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.

Leather Palm Work Gloves

Posted on March 8, 2022 by The Glove Guru

Leather work gloves is a very broad category, and I will do my best to provide you with some good recommendations since I have been involved with developing, making, and selling these types of gloves for almost 3 decades.

Basically, leather work gloves have been the standard for work gloves for centuries going back most likely to the stone age if you think about it.

Today, we have more modern designs and even synthetic leathers which have proven to be very worthy, but it always goes back to the fit, feel, and function and the price.

I decided to create this post focused on “Leather Palm Gloves” due to the many calls we receive from customers looking for a good leather work glove or one for a special application.

Obviously, we are your best source for work gloves since we are glove experts, and we only offer the best gloves in each class of gloves. Although your local hardware store carries gloves, they are not glove experts and their focus is generally on hardware and their glove offerings are very limited often to their own brand and not near as broad as a company like GO Gloves who specialize in gloves. We carry many brands and we only select the best models from select manufacturers.

Types of Leather

First let me address the types of leather. I have discussed the types of leather in the past so I will be brief. Many work glove users fail to recognize the type of leather but there is a difference.

Top Grain Cowhide Leather models are the most popular since they are generally the highest quality of leather and have a smooth finish, are more flexible, and very durable. Split Leather models, although durable, have a rough, suede type of finish and are usually used in less expensive glove models.

Pigskin Leather Gloves and Deerskin Leather Gloves are also very good and durable like cowhide, and they are the best option if the gloves are frequently used in wet conditions since pigskin and deerskin dries soft unlike cowhide which can get stiff after they dry out. Goatskin Leather Gloves and Deerskin Leather gloves are also popular and a very practical choice since they have a softer feel. It would be rare to find Goatskin or Deerskin in Leather Palm Gloves since they a less likely to withstand the durability required in this type of glove designed for rugged work.

Why Leather Palm Gloves?

There are Leather Drivers Type Gloves and there are Leather Palm Gloves. Leather drivers are generally all leather from the palm to the back of hand. Leather Palm Gloves are constructed with leather only on the palm side of the glove for hand protection and durability. The back side is generally made with cotton, canvas, or a synthetic material to save costs on the gloves which helps reduce the pricing with these gloves. This material can often provide some breathability as well to minimize hand perspiration. Also, since the back of hand is not generally exposed to any harm in most jobs, you may not need the extra protection.

Note: However, you will find that in most of the better Leather Palm Gloves have a leather knuckle strap on the back side of the glove and leather fingertips for added hand and finger protection.

Cuff Options

You will find that Leather Palm Gloves have two types of cuff options. The most popular being a “Safety Cuff” which is generally around 2.5”. The other cuff option is a “Gauntlet Cuff” for extra protection, and they are generally around 4.5” or more. These cuffs are normally internally rubberized (rubber under layered between cloth) for added stiffness and better durability.

Palm and Thumb Design

You should find that in the better Leather Palm Gloves that they should have a Wing Thumb (no seam on the palm side) with a Gunn Cut Palm (seams only on the palm side of the two middle fingers). These features reduce the number of seams on the palm side of the gloves for longer glove life and more durability in the gloves.

Impact Resistance

If you are looking for some impact resistance in a work glove, see the links below.

Information on Impact Resistant Gloves

Impact Resistant Gloves

Useful Links:

For examples of popular Leather Palm Gloves, see the link below:

Link to: Leather Palm Gloves

For more information on Leather Drivers Gloves

Link to: Leather Drivers Gloves Information

Link to: Leather Drivers Gloves

If anyone has any questions, please let me know.

Thank you for subscribing,

Joe McGarry

The Glove Guru

About the Boss 120-MP2415 – Impact Resistant Gloves

Posted on March 2, 2022 by The Glove Guru

Recently, I posted a methodical primer on criteria in selecting an Impact Resistant glove. This primer was a result of my comprehensive examination and testing as I was evaluating some of the new and latest impact resistant models.

Obviously, only the models that we list, and sell must meet all my criteria as well as meeting the ANSI-ISEA 138 Standard for an Impact Resistant Glove, and some stand out to me. As I always say, its about the 3F’s – Fit, Feel, and Function.

One model in particular, the Boss 120-MP2415 Impact Resistant Glove model, caught my attention for a few reasons. It certainly met all my criteria, but it was the “high grip aspect” and fit that impressed me. I really like some of the other models for various reasons but this one stood out to me during my testing. I guess you could say that it my favorite model which is true but then that would be unfair to some of the other outstanding models.

Let me call out some of the important aspects of this glove which is very important with an Impact Resistant Glove. I will refrain from repeating myself regarding the standards required in an Impact Resistant Glove that are well documented and covered in the primer since you can read that separately if you wish. I will link to that primer here for your convenience if you haven’t read that yet. Furthermore, this glove model meets all of the standards for an Impact Resistant Glove.

Link: Impact Resistant Gloves

About this glove……..

Note: The aspects below are not in any ranking order.

The Gloves Design:

First and foremost, the glove designers, like myself, are clearly very experienced and knowledgeable. They left nothing out when considering all the criteria required in these gloves, and when considering the many rigors and demands in a glove that anyone wearing these gloves all-day long would have to endure. I was impressed that they considered every feature required. The intricate glove construction is unprecedented and outstanding even down to the fourchette area which is the narrow strip of material that joins the front and back sections of the fingers in a glove. This includes the very flexible wing thumb design with a durable reinforcement layer in the thumb crotch which is prone to high wear. The glove itself is constructed to replicate the natural curved form and the shape of the hand for a nice natural fit.

