I wear gloves about half the time, for grip and for protection if I go down. About half the time I've gone down, I've been glad I had them. I don't need padding; in fact I don't want padding. I keep my eyes open, and sometimes find them in the weight lifting section of the sporting goods stores. Like me, weight lifters want grip but not padding. The gloves at the department stores, while cheap, tend to have too much gel padding for my tastes.