In the market for a new pair of boxing gloves? You’re in the right place, here is our Venum Elite boxing gloves review – we are going to look into all aspects of the gloves and see if Venum Elite lives up to the lofty standards they’ve set for themselves! It’s a popular glove for a reason and has sold well despite not being one of the long-established names in the world of boxing.
Venum have been making sports equipment for a few years now and are getting an ever increasing reputation as a brand which gives you a high level of build quality. They specialize in making gloves but their quality can change quite markedly depending on how much you pay for them.
The difference in quality can often come down to where the boxing gloves are made. On the packaging or description for Venum gloves it will either say that the gloves were designed in Thailand or that they were made in Thailand. Essentially when it says that they are designed in Thailand it means that is was made in Pakistan which will be with less build quality and worse materials.
The gloves that are made in Thailand are made to a much higher build quality and these are the ones that you should be keeping an eye out for. The Venum Elite boxing gloves that we are reviewing here today are the more quality type that has been made in Thailand.
What You Need To Look For
- Enough padding to protect your knuckles
- A secure fit
- Suitable wrist support
- High-quality materials
- Build quality
- Value for money
Before buying any gloves, there are a few questions that you need to ask yourself before you make a purchase or you could end up wasting money or getting a product that’s not right for the activity that you need.
Are You Experienced?
If you’re just starting out in boxing then you could well be keen to get all the most expensive equipment and go into the sport with a lot of enthusiasm. Boxing though is a sport like no other any many people quit after initially starting out. Some will find it just too exhausting while others won’t be able to stand the thought of having a sparring session, let alone an actual fight. If you’re a complete boxing novice then a simple pair of boxing gloves may be for you, if you’re starting to get hooked on the sport then getting gloves like the Venum Elite would be perfect.
Sparring Or Bag Gloves?
There are three main categories of boxing training that you will be doing and with each comes a different set of requirements for your gloves. You might be doing just striking training, you could be sparring then you obviously need gloves for fighting as well. When doing pad work or sparring you’ll want bigger gloves in order to protect your hands, in a fight you’ll want competition sized gloves which will be smaller.
How Tall Are You?
The size of boxing gloves that you need can depend on a few factors, but generally the taller you are and the more you weigh, the heavier the boxing glove you’ll need. For example these Venum Elite gloves come with a chart of your weight and what size gloves you’ll need, for example if you’re between 151 and 180 pounds then they’d recommend the 16oz gloves.
Do You Need Extra Padding?
Whenever you’re looking into getting glove when you’re not fighting, you’ll want to make sure that you’re choosing a glove that has a high level of protection as you don’t want to be injuring your hands. In boxing training you won’t be trying to knock anyone out so the lack of padding that you get in fight gloves needs to be avoided. Some gloves offer better protection than others, so if you have brittle hands then look out for gloves with additional padding.
Is Velcro Or Lace-Up The Way To Go?
This question can be boiled down to whether you want to fight in your gloves or now. Laced up gloves will give you a tighter fitting and more security on your wrist. That may sound ideal, which is why lace gloves are recommended for fighting. Why no sparring though? Well it’s pretty much impossible to lace up gloves by yourself and you’d also need to tape up the laces so they’re not loose. Therefore velcro gloves much preferred when you’re training. These Venum Elite gloves are designed for training, so have the easy velcro system.
What’s The Right Material?
The choices tend to come down to either vinyl, artificial leather or genuine leather and is more or less a price issue. There is no doubting which is the better material and that is leather. You want gloves that are both comfortable and durable, and leather wins easily on both of these points. Vinyl though has its place as it’s cheap, so therefore it’s a good boxing material for those looking for a low-budget glove to start off in the sport. Artificial leather like the material used for the Venum Elite gloves is the best of both worlds as it has a lot more durability and comfort than vinyl, but without the price tag of leather.
After a second opinion? Check out the review below by Ratethisgear!
Is Cost An Issue?
In a perfect world in your bag you’d have the most expensive bag gloves in the world, the most expensive sparring gloves and the most expensive fighting gloves as well. The reality is that most people can’t afford to do that so you need to budget yourself in order to get the quality equipment that you need. The old saying is true though, you get what you pay for and top quality gloves will cost more, but will offer you more protection and will last longer.
Key features of Venum Elite boxing gloves:
- Premium Skintex Leather – This is artificial leather which has the durability and comfort of the real thing, but without the price tag.
- High level of shock absorption – Protecting your hands should be high on your list of priorities, these gloves have a reinforced palm and triple density foam to be able to do just that,
- Handmade in Thailand – These gloves are handmade by experts, meaning that you can be assured of a high level of build quality.
- Strong seams – This will mean that your gloves are going to last for a long time, seams can be one of the first points to fail in a boxing glove.
- Large mesh panel – This is something you should be looking for with all training gloves as it’ll stop your hands getting too sweaty and allow your hands to cool off.
- Large range of designs – Aside from all the safety features and what makes a boxing glove great, you want to look good. These gloves have a wide range of styles so you’ll always find something for you.
They are the key features of the gloves, which have a lot of positives, but how do the Venum Elite’s compare against the industry standard?
Will They Last?
When you’re buying any product, the most important aspect that you look for is if they’re a well-made product. With these boxing gloves you won’t be disappointed with the money that you’ve paid for them, and they are top quality and built to last.
The artificial leather material will last a lot longer than any vinyl material and featured like the reinforced seam should see these gloves lasting you for a long time. They don’t have the build quality of the most expensive gloves on the market, but they are more than good enough for the price.
How Do They Look?
Design is an area that Venum have put a lot of thought into and it’s left you with a love that many will love, but those who prefer a simple design might be a little disappointed. They do though have a range of different color options from plain black, to neo yellow and white/gold as well as many others.
The Venum branding and logo is dominant on the glove and whether you like it or not will come down to personal preference. It certainly stands out and the detailing is very impressive. You should be able to find anything to your taste and overall you’d have to say it’s a very well designed glove
How Do They Feel?
These gloves are designed for striking training and therefore need to provide a high level of comfort and padding. The gloves feel comfortable to put on and the large wrist strap ensures a tight and secure fit. The attached thumb design will prevent any injuries and the triple density foam will give your hand a great level of protection.
You know how comfortable a glove is after you’ve had a session with them on and here is where the Venum Elite’s show their build quality as your hands won’t be sore and you feel as though you’re not going to be suffering any injuries while wearing them.
Pros
- Great design with many color options
- High level of comfort
- High build quality for the price
- Large wrist support
Cons
- While the artificial leather is better than vinyl, it’s still not genuine leather
- Intermediate gloves without the highest levels of quality
Venum Elite Boxing Gloves Review: The Conclusion
If you’re looking for a good quality boxing glove for your striking training, then you won’t be disappointed with the Venum Elite’s. One area that you always care about with any product is the value for money that you’re getting, and with these gloves that’s an area where it ticks all the boxes, as for a mid-range price level, they provide a great level of comfort and build quality.
These gloves aren’t designed for fighting and instead should be a part of your training equipment. They aren’t the best gloves you’ll ever use, but you can’t expect them to be for the price. They are though a quality product which comes highly-rated by the many people who have bought them.
A huge positive for many people will be the design and colours that are available as they have a very distinctive look which many people will love. In short, if you’re looking for a pair of high-quality training gloves that look great, then you’ll be very happy if you decide to buy these gloves.
