I've owned a number of Impact gloves and tried most of the others. Mechanix and Ironclad are the only Impact gloves worth buying IMO. This is my third pair of Ironclad Impact gloves. The first two were there Operator Impact gloves (same gloves with a little rubber removed on the trigger finger and less colorful). Mechanix makes more durable gloves on the outside with their work glove line, particularly their Genuine Leather palm Mpact model. But compared to Mechanix's standard Mpact models, Ironclad is the clear winner for comfort. Mechanix seems to neglect the inside of most of their gloves, and on their Mpact line it can really become painful. If you're doing anything rugged, the seams will press into your fingers painfully. Ironclad gloves break in incredibly fast and as impact gloves go, they couldn't be more comfortable. For this reason, they make good warm-weather motorcycle gloves too - they're not designed for cold weather warmth. Like Mechanix standard Mpact models, these are good for light to medium duty work loads only. They're hardly rugged work gloves and won't hold up to anything too rough, like any kind of masonry handling. But, they've been tough enough to stand up to several hours of splitting wood and still look like-new.
Beware of Ironclad's sizing though. Their numerical sizing is consistent: a size 9 Ironclad fits the same as a size 9 Mechanix. However, their alphabetic sizing is larger than most brands: a size 9 is a large, where most brands consider a size 9 to be a medium. Ironclad offers a printable sizing chart on their site to measure your hand by, if you want to be sure. All three pair I've owned have been consistently sized.
I have found it difficult to find work gloves that fit my hands, I refuse to buy women's because I'm completely against the idea that every working woman needs a pink accent on their tools. The size small fits very well and I am able to use my tools easily while also feeling protected. Perfect extrication gloves.
Gloves never last me more than a month as I beat the crap out of them. I'm coming up on 2 months now and besides being dirty (which is to be expected), not even a single stitch has broke free nor have I worn through the material and wound up with fingers sticking out.
So far so good. I've only had these for maybe 2 weeks so I will continue to update this as they age. I have used them very hard - using power tools, taking steel wires off bales of raw material at work, driving forklift, using the push & riding mower as well as the weed whacker, discarding of brush (some thorny), and also some sweeping and shoveling.
I previously used mechanix brand. They were supplied by work. They were the neon green ones with the synthetic leather. I was not a fan as I would routinely put holes on them within a weeks time, maybe 2. So I decided to try the mechanix genuine leather. They lasted me nearly a month and a half, close to 2 months. I was impressed. But they are also almost $30. I tried to get my company to switch but despite the longer life they said they couldn't justify the added cost. So, I saw these and decided to give them a try. One review in particular swayed me. The reviewer stated that these were more comfortable than mechanix. And to that I can agree completely. Getting used to the Velcro closure being on the back of the wrist took some getting used to. But I actually prefer it because for me, especially driving lift truck, it doesn't come open accidentally as often. I have high hopes that these will outlast the genuine leather mechanix pair as I usually tend to create holes where the tips of the fingers are reinforced on these gloves. Like I stated before I will update this review - most likely at the point of failure and I will try to include a picture. If you see no update then they are still in service since June 27th.
Like the gloves. They run small because I have medium size (8 inches) hands and I purchased the large based on reviews. The large size in these gloves fit me perfectly. So if you normally wear large size, you should get XL in these gloves. The gloves are very comfortable. So far I've only used doing 1 day of yard work and the only negative is the so called sweat strip on back of glove. Found that useless for wiping sweat. Too early to tell how durable they will. However, they seem to be well put together. I'm please with my purchase.
Feature Product
- HAND SAFETY IMPACT WORK GLOVES - Back of Hand Impact Protection keeps your hand safe while working without limiting dexterity
- STRATEGICALLY PLACED ANTI-VIBRATION REDUCING PADS - Open cell memory foam pads on the palm of hand help to absorb impact and vibration when using hand and power tools
- SWEAT MANAGEMENT FEATURE - Terry cloth sweat wipe conveniently located on the back of the thumb allows you to stay focused on the job at hand with one wipe of the brow
- HOOK & LOOP CLOSURE - Adjustable Hook and Loop Closure provides a secure custom fit for ideal performance
- INCREASE DONNING SPEED - The Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR) Cuff Puller allows the operator to get the glove in the proper position swiftly
Description
Your project was tougher than you thought it was gonna be, but not as tough as explaining your bloody knuckles. Protect yourself. For the Project Impact gloves, Ironclad pulled out all the stops. This is the first 360° impact protection glove from Ironclad. It features full back-of-hand protection as well as a breathable expansion chamber at the top of the glove. The palm features open cell memory foam pads that absorb impact and vibration when using hand and power tools and the fingertips have even been reinforced to give you maximum durability and extended wear.