The Features and Benefits:

Multifaceted Palm Features: In addition to the special and exceptional silicone grip features throughout the entire palm, fingers, and the thumb for unparalleled grip in wet and oily conditions, it also contains a sandy PVC coated patch for enhanced grip and extra cut and abrasion resistance. Even with all these special aspects in the palm and fingers, it remains highly flexible for that dexterity everyone seeks in a rugged heavy-duty work glove.

Linings: There is an invisible Kevlar fiber liner under the shell which provides high tensile strength relative to its weight and provides an ANSI Cut level of A5 and EN Cut Level 3 and will not melt, ignite or conduct electricity. The non-conductive aspect is important in most mining operations. Inside the glove is a soft cotton lining for that added comfort for day long usage.

Reinforced Thumb Crotch: The sandy finish PVC coated patch in the thumb crotch serves several purposes. It extends the glove life, adds increased abrasion resistance, and adds durability in a high-wear area.

Thermo Plastic Rubber (TPR) Impact Material Coating: This TPR material has been applied to the total surface on the back of the hand including the fingers and knuckles. This thick material disperses impact energy away from the bone, without sacrificing any dexterity due to its flexible and sectional design. It also provides an ANSI Impact Level 2 which is a high level of impact resistance as noted in my primer on Impact Resistant gloves.

Double Stitching: As I mentioned about the intricate construction of this glove, it contains double stitching on the seams throughout the entire glove which is vital for long lasting performance and long-life of the glove.

Cuff: These gloves have a nice slip-on cuff with a neoprene pull tag along with an ID tag to place your name.

Machine Washable: These gloves are also machine washable.

Sizing: The gloves are available from Medium to 3XL sizes.

Performance data:

ANSI Cut Level A5 – EN Cut Level X
ANSI Abrasion Level 6 – EN Abrasion Level 3
ANSI Impact Level 2
EN 388 – 3X43EP

Links:

Boss 120-MP415 – Impact Resistant Glove

Impact Resistant Gloves

Mining Gloves

If anyone has any questions, please let me know.

Thank you for subscribing,

Joe McGarry

The Glove Guru

Impact Resistant Gloves

Posted on February 24, 2022 by The Glove Guru

I have seen a huge up-tick in Impact Resistant Glove sales over the last two years as more companies and users purchase these gloves. This is primarily due to the high costs associated with hand and finger injuries in heavy duty work conditions. Therefore, preventing injuries from any type of hand impact is paramount in hand protection. The hand injury statistics are out there but I prefer to address that issue in another post soon.

This would also include cut resistance which should be considered when purchasing a pair of impact resistant gloves. We feel that the combination of hand and finger impact resistance along with cut resistant to be very vital features in your selection of Impact Resistant Gloves.

The other additional and critical feature is superior grip for the obvious work-related functions.

Another important element is to make sure that an Impact Resistant Glove has double stitching on all the seams throughout the whole glove. This stitching feature is often overlooked and is important to extend the life of the gloves since they will take a fair amount of abuse. Once a seam fails, the gloves are no longer usable and become nonfunctional. However, this feature does not apply to a “seamless” constructed glove shell like the Maximum TuffMax 5 Safety Gloves and the G-Tek Polykor Impact Resistant Gloves.

Lastly, make sure that the gloves have a reinforced thumb crotch for extra durability and extended life of the glove in an area known for high wear.

As a result, the five features that include impact resistant, cut resistance, outstanding grip, double stitching on the seams throughout the glove, and a reinforced thumb crotch were the main criteria for the models that we stock and sell.

Understanding the Impact Resistant Glove Standard – ANSI-ISEA 138-2019

It is important to note that any glove claiming impact resistance must be certified and comply with the new ANSI/ISEA 138 – 2019 Impact Resistant Glove Standard.

As I was preparing this post, I was going to detail the impact standard but since it is very technical with engineering stats and technical terminology, so I decided to discuss it in simple lay terms to keep things straightforward for the normal user. If someone wants or needs a more detailed description of the standard, I am providing a link below this paragraph that was prepared by PIP (Protective Industrial Products). It is a well done and thorough presentation with some images which was created by one of their glove product managers that covers the standard, the testing, and the markings.

Link: ANSI-ISEA 138 – 2019 Standard

In simple terms, the glove impact standard includes three levels of impact protection. They are Level 1 which is low force, Level 2 which is medium force, and level 3 which is high force.

I tested the Level 2 and 3 protective models since we wanted to only carry the better models which also provided cut resistance. Additionally, the price points between a Level 1 Impact Resistant Glove and a Level 2 & 3 Impact Resistant Glove were comparable, so we only selected the higher performing glove models. Personally, I could not feel the difference between the 2 and 3 rated gloves when testing them against a brick surface and the only difference that I could determine was a small increase in the thickness of the TPR (Thermal Plastic Rubber) which is the protective coating on the back of the fingers, the knuckles, and back of the hand.

Since it is my job to provide you with some sound advice, I would not waste my money on a Level 1 Impact Resistant Glove unless you want that particular glove for other reasons beyond impact protection.

