Hey friends, it’s Lizzie! This is the comparison nobody with a sponsorship usually writes, because it’s two budget brands and there’s no money in it. But I owned both, so here it is.
Short version: the Sanabuls were slightly better, and they were also cheaper.
The prices don’t go the way you’d expect
Sanabul’s boxing gloves start around $17.99 for the Essential Gel and top out near $34.99. The basic Everlast pairs you find in sporting-goods stores generally sit in a similar-to-slightly-higher bracket.
So this isn’t a case of paying more and getting more. In my experience the cheaper pair was the better one, which is worth knowing before you default to the name you recognise.
Being precise about what I owned
My Everlasts were the basic pink pair — the entry-level end of their range. Everlast also makes serious leather gloves, the Elite Pro and 1910 lines, running from about $179 to $299 and beyond. I have never trained in those, so nothing here is a verdict on them.
With Sanabul I owned one pair, and I eventually gave them away rather than keep them in my rotation. That means I can tell you how they felt to train in, but I genuinely can’t tell you how they’d hold up across several years, because I didn’t keep them that long. Anyone giving you a multi-year durability verdict on a glove they briefly owned is guessing.
Why the Sanabuls edged it
It was not dramatic. Both are entry-level gloves and both do the entry-level job, which is to get your hands into something of your own instead of the gym’s communal pair.
The Sanabuls simply felt a bit more considered — a bit more structure, a bit more like the glove was built to be trained in rather than built to be sold on a shelf. My Everlasts went soft and stayed generic.
If you’re picking between them on a tight budget, that’s my honest steer.
What neither of them does
Here’s the thing that only becomes obvious later. Cheap gloves rarely fail loudly. The padding quietly flattens, the closure quietly stops holding, and you don’t really notice until your hands start telling you about it after sessions.
Neither pair ever moulded to my hand. Both stayed the shape they shipped in for as long as I owned them. I didn’t know that was something a glove could do until I trained in a good one.
For context, here’s every pair I’ve actually trained in, cheapest first: a basic pink Everlast pair, one pair of Sanabul, the grey Venum Contender for a couple of years, and then Hayabusa, which I’ve been in ever since. The full story is in four glove brands in ten years.
Who should buy either of these
- You’ve been to a handful of classes and have no idea if this sticks
- You’re using the gym’s loaners and want anything of your own
- You’re buying for a kid who’ll outgrow them
- Money is tight and the real choice is cheap gloves or none
All completely legitimate. Spending $169 to discover kickboxing isn’t for you is a worse outcome than spending $18 to find out.
When to stop buying budget gloves
The signal isn’t a date, it’s this: the moment you wear out your first cheap pair, stop buying cheap pairs. That’s the point where replacing $25 gloves every eight months quietly costs more than one good pair that lasts years.
I ran those numbers in is Hayabusa worth the money, and compared the budget tier directly in Hayabusa vs Sanabul.
Get the size right either way
A well-fitted $18 glove beats a badly-sized $169 one. Gloves run snug before break-in and change once you’re wrapped, so trying them on bare-handed tells you very little. Sizing guide here, and this one for smaller hands.
If you’re upgrading
My code LILO takes 10% off Hayabusa in the US, and it matches whatever site-wide sale is running if that one’s bigger.
Shop Hayabusa with code LILO →
Outside the US? Use code LIZZIE on the Hayabusa Europe store, or shop my Australia storefront.
Exactly which Sanabuls I owned
Being specific, because it matters: mine were the Easter egg colourway from their women’s line. And I’ll give them real credit — the foam was genuinely nice and the colour was stunning. They looked better than gloves at that price have any business looking.
Where they lost me was fit over time. They never moulded to my hand. They held the shape they shipped in, and they got uncomfortable quickly — which my T3s simply don’t do. That’s the honest reason they left my rotation rather than anything dramatic.
It’s also the clearest illustration of what you’re actually paying for further up the range. Padding quality you can feel on day one. A glove becoming yours takes months, and it’s the thing you only miss once you’ve had it.
The two, side by side
| Everlast (entry level) | Sanabul | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Typically under $50 | From $17.99 |
| What I owned | The basic pink pair | Easter egg colourway, women’s line |
| Foam quality | Went soft sooner | Genuinely nice, better than I expected |
| Looks | Plain | The colourway was stunning |
| Comfort over time | Stayed generic | Never moulded, got uncomfortable quickly |
| Where to buy | Almost any sporting-goods store | Mostly online |
Neither one solved the real problem
This is the honest summary of both: they get your hands into something of your own, which genuinely matters, and then they stop improving. Neither ever became my glove the way a better pair later did.
That’s not a knock on either brand at their price. It’s the thing nobody tells you when you’re comparing two budget pairs against each other — the meaningful difference isn’t between them, it’s between this tier and the next one.
Also worth reading: Venum vs Everlast and Hayabusa vs cheap boxing gloves.
Your Questions, Answered
Is Sanabul better than Everlast? Between the pairs I owned, yes — slightly, and for less money. That’s basic Everlast, not their premium leather lines, which I’ve never used.
Are Sanabul gloves good? For under $35, genuinely yes. They’re a real glove and far better than the gym’s shared pair. They’re a starting point, not a forever pair.
Why did you give your Sanabuls away? They stopped earning a place in my rotation once I was training in Hayabusas. That’s about what I needed, not about whether they’re worth $18.
What should I buy if I can only spend $50? A Venum Contender at around $45, or a Sanabul if you want to spend less and keep the option open.
Is Sanabul better than Everlast? Between the pairs I owned, yes — slightly, and for less money. The Sanabul foam felt more considered. Neither ever moulded to my hand.
Which is better value? Sanabul, on the straight comparison. Everlast’s advantage is availability rather than value — you can buy a pair locally today without waiting on shipping.
Are cheap boxing gloves bad for your hands? Any glove is better than the gym’s shared pair, and wraps do more for your hands at this tier than the glove does. What cheap gloves lack is longevity and wrist support over time, not basic protection on day one.
How long should budget gloves last? Expect months rather than years at this price, and expect the decline to be gradual — flattening foam rather than visible damage.
When should I upgrade? When you wear out your first pair. That is the signal that you are actually staying, and the point where buying again at the same tier starts costing more than moving up.
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