Favorite Nitrile Gloves?

[bwringer]

It's February 2024, and I finally ran out of nitrile gloves. At least you can find them now.

What are your favorite nitrile gloves for general mechanickery?

FWIW, the last batch I had was 8mil Gloveworks, and they were pretty dang OK. I've never been happy with the gloves from Harbor Freight; they're just sorta "meh" in every way.



Sub-question: are there ANY gloves out there that will stand up to brake cleaner? Even nitrile seems to swell and absorb the stuff, and then hold it next to my skin.

 

[Steve_P]

I use the 5 mil from HF. They fit perfectly and I stock up on them when they're on sale. They're cheap enough that it's no big deal when I go thru dozens of them in a day; I change them when they're filthy to help keep tools clean. Yes, they're not impenetrable to chemicals, won't resist stab wounds or 1000F glowing red heated parts.... because they're the thickness of two human hairs. You pay for dexterity with reduced durability, which we all know; there is no free lunch.

Disposable gloves won't stand up to harsh chemicals; you need to shop McMaster for something more durable, bulky, and expensive.

I've used a bunch of brands of nitrile gloves, including from McMaster, and I keep going back to the HF ones because the price, and I really haven't seen much of a difference in use. I'm sure that some are slightly better, but probably cost 50% more.

 

[WildBill]

These 6 mil no sweaty gloves are the best I have used for the price, you can even take them off mid job and put them back on because of the nice no-sweat lining. I usually pay about $10 a box on sale, but even at double that they are a really good deal. https://www.mechanix.com/us-en/disposable-gloves/D07.html

 

[bwringer]

These 6 mil no sweaty gloves are the best I have used for the price, you can even take them off mid job and put them back on because of the nice no-sweat lining. I usually pay about $10 a box on sale, but even at double that they are a really good deal. https://www.mechanix.com/us-en/disposable-gloves/D07.html

Nice! I had no idea such a thing existed.

Come to think of it, yeah, it sure would be nice to peel off a glove that hadn't turned into five little bags of sweat.

 

[dscheidt]

Sub-question: are there ANY gloves out there that will stand up to brake cleaner? Even nitrile seems to swell and absorb the stuff, and then hold it next to my skin.

No. Nitrile rubber doesn't hold up to acetone, which is the main solvent in most non-chlorinated brake cleaners. to hold up to acetone, you want butyl or latex rubber.

 

[UglyViking]

If I want a glove for something where I'm going back and forth between dirty and clean often, then I'll use the cheapo HF gloves. I dislike about everything about the except for the price. They are good for very little, but they are cheap.

I really love the Venom Steel gloves. They are spendy, but you can put a pair on for hours without them breaking. For something where I'm going to want to just put gloves on and get to work, they are well worth the cost.

 

[bwringer]

Yeah, I have a box of those nasty-*** cheapo Harbor Freight gloves for stuff where I don't need or expect much. They have their place when you need cheap.

I've seen Venom Steel gloves on the shelf locally at Menards. Might have to pick up a box.

 

[PittsburghTim]

I love these. They work with any stain or finish that I've used on furniture or woodcarvings and are great for greasy work on the cars.

GLOVEWORKS HD Orange Nitrile Industrial Disposable Gloves, 8 Mil, Latex-Free, Raised Diamond Texture, X-Large, Box of 100​

 

[Buckaroo5]

I am also glad just to be able to buy nitrile gloves these days post Covid. I have been buying the Costco Heavy Duty Black Nitrile gloves when they go on sale - maybe about $11.99 for 100, regular price $14.99. Hold up well. I also have some boxes of the Kirkland Nitrile Exam Gloves which are not as thick - light duty gloves. Won't buy then again as long as I can get the Heavy Duty Black.

 

[wandrur]

Gloveworks gloves are great. HF work for most everything I do. I also recently bought the Mechanix Nickelbacks, which are very good and quite strong. For any sharp edges or rough surfaces, definitely go with Gloveworks or Mechanix.

I just bought a 1000 glove box of some rando 4mil gloves from Woot! for $34. They are sold out now, though.

 

[MileHighRover]

I bought a few boxes of these when the HF ones were basically impossible to find. I got the 6 mil ones. I'd been using HF 5 mil gloves for many years. After using these from U-Line, I'll never go back to the HF ones. Jobs where I'd go through 4 or 5 pairs of HF gloves, often times the U-Line gloves will get pulled off and saved for the next job. They're that good.

U-Line Nitrile Gloves

 

[Rockable]

I like these Raven 7 mil gloves. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L017K14?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[VolvoRyan]

Gloveworks. Five mil for 5 mil stuff. Eight mil for 8 mil stuff.

HF gloves got real hit or miss.