The Impact Resistant Gloves

Finally, let me get to the point on this topic and talk about the various Impact Resistant Gloves that we feature and sell. I have previously covered a few of these gloves in a previous post about our Mining Gloves. That category is broad with many glove options but our offerings in the Impact Resistant Gloves is very narrow and limited to only impact resistant glove models due to our high criteria and selection process.

As usual, I will refrain from listing each glove in this category that we offer at GO GLOVES for brevity and repetition since you can clearly see each of the Impact Resistant Glove models on our web site with very detailed glove descriptions and images.

I will also emphasize that I also apply my personal criteria with my 3 F’s as it applies to gloves: Fit, Feel, and Function. The combination of these three vital aspects has always worked when evaluating gloves in the past. It can seem personal, but after 30 years in designing, manufacturing, and selling gloves, I think I get it.

Presently, we narrowed our line down to the Boss and Maximum Glove models due to their high performance. Over time, we have reviewed many Impact Resistant Glove models from many of our manufacturers and concluded that the models we offer are the very best for our customers. As you may already know, we can offer every model available to us, but we don’t just wish to sell gloves, we only wish to sell the best glove models with price considerations and high performance.

I anticipate that we will continue to add more Impact Resistant Gloves to our inventory as new models are developed and introduced. If you wish for us to inform you about any new listings of new glove models, please let me know by responding to this email or the post.

Useful Links:

Impact Resistant Gloves

Mining Gloves

Cut Resistant Gloves

ANSI-ISEA 138-2019 Standard

GO GLOVES

My very best to all of you in 2022 and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need any assistance.

Thank you for subscribing,

Joe McGarry

The Glove Guru

Mining Gloves for Hand Protection

Posted on February 20, 2022 by The Glove Guru

Mining Gloves and Hand Protection go hand to hand as this cliché is in likeness with hand-to-hand combat. It is not a new glove category by any means since mining gloves have been around for centuries. However, with modern technology, mining gloves have become very sophisticated and much safer in regards to hand and finger protection. Mining gloves are also commonly referred to as quarrying gloves world-wide.

Please note that the images in this post are only a few examples of some mining gloves and it should be noted to refer to the link at the bottom of this post to see our whole range of mining gloves.

Key elements and features found in the best mining gloves are:

Impact Protection
Cut Resistance
Puncture Resistance
Enhanced Grip in the palms and fingers
High Visibility
Dexterity
Chemical and Liquid Proof Resistance
Cold Resistant
Abrasion Resistance
Non-Conductive

Note about certifications:

Most of these elements fall under ANSI (American) and EN (European) certifications so it is important for you to note and make sure that a specific glove has these regulatory certifications listed. At GO Gloves, we list these certifications for you in each of our mining gloves so that you are aware of them and that you do not need to gold-mine the data to make sure that you are protected properly. This is also very vital information for mining safety supervisors and mining safety inspectors.

Another key element is that all mining gloves should not be conductive in any manner to avoid any electrical shocks since this is a huge safety issue in mines due to the wet and gaseous environments.

One interesting aspect is that we get many orders from around the world from Australia to Peru including North America for our Cryogenic Cold Resistant Gloves. I learned that this is due to the use of liquid nitrogen to displace oxygen in mines for fire control. As an FYI, Liquid Nitrogen is an extremely cold substance and is very difficult to handle and requires special Cryogenic Gloves. We are very fortunate to be a supplier of the Tempshield Glove line for over 15 years and they are a great company to work with and have been on the forefront the last 2 years since they supply these special gloves used world-wide in handling the vaccines to combat the Covid virus which are stored in sub-zero temperatures.

Cut and puncture resistance are obvious characteristics which are vital and, of course, dexterity.

High VIS or high visibility is vital in mining gloves due to the dark atmospheres along with some cold resistance linings since mines are very cold places to work.

We also carry some exceptional chemical and liquid proof gloves which can be used in certain mining functions. In most cases, these are considered an accessory glove and we have a few select models that are specifically used in mining operations.

I will refrain from listing and discussing the various gloves that we offer for mining operations here for the sake of brevity since you can see them at the link at the bottom of this blog post. However, I want you to note that the gloves we offer for mining operations have only been selected for their popularity, certifications, and testing. As you can imagine, we get many solicitations to sell various types of mining gloves but, as always, we are very careful to select only the best gloves currently available.

Keep in mind that I also use my old standard in selecting gloves and this is my 3F standard. Also known as fit, feel, and function.

Links to our mining Gloves:

General Mining Gloves

Industrial Mining Gloves (Industrial Web site)

Thank you for subscribing,

Joe McGarry

The Glove Guru

GO Gloves® announces the launch of their Glove store on Amazon Brands

Posted on August 23, 2021 by The Glove Guru

Cary, NC – August 23, 2021

GO Gloves^® (Gloves-Online, Inc.), one of the largest glove retailers in North America, is proud to announce the launch of their Glove store – GO Gloves – on Amazon.com.

