Author: The Glove Guru

Joe McGarry - Also known as the Glove Guru Joe formerly founded Polygenex International, Inc. in 1989, the largest specialty knit glove manufacturer in the world at the time. Thousands of companies and users follow his advice on glove manufacturing, or user guidance, and utilize his gloves every day. Joe's specialty is in industrial work and critical environment high-tech gloves. Joe founded Gloves-Online in 1996 to assist consumers needing to locate hard to find gloves and educate consumers about different glove features and benefits. With just over a quarter century of glove experience, he undoubtedly can give you useful and practical glove advice.

Glove Guru starting biodegradable packaging initiative

Posted on by The Glove Guru


I need your help!


Gloves are a huge business and nearly all gloves are packaged in film produced with petro-chemicals which we know is bad for the environment and worse when disposed and not recycled.


We also know that industrial glove consumers rarely recycle product packaging which adds to the problem since they are the largest end user.


Effective immediately, my company, GO Gloves™ (Gloves-Online.com) will begin converting to 100% biodegradable (compostable) packaging for our own brands which is expected to be completed in 6 months. We will begin to encourage our suppliers (you know who you are) to switch to biodegradable packaging. Notably: We are even switching to biodegradable packaging for sending glove samples.


It doesn’t matter if you’re a consumer or an industrial user. I need your help to support this initiative by making a comment to this post. It would also help if you send a link to this post to other individuals who may share the same concern. I want our suppliers and even our competitors to see your support to this initiative.


You can also contact the IGA (International Glove Association) at gloves@windstream.net to let them know you support biodegradable packaging. The IGA is the watchdog and voice of the glove industry.


Together, we can make this happen. I appreciate your help and support in improving our environment.


Footnote: If anyone needs assistance on PLA (polylactide) Film biodegradable packaging made from annually renewable plants, please let me know. Since most all gloves are manufactured in Asia, a conversion to PLA film packaging will be easy. PLA films and labels are readily available in Asia.

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Micro-Dot Gloves resolve parts handling problems

Posted on by The Glove Guru

This is a recent case study which I wrote for Assembly Magazine. Its a long post but it seemed easier to post it as is rather than provide a link.

A prominent automotive parts manufacturer that powder coats parts for a hard, tougher finish needed better gloves that provided day-long comfort, good grip with high dexterity; eliminated deposit of body oils and lint on parts; and offer cost savings.

The manufacturer tried various gloves for this new production line but workers found these gloves uncomfortable to wear for long-shift work; increased hand fatigue and perspiration; or left lint on parts. Other less expensive gloves also wore out quickly since workers had to load 25,000 parts per day onto the production conveyor hangers.

The manufacturer turned to GO Gloves™ (Gloves-Online, Inc.) for a solution since they were experienced glove specialists and handled a broad range of gloves for industrial applications. Once GO Gloves identified the production requirements and problems together with worker’s concerns, they offered 3 coated glove options based on performance, comfort, and price.

After weeks of testing the finished parts and reviewing worker evaluations, the manufacturer selected the All-Day® Micro-Dot Gloves since this model addressed each production problem and increased worker acceptance.

The solutions that the Micro-Dot Gloves provided were thinness, close fit, dust and lint free, great tactile and grip properties, breathablity, and worker comfort. Besides being very cost effective, the manufacturer only had to stock 2 sizes; one universal stretch size and one extra small size for women with small hands since more sizes would have been required with conventional coated gloves.

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Pesticide Gloves

Posted on by The Glove Guru

It’s that time of year for gardening and more people are planting vegetable gardens to save money. However, I was reminded to post this information while I was on vacation recently and watched the landscaper at the resort where I stayed. He was spraying dangerous pesticides (I saw the poison label on the metal container) and he wasn’t wearing protective garments including, you guessed, gloves.

You should note that dangerous liquid and dust fertilizers and pesticides WILL absorb into your skin (cutaneous absorption). Example: You may recall the Anthrax bioterrorism scare in 2001.

When using pesticides, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines regarding suitable glove material. The most functional models will be Nitrile Coated Gloves or PVC Coated Gloves which provide a broad range of chemical resistance.

The Do Not’s:

Do NOT use latex gloves for chemical protection. They will not provide the required protection.

Do NOT use cloth or leather gloves since they will absorb the pesticide liquids and dusts like your skin or become a serious source of exposure.

The Do’s:

Wear waterproof, washable gloves.

Wear durable, chemical protective gauntlet gloves which extend up the forearm.

Glove recommendations:

GO Greens LP (Liquid Proof)

GO Blues PVC

MAPA Kronit-Proof (for cut resistance)

If anyone has a question about selecting a glove using a particular chemical, send me an e-mail or give me a call and I will cross reference our reference data.

