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Posted: 1/27/2014 4:40:00 PM EDT
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It seems like a glove thread pops up once a week, I figure we could have a thread in which we can share our first hand experiences.
I'll start with the old standby, the Oakley SI Assault Glove. 
I've had good luck with these gloves, having used the same pair for 4 years (not the pair pictured above). I have had issues with the knuckles on the left glove, it will at times just feel off. I haven't noticed it lately, it may have just been a break in period. It is a thin glove and while I have used them during the winter I didn't particularly enjoy the experience. 
I've had blowout on the index finger of my left hand and it's growing. I also used Rustoleum Neverwet on these gloves because, well, I had nothing else to do. This turned the gloves a whitish blue and repelled liquid from the leather and knuckle portions (Just a fun little fact: Neverwet turns the Nike SFB purple). Overall I have a favorable opinion of this glove (unlike the Oakley Fast Rope but I'll get to that) but I hope others will chime in with not only reviews of this glove but many others. |
Mechanix MPact
I haven't had these terribly long, maybe a month, but I really like these so far. I've only had them out shooting twice, practicing mag changes and had no problems due to gloves. I've also worn them out on some rucks and they kept my hands surprisingly warm. I've also notice that I've been able to manipulate my phone (Gzone) with the pinky with these gloves on. The only downside (and its a minor bitch) is that new these gloves had a horrible chemical smell to them. |
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Quick tip on glove care:
Sweat dries leather out and eventually weakens sling the seams, leading to rips & split fingers. This is exacerbated in hot and/or dry climates. Prevent this by heading down to the sporting goods shop and buying an $8 can of Wilson baseball glove conditioner. Apply it to all leather surfaces (don't glop it on, just enough to get a nice sheen), especially along seams. Let it sit for 24hrs or so, and then wipe off any excess. Your gloves will stay soft and pliable and last 3x longer than without it. If your gloves are really getting nasty, wash them, and let them drip dry before putting conditioner on them. This is how I've had the same pair of oakley gloves for a few years running |
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I would love to see some cold weather gloves getting a good run in this thread. Hopefully we can get this tacked, since it comes up second most to the usual Armor/ plate carrier decide for me please thread.
We all know I'm a PIG FDT-A touch user. Hopefully somebody will review them for us. SOS |
Oakley Fast Rope
As soon as I took these out of the package it seemed like they were already falling apart. 
Lots of fraying after not a lot of hard use. I've had these gloves on two - maybe three - demo ranges. Use wasn't heavy, placing some M112 and tying some knots with demo cord. They also went with me on an MG range but other than firing I wasn't doing a whole lot. I may have 
Actually rappelling with them? Not at any .mil school. I've gotten the ok for a set of Petzl's but the FR's are a no go in my limited experience. 
So after a few ranges,some weapons manipulation (I might have worn them on a ruck or two as well) that's what I'm left with. I definitely wouldn't recommend this particular set of gloves. |
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When a previous unit issued them, I'd destroy a set of the Oakley SI assault gloves in about 2-3 months. Being used in a hot, humid, saltwater environment didn't help at all.
The Mechanix Mpact held up much better (5-6 months) but always felt bulky to me. The thinner Mechanix gloves seemed to be the best combination of ease of use and durability (plus price at like 15 or 20 a pair) |
| I have not had the best luck with the Oakleys either. I went thru 3 pairs in a 9 month deployment. The 1st pair i wore out within a week. The seams at the fingertips would break loose. The Oakley gloves look kick ass but from my experiences there are better gloves to be had. I have a pair of Mechanix gloves that I have worn on duty for over 2 years. They still look brand new and cost less than half what I got the Oakleys for and I got the Oakleys at a huge discount on usstandardissue |
| SOS send me some pig gloves and I'll review them for you. Ha ha. Plus one for the Oakley assault gloves. Only problem with them is it's hard to search a person's pockets for weapons, because of the knuckles. The palms also melt. Found this out when trying to adjust a suppressor after a mag dump. It was a bad idea on my part. Good duty gloves tho. From a Leo's perspective. Have had my eye on the pig alpha touch SOS. |
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I really like the Oakley SI's. However, I like them with the mindset that they are not a long term investment. I would get about 4 months out of them in Iraq, and 3 in Assganistan. Overall I think I prefer the Mechanix's. Blackhawks are not really worth mentioning as I only got a couple weeks out of them. One pair is a pretty miniscule sample size though I reckon.
In the winter I would rock aviators just because we were issued a pile of them each, and they are slightly warmer than any other gloves I had on hand that were thin enough to feel...well anything. |
| I've worn the MPacts on two rucks in the past week and a half. The first was a twelve miler in eleven below wind chill and a six miler today, which had a temp of 9 with 15mph winds. My hands were a little chilly both times, but pretty far from freezing. I'm starting to like these gloves more and more. |
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The Oakley gloves are shit. I wore through mine within two months of use in Iraq. The fingers wear through and the stitches would blow out. A few of the guys in platoon had the exact same issues with them. The sizings were always off and I could never find a set that fit my short fingers very well.
Now the best gloves I have ever used are the Impact CT by Camelbak. They lasted the remaining 12 months of the deployment and then a year of training....and then another few years as range gloves. Still going strong except the finger pad on the index finger has worn through. Comfortable, protects your hands, able to manipulate things. Can't recommend them enough. |
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