Wearing certified medical-grade gloves during the tattooing process is a crucial and mandatory practice for any tattoo artist to maintain extreme cleanliness and professionalism. Accordingly, a pair of gloves is one of the most inseparable things for ethical tattooists, who always put their client’s health first.
We understand that choosing the best gloves for tattoo artists can be a bit complicated. So in this article, we suggest some brands that have been shortlisted to buy from – all of which are practical and safe.
4 Things To Consider Before Shopping Tattoo Gloves
1. Materials
Tattoo gloves are widely produced in three different materials: latex, nitrile, and vinyl. Knowing clearly about each type of material can help you find what you need most in certain circumstances as the materials affect various buying factors.
Latex: a type of resin taken from the natural rubber tree. The latex gloves are soft and stretchy enough to fit comfortably on different-sized hands.
These gloves are a great option for tattoo artists looking for a reasonable price while delivering authentic feelings. However, this material can pose allergic reactions to sensitive skin, and thus, you must alert your clients when using latex gloves.
Nitrile: a synthetic latex material. It is an improved substitute for natural latex. The nitrile provides more comfort and flexible control when working with needles and ink. Another plus point is that clients with latex allergies can get on well with these nitrile gloves as they trigger little (if not no) allergic reactions.
Vinyl: a type of synthetic plastic, so vinyl gloves are the best in terms of durability and strength. They offer good protection against harmful chemicals, oils, and other liquids, supporting easy cleaning. These gloves, in return, are difficult to wear and work with tattoo equipment due to a lack of sensation.
2. Comfort And Fit
One of the most decisive factors in purchasing a pair of gloves is that you feel comfortable wearing them. Some tattooing sessions take hours to finish, requiring fitting gloves, allowing artists to do other activities such as gripping and using mobile devices.
Not to mention, the comfy and snug-fitting gloves will enable flexible right hand movement to work safely and smoothly. You need to understand the size of fingers, palms, and wrists to ensure the gadget will not fall off when they are too loose and cause any sort of soreness or strain being too tight.
3. High Dexterity
When doing a detailed tattoo, artists need a good pair of gloves to keep a tight grip on a tattoo gun, avoiding poor quality work and ineffective productivity.
As a rule of thumb, mastery mostly depends on each tattooist’s skills and hand movement, but a proper glove with suitable material and fit can also be helpful in this case. Once you find the utensils that work best to support your agility, they will be your favorite ones for good, though it may take some time to figure out.
4. Color
You could find a variety of colors that are available for tattoo gloves, from pink to blue ones. Nevertheless, black seems a perfect choice as they can conceal dark ink spots and other colors used for tattoos.
Top 6 Best Gloves For Tattoo Artists
1. MedPride Nitrile Exam Gloves – Best Overall
Specifications
- Manufacturer: MED PRIDE
- Material: Nitrile
- Special Features: Powder-free, Stretchable
- Color: Iris blue
- Finger Thickness: 3.5 mil
- Reusability: Disposable
Take care of yourself and those around you with MedPride Medical Examination Powder-Free Nitrile Gloves. This is the top-rated medical exam glove on Amazon, popular with many customers in every industry, from law enforcers to healthcare staff and tattooists.
Compared to the limitations of natural rubber gloves, the MedPride Nitrile made with synthetic rubber offers a great shield to protect clients from latex allergy and safeguard the health of wearers from any chemicals they contact. Hence, stretchable gadgets become a better alternative for those worrying about punctures and rash or skin reactions from harsh tools.
With a 3.5 mil PVC thickness, this product is ideal for anyone who desires a great feeling on the hands for handling meticulous work such as tattooing. These MedPride disposable gloves provide control and agility when using tattoo guns and other small kits, yet they are still robust and thick.
An outstanding feature of this product is its exterior finish. This nitrile gadget comes in a silky texture and handcuff with premium iris blue color, making it suitable and look classy on both men’s and women’s hands.
