Dipped Gloves Basics

Radians RWG564 Radians RWG564S Hi-Viz Cut A4 Work Glove

You only have one pair of hands, so you want to protect them as best as you can while working with chemicals or sharp objects. Regular gloves allow liquids and sharp objects to penetrate, thus offering little protection for your hands. Working in various industries, whether on a construction site, automotive shop, a warehouse, manufacturing, or any other industry where your hands are exposed to sharp objects and toxins, means that you’ll need something other than cloth or leather gloves for protection.

The Making of Protective Gloves

Protective gloves are made up of several materials. The fibers are staples or filaments. The liner is made of advanced polymer fibers. The coating is some type of rubber.

Fibers

A filament is a long fiber that is aligned, bundled and twisted to form the yarn. A staple is a shorter fiber that is twisted at high speed to form spun yarns. The staple can be of varying diameters.

Gloves made from filaments have a higher tenacity, while gloves made of staples have better wicking properties and are more comfortable.

Liners

The gloves have liners that are made from advanced polymer fibers for support. The manufacturer could use:

• Dyneema Diamond, which is a brand name like Kevlar. Dyneema Diamond is an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. It offers high cut resistance and is cool enough so that you feel as though you are not wearing gloves. It is very durable.
  
  MCR Safety N96780 Dyneema Diamond work glove
• Dyneema fiber, also an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, is 15 times stronger than steel when combined by weight. The fiber is thin and flexible, yet offers more protection than cotton and leather.
• HPPE gloves that are not marketed under the brand name Dyneema are often referred to as Chineema, which is a high-performance polyethylene. If a product uses Chineema, it is suitable for protection against mechanical hazards. They are resistant to chemicals and abrasion.
• Dupont Kevlar is also a brand name. It is light and comfortable, and protects against lacerations, cuts, heat, and abrasions.
  
  MCR Safety 9389 Kevlar Work Glove Cut A4 Latex Coated Palm And Fingertips 13 Gauge
• Gloves that use blended yarns usually include a mix of nylon, cotton, polyester, or acrylic.

Coatings

The coatings on gloves provide more protection and give the glove its gripping features. The coatings also help to improve resistance to abrasions, snags, tears, and punctures and better protect the hands against liquids.

Coatings include:

• Nitrile offers an excellent dry grip and good grip in wet conditions. It also has superior resistance to snags, punctures, cuts and abrasions. It’s a thicker coating.
  
  Radians RWG11 Foam Nitrile Glove 15-Gauge
• Latex offers a good grip in dry and wet conditions, including against acids, caustics, alcohols, and animal fats. It is also abrasion, puncture, snag, and cut-resistant.
• Neoprene offers a good grip in wet and dry conditions, including in heavy oils, grease, acids, solvents, and caustics. It is abrasion, cut, snag, and puncture-resistant.
• Polyurethane offers a good grip in dry conditions and a fair grip in “slightly wet” conditions. Its resistance to abrasions is good. This is a thin coating, which makes it better for dexterity and tactility.
  
  MCR Safety 9693PU Work Glove Cut A2 Gray Polyurethane Coated Palm Gauge 15
• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) offers “durable” resistance against oils, grease and petrochemicals. It is flexible but does not have the tactile sensitivity that other rubber products have.

Grips

Depending on what you need the gloves for, you’ll want to look for the appropriate grip, whether smooth, microfinish, foam, pattern, crinkle, rough, sandy, raised diamond or honeycomb.

• Smooth grip: Comes in nitrile, latex, neoprene, PVC and polyurethane. A smooth grip provides an excellent dry grip and does not allow liquids to absorb into the coating.
• Microfinish. Sometimes referred to as microsurface, this grip uses nitrile or latex filled with thousands of small suction cups. Gloves with a microfinish grip are good for working with dirty and wet applications, as the suction cups create a vacuum that pushes fluids away from the object.
• Foam and microfoam grip: Comes in PVC, nitrile and latex. This coating channels liquids away, which makes this grip good when working in dirty and wet conditions. In dry conditions, the grip is excellent and provides tactile sensitivity.
• Pattern grip: The pattern might be blocks or dots and uses several polymers for enhanced durability, grip and performance.
• Crinkle grip: Made from latex, the crinkle coating is designed to push liquids away, giving you a better grip in extremely dirty and wet conditions. The coating is thicker, so it provides some protection from punctures and cuts.
• Rough grip: This grip is economical and enhances cut and abrasion protection. It also provides good protection in dry and wet conditions.
• Sandy grip: The sandy grip provides cut and abrasion protection. It also provides excellent protection in rugged and wet conditions.
• Raised diamond grip: This grip features a diamond pattern to help provide more gripping power in dry or wet conditions. This type of pattern is commonly found in food processing and handling industries.
• Honeycomb grip: The honeycomb pattern is often used when you need a good grip on dry and wet surfaces. This pattern is commonly found in sanitation, janitorial, and general maintenance industries.

High Visibility Gloves

Some industries not only require hand protection for cuts, punctures, abrasions, and liquids but also require high visibility gloves. Abolox carries several high visibility gloves for various industries, including gloves with high impact protection, grip and cut-resistant gloves, cut-resistant gloves, and work gloves.

Radians RWG21 Hi-Viz with Impact Protection Glove 13-Gauge

Winter Gloves

Working outside in the winter is harsh enough, but when you need superior hand protection, your hands might end up getting too cold. Abolox carries gloves that meet the best of both worlds. Protect your hands from the cold while simultaneously protecting them from cuts, abrasions and liquids.

MCR Safety N9690HV Ninja Hi Viz Insulated Work Glove 15 gauge

We carry nitrile gloves, winter work gloves, and high visibility gloves that protect your hands from cuts, punctures and liquids while keeping them warm.

Visit Abolox

Regardless of whether you need protection for your hands, head, body, high visibility clothing and vests, and protection from the heat or cold, Abolox carries several brands of gloves and other safety gear. Visit Abolox today to stock up on personal protective equipment to keep you safe while working in construction, logging, road work, manufacturing, and other dangerous industries.