BEST Muay Thai Brands [2023] UPDATED

Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) has exploded in popularity over recent years. As one of the world's most popular martial arts with a rich history, muay thai has had a cult following of superfans over the years. Now with promotions like ONE Championship hosting 52 events at Lumpinee this year, muay thai is rapidly gaining popularity worldwide. 

Punches, kicks, knees and elbows, there's a reason Muay Thai carries the name of "the science of 8-limbs" and is gaining popularity with more Westeners. 

We’ve checked out some of the most popular Muay Thai brands that make equipment and compiled our updated list of the best Muay Thai brands for 2023.

1. Twins Special

Twins Special is one of the oldest and most reputable Muay Thai gear brands in Thailand. They made the top of our list in 2022 and they have this year as well. 

Started by Mr. Singporn Yodkamol, who wanted to make high quality Muay Thai gear that would be affordable to everyone. Today, Twins Special has grown into one of the most popular brands in Muay Thai.

Twins Special makes gloves, shin guards, shorts, wraps and much more!

If you're on the search for authentic, high quality Muay Thai equipment, you definitely can't go wrong with Twins Special. 

2. Sandee

For my first 2 years of training I opted for Sandee gloves and shin pads, honestly, it's hard to find a fault with them. 

Sandee was one of the very first brands to produce Muay Thai equipment, starting production in 1977. Sadly, Sandee hasn't really taken off in Thailand which turned the brands focus to the UK and western markets. 

With new changes in combat sports over the years and many people seeing huge benefits from cross training different martial arts, Sandee stays true to its roots and sticks to just producing Muay Thai equipment. 

Whilst not as popular as some of the other brands on the list, Sandee definitely makes up for it in quality. If you're considering some new gloves or shin pads, try out a pair of Sandee gloves, you won't be disappointed. 

3. Yokkao

Yokkao is a Muay Thai brand that has its origins in Thailand. The company has become one of the most popular brands among Muay Thai practitioners and fighter alike. Due to its quality products for striking and grappling training.

Known for producing top-quality gloves, shin guards and pads for training purposes, they've made quick success of diversifying their product offering which makes it very popular for fighters in different martial arts. They also produce other accessories including: wrist wraps, headgear and equipment bags which are perfect for storing all your gear when not in use!

Yokkao sponsors some of the Muay Thai's most popular fighters, such as Rodtang, Liam Harrison and even the great Saenchai.

4. Top King

Compared to some of the other Muay Thai brands, Top King hasn't been around very long. Founded in 2002, Top King has punched its way to the top to become one of the largest Muay Thai brands in the world. 

One of the biggest selling points of Top king is that they make high-quality Muay Thai gear at affordable prices. If you're just starting out on your Muay Thai journey, Top King is a great choice because they hit an affordable price point whilst offering great protection and comfort. 

Although, if you're looking for something with a bit more padding or wrist support then we'd recommend going with another brand such as Fairtex.

5. Fairtex

If you've followed Muay Thai for a while, or even if you're a new follower, it's likely that you've already hard of Fairtex. For high quality boxing gloves, Fairtex is one of the best on the list. They also have a fantastic range of Muay Thai shorts and shin guards. 

What are the best Muay Thai gloves 2023

Fairtex Muay Thai Boxing Gloves BGV-1 are one of the best pairs of boxing gloves you can own for Muay Thai. Especially for Westeners, Fairtex is a very well known brand due to its big marketing push in the 90s. 

The durability of Fairtex equipment is second to none. The padding and real leather are made to last. Fairtex offer a great range of colours and designs so you'll easily find a pair to match your style. 

Muay Thai vs Boxing Gloves

There are many differences between Muay Thai and boxing gloves. One of the most distinct differences is that padding. As Boxing just focussed on punches, padding is more concentrated around the knuckles. 

Muay Thai uses a whole range of techniques such as kicks, knees and elbows. This means the gloves have to have more evenly distributed padding, more so towards the knuckles and back of the hand. 

Once you start to look at the different styles of gloves in more detail, you'll find that the shape differs quite significantly between the two. Boxing gloves have a boxier, more rectangular shape, whilst Muay Thai gloves tend to be more round. 

This makes a huge difference to the way that your hand will fit inside your gloves. Boxing gloves are made so that the hand is always formed as a fist, whilst Muay Thai gloves have a more relaxed fit for when you're not throwing punches. 

There are many other differences between the two styles of boxing gloves, but the points above are the easiest to spot. 

Other Muay Thai Brands to look out for:

Our Muay Thai list above gives you some of the most popular brands. That’s not to say there aren’t alternative brands that you may be more familiar with or prefer to use.

We’ve listed some more popular muay thai brands below that we’ve used and love. 

Mongkol

During my first time training inn Thailand, I needed to grab some new gloves. I headed into Bangkok with all the intentions of coming out with Twins or Sandee's.

Until I came across what I believe is a relatively new brand... Mongkol. I tried them on in the shop and immediately felt the high quality and snug fit to my hand. 

I also tried a pair of their shin guards which were probably the best fitting shin guards that I've ever tried on. They're quite low profile and have softer padding to the Sandee's that I'm used to, but they offer more than enough protection. 

If you haven't heard about Mongkol yet, you have now and I'm pretty sure you'll hear more about them as they grow and gain more popularity. 

Windy

Windy is one of the pioneers of the Muay Thai equipment industry. The business has followed the evolution of Muay Thai gear through its various stages since it was founded in 1951.

Since Windy has remained true to Thai design, there hasn't been much alteration over the years. Although Windy is fairly uncommon in western gyms, they are unquestionably the greatest for Muay Thai supplies and equipment.

Boon Sport

Boon is a Muay Thai company with Australian and Thai roots that was established in 2002.

Several people find Boon's straightforward yet conventional designs appealing. Recently, Boon's popularity has increased even more as a result of his sponsorship of local gyms all around Thailand.

If you're seriously interested in Muay Thai, you should definitely check out Boon Sport or even purchase some amazing Boon shorts.

Raja Boxing

Raja Boxing has a long history; since its founding in 1998, it has mainly concentrated on the B2B side of the market. Raja is particularly well-liked by anyone seeking personalised Muay Thai gear.

Raja is less well known in the B2C space, but you may still get via their international-shipping online site.

Few people are aware of how excellent Raja is in terms of quality, durability, and comfort because they haven't focused much on the consumer side of their business.

Venum

Venum is a French firm that originally produced MMA gear. 

If you follow MMA, you undoubtedly already know that Venum replaced Reebok as the official apparel partner of the UFC. Venum, which is still primarily focused on mixed martial arts, has been accepted into the Pattaya Muay Thai community thanks to its Venum training facility.

Since martial arts are heavily frowned upon in France, Venum is a common sponsor of French fighters.

Although Venum is a company to keep in mind when shopping for new gear, I believe there are other, higher-quality options available for Muay Thai. 

Rounding things up

Muay Thai is an incredible sport that is gaining even more popularity. The brands mentioned above are just some of the ones that have helped bring Muay Thai into the spotlight over the years. 

Whether you’re just starting out or an experience fighter there will definitely be a brand that will work for you.

Before you go! Don't forget to check out our Muay Thai inspired fitness apparel.