Pros
- Available in four sizes
- Easily to put and comfortably fit
- Good quality material
- Power-free
- Reasonable price
Cons
- Not available in black
2. AMMEX Black Nitrile Gloves – Best For Sensitive Skin
Specifications
- Manufacturer: AMMEX
- Material: Nitrile
- Special Features: Chemical Resistant
- Color: Black
- Finger Thickness: 3 mils
- Reusability: Disposable
Here in the list, we recommend six glove brands, mostly in black color and made of nitrile fabric type. This product is one of them, which can become the favorite black medical-grade glove of any tattoo professional.
Manufactured by AMMEX, a global leader in hygiene and safety products, AMMEX Professional Glove provides complete exam-grade protection with FDA Standards of high quality.
The product is supposedly food-safe, meaning that it doesn’t contain toxins or other dangerous substances that can harm the vulnerable skin of artists and clients.
Moreover, these black nitrile gloves do not come with cornstarch due to being made of powder-free fabrics, becoming more skin-friendly to wearers. They also undergo chlorination, which minimizes the extractable latex proteins that trigger allergies, making them a perfect choice to protect from latex allergic reactions.
Thanks to its micro-roughening texture with a 3-mil layer, the hand covering provides an extra sense of touch and reliable hold for light-duty jobs. Do not use it for heavy duty ones, or they will easily get ripped.
Pros
- Lightly textured
- Chemical resistant
- Chlorinated finish for easy wearing
- Cause less latex allergy
- Great price
- Various options of size and box
Cons
- Too thin
- Easy to tear and break
3. GripProtect Precise Black Nitrile Exam Gloves – Best For Protection
Specifications
- Manufacturer: BMC Protect
- Material: Nitrile
- Special Features: Food Grade
- Color: Black
- Finger Thickness: 4 mils
- Reusability: Disposable
The GripProtect Precise Black Nitrile Glove is a product from BMC Protect, a leading supplier with great Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and infection control products to serve the health and medical users, particularly nitrile and latex gloves.
Nitrile material is three times stronger than latex and can protect from needles during the tattooing process. For these reasons, tattoo artists commonly prefer nitrile in disposable gauntlets because of their durability.
Moreover, all GripProtect disposable products by BMC Protect offer excellent chemical resistance to multiple tested chemotherapy agents, including Fentanyl. This type of glove is designed for use in different professions but is especially much-loved in many tattoo parlors.
Through passing Medical Exam Grade’s testing criteria based on the American Society for Testing and Materials – ASTM, GripProtect Precise Black is trusted to offer superior comfort, safety, and durability, creating a perfect balance between tactile sensitivity and protection for long-term use.
However, regarding thin consistency, the disposable nitrile glove tends to be ripped off when punctured by incidentally harsh contact or wear.
Pros
- Do not contain natural latex
- Safe for people with sensitive skin
- Medical-grade exam product
- High sensitivity
Cons
- Easily get punctured
- Higher cost
4. Microflex MidKnight MK-296 Nitrile Gloves – Best For Grip
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Ansell
- Material: Nitrile
- Special Features: Latex-free
- Color: Black
- Finger Thickness: 4 mil
- Reusability: Disposable
Made of synthetic polymer, the non-foaming Microflex Midknight MK-296 with textured fingertips allow wearers to have a reliable grip that effectively handles their tools or equipment, even in sweaty and greasy skin during long-hour tattooing sessions.
We tested this item for one of our tattoo artists who didn’t have sweaty palms. There was once when he handled a back tattoo in 5 hours, and the clients perspired a lot despite the AC. But to our surprise, our artist finished the art without the hassle of holding the machine in such a period.
Similar to other nitrile gloves, this model is also created to reduce the risk of latex allergies from natural rubber.
With deep black color, besides supporting a clear contrast in unclean conditions, Microflex Midknight effectively hides grime and dirty substances.
Microflex Midknight disposable gauntlets offer a vast range of sizes from extra-small (XS) to very-extra-large (XXL) to fit different hand sizes and include ambidextrous types, which can fit either hand.