-Ryan

 

[Wamsutta]

You guys ever try to put nitrile gloves on when your hands are already sweaty, clammy, and sticky? There was one day I decided to be a smartass and splashed cornstarch all over my hands before putting the gloves on. That sure made the gloves slide on easy, but when my hands started sweating again with the gloves on, that cornstarch made the gloves slide right off. There doesn't seem to be anyway to win with disposable gloves.

 

[zktk01]

These 6 mil no sweaty gloves are the best I have used for the price, you can even take them off mid job and put them back on because of the nice no-sweat lining. I usually pay about $10 a box on sale, but even at double that they are a really good deal. https://www.mechanix.com/us-en/disposable-gloves/D07.html

I never knew about these thanks for enlightening me, I will try some out

 

[toyotadriver]

You guys ever try to put nitrile gloves on when your hands are already sweaty, clammy, and sticky? There was one day I decided to be a smartass and splashed cornstarch all over my hands before putting the gloves on. That sure made the gloves slide on easy, but when my hands started sweating again with the gloves on, that cornstarch made the gloves slide right off. There doesn't seem to be anyway to win with disposable gloves.

You can wear two pairs. One stays on and the outer one gets removed and replaced as needed. If it's hot, your hands will still sweat though.



Nothing in this post should be misunderstood, interpreted, misinterpreted, or construed to be of a political nature.

 

[Shocker]

Gloves? What you talkin' 'bout gloves...

I have a box of vinyl gloves that I use when I need to do something really nasty. Like applying poly or hand mixing a small amount of cement for something.

Otherwise, I just get all cut up. I figure if I don't spill some blood while doing a project, it will be cursed in some way.

 

[Kaervak]

9mil nitrile from Harbor Freight. I get multiple wearings from a single pair and I'm not easy on them.

 

[jeffmoss26]

https://www.ansell.com/us/en/products/microflex-blaze-n48

 

[mattmann86]

I use harbor freight as well. Not sure what mil but love them for working in the shop and detailing.

 

[KnurledNut]

I'm currently using 6 mil Cordova Safety Nitri-cor Agility because thats what one of our suppliers had available.
The great part is they are approved for food safety/handling, so after I finish that brake job, I can eat my sandwich.

 

[u2slow]

I use these.

https://www.amazon.ca/Grease-Monkey-5555PF-Nitrile-Gloves/dp/B08BW1YMZN?tag=atomicindus04-20

They take a lot of abuse before they tear or get holes. I re-use them a few times before they're toast. They fit a size smaller than others i find. If you need large normally, get XL.

 

[pelletman]

Not really what you asked, but I got away from the nitrile gloves for the most part. Don't like sweaty hands. I think these are great and last a long long time for mechanical work and are very reusable, I also wash them with rags. Very good dexterity

Amazon.com

 

[drboom]

These 6 mil no sweaty gloves are the best I have used for the price, you can even take them off mid job and put them back on because of the nice no-sweat lining. I usually pay about $10 a box on sale, but even at double that they are a really good deal. https://www.mechanix.com/us-en/disposable-gloves/D07.html

I didn't know these were a thing. They are on sale at the moment direct from the mechanix link you provided. $10/box if you buy at least 3 boxes. $3 shipping or free shipping over $75. They have 25% off site wide and a few other deals but this looks like the only really good one.
https://www.mechanix.com/us-en/all-work-gloves/?start=0&sz=120&srule=discount-percentage is the whole site sorted by discount.

 

[WildBill]

I didn't know these were a thing. They are on sale at the moment direct from the mechanix link you provided. $10/box if you buy at least 3 boxes. $3 shipping or free shipping over $75. They have 25% off site wide and a few other deals but this looks like the only really good one.
https://www.mechanix.com/us-en/all-work-gloves/?start=0&sz=120&srule=discount-percentage is the whole site sorted by discount.

Cool, time to buy 3 more boxes. I get them a couple times a year when they are this price. By far the best disposable gloves I've tried.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Besides HF at home, at work we have MicroFlex which I’ve always had good luck with. We get the Diamond Grip and Safe Grip which are latex and then we have the Onyx Black Nitrite Gloves. Personally I like them all. So if you want nitrile the onyx would be the ones to get. Expensive but good. But I’ve also had good luck with the 7mil and 9mil gloves at HF. The 5 mil blue ones aren’t so good anymore. The green 5 mil ones there they just came out with are substantially better though. They must be slightly different formula of nitrile.

 

[GTO]

Free

 

[paulsomlo]

Black Lightning - I have small hands and the medium size fits well: Black Lightning Gloves at Zoro.com

I've used the HF and some others, but keep coming back to Black Lightning.

 

[KnurledNut]

I didn't know these were a thing. They are on sale at the moment direct from the mechanix link you provided. $10/box if you buy at least 3 boxes. $3 shipping or free shipping over $75. They have 25% off site wide and a few other deals but this looks like the only really good one.
https://www.mechanix.com/us-en/all-work-gloves/?start=0&sz=120&srule=discount-percentage is the whole site sorted by discount.

