What are your recommendations for waterproof thermal work gloves with good dexterity, working on a variety of machinery, my shop is unheated, about 40 degrees these days and my old hands don't like the cold. Dexterity is more important than super insulation, was looking at the Proflex 7501, what do you use ? Thanks
Not fancy but cheap and good dexterity once broken in. My hands don't sweat in these and their are good for summer or winter use for me. I like the heavy nitrile gloves too but they make my hands sweat and sit in a puddle. Better dexterity with the nitriles but generally only worth it for greasy stuff, not really abrasive or sharp conditions. Sorry, these are not waterproof but I have put nitriles over them to make a waterproof glove when absolutely required.
I think the ProFlex 7501 will be fine for non-machinery shop use. Fairly cheap, reusable, and nitrile covered is a good set of features. A google search on insulated chemical gloves or insulated coated gloves or such with give you a few more options if you want to compare/shop around. You'll find everything from industrial chemical gloves that go up to your elbows to hunting gloves 'designed specifically' keep your hands squeaky clean when field dressing game. Another option similar to what Treemuncher mentioned is to put on a pair of cotton or other thin gloves and then a put on a pair of nitrile gloves on top. I said 'non-machinery shop' use above because I don't wear gloves in our shop when using lathes, mills, drills, etc. I don't want the glove getting caught and then dragging my hand into the work piece. If I do wear anything when on those machines, it's thin like plain nitrile that easily rips and won't pull my hand if snagged. But for non-dirty/non-wet, mildly cold weather, my personal favorite gloves are military flight gloves, aka: NOMEX flight gloves. They're designed specifically to maintain as much dexterity and tactile feel as possible while adding a bit of protection against the cold (and a whole lot of protection against flash burns!). Great for hunting and/or just futzing around on the tractor. They're also the only gloves I wear for the very rare TIG welding I do in our shop. Flight gloves are pricey but adding a nitrile glove on top for occasional dirty use will ensure you'll keep them for years as they're very durable. They can also be washed just by wearing them and 'washing' your hands in the sink.
To clarify, this is for working on machinery, not for using machines such as my lathe etc, no gloves when running that stuff no mater how cold. Years ago as a firefighter, we would wear nitrile gloves under our structure gloves, for tasks like extrication, to quickly go from extrication to patient care. There sure is a lot of choices, mostly I have been using leather gloves, but they soak up everything and only stand being dried a couple of times after being wet before they shrink, the nitrile gloves over cotton gloves are nice, something like that but a little more sturdy might work.
Yup- agree leather gloves are not ideal for wet conditions. The other option I can recommend are tactical gloves that our ground mechanics use in the military. Not many of them are waterproof but they are designed for hard use. If you prefer waterproof, you might think neoprene (scuba) gloves but will have a tradeoff in durability.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauk...ipped-Work-Gloves-4-Pack-48-22-8917/317395154 I’ve been using these in rotation lately...when they get too wet to be comfortable they go on the dash to dry and I grab a fresh pair. Easy and cheap and there’s about a dozen pairs floating around in various conditions that I can grab when needed. Another option (I’m a beekeeper on the side) is to wax some leather gloves...I make my own boot wax that waterproofs pretty good on my leather boots... don’t see why that wouldn’t work for some leather work gloves
Another option (I’m a beekeeper on the side) is to wax some leather gloves...I make my own boot wax that waterproofs pretty good on my leather boots... don’t see why that wouldn’t work for some leather work gloves[/QUOTE] Want to share your boot wax recipe ?
I’m no expert but here’s what my last batch was: 1/2 cup beeswax 1/4 cup coconut oil 1/4 cup grape seed oil 1/4 cup castor oil 10 drops witch hazel 6 drops lemon essential oil Combine all on low heat (double boiler or an old tin can works) Good luck to you in that cold!
Thanks for that recipe, I have a big chunk of beeswax a sculptor gave me years ago, so I made up a batch of 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 cosmoline and 1/3 Chevron log and shake oil, which is a light, fairly non toxic, petroleum oil for wood, seems to work well, no unpleasant odor and leaves a nice surface.