Hey friends, it’s Lizzie! Both of these were mine before I became a Hayabusa ambassador, and they had very different fates: I trained in the Venum Contender for about two years, and I gave the Sanabuls away.
Heads up: I’m a Hayabusa ambassador and I earn a small commission if you use my code or shop through my links. No extra cost to you, and it doesn’t change what’s below.
That’s most of the review right there, but here’s the detail.
The quick answer
If you can stretch to it, the Venum Contender is worth the extra money. It’s roughly $44.99–$49.99 against Sanabul’s $17.99–$34.99 — so you’re talking about twenty dollars or so to move up a real tier.
If you genuinely can’t, the Sanabul is not a bad glove. It’s an honest entry point and far better than training in the gym’s shared pair.
What the extra twenty dollars buys
Mostly it buys structure. The Contender felt more substantial the first time I put it on, and the wrist closure held better through a session. That’s the difference you feel week to week rather than on day one.
It also bought me time. Two years of regular training out of a $45 glove is a fair return. The Sanabuls never got the chance to prove that, because they stopped earning a place in my bag once I was training in better gloves.
What I can and can’t tell you about the Sanabuls
I owned one pair and moved them on, so I can speak to how they felt to train in — not to how they’d hold up across several years. I didn’t keep them long enough to know, and I’m not going to invent a durability verdict for you.
What I’ll say is that for under $35 they felt more considered than the basic Everlast pair I’d owned before them, which surprised me given they cost less. I wrote that up in Everlast vs Sanabul.
Where both of them stop
Neither ever molded to my hand. Both kept the shape they shipped in the entire time I owned them, and I genuinely didn’t know that was something a glove could do differently until I trained in a Hayabusa.
Neither gave me the wrist support I have now either, and that’s the difference I’d least want to give back — it’s the thing that decides whether a hard session ends when you planned or ten minutes early.
Who should buy which
Sanabul if: you’re a few classes in, you’re on the gym’s loaners, you’re buying for a kid, or money is tight right now. All perfectly good reasons.
Venum Contender if: you’re reasonably confident you’ll still be training in a year and you want one pair to get you there without buying twice.
Neither, if: you already know you’re committed. In that case you’re going to end up with a proper pair anyway, and the ladder just costs you more on the way.
The math that changed my mind
A $25 glove replaced every eight months and a $169 glove that lasts years are far closer on cost-per-year than the shelf prices suggest. That doesn’t make cheap gloves wrong — it makes them a cash-flow decision, not a value one. Numbers in is Hayabusa worth the money.
My full ladder, in order, is in four glove brands in ten years.
Size first, brand second
A well-fitted budget glove beats a badly-sized premium one. These run snug before break-in and change once you’re wrapped. Sizing guide — and this one for smaller hands.
If you’re upgrading
My code LILO takes 10% off Hayabusa in the US, and it doesn’t stack with a site-wide sale — one code per order.
Shop Hayabusa with code LILO →
Outside the US? Use code LIZZIE on the Hayabusa Europe store, or shop my Australia storefront.
And against what I train in today: Hayabusa vs Venum.
For the record, mine were the Easter egg colorway from Sanabul’s women’s line. The foam was genuinely nice and the color was stunning — but they never molded to my hand and got uncomfortable quickly, which is exactly what my T3s don’t do.
What “structure” actually meant, session to session
With the Sanabuls, I noticed my hand shifting slightly inside the glove partway through a longer round — nothing dangerous, just enough that I’d notice it and readjust. The Contenders didn’t do that. My hand stayed where I put it for the whole session, which is a small thing until you’re deep into round four and don’t want to be thinking about your glove at all.
That’s really the whole twenty dollars: fewer small adjustments, less noticing the glove is there.
The two, side by side
| Sanabul | Venum Contender 1.5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $17.99 Essential Gel, $27.99 CORE, $34.99 Funk Strike | About $44.99–$49.99 |
| What I owned | The Easter egg colorway from their women’s line | The gray pair |
| How long it lasted me | Gave them away before finding out | About two years of regular training |
| Foam | Genuinely nice out of the box | More structured, held longer |
| Fit over time | Never molded, got uncomfortable quickly | Stayed consistent session to session |
| Best for | Testing whether the sport sticks | Your first year or two |
Where the twenty dollars actually goes
It isn’t padding. Both have enough foam for class and bag work when they’re new. It’s the structure around the padding — the cuff, the closure, the shape the glove insists on keeping — and that’s what determines whether the glove is still doing its job in month eight.
If your budget genuinely tops out under $35, buy the Sanabul and train. That is a better outcome than waiting six months to afford something else.
Which to buy if you are between the two
Ask yourself one question: are you still deciding whether this sport is for you? If yes, Sanabul, and spend the difference on wraps and mat fees. If no — if you already know you are going back next week and the week after — the Contender is the better use of the money.
That is genuinely the whole decision. Neither is a mistake; they are answers to different questions.
What I would not do
I would not buy the Sanabul intending to “upgrade in a few months.” In my experience that few months becomes a year, and you end up buying twice anyway. If you already suspect you will upgrade, skip ahead.
One last thing on fit
At this price tier, sizing is the variable that decides whether you are happy, not the brand. Both of these run differently once you are wrapped, and a well-fitted $18 glove genuinely beats a badly-sized $45 one.
Wrap your hands, then try them. That single step will affect your experience more than which of these two you pick.
Also worth reading: Venum vs Everlast and Hayabusa vs Sanabul.
Your Questions, Answered
Is Venum better than Sanabul? In my experience yes — more structure and better wrist support, for roughly twenty dollars more.
Is the Sanabul worth it at $17.99? For a true beginner, genuinely yes. It’s a real glove and beats the communal pair comfortably.
How long do Venum Contenders last? Mine went about two years of regular training. Yours will depend heavily on whether you let them dry properly between sessions.
Should I skip both and buy Hayabusa? If you already know you’re staying with the sport, yes. If you’re still deciding, no.
Is Sanabul or Venum better for beginners? Both work. Sanabul from $17.99 if you are genuinely testing the sport; the Venum Contender at around $45 if you are fairly confident you will still be training next year.
Why did you give your Sanabuls away? They never molded to my hand and got uncomfortable quickly, so once I had better gloves they stopped earning a place in my bag. The foam itself was genuinely nice — that was not the problem.
Do Sanabul gloves run small? Sizing at this tier is inconsistent between brands, so do not assume your size carries across. Try them wrapped, since wraps change the fit more than most people expect.
Is the Venum Contender worth twice the price? For me, yes — mostly in structure and how long the closure kept working. If your budget genuinely stops at $35, buy the Sanabul and train rather than waiting.
Which should I buy if I only train once a week? Either is plenty at that volume. At one session a week, storage habits will decide how long they last far more than the price difference will.
Some links above are affiliate links — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, and I only link gear I actually train in.
