alpha tactical gloves are unmatched – the most flexible gloves you could find. They provide enough precision whose accuracy can be compared to shooting bare-handed.

Knuckles Protection

The PIG Alpha falls short when it comes to knuckle protection, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Since these gloves were made for precision and sensitivity, it makes sense that the company wouldn’t hamper that with bulky and rigid knuckle guards.

Palm & Grip

The palm of these tactical gloves is exceptionally made out of synthetic leather materials that retain heat and provides excellent sensitivity for a range of activities, especially shooting. 

Breathability

The lightweight material makes these gloves more breathable than others. You won’t have to worry about your hands getting too sweaty or your grip on your gun slipping. 

Wrist Closure

Featuring a super simple hook and loop closure system, the PIG Alpha can be fastened to your wrists in a flash, allowing you to pick up your rifle quicker than most might be able to.

Best For Mechanical Work: Mechanix M-Pact 0.5mm Covert

Best For Mechanical Work

Mechanix M-Pact 0.5mm Covert

Very durable full-length knuckle guards with exceptional stitching for improved mobility.

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Mobility

Considering how rugged the external shell is, these gloves are surprisingly flexible. You’ll have no issue with small finger movements. What is more, the part where the gloves meet your wrist is malleable enough to get your hand out of awkward positions.

Knuckles Protection

The knuckle guards on these tactical gloves are the main selling point, offering amazing protection that extends from your knuckles to the back of your hands. The thermoplastic rubber material is extremely durable but still flexible enough to facilitate precise movement.

Palm & Grip

While most tactical gloves sacrifice comfort for durability and vice versa, these gloves find a happy middle ground between both. The palm material is soft to the touch but still rugged enough to handle sharp objects without much struggle.

Breathability

Both the thermoplastic rubber on top of the gloves and the comfortable synthetic fabric on the underside are very breathable. The top conforms to the shape of your hand so that heat can’t build between the fabric and your skin, keeping you cool under pressure.

Wrist Closure

The wrist closure for these gloves is well-designed, meeting the skin of your wrist comfortably without sacrificing a tight fit. It features a standard velcro and hook and loop closure system.

Best For Adventure Sports: Glove Station Tactical Gloves

Best For Adventure Sports

Glove Station Tactical Gloves

Designed with highly breathable polyester and grippy yet breathable PU leather palms.

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Mobility

Made primarily from polyester, the Glove Station Tactical Gloves are highly flexible. The stitching isn’t too tight either, giving you more mobility than other gloves on this list.

Knuckles Protection

These tactical gloves offer fantastic knuckle protection, with single, rigid, thermoplastic rubber coating. The gloves are slightly flexible while remaining incredibly resilient to impact damage.

Palm & Grip

The palms of the Glove Station Tactical Gloves are double layered with PU leather, a highly sensitive material that protects your hands from cuts and bruises. The fingertips are made from the same material and are touch screen compatible, giving you an incredible grip on everything.

Breathability

Aside from the naturally breathable polyester material, these gloves feature aero holes laced throughout their upper portion. These maximize airflow while repelling water, a feat not many tactical gloves can accomplish.

Wrist Closure

Featuring a secure hook and loop closure, the Glove Station Tactical Gloves won’t slide or rub your skin uncomfortably. They are quick to put on and easy to adjust on the go if you need to.

Best for Patrol: First Tactical Patrol Glove

Best for Patrol

First Tactical Patrol Glove

Kevlar lining and rubber bezelcuff provide top-notch protection to wrists and fingers.

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Mobility

Featuring a super tight but comfortable fit, the mobility for these tactical gloves is incredible. You can perform small and meticulous movements with ease, and the great wrist guard allows a full range of motion.

Knuckles Protection

While these tactical gloves don’t have any designated knuckle guard, the kevlar-lined material provides more protection than the average tactical fabric. You’ll be protected from cuts and scrapes but won’t be shielded from heavy impacts such as one from a hammer.

Palm & Grip

The First Tactical Lightweight Patrol Gloves are specially designed to fit the contour of your hands and fingers. As such, the palms and the overall grip of these are through the roof, allowing precise movements and variable grip strength with no hassle.

Breathability

Although these gloves are lightweight, the kevlar lining makes them get a bit hot sometimes. As such, they’re better to use in mild or cold environments rather than hot ones.

Wrist Closure

The wrist closure is one of the ways in which these tactical gloves stand out from the pack. It features a bezelcuff cutout wrist, made from a rubber material. It sits comfortably on your skin and helps prevent any snags that can damage the gloves or the other object.

