Good Leather Gloves

[kennethsime]

I've used a pair of Carhartt "The Dex" high-dexterity leather work gloves for years. I liked them because I can manipulate small fasteners and the like without removing my gloves. The leather was also great quality, and the workmanship was good.

About a year ago, they finally gave up the ghost, and I replaced them with another pair, this time labeled "The Dex II." These unfortunately developed hole after a few short months, which recently grew quite a bit, and now they're covered in copper paste at the bottom of my trash can.

I'd love to hear your recommendations for good high-quality work gloves. I'm probably looking for 2-3 pairs - one for general construction, maybe another for automotive, and one for Bushcraft stuff in the woods. I prefer leather, but the automative gloves will probably be synthetic from Mechanix.

[Water Bug]

I've always gone with uninsulated, cowhide leather work gloves that I wear wool inserts with as cushioning. I use my gloves for lawn work, shoveling and raking, hammering nails into the fence, and keeping my hands warm in the winter when outdoors. Personally, I find that cowhide seems more resistant to penetration from thorns when trimming or working around well-armed bushes.

In terms of brands, I used to just go over to Sears and get a pair of cowhide leather work gloves and would get years of use out of them. My last pair of Sears work gloves were finally starting to come apart and became more difficult to repair after well over 15 years of service. The problem today is that they closed our local Sears a few years ago and I prefer handling and trying out gloves before purchasing them.

So, earlier this year I bought a pair of Kinco HydroFlectors, uninsulated cowhide work gloves, at a local hardware store. These gloves are simple, efficient, effective, and lack the unnecessary "bells and whistles" that a lot of work gloves seem to come with these days. The cowhide leather on these gloves was soft and pliable from the start. They're the closest I could find to the quality and design of my old Sears gloves that they're replacing, and they're supposed to be water-resistant with the leather remaining soft and pliable after exposure to water. So far, after a few months of use, they seem to be doing the job that I need them to.

Hope that helps.

[kerrcobra]

Subscribing because I'm interested in what you guys recommend

[JD Spydo]

Oddly enough we have a few glove factories here in the great state of Missouri USA. Most of the glove factories are owned by a company known as "Wells Lamont". In the past I've had great luck with their work gloves.

There is another work glove I've had great luck with made by IRONClAD. And those don't wear out very easy.

[Snacktime]

I like caiman gloves, really like the deer skin tig welding gloves, especially the pair I keep in the truck as I always end up with a short sleeve shirt on and doing some chore. Keeps me cleaner and some added protection. Actually I need to order another pair, just love the extra leather!

[RustyIron]

I'd love to hear your recommendations for good high-quality work gloves.

Ken,
Nowadays, PPE is a big thing. I'm a dinosaur who had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, but now I embrace the notion of wearing gloves. Leather gloves are something that got left behind in 1995, like using leaf springs to make knife blades. Give me SPY27 and synthetic materials any day! Calfskin is ok for welding gloves, but but the best work gloves use Dyneema or Kevlar fabric. My favorite among that type are Terminator Gloves.

Terminator gloves are a stretchy fabric, and you want them to fit tightly. I have 10.5 hands, and get Terminators in Size 9. They'll stretch out a little, but a close fit allows good manual dexterity. Since they're fabric, they'll breath, and your hands won't feel overheated. The front side is coated in a rubbery material provides a non-slip grip.

Dyneema and Kevlar fabrics are cut resistant. I mean it. I've done informal testing, and a blade that slices through traditional fabric gloves like butter will require a some effort to cut through Kevlar.

Comfortable gloves that provide a degree of dexterity are the ones you'll wear. Thick leather gloves that you can't work in are the ones that are left sitting on the workbench. I always have a few pair that are "in the rotation." I have a clean pair in the shop, a filthy pair in the shop, and a pair in the back yard for use when shoveling or trimming bushes. There's also a pair in the "glove compartment" of the truck. That pair is thicker and provides a degree of protection from electricity and arc flash, so I use it for heavier work. Anyway, you get the idea--I'm a fanboy.

When you first use them, you might think, "Ewww... this is weird." But after you use them for a day, you'll not go back to leather gloves for general purpose work.