Editor's Choice
Looking for a good pair of work gloves? We did the research.
Three solid options
When it comes to your hands working a job site, manning a rig, or just carrying around gear, skimping on your glove protection is doing yourself a disservice. It’s no longer a badge of honor to work with materials with your bare hands manning drill rods or installing casing.
But while many gloves are one size fits all, that’s not the approach drillers should be taking when it comes to proper protection. Because you have better things to do with the limited time you aren’t on a job site than researching the best gloves for your buck, we did the homework for you.
Our team at The Driller tried on a number of pairs before deciding that when it came to knuckle protection, cut resistance and how they hold up when wet, these were the three that were the best at a price point that shouldn’t make you lose your cool too much should they come up missing.
Photo: Youngstown
Love the durability: Youngstown Waterproof Plus
$38–40
We particularly like these for those colder months where the job doesn’t quit and the ground isn’t completely frozen yet, but it’d be nice to not do the work with frigid fingers. The Youngstown waterproof gloves not only keep hands dry but have a Thinsulate layer that holds up in keeping your hands warm and breathable. The cut protection isn’t as intense as some of the other models we tested but the flexibility made this one feel like a second skin as opposed to a rigid extension. Might not be the glove you necessarily wear year round on the site, but certainly would be the go to when that water well or geothermal borehole job still needs getting done in those fall and even winter months.
Photo: HexArmor
Best fit: HexArmor Rig Lizard
$45–60
Besides the fact that these simply stand out on a job site we were fans of the flexibility of what can only be described as the exoskeleton which offers a Level 6 cut resistance barrier. As well as the interior layer that offers abrasion and puncture protection. The grip held up really well and according to the manufacturer has performance ratings that comply with multiple certifications by the American National Safety Institute. And comes in a variety of colors if you care about that kind of thing. Also cool is that if you buy directly from their site HexArmor does offer a trial pair to test them out.
Photo: Mechanix
Dependability at a great price: Mechanix Wear M-Pact
$28.99
The first thing that drew us to these gloves was the outer protection layer which seems to envelope the entire glove. But then how easy they were able to put on was what really sealed the deal. It gave great protection around the usual pinch points and again offered that armor from those annoying abrasions that could happen to your knuckles or the sides of your hands. One of the biggest selling points? Right now on the Mechanix site, a variety of colors were on sale for less than $30. Always a fan of a good deal, and these sold us upon initial inspection.
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