Best Value For Money: Freetoo Knuckle Tactical Gloves

Best Value For Money

Freetoo Knuckle Tactical Gloves

Lightweight yet durable material and flexible double-stitching providing exceptional mobility.

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Mobility

The Freetoo Rubber Knuckle Tactical Gloves are more lightweight than most of their competitors, so you can be sure their mobility is top-notch. Flexible stitching allows a full 360-degree range of motion giving them an edge over their competitors.

Knuckles Protection

The heavy-duty knuckle guard is rigid and secure while adjusting to the shape of your hand to prevent overheating. While they’re incredibly resistant to cuts and scrapes, there is little left to be desired when it comes to impact resistance.

Palm & Grip

The double-stitched palm material is incredibly durable, outfitted with bumps and ridges that help to improve your grip on objects and reduce vibration from object-to-object impacts.

Breathability

These tactical gloves feature neat breathing holes along the fingers, allowing more airflow in and out of the interior than others might. The material itself is also quite breathable, and you won’t find yourself sweating too often in a pair of these.

Wrist Closure

While the hook and loop system isn’t as complicated as other tactical gloves, it’s still a well-designed feature. It’s incredibly simple to loop the strap, and the velcro can be adjusted efficiently as you’re on the move.

The Ultimate Tactical Gloves Buying Guide

There are a few things you need to consider before you decide on a new pair of tactical gloves. Here, we’ve outlined the key specs you should keep in mind as you shop around for the best pair for you.

Mobility

When you wear any pair of gloves, your range of motion is an incredibly important factor to consider. The material is an important feature to keep in mind in this regard, as some types of fabric are more pliable than others.

The stitching is another crucial aspect to take a look at. If the gloves have thick stitches, it might be harder to move your hands around comfortably. Thin stitching, however, could affect the overall performance of the gloves, leading to higher mobility but lower tensile strength.

Also, consider the tools you’ll be using with the gloves. A gun might require extra mobility, while construction work might need something less flexible.

Knuckles Protection

One thing that some gloves have that others may lack is protection for your knuckles. Essentially, gloves that have an extra layer of tough material above the knuckles can shield the most vulnerable part of your hands from injury.

This layer can be made from different types of materials, from tough plastic synthetics to softer leather. Before you choose a pair of tactical gloves based on the fact that they have knuckle protection, consider what types of activities you’re going to use them for.

If there’s a big chance that something could impact your knuckles, buy a pair with tougher materials. On the other hand, if you just need protection from the elements, consider something that’s softer and retains more heat than a synthetic one might.

Palm & Grip

No matter what job you’re planning to do with your tactical gloves, more likely than not, you’ll use them to pick up various objects. From a tactical axe that requires extreme precision to your average everyday hammer, you’ll need gloves that will give you a good grip.

Some tactical gloves have a uniform palm patch that doesn’t feature specialized grip material meant to increase your grip on a tool. Others, however, have ridges or bumps incorporated into the palm, also providing extra stability that reduces the vibration from an impact.

Breathability

Depending on what task they’ve been designed for, tactical gloves can have varying levels of breathability. By breathability we mean the airflow and natural temperature regulation that keeps your hands comfortable.

Breathability is determined by a few different things. First, holes throughout the seams of the tactical gloves may provide the airflow you need. However, it could be that the gloves don’t have any holes at all but are still fairly breathable. The material might have microscopic holes that let your skin wick off any moisture, or it could be that they’re designed to retain heat in cold environments.

Always consider what environment you’re going to operate in and whether you need gloves that are very breathable or not breathable at all. while breathability may sound nice, it can slow you down on a task, especially if you need to keep warm or dry.

Wrist Closure

One of the most important components of any tactical gloves is how they secure to your wrist. The closure tab keeps the gloves from sliding off or fitting too tight. Thus, you should always think about what is most comfortable for you before jumping in for a pair.

Wrist closures typically use velcro to help secure the gloves to your hands. However, there are also a couple of different ways to reinforce the fit in addition to velcro. Some tactical gloves have a pull-tab that will tighten or loosen the gloves as necessary, while most others have a hook-and-loop enclosure system meant to keep the velcro in place.

Think about what you’ll use the gloves for and match the wrist closure system to the task. A hook system might get in the way of a comfortable rifle grip, while it might be better for handling an axe handle. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to this, so take your own preferences into consideration before jumping for someone else’s recommendation.