“GO Gloves has sold their gloves on Amazon since 2005 but decided to have a dedicated portal on Amazon due to the large number of orders from devoted Amazon shoppers. Due to these devoted buyers, we decided to showcase our Brand (GO Gloves^®) in Amazon Brand Registry since GO Gloves is a registered trademark and brand of Gloves-Online, Inc.,” said Joe McGarry, CEO of Gloves-Online, Inc. also known as GO Gloves^®. We now own our own Amazon.com web address using our unique, easy-to-remember Amazon URL – www.amazon.com/gogloves.

“This does not change anything at the GO Gloves^® web site and shopping venue, www.gloves-online.com but gives our loyal customers another option to purchase their gloves from us”, said McGarry.

Like everything else that relates to gloves and the internet, Gloves-Online was the first glove company in the world to have a presence on the World Wide Web (www) and concurrently and coincidentally one of the first third-party sellers on Amazon. As many of you already know, our companies were founded at the same time in the 90’s.

Our joint relationship with Amazon over the last 16 years has been rewarding for both companies. In looking back, it is even interesting how we got started with Amazon in those early days of internet eCommerce.

I can even recall in late 2004 when one of my customer services staff people came into my office and said someone from Amazon was on the phone and wanted to talk with the owner. I was a bit puzzled as to why Amazon would want to talk with the owner of a glove company since Amazon was principally known as a bookseller at the time.

The Amazon staff person introduced themselves saying that they wanted to sell our gloves using a new seller program that they were introducing. They mentioned that they purchased coated work gloves from us for their warehouse people and checked out our glove offerings on our web site. I was immediately intrigued due to all the press that Amazon was receiving at the time on their unparalleled success as an internet bookseller. This person then led me to some new Amazon URL links that introduced the new third-party selling features and some steps to get started.

Those early set up steps were very primitive and new to get used to such as uploading text, pricing, sizing, and images using what was called back then as flat files (a precursor to CVS files) but sales began to trickle in, and the rest is history. I’m told that today they have almost 2 million third party sellers which is remarkable, if you think about it, so we should be proud to be one of the originals.

I realize that having a dedicated Amazon store for GO Gloves^® is very good news for you die-hard Amazon buyers but it does have its caveats even though these buyers have always been able to find many of our gloves on Amazon for many years. As most do not realize, having Amazon as an alternate source for purchasing our gloves is good for our customers, but selling on Amazon is also very expensive since we must pay them a high commission on each sale in addition to adding the shipping costs for each transaction. We must pass along these expenses onto the buyer in order to make a profit. However, this is normal practice for every third-party seller on Amazon which the buyer generally ignores or overlooks these added costs in the product price due to the convenience of having a one shopping source.

At the time of this post, we have not included all of our glove inventory. However, we have added some glove models that are presently best sellers on Amazon. We will continue to add more glove styles and models as demand increases and after we monitor the activity on our Amazon store insights.

For those of you interested, I have included some the links to our Amazon store and some of the popular glove style links. If you are a devoted Amazon shopper, you may want to bookmark our Amazon Home page.

Amazon GO Gloves Home Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/F116A654-232B-4309-ABFB-EF5DE423D810?ingress=3

See below for our product page:

I hope this information about our Amazon Store has been useful and please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for subscribing,

Joe McGarry

The Glove Guru

Best Leather Drivers Work Gloves

Posted on July 5, 2021 by The Glove Guru

I have not discussed our Drivers Gloves for years now but these style of work gloves are one of our most popular work gloves next to our Coated Work Gloves.

Many people think that Drivers Gloves are associated with fancy leather gloves worn by men driving sports cars (We sell them too) but Drivers Gloves are the name adopted for leather gloves that were made popular with long-haul truck drivers, transportation and delivery people, and construction workers.

Maybe you never noticed or paid attention but you would be hard pressed not to see your local truck delivery guy not wearing a pair of Leather Drivers Gloves to grab and handle large box deliveries. Some of these workers have switched to some of the thinner coated work gloves but the Leather Drivers remain the standard for most users.

There are many types of Drivers Gloves that are popular with many users and they include types from grain cowhide, goatskin, deerskin, pigskin, and insulated models for cold weather, cut resistant models, and high visibility models for low light conditions.

Drivers gloves are also the most practical general use leather gloves used for all types of uses from construction workers to yard work and general chores.

Important features

Before I discuss our various Leather Drivers Gloves, I feel the need to point out an especially important feature in our Leather Work Gloves which is frequently overlooked when you buy gloves.

Keystone thumb feature: I am sorry to repeat myself since I have discussed this feature many times in the past with other types of gloves, but it is essential. This feature may not seem to be particularly important, but it is if you want the gloves to be comfortable, form fitting, and ergonomically fit the user.

Note: To identify a keystone thumb glove model, these are where the thumb piece is made separately and set into and sewn into the palm of the glove. Gloves without a keystone thumb are simply two pieces of leather laid out and cut to the shape of the hand and sewn together. Our hands are not designed this way and therefore, gloves without a keystone thumb are less comfortable and provide less dexterity. Gloves without a keystone thumb are also a sign of a lower quality and cheaply made gloves. This is an essential feature in almost any glove except for some rugged heat resistant and some welding gloves.

Other notable important features

The following items may be helpful to consider when selecting a Leather Drivers Glove.

Type of Leather:

Top Grain Cowhide Leather models are always the best option since they are the highest quality of leather used in leather work gloves and have a smooth finish, are more flexible, and durable. Split Leather models, although durable, have a rough, suede type finish and are usually used in less expensive glove models.

