Work Gloves

Big Time Products 20103 Grease Monkey Large General Purpose Work Glove
So a while back I said I was going to try out some of those mechanic style work gloves. I was at Home Depot the other day and found a pair from a company called Big Time Products. These are called Grease Monkey general purpose gloves "made especially for mechanics." I really liked that tag line since I'm a mechanic and I figured these things would work for me.

The gloves are pretty comfortable and have a velcro shaft on the back of the wrist to tighten the glove. They are made out of a synthetic suede material on the fingers and palm and a spandex type of stretchable material on the back of the hand. There are padded areas on the palm and knuckle and they seemed reasonably breathable. They cost me $10 at the store.

I was working a triple the next day so I was excited to give the gloves a try. That night I was working midnight shift first so I got my assignment and went to it. The gloves worked really well and were very comfortable. I changed some tires and did some engine work and hydraulics, etc. The next shift was days and I used the gloves for nearly every call I went on. Day shift is primarily oil and hydraulics with a little engine work.

Around the end of day shift I noticed a problem with the left hand glove. The index finger on that side was developing a hole in it. Try as I might to "favor" that hand or finger I could not and soon enough the hole got bigger and bigger. The material that makes up the fingers of the glove is getting very thin on all the finger tips. I'm not sure if its the oil or hydraulic fluid, or just maybe the type of work we do as Aircraft mechanics but these "general purpose" gloves just won't hold up. In 24 hours the glove failed (in my opinion).

The gloves are comfortable enough but not durable enough for airplane work. To be fair I went to the Big Time Products website and they do say specifically "for auto mechanics". There are other gloves with reinforced finger tips but I bought these for the tactile touch I though they would provide.

I still like the gloves and I still and going to use them. As a matter of fact I cut the finger tip off the left glove and continue to use them.

Plus I'm a broke, cheap aircraft mechanic and as you guys know we always adapt. The next time I'll be sure to get some better gloves but I must say that I really like using them.