Four Things You Should Know About Cut Resistant Gloves

If you’re in the market for purchasing some cut resistant gloves for you or your employees, then this article is for you! We’ve gathered four key things that you should know about cut-resistant gloves, so that you can be sure you’re getting exactly what you need.
 

1. There are main types of yarn used

When it comes down to it, there are actually only two types of yarn used in manufacturing cut resistant gloves. This may come as a surprise, considering how many different kinds of cut resistant gloves are on the market. The first type is Ultra-High-Wight-Molecular-Polyethylene, or UHWMPE for short. This type of yarn is found in many name brand gloves like Dyneema. The second is a para-aramid yarn which is found in name brand gloves like Kevlar. The vast majority of gloves you’ll find will have one of these two types of yarns in it. The reason there are seemingly so many different kinds out there is because manufacturers will rebrand their specific blend of materials, which can sometimes include an engineered stainless steel or fiberglass.

2. Real World Glove Performance is not the same as Lab Test Results

You know how every cut resistant glove is rated using the ANSI or EN 388 test? Well, both of these tests are conducted in very different ways, however, neither really is able to simulate conditions or hazards that are found in the real world. With this in mind, when shopping for cut resistant gloves it is best to take these ratings as a guideline, not as a true rule for real life conditions.
 

3. Not all lab tests are created equally

You may not know this, but the results from lab tests can vary as much as 20% between labs. There are so many variables that come into cut resistant gloves and testing that it is really hard to make glove testing an exact science. These tests should set you up with a base of guidelines that will lead you to a certain pair of gloves that you would like to test in your actual environment and see how they really perform.
 

4. Cut Resistant Gloves can be washed

Cut resistant gloves do not need to be a single time use glove! There is no need to throw out a pair of cut resistant work gloves the first time they get dirty. Most cut resistant gloves can be safely washed up to 4 times while still maintaining their protective integrity. This will help you to save lots of money and will improve the longevity of your gloves. With this being said, to increase employee compliance, it is a good idea to select darker colored gloves so that when they get dirty or stained, workers will still wear them, as opposed to dirty white gloves; not very appealing.
 
Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you navigate the cut resistant glove world and find what you need in the long run