Fairtex BGV1
Handmade in Thailand.
- Made of Leather
- Perfectly designed for Muay Thai
- The leather version might be too hot in humid weather
Venum Elite
Designed in Thailand but made in China.
- Internal double-stitching construction
- Made of Faux leather
- Leather might peel off after a few years
Muay Thai gloves are one of the most necessary pieces of equipment for combat sports.
In this MMAWhisperer gear review, I compare the Fairtex BGV1 vs Venum Elite Muay Thai gloves, which are two of the best Muay Thai gloves on the market.
My review looks at the following aspects of each Muay Thai glove model:
- Durability, comfort, and style of each Muay Thai glove model
- Price comparison of each glove
- How to choose the best Muay Thai gloves for your needs
- Final opinion on Fairtex BGV1 vs Venum Elite
By the time you finish reading, you will be prepared to pick between these two excellent Muay Thai glove options.
Let’s begin!
Table of Contents
- Fairtex BGV1 Or Venum Elite Muay Thai Gloves Which One To Choose?
- Fairtex BGV1 Thai Boxing Gloves Overview
- Venum Elite Thai Boxing Gloves Overview
- Durability, Fit, And Style: Fairtex BGV1 vs. Venum Elite
- Price Comparison Of Each Glove
- How To Choose Best Muay Thai Gloves For Your Needs
- Fairtex BGV1 vs. Venum Elite Muay Thai Gloves Final Word
Fairtex BGV1 Or Venum Elite Muay Thai Gloves Which One To Choose?
It is not easy to be a fighter. It requires lots of stress and hard work.
For me and many others, having good comfortable Muay Thai gloves is one of the most important things to prepare for the fight.
Good gear is not just comfortable but also highly durable and well-made, which reduces injuries and makes the equipment last much longer.
The need for good equipment applies to beginners and professionals alike.
People often think that if you are a beginner in Muay Thai, you can train with low-quality equipment, but that’s not true.
Based on my experience, I can tell you that cheap equipment causes lots of injuries in beginners, which affects training and can even cause some people to quit altogether.
The fact is, you are far better off starting out with high-quality Muay Thai gloves than damaging yourself early into your training because you used cheap gear.
Gloves are also a key piece of equipment for boxing, so regardless of your striking style, you need a pair of good gloves.
Note that on top of gloves, you will need additional gear for Muay Thai as well, so gloves are just a component of a full set of fighting equipment.
With that said, it is time to compare two leading brands in the Thai Boxing markets, Fairtex BGV1 and Venum Elite, and find out which is more suitable for professionals and beginners.
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Fairtex BGV1 Thai Boxing Gloves Overview
The Fairtex BGV1 Muay Thai gloves are the most recommended pair of gloves produced by Fairtex.
All Fairtex gloves are made in Thailand and are handmade.
Leather vs Mesh Palm BGV1 Muay Thai Gloves
There are two versions of these gloves, one fully made of leather, and another breathable version, which has the mesh palm.
From my experience, I can tell you that a breathable one can be more beneficial, especially in a high-temperature climate.
I train every day, sometimes two times a day, and washing gloves so often will destroy them.
The breathable mesh palm reduces the sweat buildup, which makes keeping the gloves clean a bit more manageable.
Padding on Fairtex BGV1 Gloves
Another crucial aspect of Muay Thai gloves is the padding. Padding and material are the things that determine the usage of gloves.
The BGV1 padding is distributed for Thai Boxing. This typically means more padding on the back of the fist and less in the front, which makes catching kicks easier.
Downsides of Fairtex Padding
Professional fighters often say that BGV1 is not the best pair of gloves for sparring because there is not enough padding in the front area of the gloves, and it causes excessive damage to the partner.
However, this padding distribution works well for competitions.
Thai Boxing competitions are brutal, with lots of KOs and injuries, so reduced padding is desirable in the competition context.
These gloves are not protecting the wrists, but this sport needs these gloves to be like that because Thai Boxing requires more mobility in the wrist area
However, they are suitable for speed training because there is less bulk on the front, so if you are focusing on hand speed, these are an excellent choice.
Overall, Fairtex BGV1s are great competition gloves but do not have the best protection for hard-hitting training over extended periods of time.
Nevertheless, you can still train with BGV1s, but you must focus on excellent punch technique and avoid power shots when sparring to keep everyone safe.
Venum Elite Thai Boxing Gloves Overview
Venum is a famous brand that makes products for all combat sports, and the Venum Elite Thai Boxing gloves are among their most popular Muay Thai glove models.
The Venum brand became even more famous after signing with the biggest platform of Mixed Martial Arts, the UFC. You can frequently find fighters using Venum Equipment in the best MMA gyms in the world.
This brand also cooperates with combat sports promotions like One FC and Glory, which shows just how prominent they are in the world of professional fighting.
Padding on Venum Elite Gloves
Like most Thai style Boxing gloves, this glove has less structural support on the wrist area; however, compared to Fairtex, there is more support. The Venum Elite gloves can be considered a slight crossover between Thai boxing gloves and Western boxing gloves.
I believe the Venum Elite’s padding is better for sparring. The padding on top of the hand is perfect for shock absorption.
We’ve been testing these gloves for at least three years now.
