Gauntlets

Gauntlets are a piece of Glove-class arm equipment available throughout the Golden Sun series.

Basic Description by Game
Gauntlets increase the wearer's base Defense by 23 points. As a common item, they can be bought repeatedly from vendors for 1600 coins each and sold for 1200 coins each.

It is sold in armor vendors at Altin, Kalay, and Tolbi in Golden Sun, at Kibombo in Golden Sun: The Lost Age, and at Te Rya Village and Border Town in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. These gloves can be equipped on all Adepts in both games.

Analysis
In Golden Sun, Gauntlets are a strong purchase in Altin to replace any Leather Gloves and Bronze Shields the party might possess. However, if any Adept has an Iron Shield or an Armlet, the slight increase in Defense may not be worth justifying over the cost, especially if the player's money reserves are low. Additionally, the player may also have the Dragon Shield from Altin Peak, which is stronger than Gauntlets.

In The Lost Age, Gauntlets are only sold in Kibombo following the events in the Gabomba Statue. Its usefulness is more limited than in the previous game because you might have already found the superior artifacts Fujin Shield and Bone Armlet, and Piers is guaranteed to be equipped an Iron Shield which is only a few defense points less than Gauntlets. It is only a safely good purchase for an Adept equipped with an Armlet or below.

In Dark Dawn, the Gauntlets would be only limited use, if they are used at all. Either Matthew or Tyrell would have the stronger Dragon Shield, while two other Adepts would have the Vambrace and the Bone Armlet. For any mage-style Adepts, the stronger Heavy Armlet is also available in Te Rya. A purchase of Gauntlets then would only be an option if Tyrell or Matthew have been given an Iron Shield and the player wishes to have the minor Defense increase. Even then, the Knight's Shield, which is stronger than the Gauntlets is available in Belinsk, making the Gauntlets an almost unnecessary option.