I Tried 4 of the Best Selling Drum Gloves… Which Won?
Drum gloves are a thing not really mentioned by most players in the drumming community. If you have stumbled upon this post, you no doubt have an interest in drumming gloves.
Drum gloves serve a couple of purposes. They prevent annoying blisters, absorb shock from the impact of your sticks, improve your grip, and some argue that they look cool. Another use for drum gloves is for those with dry skin that cracks easily. Playing the drums with this type of pain can be very difficult.
Some drummers that use drumming gloves include Stewart Copland, Carter Beauford, Phil Rudd, Dave Grohl, Mario Duplantier, and Tommy Lee. For me, I look at drum gloves a little differently. A lot of people criticize the use of drum gloves, but they actually do work in a lot of situations.
When I am on tour, my hands dry out a lot. This results in my calluses breaking open and causing a lot of pain. I then reach for the gaffers tape or some sort of bandage to get through the show. Drumming gloves will absolutely alleviate this issue.
Earlier this month I popped over to Sweetwater and spent $119.11 on drum gloves from Ahead, Zildjian, Vic Firth, and Meinl to see which one of these four performs best. I have zero relationship with any of the brands mentioned and won’t be holding back.
Vic Firth Drum Gloves
Vic Firth’s drummers’ Gloves are made from premium Cabretta leather (so in a sense, they are kind of like a golf glove) and have a ventilated synthetic mesh palm. The thumbs and forefingers offer a unique synthetic rubber grip. If you’re looking for gloves that will keep you warm when loading in the winter, these aren’t the gloves you’re looking for.
Drumming Gloves with Synthetic Grip Thumb and Forefinger, Leather Palm Grip, and Synthetic Mesh Palm Ventilation.
They will keep your hands cool during the show. I felt the gloves grip the stick quite nice. My hands feel good and I don’t have any pain in my wrist, which is something I struggle with normally. You cannot use an iPhone or Android device while they’re on (something the next pair boasts), and they are fit very snug. If I could go back in time, I’d order one size up. The packaging was okay—nothing impressive.
Zildjian Drum Gloves
Zidljian Drum Gloves are many drummer’s favorites, due to the fact that they’re touchscreen friendly. They come in at just under $30 and are made from soft lamb-skin. They also feature a vented back to help keep you cool on stage. If you’re a fan of Zildjian and love to endorse them, these will show your love for them.
Drumming Gloves with Touchscreen-compatible Thumb and Pointer Finger, Leather Palm Grip, and Vented Back
The velcro on the Zildjian drum gloves is very sticky and stays together nicely. They’re very thin feeling, and while I feel more connected to the stick, they just don’t feel quite as nice as the Vic Firth pair.
The touchscreen function works, though you have to be very deliberate with your presses. I wasn’t able to use my thumbs for operation, due to the fact of there being extra material at the end of my thumbs. I also noticed my wrist pain while using these gloves—so there’s a downside. I felt these gloves didn’t grip as well as the Vic Firth’s to the sticks.
Some users have noted that after a few months of playing, some of the stitching begins to come out of the gloves. While unfortunate, I think all gloves stitched with a threading will begin to deteriorate over time. Other users have claimed that their hands had black marks on them after wearing the Zildjian drum gloves.
Meinl Half Finger Drum Gloves
First off, I do love the design of a half-finger glove. They should allow for more technical movement while playing to make those quick and complex fills and grooves happen. However, in practice, it wasn’t the case. I really should have picked up these gloves one size higher, as they were quite tight. It was nice that I could actually feel my drum sticks with my fingers, but I still felt disconnected from the sticks near my palms.
Protects your hands from blisters and provides a natural feel.
Also, these gloves are really a pain to take off. Just like all the others on the list, the Meinl drumming gloves will protect your hands from blisters and other drumming injuries, as well as prevent existing ones from cracking open.
If you have ever thought, “I know, I’ll just cut my existing glove fingers off to get the same design,” you’ll quickly realize that this doesn’t work. The fingers of your freshly cut drum gloves will quickly begin to roll up your fingers toward your palm as you begin playing, along with fraying. This is not only annoying but also will irritate any current blisters or cuts.
As with any product, there will be critical reviews. I read online many people who have experienced their Meinl drum gloves ripping by the wrist horizontally.
Ahead Drum Gloves
Ahead is famously known for their metal drumsticks. I personally have never been a fan of these sticks. I remember asking my parents to buy me a pair of these when I was younger.
It made sense, right? A pair of sticks that lasts way longer! It turns out, for me, that these sticks just don’t cut it, even though they are endorsed by many big-name players.
Protects your wrists from repetitive strain injuries. Backed by a 30-day warranty. Built to last twice as long as other drumming gloves.
The Ahead drum gloves designed specifically for drummers and “not golfers” as their website explains. These gloves feature “hot spot” pads that make for a longer life and added wrist support.
Ahead claims that these drum gloves are used by more professional drummers than any other brand on the market.
Out of all the drumming gloves I tested, these performed by far the worst. They are much thicker than regular golf gloves and playing the drums felt terrible. Fast rudiments are almost impossible and I had zero control over my sticks while playing. Because of the synthetic leather material, I really felt like I had no grip on the sticks. They’re also very stiff, but I assume they will break in over time.
Some users have reported the drum gloves ripping in the exact same spot as we saw with the Meinl gloves, as well as between the fingers. That being said, the wrist support that these drum gloves give you is fantastic.
Which Pair Wins?
The Vic Firth and Zidljian are the two best options on the list with Vic Firth taking the crown. It is unfortunate they aren’t touchscreen-friendly, so you’ll have to make a sacrifice if using your phone while playing is essential. For playing shows where I don’t need my phone, I’d use the Vic Firth’s every day. But for recording social media content where I need to choose songs from my library on my phone, I’d need to use the pair from Zildjian.
