Hey guys- I prolly shouldn't be working on Thanksgiving, but I'm thankful for work so I guess this post is in keeping with today's traditions

Lots of good comments here and I’d like to chime in.  There is a near inverse relationship between dexterity and durability.  Trust me when I say we can make a glove that is super durable- it's actually quite easy.  In fact it would be a LOT less expensive to make as well.  The basic formula for more durability is simpler design, fewer pieces and thicker materials.  However, the dexterity would not compare at all.  It isn't a matter of workmanship either- our gloves are made in the same building as other gloves mentioned here, as well as some of the most technical and expensive gloves in the world (think F1 racing- costing hundreds of dollars).  

So the goal behind designing the PIG gloves was simple: If you carry a gun professionally (or as matter of personal practice), and you have to wear gloves, your life can depend on having to shoot quickly and accurately.  And when you consider that most people's shooting and gun-handling abilities severely degrade when gloves are worn (especially handgun), we wanted to make gloves that offered as close to bare-handed shooting dexterity as possible, while offering protection.  We're very proud of the result and we will be introducing our FR model gloves (made of nomex and leather) at SHOT.

Regarding the touch feature- I can operate my smart phone without the touch thread.  It's partly a function of the thinness of the Clarino we use on the trigger finger- it’s the thinnest available for trigger sensitivity.  However, it's also because I carry the recessive Smartphone gene in my DNA and have some bio-chemical mojo that makes it possible without the silver thread.  Armylifer apparently has this gene as well.  But for most folks out there, the magic simply doesn't happen unless you have conductive material.  I don't know the scientific explanation for it- it has something to do with everyone's different electro-magnetic field and moisture levels on the skin- but I know it doesn't work for most people.

Finally, with regard to the silver conductive thread.  It will get fuzzy over time, plain and simple.  It freaks some folks out when this happens because it looks like something has gone awry, but rest assured the silver thread still works (sometimes it feels like it works even better when its fuzzy) and if you want to clean it up, you can touch it up it lightly with a cigarette lighter.  The biggest thing that causes the fuzz is velcro- and when half the shit we handle in the tactical community has velcro on it, the silver thread will fray.  Why still use it then?  It is still the best conductive solution that doesn’t negatively alter the dexterity and feel of the trigger finger.  If you see other gloves that are out there with conductive materials, the finger tips are made of different materials, often times thicker and more rigid, and invariably with a seam (folded over edge of materials that builds up thickness).  Even worse are some of the hard discs that are embedded in the fingertips to operate smart phones.  Bottom line is with a shooting glove, we didn't want anything built up in/around your nose picker when trigger sensitivity is the most important thing to shooting accurately.  

I have a Gen 1 pair from 2 years ago that I still wear to this day.  The seam along the knuckles popped and exposed some foam after a few months of hard use (this was before we started using stretch cordura) and the vent holes in the trigger finger are markedly more worn than the other fingers that have thicker material (I find it kinduv cool when you see the different wear rates happening just as expected with different thickness materials).   While this pair won’t win beauty contests, I don’t know the difference in performance when I’m wearing them.  Point is, everyone’s threshold for replacing gloves is different, but you’ll know when you know.

Bottom line is this- if you are serious about your shooting ability and gloves are a part of your kit, then we ask you to do a simple test.  Run our gloves against any other “tactical” glove on the market in a known shooting standard under time with a handgun.  Anecdotal comments aside, the timer and targets don’t lie and we’ll hold our gloves against any in this results-based environment.  

As for the OP's original question on how many to buy, you wont need a replacement for a while, but you may want to take advantage of a deal when it presents itself.  Wages and costs in production have increased, and while we've kept the price where it's at, eventually we'll likely see a price increase.  Couple that with our Black Friday event starting tomorrow, and I'd say it's not a bad time to get a second pair.  

Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

SilentType,

Thanks for your comments.  Regarding durability, it's not just the fabrics- its thread strength, the relationship between differing stretch rates of differing fabrics at high pressure areas (which are different for every hand) and the number of seams.  When you have nearly triple the number of unique seams (as defined by a separate sewing operation) compared to a "utility grade" tactical glove, you can have even fewer seam compromises as percentage vs. said glove (as a percentage of the seam count), but possibly more user incidents on the whole.  To some this equates to "quality control" issues, when, in actuality, our glove can have a higher quality control standard as it relates to seam counts.  To some folks, none of this will matter, and we can't go around trying to appease everyone or winning the durability game versus utility gloves made out of 10 pieces (versus our 37 pieces). The PIG gloves are a specialty tool for the shooting specialist that needs maximum dexterity out of their hand protection, and those that get it don't look back.

mo4040,

Thank you for sharing your experience. Your situation is definitely towards the heavy-user end of the spectrum.  The example you give of your carbine training class is probably the most intense scenario for usage while shooting- more so than typical military or patrol use, and even more than a similar pistol class.. Why?  Because of the concentrated reps ad nauseam of high abrasion parts in a short amount of time.  Unfortunately you did not get the service life you hoped for out of your PIG gloves- everyone works their carbines and thus their gloves a little bit differently and YMMV- but fortunately you are training with the gloves that will give you the best dexterity when you need to fight with them.  The PIG FDT Alphas were designed by shooters who understand shooting- and not just "make noise and brass" kind of shooting, but "exceed expectations and crush time standards" type shooting.  The designer of the PIG glove is a coin holder (only 11 in the world) for the Pistol-training.com FAST drill- and his is the only coin that was earned while wearing PIG gloves and shooting from an SLS holster.  I'm sure you did countless reps for Phase 1, 2 and 3 malfunction clearance drills during your carbine course, all of which required violently working the charging handle (probably with an aggressive release latch), and the last of which sometimes required multiple racks.  The reason your PIG glove didn't wear out even twice as fast was because that specific action was considered when designing the trigger finger.  While the first design priority was trigger sensitivity, the second consideration was support-hand-pinch-grip charging handle manipulation.  So when you get a chance, take note of the exterior "forschette", or side wall, of the trigger finger is made of Clarino and not the breathable mesh material like all the interior forschettes.  Thanks for your kind words regarding the gloves!  Please PM me about our FR model gloves when you get a chance!

I've got a VERY...VERY.... early pair of PIG gloves, that I've been using for quite a few years now. I did have one small seam area that started to come undone, but 5 minutes on the sewing machine and it was good as new. Other than that, they are still going strong. I also have Oakley's, GI flight gloves, and Mechanix. The PIG's are the ones that are with my emergency go-to gear 8 times out of 10. None of my other gloves offer the fit and dexterity of the PIG's.

Hatr40,

Here's what I can tell you about our new gloves coming out.  

The primary goal for the new PIG FR gloves (the official model name will be announced at release) was to offer a flame resistant model that was requested by countless SWAT and Military personnel due to work requirements.  Speaking in generalities, the Nomex and leather materials are more durable- and in the case of the leather, it offers natural stretch so there will be less stress on high pressure seams.  The trigger finger will still be significantly thinner than the rest of the fingers and palm and it will still offer touch screen compatibility (the few stitch lines of conductive thread on the tip of the trigger finger and thumb are the only non-FR material used, and can be omitted for large agency contracts that require 100% FR materials).  They will also fill the need for those who've been looking for a colder weather glove than the FDT Alphas.  The FR model gloves will not have any insulation so they wont be a dedicated cold weather glove, but removing the vent holes from the FDT Alphas in combination with the new materials will result in a glove that has a better low end for cold weather comfort.  Price has not yet been set but it will be significantly higher than the FDT Alphas due to the huge material cost increase.  Like the PIG FDT Alphas, the FR model will offer the best gun-handling dexterity available in it's category and they will be nearly identical in tactile dexterity to the FDT Alphas.  

Thanks!
p_w

If you're at SHOT, you can see some samples I hope.  Full in-stock won't be till March.  Thanks and enjoy!

Been using a pair for about 6 months, and they have held up great; most comfortable gloves I've owned. Can't even tell you have gloves on when it comes to shooting, but it did make a big difference in the cold. I realize these are not meant to be cold weather gloves, but hunting this weekend for 3 days/nights in rainy cold temperatures (19-30 degrees F) my hands never got cold. Gloves were wet, bloody, muddy, and I was still able to use my iPhone to take pics.

We recommend hitting the silver thread with a lighter for a few seconds to cut down on the fraying. The finger tip area is the most crucial for a "trigger press" and that is why we didn't reinforce the crap out of it. Everything is a give and take with dexterity being on one end of the spectrum.
We can make a glove that will last through the apocalypse, but your weapon control will surely suffer to the point where it will probably be somebody else scavenging those every lasting gloves off your body.

SoS