# Hand Protection is crucial!



## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

The primary purpose of human skin is act as a barrier to infection.
In the case of the hand it also serves as a traction surface.

Skin does agreat job at this.

Human beings are adapted for a natural enviroment though. 
Examples are perhaps an untouyhed savannnah or old forest.

The sharpest things in there would have been recently broken rocks .
Those are not nearly as sharp as broken glass, concrete etc what you will find in a damaged city.

Since our hands are the most active part of our body, touching everything, its crucial to protect them during any combatr or scavenging activity.
Even the thick skin of a grown male will not be enough by itself.
In a SHTF situation with the possible absence of medical help any small cut could be lethal.

You will need somthting other than cute wool mittens to be safely active in such an enviroment.

The military has pioneeered the use of specific armored gloves that are designed to provide good dexterity with good protection from cut, abrasion and heat threats.

I wil introduce 2:

*Since people they could not see the picsI put int this thread, here they are on my "homesite"in hi-res*

http://www.freshalloy.com/showthread.php/173254-Hand-Protection-in-an-adverse-environment

The pics below show a pair of size "L" Mechanix TM "tactical Gloves" (approx $30) and a pair of size "XL" Wiley X Tactical gloves (Approx $63 at military C&S)

First shown are the Mechanix TM.


















































































The Wiley X has injection molded polyurethanearmor over the knuckels and as you all can apprecitae looks like it iwll do a superior job of protecting the knuckles.

The Mechanix have some nice rubber armor over the kuckles, but the portion over the trigger finger knuckle seems to fit poorly (despite the glove fitting me perfect otherwise.)

The Mechanix also seem to offer a superior cover of your lower inside hand ...that is sure to lessen the shock of trying to break a fall and also have rubber armor over your protruding wrist bone, which the wiley X's completly lack.
Even though the dexterity on the Mechnix is less it is still plenty good for picking up thngs and operating a rifle.

The Wiley X's seem to offer superior dexterity but feel like they are less paddeed or protected everywhere except at the kuckles.
They do claim to have kevlar weaved in, but I am unsure how meanignful that is, since much of the wiley X's seem pretty thin. They also claim to be flame retardent. A claim the mechanix does not make.

Price independent I would rank them both equal with the WX's better kuckle protection and superior dexterity, being balanced by the superior armor the Mechanix offers in all other key areas.
Price dependent the Mechanix TM wins it handily.

PS: Also as an aside.. When I bought the wiley X's I had my eyes dilated for pre-surgery evaluation, so was unable to read the "made in".
Now that I am home and hours later cna see much better I am horrified ot see I spend $63 on gloves made in china!

Those who know me how how I HATE to support an economy our children will have to go to war with.
However the comparison is written w/o that in mind.


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## zombieresponder (Aug 20, 2012)




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## ComputerGuy (Dec 10, 2010)

No pics but this looks like a very educational article. Please continue


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

Hmm..
I cna see the pics just fine..

my otehr site must be refusing to show them
I'll do 'em as attachments even though I prefer them to be in nice order


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

Ah crap. all those pics are too big to upload and it wont let me link either..
Post is not very useful w/o the pics 

Edit: well I linked to the other site,... as the forum software couldnt support the hi -res pics here.http://www.freshalloy.com/showthread.php/173254-Hand-Protection-in-an-adverse-environment


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

I'm glad you brought this up, I have a pair of 5.11 tactical gloves in my patrol pack but I do want to look at getting another pair as well.

As an aside... they're somewhat bulky but leather gloves with polycarbonate cased kevlar at the knuckles are available from motorcycle apparel distributors and I've seen cheap lines in the discount bins at local bike shops for like $10 on "get them out of the store" clearance

The expensive one's are kangaroo leather, and super comfortable, I still wouldn't prefer them as my first choice for working in broken urban environment and still trying to retain as much dexterity as possible for operating a weapon, but they're definitely better than nothing. You could try craigslist and ebay too.

Be nice to your integumentary system and it will be nice to you!


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

I think I will stick wiht the "Mechanix Tactical"unless I cna find gloves as good as them for less than them.

I will put one pair in each car, and one pair on my chest rig this should ensue availability at all times.

When I go to me weekly range sesions I always wear them when firing my AR's and sometimes when firing my revolvers too IAW "train as you fight" .


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

Not tactical or armored, but these are what people here use when working with sheet steel rolling and coiling. They fit like a second layer of skin so dexterity is not affected.








Grainger has them for about $21. You could find them for less as grainger isn't exactly known for good prices.

I've tested them by trying to cut through a set using my knife. I could get some small slits after considerable effort so any accidental cuts are going to be rare.

I've been using them when sharpening machetes with a puck. Other people say they're good for filleting fish but I haven't tried that yet.

If the Wiley's are actually woven with Kevlar, I bet they're more cut resistant than the Mechanix. The website for Mechanix has a separate "cut resistant" category. http://www.mechanix.com/cut-resistance They're much more bulky, expensive and overkill for ordinary use (ANSI cut level 5).


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

Thanks.!
Love those afror extrication gloves you linked to.
Even though I suspect the dexterity might be fine for pulling people out of crushed cars but probably not enough to manipulating weapons thru their full range.
Hy HiHex also seems interesting


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I am a total glove (_insert word for prostitute_). For work I probably have at least a dozen or more pair for variety of purposes. I have Hatch, Damascus, Franklin, 5.11 and others... Some with kevlar, some with carbon knuckles, some for warm weather, some for sub-zero weather... For general all purpose use I like the Mechanix gloves but HATE how they are just ugly billboards advertising the company name. The Ironclad Tac-Ops is just as good without all the flash and gaudiness. I purchased several pair on clearance from an EMS supply company last year for $12 each (they normally run around $18-23). So now I keep 2 pair of the Tac-Ops in each of my BOB's.


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## ComputerGuy (Dec 10, 2010)

Sentry. Tac gloves. Any suggestions and sites? Thanks


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## the7wolf (Dec 4, 2012)

ComputerGuy said:


> Sentry. Tac gloves. Any suggestions and sites? Thanks


Here we go. Might be able to get them cheaper elsewhere but at least it's a good starting point.

Google shopper results: https://www.google.com/search?q=iro...adfb1fa91f53800&bpcl=39650382&biw=768&bih=901

I got 2 of the mechanics pairs from eBay.


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## ComputerGuy (Dec 10, 2010)

Thank you very much


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

Dyneema gloves (cut resistant) run ~$6. Ironclad are a bit more expensive. I have a pair of their HeatWorx and find they work well as insulating gloves in colder weather.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

> Sentry. Tac gloves. Any suggestions and sites? Thanks


I buy most of mine from QMuniforms.com. They also sell their own brand of lower cost gloves called Law Pro, which are actually okay but made in China (like almost everything else).


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

Sentry18 said:


> I buy most of mine from QMuniforms.com. They also sell their own brand of lower cost gloves called Law Pro, which are actually okay but made in China (like almost everything else).


My eyes were dilated when I bought the wiley X;s.
SO I coudln't read the "made-in"
Imagaine my horror when when I got home and read "mad ein China".

I thought that if I pay $63 dollars for apair then I would at least aavoid supporting the chiense arms indstry.
For the same reason I dont buy Barska scopes or low end red dots.

I dont want to support the arms industry of a country my children or grnadschildren probaly have to go to war against.


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## webeable (Aug 29, 2012)

As far as gloves go almost any gloves will work, that said if you do have small cuts do dishes in hot water to battle infection.


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