Why is it so hard to find durable insulated work gloves?

[MossRoad]

Why has this become so difficult? I am looking for good quality insulated leather work gloves yet any I find in stores don't seem durable and the big Amazon is full them but with very mixed reviews.

I turn to you my fellow TBN'ers, have any of you found insulated leather work gloves that really hold up to the abuse of handling firewood or farm chores without losing their insulating quality or just flat out falling apart? I'm looking for gloves that are warm down to about 20 deg F.

Please post a link if you have suggestions!

I've had two pairs of these for several years. They seem to last very well. But I don't wear them unless its below 20 degrees or so.
https://www.menards.com/main/home-d...06-c-7081.htm?tid=-8607909257065771320&ipos=4

Above 20, I don't wear insulated gloves. I just don't get cold that easily. So I wear these, which are about the same thing as above, with no insulation. I have 3-4 pairs of them and they just stay in the pockets of my different jackets. They last a good long while as well.
https://www.menards.com/main/home-d...19-c-7081.htm?tid=-8607909257065771320&ipos=6

 

[MossRoad]

Remember, leather can be any animal hide like cattle, pig, goat, deer, etc...

I think deerskin leather is a softer, more flexible material and lasts longer in moderate work because it doesn't crack like cow hide leather can. But cow hide is probably tougher. My brother in law only wants cow hide gloves because he says they're tougher. He's a heavy equipment operator by trade. With that said, he sits in a cab all day (how tough do you need?) and he's a cold temperature wuss. :laughing: (never waste an opportunity to make fun of your B.I.L.).

I only want deerskin or goatskin leather. It's much softer and I haven't seen any wear issues VS the cow hide leather gloves I've had in the past.

 

[oosik]

The elk skin gloves from Aerostich aren't cheap but I've had them five+ years. No rips, tears or cuts. Every year I thoroughly wash in laundry detergent and re-oil with a good brand of liquid leather conditioner. They show the stains of the years of mud, grease and use but otherwise they are still fine gloves.

 

[s219]

I've had good luck with deerskin gloves for longevity, problem is the prices went way up in recent years and even cheaper gloves cost more.

For insulation, I found that a pair of Thinsulate glove liners inside regular work gloves is an ideal solution for temps down to about 15F. Below that I am normally doing less intense work and heavy ski gloves are OK.

 

[TheMan419]

I have found glove liners are the life saver for me. I have some random leather insulated gloves. They are ok down to about the freezing point. Below that throw in a pair of liners. That gets me down to zero or so. Below that all bets are off. Big ski gloves and liners come out. I am not doing much more than a quick stall muck at that temp so durability is not the prime concern.

 

[two_bit_score]

Golden Stag for just about any kind of gloves you need.

Best quality for a reasonable price.

Winter

I like #207 because they are double palm. Very durable.

 

[dougtrr2]

I have never had any luck with gloves. I have bought premium gloves but never felt like I got that great a life out of them. I tend to buy those three packs of leather gloves at lowes for under $7. I happened to stop in for some and they were clearing them out for 53 cents for a pack of three. At that price I bought the last 18 sets. For a little over $9 for 54 sets of gloves I thought I did okay.

Doug in SW IA

 

[two_bit_score]

I have never had any luck with gloves. I have bought premium gloves but never felt like I got that great a life out of them. I tend to buy those three packs of leather gloves at lowes for under $7. I happened to stop in for some and they were clearing them out for 53 cents for a pack of three. At that price I bought the last 18 sets. For a little over $9 for 54 sets of gloves I thought I did okay.

Doug in SW IA

Gloves are consumables. If you are satisfied with the quality for the purpose at hand then good for you. Not everyone needs $40 a pair gloves. The cheaper the better sometimes.



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[bigtiller]

I've never tried it, but would welding gloves work for you? They keep the heat out pretty good when handling hot metal and seam tough enough to handle firewood.

 

[wheelbuilder]

I buy the army surplus leather gloves with the separate wool liners. Usually get several sets so I can dry out some and wear another. If they wear thru they just interchange.
They aren't the warmest, but with a couple pairs of the liners they do ok.

 

[Jstpssng]

Golden Stag for just about any kind of gloves you need.

Best quality for a reasonable price.

Winter

I like #207 because they are double palm. Very durable.

The deerskin Thinsulate gloves look pretty appealing, and they have the knit fingerless gloves which I used to wear under my choppers mittens, but I haven't been able to find them for years. Yet how do you order them? I can find everything except an order form and/or vendor list.

 

[Industrial Toys]

With all this "HIGH TECHNOLOGY" that was never available decades ago, I can't understand how my father and grandfather still had all their fingers.

 

[two_bit_score]

The deerskin Thinsulate gloves look pretty appealing, and they have the knit fingerless gloves which I used to wear under my choppers mittens, but I haven't been able to find them for years. Yet how do you order them? I can find everything except an order form and/or vendor list.

Check Amazon or just contact the owner through the website. I buy individual pairs or a couple pair at D&D Farm Supply in Seguin, Texas.


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[rt014]

Down to the teens...I like cheap leather work gloves combined with a wool inner glove (the ones with the pebbled texture). After a day of working in them they come on and off 'as a unit' and are pretty warm and durable.

 

[DARTMAN003]

Rubber mechanics gloves under any leather gloves, hands stay dry and warm. We learned this from our local sawmill, works great.

 

[TractorNH]

Thanks for all of the input everyone. I did more reading and it seems pigskin is very durable so I've bought a few different pairs through Amazon to try out. These are the ones I already have, both have 100 gram Thinsulate.

I've abused these Tillman 1565 gloves already for one weekend of firewood cutting and handling and they are still perfect, just like new. Stayed warm too. Even after they had been wet they were still soft and pliable unlike how leather gets so I'm happy about that too.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pldnSite=1

I also picked up a couple pairs of these Steiner P241T gloves because they were an Amazon add-on item for only $5.60 per pair so how could I not try them?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pldnSite=1

 

[Dftodd]

I used to get heavy gloves from the local truck stop. Heavy leather with sheep's fur lining. Cost around $15. Warm and toasty up to 30 below. Haven't seen them in years though. I'm stuck like everyone else with the mediocre alternatives.

 

[CMV]

I buy the army surplus leather gloves with the separate wool liners. Usually get several sets so I can dry out some and wear another. If they wear thru they just interchange.
They aren't the warmest, but with a couple pairs of the liners they do ok.

That was same thought I had - those plain black leather ones with the wool liners weren't too bad & held up. Then there were the light tan rappelling ones that were even a bit tougher. I always heard them called and referred to those as horsehide but think they were just thicker leather than the standard black ones. Anyway, can probably find a lot of places unless Army doesn't issue those any longer.

I typically wore a pair of nomex flight gloves as liners then the black work gloves - that worked well but the wool liners were a little warmer IIRC.

 

[Oaktree]

Down to the teens...I like cheap leather work gloves combined with a wool inner glove (the ones with the pebbled texture). After a day of working in them they come on and off 'as a unit' and are pretty warm and durable.

Dunno about the rest of you guys, but I have enough trouble finding gloves that are big enough for just my hands, let alone an inner glove. Even XLs are pretty tight on me.
The cheap cotton or canvas ones fit, but aren't very warm.