These gloves are by far my favorite as far as protection and price point. I also believe they are far more comfortable than competing brands.I have been through about 4 pairs. I use them at work where they regularly get wet and extremely dusty. They do not get overly stiff after they dry and are very long lasting even in these harsh conditions. Tactile feel is very good and I can do most tasks with them on. It is always easier to handle nuts and bolts without gloves but if you have to wear something these will not hamper your ability to much as long as you are somewhat organized in your approach. One benefit I appreciate as a forklift driver is that the closure in on the back of the wrist. On the Mechanix brand I have worn before the these velcro closure in on the inside of the wrist and would frequently come undone will turning the steering wheel of the forklift.I have had them fail in different ways. One time the stitching was the culprit (it had been worn away from use) and another time the material simply wore through. Overall under frequent heavy use you can make these gloves last 1.5 to 3 months and that is okay for my purposes. You could probably find a glove that will last longer but it may cost you twice as much, and some of the work I do is dirty and I am not overly upset when I have to throw a pair away and get new ones. Love the way the feel brand new.
The Good:
1. Comfortable fit right out of the box, no break in needed.
2. High visibility, is even reflective at night and can be spotted easily if you drop it in the grass or something.
3. The rubber shielding on the back of your hand does give you pretty good blow protection, I had a tree limb strike my hand while wearing these, it really made a difference. Plus I didn't have a problem with the rubber peeling away which surprised me as other brands I've had did that pretty quickly.
4. The stitching held up quite well, even in wet conditions.
The Bad:
1. Dexterity on your fingertips is not the best. I'd say moderate, not horrible, but could be better. I work as a tree climber at my regular job and have a mobile mechanic business on the side. Being able to grasp small nuts and bolts is standard work for me and these gloves are likely to have to come off for delicate work. That said they are decent enough that I climb with them on and almost never take them off while climbing.
2. The velcro straps got full of sawdust in no time and were basically just there to annoy me after a week or two.
The Ugly:
1. I've owned two pairs of these now, both failed in the same place after almost the exact same period of use. I got 24 and 25 working days out of them exactly before the leather on the interior gripping part of the fingers wore through. I have had gloves last twice as long for half the price, so take everything in consideration.
Final analysis: If you need gloves that stand up to rough trades like logging, landscaping, etc with a long life span, these will not cut it. If you're on a tight budget, these can be easily out-competed. But if you like the high visibility and the protective aspects, and especially if you do less intense work then I do, I would indeed recommend them as a decent glove that definitely has a usefulness all to itself. The ease at which they can be found if dropped at night was especially cool, they reflect like reflector tape. The neon colors make them easy to spot during the day too of course. And the heavy-duty rubber backing works, it really might save you some pain. I had originally purchased them so my fingers would be very visible to me while using a chain saw in a tree. These gloves did that job 100% better then any others I've used yet, I just wish they stood up to punishment a little better.
Fit like a glove, pun intended. I love these gloves! Comfy and form fitting. Great for woodworking, shooting, archery, and light industrial applications. If you're stacking concrete blocks all day these aren't your best choice, but gloves that can take that abuse for lengthy periods are in a class of their own.
Super awesome, great fit super heavy duty. I like them better than all the mechanics gloves that are similar, bought them on a whim from a YouTube recommendation. You won't be disappointed ps I don't know if all of them are coming with a flashlight as an unexpected bonus nice surprise!
I use these every day in a professional automotive shop and the hold up well. The rubber bits protect your hands exceptionally well and have kinks in them to allow for full range of motion without a reduction in protection.
Over five years or so I've only had to replace them twice and that's usually due to pilot error like touching red-hot metal and the like.
Highly recommend!
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