Pros
- Look professional and clean in distinct black color
- Various options for hand size
- Latex-free formulation
- Strong palm grip
- FDA-certified
Cons
- Contain cornstarch
5. Black Dragon Latex Gloves – Latex Choice
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Microflex
- Material: Latex
- Special Features: Powder-free, Non-sterile
- Color: Black
- Finger Thickness: 6.7 mil
- Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, XX-Large
- Reusability: Disposable
The Black Dragon is made of latex fabric type, with an advanced double polymer-coated exterior to offer a strong grip while tattooing or body piercing. That’s why this glove is very favored by cosmetic tattoo artists, piercers, and medical experts.
Latex gloves deliver reliable safety against exposure to dangerous chemicals. But when coming to strong natural solvents, it gives bad protection to users.
They also provide wearers with a snugger match and a more degree of stretch, offering excellent dexterity. For long-hour sessions, they are best for wearers to feel good and convenient, which is supposed to give the best comfort and fit compared to other than nitrile or vinyl gloves.
What is more, the Black Dragon Latex product is highly rated on different online shops, and clients buying those gloves are ordinarily satisfied with their stable protection.
The major downside is that they can trigger latex allergic reactions. You may want to inform clients before using these gloves of their advance possible side effects. Also, it is very difficult to locate scrapping or puncture holes in latex.
Pros
- Available in different sizes
- Powder-free material
- Flexible and stretchy
- Easy to fit
- Thick enough for heavy tasks
Cons
- Unsafe for allergic customers
6. Adenna Phantom Latex Exam Gloves – Best Thickness
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Adenna
- Material: Latex
- Special Feature: Powder-free
- Color: Black
- Finger Thickness: 6 mils
- Reusability: Disposable
Another sort of glove made of latex is Adenna Phantom Latex Gloves – a product that provides sufficient grip and flexibility in terms of barrier protection.
Thanks to 6 mils thickness, the highest measurement for disposable gloves on our list, your hands are safe from potentially harmful hazards in tattoo ink and cleansing agents while washing the tools. In contrast, this feature delivers low dexterity to do small and detailed tattoos, so we recommend using them for the cleaning task afterward or for seasoned tattooists.
Because of giving an advanced grip in each wet and dry application due to the textured surface, Adenna Phantom is the most recommended brand by body art or tattoo artists, beauty experts, and high-class hair salons. Its distinct dark black could also conceal dyes, inks, and dirty spots at some stage in use.
Pros
- Available in six sizes
- Fit snugly and comfortably
- Supreme grip with fully textured
- FDA-claimed lowest protein
Cons
- A little expensive
FAQs
2. How Should I Wear Gloves?
It would be best if you remembered to wear gloves that fit nicely on your palms, fingers, and wrists without the need to fasten or loosen up the gauntlets. Do not put on gauntlets that are old, torn, and impaired. And remember not to reuse and recycle the products that are designed for disposable.
3. Can I Use Vinyl Gloves For Tattooing?
Vinyl is the strongest and most durable material. Still, when it comes to tattooing, most tattooists do not recommend the vinyl because they cannot well control their hand movement and lack tactile sensitivity while handling a work of art.
4. What’s Better: Latex Or Nitrile Gloves?
Latex and nitrile gloves have different advantages and disadvantages in the issue of using needles and tattoo applications. Still, nitrile material has much more gains over drawbacks. These gloves are non-allergic and a simply great option for those with sensitive skin.
Final Thoughts
We now come to the end of the article, and hopefully, you can get some ideas and make a wise decision from our recommendations of the best gloves for tattoo artists. Ultimately, choosing a good pair of gloves for you to work best with and fit your needs is no longer a challenging task in the future.
As we already noted, you need to consider a few things before purchasing gloves for tattooing, from the materials, comfort, fit, dexterity, and the prices after viewing all listed best products.
To tell the best pick from our personal experience, the nitrile gloves from MedPride win all expectations about their material quality and availability at a reasonable price.
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