Pigskin Leather Gloves and Deerskin Leather Gloves are also particularly good and durable like cowhide, and they are the best option if the gloves are frequently used in wet conditions since pigskin and deerskin dries soft unlike cowhide which can get stiff after they dry out. However, we do have a great WK-1304 Water-Resistant Top Grain Leather Driver Glove which is a good choice if the gloves are often used in wet conditions.

Goat Skin Leather Drivers Gloves and Deerskin Leather Drivers Gloves are also popular and a very practical choice since they have a softer feel.

Best seller: This is a question that is frequently asked, and I always ask, “What are you using them for first?”

I will mention that it is a close race at the top since no single model substantially outsells any other Leather Drivers Gloves. However, I will say that our Kinco WK-98 Premium Grain Leather Drivers Gloves are extremely popular but that is largely the case since we have sold these the longest and many customers simply re-order models that they have bought in the past without looking at other newer models.

See below about the Caiman Water-Resistant Top Grain Leather Gloves which in my opinion are the best Leather Drivers Gloves available today.

Leather Drivers Work Glove Styles

There are a few styles of Leather Drivers Work Gloves for specific needs, requirements, and applications. I will not include links to the specific applications since it can get redundant and needless since the gloves can be found easily in the main link for Leather Work Drivers Gloves.

These are the types of styles that you can find when selecting a Leather Work Drivers Glove:

General Duty, Cut-Resistant, Winter Lined, Water-Resistant, and Hi-Vis High Visibility models. In other words, we have you covered for whatever use you need since we carry over 28 different styles.

The Best Leather Work Drivers Glove:

After selling Leather Drivers Gloves for over 25 years, there is one model that stands out and meets every important benchmark that I consider essential and vital.

Meet the Caiman 1304 Top Grain Water-Resistant Leather Drivers Gloves.

Besides being the most comfortable and most durable almost bullet-proof driver gloves these gloves exceed everything anyone would want in a Leather Work Drivers Glove. If you knew anything about how driver’s gloves are made, I am surprised that these are not more expensive. The design and the intricate work to make these gloves is remarkable.

As far as the design, they are made to take the natural shape of the human hand and even employ a special design for the thumb and fingers and get the seams out of the way of natural wear and tear. In fact, these drivers are even washable if you can imagine that.

It is also known that these gloves can last 3 times longer than the average drivers gloves which adds up to huge savings if you use these types of gloves on a regular basis. Therefore, based on all the gloves features and benefits, it is my opinion that these gloves are the best leather drivers work gloves available today without a doubt.

I could go through all the details here but to keep this post simple, you can read more about these gloves at the link below.

Link: Caiman 1304 Top Grain Water-Resistant Leather Drivers Gloves

Other Helpful Links to 28 different styles:

Link: Leather Drivers Work Gloves

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

Thank you for subscribing,

Joe McGarry

The Glove Guru

The Best Touch Screen Gloves

Posted on June 19, 2021 by The Glove Guru

This overview about our Touch Screen Gloves was very enlightening since it reminded me how fast technology advances over the last 10 years even including gloves.

Touch Screen Compatible Gloves are becoming a vital necessity today, especially in the work environment due to the increased safety measures required in every workplace and in every aspect to avoid human hand contact when people use the same touch screen.

Touch Screen Gloves are also especially useful since they avoid having to remove the gloves you are wearing to use your mobile device, answer your phone, or enter data on a mobile work device or workstation. The examples, to name just a few, are food service people, cashiers at your local grocery store, and your local auto mechanic.

We are knowledgeable about gloves used with mobile devices since we were one of the first glove companies in the USA to introduce gloves for cell phones in 2011. Remember, that this was when our cell phones of choice had those qwerty keyboards like old-fashioned typewriters. Since then, cell phones transitioned to more sophisticated mobile devices with interactive touch screens. Touch Screen tablets also entered the scene at the same time.

To help you reminisce like I did, those cell phone gloves had removable fingertips and thumb tips to be able to use those keyboard buttons. That was especially vital in the wintertime or during cold weather. I had a few pair of these gloves myself and it is a funny to recall how technology advances so quickly, even with gloves.

However, and of interest, is that we still sell some of these cell-phone glove models since some people like wearing winter type gloves with removable fingertips and thumb tips. This type of cell phone gloves are still very practical gloves for many users and commuters in cold weather. If you are one of those who will need these types of gloves later this year when the cold weather arrives, see the link below.

Link: Cell Phone Gloves

Picture of a typical Cell Phone Glove above

OK… now for the tedious but vital information for you technically inclined people. I purposely avoided getting too technical here for obvious reasons, but my points here are needed to help you understand the newer Touch Screen Gloves today. By the way, if anyone has a technical question that I did not address here, please feel free to reach out to me.

Before I discus the gloves, it is important to know that there are two (2) types of touch screen devices. I will do my best to simply and briefly explain these.

RESISTIVE Touch Screen Gloves

The most common type is RESISTIVE touch screens that have two transparent layers separated by a thin air gap. The two layers act in common by a conductive coating when they touch each other. That is the basic description.