The padding distribution on the front area is heavier, making it more suitable for sparring sessions. Kicks, elbows, and punches you name it. The gloves will offer the protection you need.
But don’t forget to keep your sparring sessions light. Chase the glory inside the ring, not in the gym.
Downsides of Heavy Padding on Venum Elite
Having more padding means being heavier in mass, and heavy gloves are not as useful for punch speed training on the pads or bag.
However, Venum is trying to produce gloves that can be beneficial for Boxing and Muay Thai, too.
As such, the Venum Elite gloves are great for beginners and training but less suitable for professional fighting or speed punch training.
Regardless, the Venum Elites are a versatile pair of gloves, and it makes sense for beginners in Muay Thai to consider the all-around effectiveness of the gloves.
You can always purchase the more fight-appropriate gloves once you have your first bout on the books.
Durability, Fit, And Style: Fairtex BGV1 vs. Venum Elite
Generally speaking, the Fairtex and BGV1 and Venum Elite gloves are durable enough to withstand long periods of use without breaking down. However, there are a few differences in the construction of each.
Stitching and Construction of Each Glove
All Fairtex products are handmade in Thailand, and this tends to lead to excellent durability through precise stitching by experienced glove craftsmen.
The Venum Elite gloves are not handmade in Thailand, but they do have double-stitching throughout their construction, so they maintain significant durability over years of training. The gloves are designed in Thailand but made in China.
I’ve been using Venum Elite for three years, and I also have a teammate who has used Fairtex BGV1 for the same period of time – so it really is a toss-up on durability but the Fairtex might have a slight advantage here. In my case, the faux leather from the Venum gloves was not as durable as the real thing in the long run.
Comfort and Fit of Fairtex BGV1 vs Venum Elite
Between each glove model, the Fairtex BGV1s tend to have a bit more space.
This can be an issue as it gives your hand and wrist more room to wiggle in the glove, potentially causing injuries and making them slightly less comfortable.
As mentioned, this means that Fairtex gloves require better punching techniques to avoid injury, so they may be more appropriate for experienced fighters.
Issues with Venum Elite Thumb Protection
My least favorite part of the Venum Elite gloves is that the thumb finger protection was not good enough. I have injured my thumb a few times when training with these gloves. However, this always occurred during sloppier punches and I might have been sparring a bit too hard.
At the end of the day, we’re into combat sports and even the gloves with the most padding will fall short when you’re going too hard against a training partner.
Fighting in the Clinch with BGV1s vs Venum Elites
The Venum Elites have a lot of padding, so it is easier to block the kicks or punches.
However, I had some trouble with Thai Clinch when training with the Elites because they are less mobile than the Fairtex BGV1s.
For clinch work, I definitely prefer the BGV1s.
This doesn’t mean you can’t train the clinch with Venum Elites, but it will be a lot clunkier.
Overall, I believe that in terms of strict Thai Boxing, Fairtex is a better version because of its shape and mobility.
However, during general striking training for MMA or Boxing, the Venum Elites do have the padding and safety advantage.
Price Comparison Of Each Glove
Depending on the size and current promotion, you can typically find both the Fairtex BGV1s and the Venum Elite gloves for less than $100 USD, but this may vary depending on availability and shipping cost.
Between the two, price is not a big factor, so you are best off considering your specific training needs when choosing between either Muay Thai glove model.
How To Choose Best Muay Thai Gloves For Your Needs
If you can afford both gloves, I highly recommend them, but if you have to buy only one pair of gloves, you need to realize what you need. Regardless, when combined with proper punching technique, either pair of Muay Thai gloves will assist in reducing hand injuries from throwing strikes.
Traditional Muay Thai
If you are a traditional Thai Boxer, I can tell you with 100% certainty that you must buy Fairtex BGV1 without any questions. They will work well for strict bag or pad work.
Sparring with Fairtex BGV1 Gloves
While they may be a bit painful during sparring, Thai boxing requires toughness, and also, the best Thai boxers show control and playfulness during many sparrings and are not looking to KO their partners.
Most importantly, I recommend BGV1 because of mobility in the wrist area. In Thai Boxing, you are nothing without a good clinch game.
Striking for MMA, Boxing, or General Fitness
If you are an amateur having fun or a professional MMA fighter who also trains in Thai Boxing, I recommend you to buy Venum Elite due to the thicker padding and hybrid style glove.
As a beginner, there is a higher chance you will get injured because of poor punch technique.
More protection is required around the wrist area to avoid injury.
To put it simply, Venum Elite offers higher protection.
Sparring with Venum Elite Gloves
In terms of safety, the padding is not only good for your sparring partner but great for you to block the pouches and kicks.
When the glove is enormous, it covers most of your face, but more padding around the gloves also reduces the chances of hand injury during blocking body or high kicks.
Fairtex BGV1 vs. Venum Elite Muay Thai Gloves Final Word
Between the Fairtex BGV1s and the Venum Elites, it all boils down to your primary training goals.
If you plan to train and compete in traditional Muay Thai, then Fairtex BGV1 gloves are your best bet.
If you train in boxing or Muay Thai for MMA then I would suggest the Venum Elite Muay Thai gloves over the BGV1s.
Regardless, both gloves are high-quality and will serve you well for years when properly cared for.
