Work Gloves

[OlJarhead]

SO I was looking for some new gloves today and wondered what you wear?  I seem to wear out a pair of leather gloves within a week or two of milling.  Holes in the fingers and thumbs happen pretty quickly and it lead me to wonder what you use and if they last very long?

I've been using Costco leather gloves (the yellow ones that stain the hands after a long day of use) and frankly, I'm thinking there has to be some better options out there.

[OneWithWood]

I have switched to RW brand gloves that have a leather palm and fabric back.  I get about a week out of a pair but the gloves only cost around $5 at Menard's on sale.  When I see a sale I buy whatever is on the rack.  In the winter I put a cotton liner on before the gloves.

[OlJarhead]

I'm not the only one!  I put on a fairly unused pair of leather gloves this weekend....in two days I switch out one of them for another fairly unused glove due to having worn a hole in a finger....and then I wore the pair out again.

Always seems to be the fingers that wear our so maybe I just need to buy cheap gloves and plan on tossing them weekly.

[Percy]

I buy these in a 12 pack and the pack lasts anywhere fro 3 -5 months. You are on track 😄 They are a rough cowhide double palmed arrair. Works well for blade changes which eat my gloves like a hungry cat eating guts.

[KirkD]

The leather gloves Harbor Freight sells hold up as well as any of them for us handling hay bales

[Brad_bb]

I have used the RW gloves from Menards for a long time.  I found that I could extend the life by using Obenauf's.  That will keep the leather from wearing through and drying out prematurely.  Getting the RW gloves wet and then drying really reduces the life.  Obenauf's will help.


 

Last year I was at the stihl dealer and saw the pro series of gloves they were selling.  They look very similar to the RW gloves, but they were $29.99 vs $4.99 for the RW.  I bought them to test to see if they lasted longer and they have!  For 5 or 6x the price, they have lasted 5 to 6x as long! and yes I used Obenauf's on them too.  The seams between the leather and material seem to have held up better as well as the quality of the leather is better.  Actually they are not worn out yet, but I suspect I have about a weeks use left before I have some problem. 


 

One thing I want in a work glove is good "feel" so I want it to fit more like a baseball batting glove with velcro wrist strap.  I also want a leather palm and finger WITHOUT any seams.  Seams in wear areas tend to wear through and break in my experience. The current Pro Series Stihl glove now has a leather piece sewn in the palm.  I'm not saying these are bad.  I have not tried them.  It's just that my past experience with this style has not been as good as a one piece leather palm.


 

Unfortunately the gloves I bought from Stihl seem to not be available anymore, but the most similar looking one in their current line is the Timbersports glove.  They are $35.  I plan to get a pair to try.  If they are as good as the Pro Series, It will be worth it to me.


 

I also have a sewing machine that I use to repair the RW gloves.  I can turn a finger inside out and restitch the split between the fabric and leather.  I also use the machine to shorten the index finger on new  gloves so it fits me right.  I hate having floppy extra material on the index finger.

[brendonv]

I don't know the brand but I know it was a mans name...

I was working on a job for a lineman, he walked over and gave me a box of mixed gloves. One set was awesome. The soft side was inside, and the stiching was on the outside. Like an inside out glove. The leather was soft, yet durable. They lasted a long time. I wish I can find them. You might have motivated me again.

[Ga Mtn Man]

In the warm months I've been wearing woven, rubber coated cut-proof gloves from HD.  The rubber wears off but the gloves last just about forever.  They are no good in winter though.   

[Ron Wenrich]

When I worked on a hand mill, I always wore cotton gloves.  The yellow ones.  Didn't last quite as long as leather, but were more flexible, and a lot cheaper.  Guys that handled lumber all day also wore cotton gloves.  A pair of cotton gloves lasted about a week.  The only ones to use leather gloves were the truckers.  When I was a choker setter, we wore cotton gloves.

[cliffreaves]

I buy these pig skin gloves from home Depot and they seem to last me quite a while.  Take into consideration I probably don't work as much outdoors as you fellas, but in my mind they are pretty solid.   About $10 a pair I believe.

[rjwoelk]

I am wearing out the first two fingers in my left hand faster than the right

[trapper]

I like the leather palm RW also.  When they are almost worn through I coat the worn areas with lacrosse rubber repair and get almost double the life out of them.  Shoe goo is almost the same.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I remember this thread coming up a few months back with many opinions.

   I tear up every kind I try pretty soon so I buy the cheap ones from HF or a big pack at a Flea Market when I find them. They work as well for me as the expensive ones. I never pay over about $1 to $1.50 a pair. When I have worn them out beyond anything any reasonable person would wear I throw them in the back yard for my Australian Shepherd and Rat Terrier to finish shredding. After letting them have their fun for a few days I go pick up the remnants (except the few I miss and find when mowing).