CAPACITIVE Touch Screen Gloves

The other less common type is a CAPACITIVE touch screen. These are different from the resistive types that do not rely on finger pressure. Instead, they work with anything that can conduct an electrical charge which includes human skin. Therefore, without getting too technical here, it makes sense that capacitive touch screens will not work with most gloves and especially with many coated gloves. Hence, if you have a capacitive touch screen, you will need gloves that have conductive material on the surface such as a carbon compound. By the way, our coated gloves work well with capacitive touch screens.

Today

Ok, now that I have covered the boring but vital trivia about touch screens, let me get to the gloves that you need for your particular use when you must wear gloves and use a mobile device at the same time.

First, let me distinguish that we offer two (2) styles of gloves for use with mobile devices.

The first are Cold Weather Cell Phone Gloves with removeable fingertips and thumb tips.

The next type is our most popular Touch Screen Gloves.

As I already mentioned, both are popular, but it is important to distinguish between them since many glove companies simply feature the gloves without any good explanation.

Cell Phone Gloves

See the link below. I do not think it is necessary to discuss these further and waste your time since they are simply used for basic cell phone and touch screen gloves during cold weather. Plus, I already discussed these gloves.

Link: Cell Phone Gloves

Touch Screen Gloves

Finally, the link below contains the Best Touch Screen Gloves that are sold today.

Keep in mind, that there may be many types of Touch Screen Gloves available toady, but these are the tried-and-true models available today. If I have missed one that I am not aware of, it would be helpful to let me know so we can test and evaluate them.

Link: Touch Screen Gloves

Fitness Touch Screen Gloves

We offer our Full Finger Beast Mode Fitness Gloves in both Men’s & Women’s versions.

The benefits with these gloves while working out is to update your progress on your favorite fitness app or perhaps choose your most motivational music that will get you through your work out. Lastly, you can use your phone without having to remove your gloves during your workout.

Links:

Men’s Full Finger Fitness Gloves

Women’s Full Finger Fitness Gloves

Disposable Gloves

Today, many people don’t realize this but most all Disposable Gloves are compatible with most all modern Touch Screen Phones.

Disposable Gloves

Touch Screen Coated Work Gloves

The Coated Work Gloves in the link below are the most popular Touch Screen version models that we sell. They include standard coated gloves with various types of coatings and models with extended coating coverage from the fingers and palms to a fully coated model. We even sell Cut Resistant Versions.

Link to: Touch Screen Coated Work Gloves

In conclusion, I hope this overview was helpful to cover the various types of cell phone and touch screen phones available today.

If anyone has a suggestion or wishes to add their experience with touch screen gloves, I would like to hear back from you. Your input may be helpful for others looking to improve their activity or work with their mobile devices while using gloves.

Stay Safe with Gloves!

Thank you for subscribing,

Joe McGarry

The Glove Guru

Best Marching Band and Parade Gloves

Posted on June 13, 2021 by The Glove Guru

Since 1996, we have provided a variety of Marching Band Gloves and Parade Gloves to a wide range of customers and today, we now offer (if you can imagine) over 40 different styles. These styles fulfill the needs for school bands, university marching bands, military, and honor guard units. Besides the marching band units, our models also serve to provide that parade look for banner carriers, cheerleaders, drill team units, and flag bearers.

We are also very honored and proud to be the official supplier to the Military Honor Guard Units at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. among others across the USA. The Honor Guard staff people have been our most loyal customers for many years and we thank you.

Important feature

Before I discuss our various marching band gloves and parade gloves, I feel the need to point out an especially important feature in our parade gloves which is frequently overlooked when you buy gloves.

Keystone thumb feature: I am sorry to repeat myself since I have discussed this feature many times in the past, but it is essential. This feature may not seem to be particularly important, but it is if you want the gloves to be comfortable, form fitting, and ergonomically fit the user. Think of the comfort and dexterity required by marching band instrument members who must wear and use the gloves for exceptionally long periods of time. This includes the dexterity that is needed and required by musicians.

Note: To identify a keystone thumb glove model, these are where the thumb piece is made separately and set into and sewn into the palm of the glove. Gloves without a keystone thumb are simply two pieces of fabric laid out and cut to the shape of the hand and sewn together. Our hands are not designed this way and therefore, gloves without a keystone thumb are less comfortable and provide less dexterity. Gloves without a keystone thumb are also a sign of a lower quality and cheaply made glove. This is an essential feature in almost any glove except for some rugged heat resistant and some industrial work gloves such as welding gloves.

Best seller: This is a question that is frequently asked, and I always ask, “What are you using them for first?” However, for general use, we always suggest our CP-250 White Parade Gloves and we also offer them in a CP-250-BK black model version. These are 100% high quality cotton with ornamental stitching located the back of the gloves for a more ceremonial look. This model is also available in an Extra Long version which is the CP-250-12 Model.

Parade Glove Styles

Glove Lengths: We offer a glove style for every requirement. Our styles include our wrist length models to our extended cuff (Extra Long Cuff) which run between 10 to 12” in length. Many customers prefer the extended lengths if they wish to hide their skin for that sharp military style look.

Glove Grip: We also have models with micro-dotted palms in both lengths which offer superior grip.

Deluxe Grip Glove Model: This popular model is a more rugged version of our normal beaded grip gloves with reinforcements throughout the glove and denser beads on the palms and fingers. This model also has a reinforced thumb cotch for extended life of the glove. They also come with a Velcro wrist strap closure for a very snug fit. This model is available in a White (MC-517) or black color (MC-571-BK).