SAVE10 gives an additional 10% discount...

 

[mslim]

9mil nitrile from Harbor Freight. I get multiple wearings from a single pair and I'm not easy on them.

I use these too. If they're not torn from a job or too filthy, I turn 'em inside out and stick 'em on a screwdriver handle to dry. This way I get multiple wearings out of them.

 

[Jsf721]

Glove works

 

[bwringer]

Glove works

Yup, lots of recommendations for Glove Works here. And using up my last pair of Glove Works gloves is kinda what inspired this thread. I was quite happy with them, but hey, if there's something better out there...

One subtle issue is that the cheapo gloves from Harbor Freight are very smooth and very slippery especially when you get some oil on your hands; the better gloves have some texture that gives you a fighting chance of hanging on to your tools and parts.

Cheapie gloves from HF absolutely have their place for quick, messy jobs like packing bearings. I even have a box of super cheap-n-nasty vinyl gloves for quick, undemanding stuff.

I also found "chemical resistant" three layer gloves at Menards (Ansell MicroFlex Chem3) that are touted to hold up to brake cleaner and carburetor cleaner, among many other nasties. $3.99 for three pairs, and they're a little bit thick and stiff, but I'll definitely put them to the test soon. I'm really, honestly, truly, sick and tired of what brake cleaner and carburetor cleaner do to my hands, and of course absorbing that stuff is bad for the entire body. Expensive in the package of six gloves, but a box of 50 appears to be about $21 on the Brazilian River, in line with other high-end disposable gloves.

Like every tool question here, the only correct answer for "Which tool?" is "Yes. All of them."

 

[MOS3522]

HF gloves go on sale several times per year, as low as $4.99 a box for the 5 mil version. I stock up on the 5- and 7- mil versions when that happens. The 9mm are too thick and I have them "on hand" but rarely use them.

The 5 mil versions are adequate for 99% of tasks.

 

[autobon7]

SAVE10 gives an additional 10% discount...

Thanks for this. Just ordered and discount covered shipping

 

[DTG]

I have been using the GloveWorks HD 8 mil as Pittsburgh Tim mentioned above. They do hold up well with brake cleaner for a while. It seems any prolonged exposure does make any nitrile swell up though. Bottom line is they still protect you from those harsh chemicals that are not so good for us. The only issue I have with the GloveWorks HD is how expensive they are. That being said, I found a glove that seems identical to me at a much cheaper price of $11.85 per box. Only caveat is they are only sold by the case. Worth a look none the less. https://www.yourglovesource.com/products/8-mil-orange-nitrile-diamond-grip-industrial-glove. I have not tried these yet, but the same company has a 6 mil black version in the same embossed texture that comes out to $7.82 a box. https://www.yourglovesource.com/products/6-mil-black-nitrile-diamond-grip-industrial-gloves.

 

[IndyGarage]

I've used the Gloveworks and they are good.

The last batch I bought were Venom Steel on Amazon. They are better but pretty expensive.

 

[DTG]

I've used the Gloveworks and they are good.

The last batch I bought were Venom Steel on Amazon. They are better but pretty expensive.

I have not tried Venom Steel yet myself, but I did see a guy on Youtube do a an extensive review and testing on around 8 different types of gloves. He was pretty thorough in his testing. If I remember correctly, the Venom Steel won best overall. But like you said, quite expensive. I just found the video I mentioned above. It's about 2 years old, but still relevant and worth the watch if you have the time.

 

[IndyGarage]

I have not tried Venom Steel yet myself, but I did see a guy on Youtube do a an extensive review and testing on around 8 different types of gloves. He was pretty thorough in his testing. If I remember correctly, the Venom Steel won best overall. But like you said, quite expensive. I just found the video I mentioned above. It's about 2 years old, but still relevant and worth the watch if you have the time.

Thanks, I hadn't seen the Project Farm video. Not surprised at the result. The Venom Steel gloves are very good. And according to him they are cheaper than the Gloveworks - so If you are buying some try the Venoms and see if you like them.

 

[Psiber]

These 6 mil no sweaty gloves are the best I have used for the price, you can even take them off mid job and put them back on because of the nice no-sweat lining. I usually pay about $10 a box on sale, but even at double that they are a really good deal. https://www.mechanix.com/us-en/disposable-gloves/D07.html

These. I previously used the Gloveworks 8mil, liked the durability, but too sweaty in the summers here. The Mechanix seem to be always on sale and if you are a veteran they have a nice discount on top of the sale price too.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Another vote for Black Lightning. I've used dozens of boxes them in the paint and body trade for many years and they hold up to chemicals very very well. Best I've used.

When shopping for nitrile gloves thicker is always better in regards to durability.