[Ljohnsaw]

When I was stacking my FasWall blocks (like cement blocks), I was wearing some leather gloves I had laying around.  Because the block were wet, the gloves got wet and I went through the finger tips in a day, maybe two.  My brother came down to help and he was wearing some knit gloves with the blue latex or rubber coating on the palms and fingers.  Those held up great.  So I got a bunch of those and they do quite well.  Even in the summer sweating or getting them wet making mortar.  The material must be synthetic as it dries quite fast when I take them off for lunch or whatever.  I probably get a couple weeks out of these as long as I don't snag them on something.  I got blue ones from HD, yellow ones from HF and Winco (food store) and some blue ones from Lowes (I think the same brand as HD carries).  The blue lasted the best followed by the Winco yellow with HF coming in last.  As an experiment, I coated the finger tips with Shoe Goo.  The sense of touch was knocked off but they sure did last a LONG time like that.  Probably better than a month of constant use stacking blocks.  The backs wore out first when I snagged them a few times on rebar ties.

[sprucebunny]

I'm very picky about gloves. leather ones seldom fit me well or last long.

I get the coated ones for winter :
https://www.palmflex.com/Showa-atlas-therma-fit-300-i-451-gloves-dozen.html
They aren't warm enough to wear alone (unless you are working) when it's below 20F

And they have a green coated one (nitrile, I think) that I get for summer.

They last really well even handling lots of firewood. The feelability is very good. And I can get my size.
I wash them a couple of times before they are worn out .

[terrifictimbersllc]

Blades seem to ruin anything pretty quickly.  I just use those leather mule ones from walmart, a couple dollars per pair.    There are lined ones at home depot for winter.

[Chuck White]

I use KinKo gloves, the insulated ones, mostly for the padding, cost around $7. - $8.  pair.

They seem to last quite a while.  On the mill they'll last from Spring to Fall, but in the sharpening room, not so long!

[bkaimwood]

I usually don't wear gloves..o ce your hands get hard enough, think of all the money you'll save!!! Yeah, ignorant, but what can I say?

[Greyhound]

For fabric gloves I buy the Memphis N9680 Ninja Flex Gloves in bulk.  They are comfortable and cheap but are nothing special as far as durability.  I  still haven't found anything special for leather gloves.

[celliott]

I wear the insulated kinco pigskin gloves in the colder months, and get by with the rubber dipped cotton kincos when I'm running tubing in the winter (can't grab small tubing fittings or spouts with the thick insulated gloves) I'll actually wear one leather insulated, one rubberized. I like the pigskin kinco's. We goop them right up with bar and chain oil, that seems to make them last a bit longer. But can't use them for everything, all the time.

I still haven't found a good summer work glove I like yet. Gone through multiple pair of varying styles. We wear gloves all the time we handle maple tubing as the oils and sweat from your hands can attract critters that like to chew....

[deepsouth.us]

I've had unsatisfactory life out of leather gloves in general whilst handling lumber. Cow, pig, goat, deer I've tried them all and grew tired of spending $10-$20 every few weeks. Recently I've switched to a knit glove with the latex/rubber coating. I still get roughly the same life as the leather, but these are $2.99 for a 3 pack at Wally World. They offer great sensitivity and dexterity too. Since they come in threes I always have spares on hand for customers, laborers and myself.

[bigred1951]

I hate wearing gloves I always have. I like to be able to feel what I'm doing. Seems like if I wear gloves it takes twice as long. Only time I may wear them is in the winter.

[paul case]

Eric,
We use gloves from Uline.com that have a double palm and first finger and cost about $5 a pair shipped to my door.
I figured out by misshap that they last a lot longer if oiled. Only by spilling some oil from a diesel engine. They cant flex well without it. I use a little new motor oil on mine.

PC

[Brucer]

During my high school summers I pulled lumber off the greenchain at a local mill. We bought special mitts from a local mill supply outfit -- leather with flat staples covering the entire palm and inside of the fingers. They had a thin cotton liner inside. Those were great! One pair would last an entire summer.

Nothing like that around these days, and they wouldn't be great for running a mill. I tried various types and found the best ones had smooth leather on the palms and fingers, cotton on the back with wide elastics across the back of the hand and wrist, and a thin cotton liner. The smooth leather stood up much better when handling rough lumber. The cotton backs let air circulate and kept the hands cool.

They were available without the cotton liner but I found if it was raining out tannins would start to leach out of the leather and eat away at my hands.

Unfortunately, not all such gloves are created equal. Just as I found one brand and style that stood up well, it would be discontinued >:(.

[Czech_Made]

ha, the Costco yellowing brand.  I like them and they last me few years, but I just started milling boards.