People who work with their hands know the importance of a good set of gloves. While a bad pair will impede your dexterity, and fall apart easily, a good pair will last, protect, and give you a full range of movement.
There are so many work gloves out there today, each advertising itself as the next great glove. That can make it hard to find a glove that works for you and your job site. To help you decide on a pair of gloves that are worth it, we’ve compiled a list of features you need on your next work glove.
The features you need in great work gloves
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- Double stitching – Everyone’s gone to work with a glove that falls apart on the first day. Often, the first thing to go on these types of gloves is the stitching. Single stitching only gives you one thin thread to keep your gloves together. A simple snag in the wrong place will begin unravelling, leaving you with a collection of leather instead of a glove. By doubling up on your stitching, you can double your protection.
- Padding/protection – Padding used to mean bulky, unwieldy gloves that make work impossible. Often times workers would have to choose between safety and the ability to do their work effectively. But, with new materials and methods, manufacturers have been able to create gloves that offer great protection in the areas you need the most, palms and knuckles, while maintaining dexterity.
- Good fit – The best glove in the world is no good if it doesn’t fit. Many women on the worksite deal with this problem every day, as they put on gloves designed for men with bigger hands. Ill-fitting gloves not only slide around, inhibiting your dexterity, but they also offer less protection, as the padding is not where it should be. If possible, try on gloves before you buy them. And, if you’re a woman, always look for gloves designed for your hands.
- Conductive fingertips – We’re living in the 21st century, and work gloves should reflect that. Conductive fingertips allow you to easily switch between touchscreens, and work without removing your gloves. Workers are increasingly required to do paperwork and a variety of other checks on touchscreens. With last decade’s glove, workers would take off and put on gloves every time they touched a device. That’s no longer acceptable. Small touches like conductive fingertips make everyone’s job easier. That’s what your work glove should be designed to do.
- Tough material – Leather once was the king of work gloves. Today work gloves come in a variety of fabrics that keep your hands safe and allow your skin to breathe. Don’t settle for cheap, cotton gloves that wear out in less than a week. No matter what job you’re doing, there’s a glove and a material out there that will give you what you need and still protect your hand.
Keeping your hands safe
Work gloves used to be about compromise. If you wanted protection, you had to give up on dexterity, and vice versa. Today, a good work glove will offer protection, dexterity, durability, and ease of use. They may even look good. You no longer have to settle. Whatever your job, find the right glove for you so you can do your job and stay safe.