Glove Cuff Options: The most popular cuff option of choice is the slip-on version. Most of these models come with a shirred (gathered) wrist for a snug fit and to prevent the gloves from slipping off. Another option are models with a snap cuff. Although these gloves look sharp close up, I’m not a fan of these models since the snaps can break and can become useless over time. Many customers like the look of these gloves but I always try to encourage our customers to purchase gloves with a slip-on cuff. The exception here would be our “Deluxe Grip Glove” with the Velcro cuff closure reviewed above.

Cold Weather Glove Model: Another option is our Extended Length Fleece Lined White Honor Guard Glove models for use in cold weather conditions. However, we do not make a lined model in the wrist length gloves for obvious reasons. Our Lined Cold Weather Glove Model also comes with a standard plain palm and a dotted palm if more grip is required. Look for the CP-422 and the CP-422-PD models.

Colored Glove Models:

Most of our Cotton Parade Gloves come in both black and white color options. However, for over 25 years we have made and sold Flash Colored Gloves.

Our Flash Gloves, as they are commonly called, are made using high quality “stretch” polyester fabric since they are more universally sized (one size fits most) and not as size critical with dyed cotton versions. It should be noted that we make both Men’s Flash Gloves and Women’s Flash Gloves models.

Another advantage of using polyester is that polyester fibers, being a polymer, can be made in very vibrant colors and will not fade or lose their color like cotton. It should be noted that our polyester material looks and feels like cotton opposed to the shiny cheap polyester that used to be made into clothing in the 60’s.

Important Features in the colored gloves is to make sure the polyester is a soft stretchy material due to sizing issues and, again, make sure that they have a Keystone Thumb Feature as previously discussed above.

Three Colored Glove Models:

We offer our Flash Gloves in 3 models. The most popular are the solid color models which come in both Men’s and Women’s models. The other model is our Flash 2 Color Glove Model. The two-color models have a white top with a colored palm. The purpose of the two-color model is that the performers look like they are wearing traditional white gloves while marching which turns into a color as they do a dance routine showing their palms in unison. This is a nice visual element when you see a performance using the two-color models.

Colors: The Ladies Flash Gloves come in 8 vivid colors; the Men’s Flash gloves come in 5 popular colors; and the Two-Color Flash Gloves come in 9 colors.

Ladies Flash Gloves

Men’s Flash Gloves

Ladies Two Color Flash Gloves

In conclusion, I hope I have covered most of the important details regarding Band Gloves and Parade Gloves. You should also be able to see more specific details about each model in the product details by following the links provided.

I know that everyone like me enjoys watching live marching band performances and I hope that this season unlike last season due to the Covid Virus issues is exciting and lively once again.

If you have any questions or need any assistance with selecting a parade glove, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Stay safe with gloves and thank you for subscribing,

Joe McGarry

The Glove Guru

What does Graham Nash, the legendary rock musician, have to do with gloves?

Posted on May 17, 2021 by The Glove Guru

The answer is rather simple and goes back to his days when he also pioneered digital print formats based on his passion for photography. Those were the days when digital format began to overtake conventional photographic processing.

I should also mention that this is not a typical post about glove suggestions or solutions but a bit more about some of my personal history with gloves and our ESD Anti-Static Gloves that I mentioned in my previous post. However, for those of you who enjoy a bit of nostalgia, then you will enjoy learning more about my introduction with Graham. I do fun posts like this on my Blog relating to my history with gloves about twice a year and I know my subscribers enjoy these stories based on the replies I receive.

Legendary rockers Crobsy, Stills, Nash & Young perform Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at Reunion Arena in Dallas. Band members are, from left, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, Neil Young and David Crosby. (AP Photo/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Samuel Morales)

As most everyone in the world knows, Graham Nash is famously known as one of the founders of the popular UK rock group “The Hollies” in the 60’s and later came to fame as one of the founders of the famous rock group, “Crosby, Stills and Nash” later named “Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young” when Neil Young joined the group. He also produced some music as a solo artist which clearly exhibited his unique style and originality. For instance, I recall visiting an old dear friend of mine, Carlos Santarelli, at Lafayette University in Pennsylvania in the 70’s, over a very “fun” weekend and he was playing some new songs in his dorm room and I asked…. “Who was that playing… it’s nice”? He said, “Graham Nash, you know him, right?” I said yes and was surprised to learn that Graham ventured out on his own at the time.

I met Graham during a PMA photographic imaging trade show in 1991 in New York City while we were exhibiting our popular photo lab and special anti-static gloves. Those were the days when photographic processing was routinely done in photo labs, but that process was rapidly transforming to digital processing.

As I learned, Graham was there lecturing on his pioneering technology of large-scale digital graphics image printing. He is also the founder of Nash Editions, which is still a leading digital print company located in Southern California. As a matter of fact, his first digital printer and one of its first published works – Nash’s 1969 portrait of David Crosby – have been in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

After he introduced himself and his business partner, Mac Holbert, to me, which was a bit of a shock at first, he was intrigued by our ESD Anti-Static Gloves. I provided him with the technical aspects, and he was also fascinated by our imitation hand glove prop that featured someone wearing our ESD Anti-Static glove.

