US Forge

Origin and background

US Forge is an American welding-products brand founded in 1979 and part of the Messer group. It wasn't born in the barbecue world but in the workshop: its specialism is consumables and protective gear for welders. That industrial heritage is exactly what makes it interesting to anyone cooking over fire.

What sets it apart

Its range centres on electrodes, welding wire, contact tips, fire blankets and leather gloves. In the kamado and grill space, what crosses into cooking are its leather welding gloves — such as the model 400 —, built to take radiant heat and brief contact with glowing material. That's precisely the class of protection meant for handling embers, moving lit charcoal and working near a very hot dome.

Our take

At mikamado we recommend a welder-origin leather glove because it solves the most demanding moment on a kamado: raking directly in the coals. Based on the specifications, how the community uses it and our own experience cooking on our Big Green Egg Large, a thick leather glove gives you headroom against sustained heat that a silicone glove doesn't. In fairness, we flag the other side of the ledger: leather is stiffer and less precise for fine tasks, and it mustn't get wet (damp leather transmits heat). This isn't a delicate kitchen glove — it's a fire tool. It helps to see it as an industrial product repurposed for the grill rather than an accessory purpose-built for the kamado.

Who it's for

For the kamado cook who wants serious protection against live coals: lighting, raking charcoal, seating a hot deflector or emptying ash. Anyone after dexterity for fine tasks will do better pairing it with a more flexible glove for everyday handling.