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Wash your hands

Posted on by The Glove Guru

H1N1 virus up-date: Unless you’re employed in the healthcare or food industries you most likely don’t have access to disposable gloves, one of the best defense items to prevent direct contact to flu viruses.

However, you have likely seen the copious news reports promoting proper hand hygiene. To help, I’m posting a helpful educational video produced by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) regarding proper hand hygiene. You can link to the video by clicking on the title of this post.

For those of you who need help regarding disposable gloves for flu prevention feel free to contact me.

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JFK Jr.’s white gloves, worn by the toddler the day of his dad’s funeral

Posted on by The Glove Guru

This is a poignant story sent to me this week about gloves, of course. This has nothing to do with the children’s white gloves which we sell but it just goes to show you how a 46 year old pair of children’s gloves can bring back to memory one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century.

For more about this interesting story click on the title of this post and follow the links.

It makes me wonder where the thousands of children’s gloves we sell each year end up. I only hope they serve for a more jovial function.

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HAVS still a Threat

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I was recently contacted by Jerry Laws, the Editor of OH&S (Occupational Health and Safety Magazine) regarding the persistent problem of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome since we offer certified AV Gloves for workers with this chronic problem.

It’s the same problem I discussed back in a February post. To see my discussion with Jerry click on the title of this post. It’s an important and often overlooked issue.

I’m curious how many of you workers out there know about HAVS?

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Glove Cut Resistant Symbol – EN388

Posted on by The Glove Guru

Work glove hand protection standards have existed for years but most users fail to pay attention to the ratings. Specifically cut resistance. Both the ANSI (American National Standard Institute) and the EU (European Union) have hand protection selection criteria.

Although the criteria between both is very complex, I prefer seeing the EU – EN388 symbol since it rates the gloves for abrasion, blade cut, tear, and puncture resistance. ANSI doesn’t have a single symbol covering these categories. However, in situations requiring a very high level of cut resistance, you should look for gloves tested and rated under both standards since they vary on the high end in the cut resistant category.

In the EN-388 symbol (shown) you will see a number for each category. All tests are ranked 1-4 (4 being the highest level) except for the blade cut category ranking of 1-5.

I’m preparing a paper which will discuss this in detail but in the meantime, I think this symbol and simple explanation will help on the fly. You can always contact me if you have any questions or need any assistance on work glove and cut resistant glove selections.

FYI: Since the CE (EU) glove standards are mandatory in Europe and most gloves sold in North America are imported, you will see this symbol more often. You can click on the image to enlarge it and print it.

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Be wary of eco-friendly glove claims

Posted on by The Glove Guru

I saw this recent post with a title (Recycled Gloves) about gloves made from recycled materials. The post itself is a bit misleading since these gloves are also made using Kevlar, Polyester, and Neoprene. Not the kind of stuff you recycle; or “can be” recycled.

I investigated this claim further by going to the company’s web site and they clearly refer to gloves made from a “fabric” using recycled materials. Lame but maybe true. You see, I was weaned in the healthcare industry where you must substantiate such claims or references.

Don’t you think when a company refers to a recycled glove; it should be made from 100% recycled material? I welcome our comments.

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Geisinger Study shows costs decrease, safety enhanced when hospitals, health clinics switch to powder-free latex gloves

Posted on by The Glove Guru

Problems caused by latex gloves got me into the glove business 19 years ago. At that time, I developed special glove liners to protect healthcare professionals from latex allergies which we still sell today.

The conclusion to this study is not new information to us on the front lines of hand protection but we know many of you must be reminded that latex issues still exist. However, latex gloves have come along way since my Glovenaut days and the OSHA regulations regarding glove use in healthcare.

Also coincidental is that I worked with Geisinger Health Services and Hospital during my early years in the healthcare industry. To read a synopsis of the study, click on the title.

Let me know if you have a question about latex gloves. I have a file cabinet full of research information.

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Coated Gloves – Determine function, fiber, and fit first

Posted on by The Glove Guru

Coated gloves are my favorite industrial and work glove to talk about because they have become very comfortable, functional and versatile. In many cases they are replacing traditional leather work gloves. And, since it’s that time of year you might like to know that they also make great garden gloves, too.

Due to the introduction of new fibers and a vast selection of coating options many users became confused to find the right glove. So confused, that I found myself on the phone all day fielding their questions to lend a hand (pun intended) in selecting the correct glove for their situation.

That’s when I decided to write a primer on coated gloves which could be e-mailed to them as a reference and save some of their time and mine. That primer turned into an article which was published last year in Industrial Safety & Hygiene News. You can link to the primer here or go to the article by clicking on the title of this post.

As a matter of fact, coated gloves look good, too. I even used one model as the featured image on my Blog. Let me know if you found the primer or article helpful.

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