He was a very congenial man which was nice to experience, and he asked me if he could borrow my gloved hand prop for a photo exhibit he was entering. I agreed if he returned it as soon as he was finished with his project.

He personally returned the glove prop and thanked me. I learned the next day that the image he made of our glove prop was prominently featured in a special event during the trade show and I believe he even won an award for the image.

As a matter of fact, his photo image even made the cover of the DIGIT magazine, which was one of the first magazines to pioneer the new digital age in photography. He was even quoted by the editor about the glove pop as someone was setting up the shoot for an advertisement and he asked them, “Can you lend me a hand?” Hence, our gloves were the backdrop for the use of his technology.

His image of our glove prop which was featured on the cover of this magazine is the image in this post. I also have a signed copy of the actual image in our offices. His company also became a customer of our special gloves.

I had the pleasure to meet Graham again after this show since he often attended some subsequent photo imaging shows and he would always stop by our exhibit to say hello.

Thank you for subscribing,

Joe McGarry

The Glove Guru

All-Day ESD High Performance (Anti-Static) Static Dissipative Gloves

Posted on April 29, 2021 by The Glove Guru

These high performance Anti-Static gloves were one of my first patented glove inventions going back to 1991. In November of 1991, I proclaimed when we introduced these new ESD gloves “that we will change static control procedures at the stroke of a hand”. This claim eventually became true.

FYI: ESD stands for electrostatic discharge.

Our ESD Gloves were also made famous by the legendary rock musician Graham Nash. See footnote.

The basis of the concept was initiated by an unusual question from one of my photo glove dealers from England during a trade show in Las Vegas at a photo industry trade show.

For those of you who enjoy a bit of nostalgia, at this time we were largest manufacturer and supplier in the world of special lint-free knit glove liners that photographic professionals and photo labs used in handling photo films and prints. I’m sure many of you remember the days of those one-hour photo mini-labs that dotted the landscape and local pharmacies around the world. We still sell these gloves today but to a limited number of users that deal with handing delicate photographic prints and precious artwork since the world has since gone digital.

Being a large dealer in the UK and EU markets with our photo gloves and knowledgeable about photographic processing pitfalls, my dealer mentioned that he wished I could make an anti-static glove model to remove static charges from films to help eliminate the films from attracting dust and lint due to the high build-up of static on the films during the drying process. This was because the dust and lint particles left white specs on the finished photo images and prints. The only other option at the time was to use special and very expensive anti-static brushes. However, having a glove like our photo liners that protected processors from leaving fingerprints and hand oils on the photographic negatives as well as remove the static build-up at the same time would be extremely useful and practical.

To make a long story short and due to my creative instincts, I set out to the local university engineering libraries to learn what I could about static and how to deal with it. The fortunate issue was that I live in an area of the country that hosts many computer manufacturing companies that must deal with static problems with static sensitive computer chips and computer boards.

My biggest challenge was to find a company that could make me a semi-conductive fiber that I could knit into a thin 13-gauge glove. I originally found a fiber made in Pennsylvania made with a carbon compound that was effective, but the fiber broke down quickly due to flexibility when knit into a glove making them useless over time.

My next prototypes were made using a silver coated fiber but they were too expensive and too conductive for the type of static control flow that I was seeking.

After extensive research, I eventually found a company in Asia that could coat my thin nylon 6/6 fibers with a special copper semi-conductive solution and the rest is history.

Today, we sell our ESD Gloves world-wide, and we help many manufactures and users with the following applications:

Our ESD Gloves are ideal for handling delicate static sensitive parts, films, electronic instruments, circuit boards and components. Assembly and repair work in electronics, telecommunications, precision instrumentation and optics, etc. Video film handling and motion picture industry. They are also a vital component used in the Electrostatic painting, powder coating, and petrochemical industry.

For those of you looking for a superior Anti-Static ESD glove that meets your criteria see the points below.

Unique Electro-Static Properties

Patented continuous filament fiber
Greater static dissipation
Contains no carbon compound fibers
No surface chemical finishes or treatments
Reduces static build-up by corona discharge
Complete uniform resistivity throughout entire glove
Built-in writs strap properties

Unequaled Comfort and Design

Ultra-thin, lightweight and close fit
More resilient and flexible than cotton
Eliminates finger prints and scratches
Comfortable to wear all day
Reduces clamminess, perspiration and sweating
Ends allergic reactions and rashes from latex
Can also be used as a glove liner
Universal size – One size fits all
Ambidextrous
Offers natural sensitivity, flexibility, dexterity and less bulk
Dust free, continuous filament yarn (not spun)
Breathable knit and seam-free construction

Economical

Built-in writs strap properties
Durable
Universal size
Reusable/Washable
Wear all day

Typical Specifications

Average surface resistivity: <10⁴ Ohms/Sq.
ASTM D 257 specification, Class I – Category A
Static decay: 5 KV to 0 V = <0.1 sec.

I hope that this synopsis has been helpful to learn more about the evolution of these superior anti-static ESD gloves and provides the technical information you need to help select the proper ESD glove for your particular use.

As a footnote, I will soon be posting a brief about what the legendary rock musician, Graham Nash, has to do with our All-Day ESD Anti-Static gloves. Stay tuned, it’s an interesting story.

Link to: All-Day ESD Antistatic Gloves

Thank you for subscribing,

Joe McGarry

That Glove-Guru