Sanabul combat gear review: Sustainably built by fighters, for fighters

While we cover a lot of fitness equipment on Connect the Watts, it’s important to also be conscious of some of the gear out there to ensure you’re able to perform to the best of your ability without injuring yourself. That’s especially true when it comes to combat exercises like boxing or jiu-jitsu. Our review of Sanabul showcases a lineup of equipment and apparel built around quality and sustainability.

Sanabul is a fighting apparel and equipment manufacturer focused on pushing innovation in its products while remaining eco-conscious.

The company was founded in 2013 on the belief that it could do better than “the other guys.” Sanabul states that it recognizes that everyone has their own fight that requires the proper tools, whether it’s in an actual ring or getting in shape at home. My journey was the latter.

The result is a wide range of fitness products based around both training and combat. This includes boxing and MMA gloves, ankle guards, medicine balls, and punching bags. Furthermore, Sanabul sells apparel specifically designed for combat workouts.

One of the major focuses of Sanabul that stood out to me was its decision to use vegan-friendly materials, particular for its boxing gloves. The company explains this process on its website:

Many people think animal leather is the perfect material for boxing gloves and pay premium prices for ‘genuine cow hide.’ The problem with believing in perfection, is it means you stop trying to improve. Our in-depth analysis determined that the best balance of performance factors including durability, fit, feel, and sustainability is found in alternative materials. For this reason, Sanabul equipment has been made using our Performance Engineered Synthetic Leather since day one. Research shows, synthetic leathers have a much smaller carbon footprint than animal-based materials.

I got the chance to try out the synthetic leather gloves and a bunch of other products from Sanabul and review them below.

Sanabul boxing gloves review

I want to preface my review by reiterating that I am by no means a professional fighter, but I have been boxing regularly at home throughout 2021 using FightCamp. Through this experience, I was able to test out multiple pairs of gloves, wraps, and ankle guards as I punched and kicked my way into a target heart rate zone.

Sanabul currently offers a wide array of striking gear, including gloves of various styles and weights to fit any size fighter. As you’ll see on the company’s website, the designs are unique and include everything from basic color schemes, to neons, and even Star Wars patterns.

I was able to test and review two price tiers of gloves – the Essential Gel Gloves ($27.49), and the Gold Strike Hook and Loop Professional Boxing Gloves ($150.00).

Essential Gel Gloves

Beginning with the Essential Gel Gloves, you immediately notice the quality packed into every inch of the set. The gel-infused foam across the front of each mitt delivers both softness and protection for those nasty haymakers, especially when you’re training and not trying to break your hand.

I especially liked the mesh palm design as my hands tend to sweat in my gloves, so that helped disperse much of the heat from my combos.

With eight color combinations to choose from and sizes ranging from 8-16 oz, it’s no wonder these gloves are the number one bestseller in their category. For under $30, they’re a steal in my opinion.

Gold Strike Gloves

If the gold trim wasn’t hint enough, these Sanabul gloves feature premium materials and extra attention to detail. The black Sanabul set I got a chance to review featured ultra-soft handmade molds, performance lining, and top-tier engineered leather.

As opposed to the mesh palm, the Gold Strike Gloves offer an open loop, which allowed my hands to stay even cooler. There is a noticeable difference in the quality of the engineered leather as well, as these gloves offer texture and a more genuine look compared to the Essentials.

I would recommend these gloves for a professional fighter or as a shiny gift for someone who boxes a lot because, while they’re aesthetically gorgeous, I didn’t notice much of a difference in performance compared to the Essential Gel Gloves – which cost $120 less.

Review of other Sanabul gear

In addition to the gloves, I also got a chance to review Sanabul Cross Training Gloves, Gel Ankle Guards, and the elastic hand wraps.

I’ll start with the hand wraps as they’re simple yet effective. For under $10, you can get elastic, polyester hand wraps that are 180 inches long, offering more protection than the 120-inch versions. With nine styles to choose from, you can personalize your wraps to match any pair of gloves or other Sanabul gear you own.

Some days, I just didn’t feel like putting the 16 ounces on and wanted to keep things lighter during a more strength-based fighting workout. For these days, the Paw v.2 Gel Cross Training Gloves were perfect.

The light gel padding over the knuckles works as sort of a hand wrap under gloves, giving me cushion to throw light jabs with the freedom to perform other exercises like pushups and weight lifts. I could see these coming in handy for strength training mostly, I’d use larger gloves for stronger punches.

The last Sanabul item I got to review was the Essential Gel Ankle Guards, perfect for throwing side kicks on your bag. When I first started FightCamp, I tried a kickboxing class and aside from nearly pulling my groin, I also hurt my ankle performing bare kicks. Needless to say, I stuck with boxing instead. That is, until I got these ankle guards.

The gel protects the ankle and lower shin, two areas that take the brunt of a collision during an effective strike. With these guards, I was able to confidently kick without injuring myself, unlocking a whole other segment of combat workouts at home. If you are interested in trying kickboxing, these guards are under $15 and offer great protection.

All in all, Sanabul offers quality products built with the fighter in mind. If you have a punching bag or a local ring you’d like to spar in, I’d recommend checking out Sanabul’s wide range of products priced under $10 all the way up to $250 gloves made from cactus-vegan leather.

For me, the most appealing aspect of this brand was its focus on vegan-friendly materials and its quest to be continuously improving. Much like we all are in the fitness community.