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I’m rather particular when it comes to work gloves. I wear them often, and it can be very difficult to find a pair that are durable enough to last for more than a few months of daily use. Lets see how these FIRM GRIP’s hold up.
First Impression
I like gloves that have a velcro strap that secures the glove firmly to the wrist, rather than just have an open ended opening into the glove. I want my gloves to grip tightly when I’m wearing them so they don’t slip off or move around when I’m lifting things. These gloves have exactly what I’m looking for. Also I don’t like gloves that strap high on the wrist, I want them to strap right where my wrist meets my thumb like these gloves do.
Functionality
The next thing that is of extreme importance is the fit of the glove. A lot of gloves have either excess pinky or thumb length, or not deep enough crotch between the pinky and ring finger – giving you an almost webbed duck-like feeling between some of your fingers. It’s sort of a picky thing, but it seems like they just cut the fingers on the same plane, rather than on the contour of an actual hand. This is a problem I can deal with, but is more irritating than anything. These FIRM GRIP gloves do not have this problem, however they do have excessive material at the finger-tips which other brands do not have (for the same size glove).
Now to be fair, I was sent a pair of XL gloves, when I normally wear a Large. I had a new pair sent because the XL was ridiculously large on me, and when I tried the larges on they were still bigger than most other large gloves I wear. So it appears that for this specific glove you’ll want to get them a size smaller than normal. For me that is a medium.
The next thing that really matters to me is the fabric of the glove, because that will ultimately determine the durability and longevity of the glove. If the fabric is a cheap/thin nylon they will most likely rip within a couple months. If they are made of a leather, jean, or hard nylon then they will last over 6 months. That’s what I’m looking for. It’s unreasonable to expect a set of gloves to last over a year with everyday use, at least for how an electrician works. We’re pretty tough on gloves, so the fabric will be the biggest determining factor in whether or not I’m happy with them. Also the thinner nylon or cotton gloves tend to absorb moisture quickly so if you get them even the smallest bit wet, you’ll feel it immediately. This is why I like gloves that are primarily leather or something similar to a Carhart jacket. The brown and black FIRM GRIP’s below are my preference over the black and white pair I’m currently reviewing. They’re rugged and fit great.
These Heavy Duty Firm Grip gloves (black and white pair) have some extra protection for the knuckles that I don’t see as an important thing, almost a bit more gimmicky if in anything. I think it is due to the fact that the gloves are a little weaker fabric so they made up for it by putting plastic/rubber armor over the knuckles so as to protect them from rubbing or bumping. Again, just a preference thing, but with the Trademaster style they’re rugged enough to not need these added pieces of material. Plus it almost makes them feel cheaper having extra parts sewed on, as well as more surface area to catch on things when reaching in and out of spaces, pockets, panels, etc. Not a fan of this design.
The inner grip of the glove (inside of the hand) is a decent fabric. It’s grippy, and moderately durable, and flexible enough that it doesn’t feel like they’re getting in the way of you opening/closing your hand. The fabric does feel like it’s not going to last as long as the Trademaster series will, but I haven’t had the chance to use them for long enough to really push them to the limit long-term.
Summary
I don’t have any major gripes or complaints about this pair of gloves. They’re not my favorite, but they are still great gloves for the average user. I think they’d work well for anyone who needs quality work gloves daily, but depending on the type of use may end up ripping within a few months causing you to buy another pair soon. I prefer a little heavier duty glove, which funny enough they put the words “Heavy Duty” on these gloves, but didn’t put them on the heavier duty Trademaster series. I think it’s a marketing thing. If you find yourself in need of gloves less than daily then these will be more than ample for your use and you may find yourself using them for a year or more. For a professional electrician that requires a daily rugged glove however, I give them a 4 out of 5 stars. They’re great, just not outstanding.
