I've tried gloves, tape, "The Natural Grips" and none of those worked well for me until these. They are not too thick, not too slippery, and allow my hand to breathe unlike with gloves. My hands have been well protected and haven't gotten as callused since before I started using these. I have petite hands and the finger holes are very large for me but so far I haven't had a problem with them not covering my upper palms when I grip the bar. However I did have to modify them to make them cSee full review