The Best RDX Boxing Gloves

Our Rating: 4.5/5

In this article we’ve tried to pick a wide variety of gloves at different price points to suit all boxers. These gloves are priced at the mid-to-high end of the market, meaning they’re probably suited for those of you who take your boxing quite seriously - maybe you spar regularly, maybe you’ve got a home gym setup. If you’re looking to spend a little more money than you did on your previous gloves, or maybe you’ve decided it’s time for a sweet upgrade, you’ll definitely want to check out the RDX T17 Aura Gloves.

These gloves are particularly designed to be porous, meaning they wick away sweat from your hands as you train. Sweaty gloves are not pleasant to train in, and this isn’t something you’ll need to worry about with the RDX T17 gloves. RDX’s Inter-Aura lining and Cool-X Nylon mesh traps in cool air and helps to expel warm, humid air, meaning your hands stay dry as you train. Additionally, RDX has developed something they call “Nova Tech”, which basically acts as a type of foam that reduces the impact of your punches on your hands, meaning you can train harder for longer. We still highly recommend hand wraps, however.

One particular thing that impressed me about the RDX T17 gloves is how versatile they are. Not only are they a neutral, unisex design that will appeal to most people, but they’re also specifically designed to be “one-size-fits-all” - so even if you’ve got particularly small hands, you should still be in for a comfortable experience. I’d say if you have large hands these probably aren’t the gloves for you, as alongside your hand wraps you might find the fit a little bit snug, but they’re perfect for most hand sizes.

One of the more unusual things about the RDX T17 Aura gloves is that they’re actually made of RDX’s Kalix vegan synthetic leather. Not only will this appeal to those who don’t want to use animal products, but they provide an exceptionally hard-wearing, pliable and rugged surface, ideally suited to the punishment of a heavy bag workout, extended sparring session, pad work and more. They’re a great all-round glove, and one that we’re very happy to recommend to most boxers. As we said - for the beginner, they’re overkill, but if you’re taking your boxing seriously, you won’t go far wrong with a pair of these.

Our Rating: 4/5

These particular RDX gloves are a little more expensive than some of the other options explored here - and for good reason; they’re fully handmade with real cowhide leather, and the whole glove oozes quality (much more so than some of the cheaper gloves on this list.) This glove has design features that help support the alignment of your hand and wrists while training, in addition to being well-padded. They come in one design - white, black and red, and in 10oz, 12oz and 14oz weights. 

One thing that’s going to definitely cause a polarised opinion is the fact that the foam padding on these gloves is layered with a shock-absorbing gel. I’m not a big fan of gel gloves; I just don’t like the way hitting the bag or an opponent in them feels. You may think otherwise; and if you do, then these gloves will definitely fit the bill, but for me I prefer a glove that’s padded with foam only. If you’ve not tried a set of gel gloves before, I’d encourage you to give it a shot; but at the kind of price you’re paying for these gloves, I’d test it out on a cheaper pair first.

These are bag gloves - designed for the heavy bag but just as suitable on a double end bag or a speed bag. I personally wouldn’t suggest you spar in them, and one of the most frustrating things about these otherwise good gloves is that they only come in 10oz, 12oz and 14oz sizes. You can read my other article on what weight boxing gloves you should get if you’re not sure, but suffice it to say this doesn’t really provide for the beginner, or even the slightly more experienced boxer who wants a gloves with a little less padding to work the bag - which is a shame given the price.

I have no doubt these gloves would hold up to years of training and abuse - the experience I’ve had with RDX in the past certainly speaks to the quality and longevity of their products, and in terms of customer service, I’ve never been disappointed. I’d encourage you to give these gloves a try if you’re more than a novice, and you’re looking to upgrade your bag gloves. 

Our Rating: 3.5/5

The second-to-last entry on this list, and in many ways the one I feel provides the best value for money. I’ve written about the RDX KARA Leather Boxing Gloves before in another review and want to reiterate my feelings about them in this one, simply because I feel like you get so much for your money. Starting with the design - it’s not flashy or garish like some cheaper boxing gloves from RDX can be; it’s very understated, finished in all-over black with gold, red, silver, pink or black trim. These are probably my favourite looking gloves; stylish and sleek but give off a professional look - not like a lot of beginner gloves from other brands with crazy designs and graphics. These gloves come in a variety of sizes - 8oz, 10oz, 12oz, 14oz and 16oz. 

Using these gloves you’re likely to be sparring or working a punchbag, and so protection to the knuckles and wrist is likely to be of most importance to you when choosing a glove. I’m pleased to say that these gloves don’t disappoint - these gloves are made out of RDX’s Maya Hide Leather, which is anatomically contoured and designed to provide extra protection to the wrist and hand. What’s worth bearing in mind is that there are a few reports of these gloves being very stiff as a result of this - your mileage may vary, so I’d encourage you to pick up a pair of them to try for yourself.

These gloves are padded pretty well, however, and should allow you to go reasonably hard without hurting yourself. It’s important that you wear additional hand protection in the form of wraps, but it definitely seems to be a feature of these gloves that they provide more protection to your hands than a lot of other gloves on the market today. The marketing material makes reference to a special type of foam that RDX have put into these gloves, but I’m not sure about that - again it’s something you’ll need to try to yourself. If anything this could contribute to the stiffness that some people are complaining about.

Overall, these are a solid pair of entry-level gloves; although more experienced fighters might want to look into a more expensive pair of tried and tested real-leather gloves such as the FA3s or the A4s.

Our Rating: 3.5/5

The RDX Maya Hide Leather NOIR gloves are another viable option from RDX, similar to the KARA Leather Boxing gloves we’ve already spoken about. These gloves are a little more expensive (although only marginally so) and only come in matte black with black graphics. They’re available in 10oz, 12oz, 14oz and 16oz weights.

The best thing about these particular gloves in my opinion is the sweat-resistant lining. Coupled with decent mesh fabric ventilation, they wick away the sweat that accumulates from significant heavy bag use. These gloves are also padded well with sponge and foam (very much like other RDX gloves) and offer decent hand and wrist protection. They’re not quite in the same league as RDX’s more expensive gloves in terms of comfort, but they’re perfectly adequate for a beginner looking to knock the heavy bag about a bit.

This is another set of gloves that uses RDX’s Maya Hide skin leather, and gloves that use this leather in my experience do allow you to hit that little bit harder than equivalent gloves in this kind of price range from brands such as Everlast, Fairtex and Twins. 

One thing that I will say about this particular set of gloves is the reviews are fairly mixed. I personally feel they’re a great starter glove, and are good value for money for this purpose, however there are a few people who have complained about very light use causing the gloves to fit. Whether this is a defect in manufacturing I’m not sure as there are lots of other people who say the opposite; that these gloves hold up to constant heavy bag punishment, week after week. I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter in all honesty based on my experience with RDX products - I find them pretty robust; but it’s something you may want to consider when choosing your boxing gloves.