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What’s New in Coated Work Gloves?
Coated work gloves are the perfect solution when your workers need lightweight protection from cuts and abrasions along with a solid grip. It’s been years since we’ve had anything other than the usual choices in glove coatings. But there’s a new kid on the block for oily applications and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before – the TriTek PalmTM!
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By M.B. Sutherland, Sr. Safety Writer, Magid and John Heniff, Safety Writer, Magid
What's new in coated work gloves?
Coated work gloves are the perfect solution when your workers need lightweight protection from cuts and abrasions along with a solid grip. It’s been years since we’ve had anything other than the usual choices in glove coatings. But new advancements in glove coating technology are unlike anything we’ve seen before – the TriTek Palm® and the VersaTek™ Adaptive Coating!
Common Work Glove Coatings
Traditionally, you’ve had six different work glove coatings to choose from, each with its own pros and cons.
| Coating | Pros | Cons |
| Polyurethane | Light, soft, and flexible with good dexterity and tactile sensitivity. Good for dry grip and handling small parts, this coating is also effective in light oil conditions. | Thinner than other coatings and less effective grip in heavy oil. |
| Flat Nitrile | Tough coating that stands up well in oil with excellent abrasion and puncture resistance. | This tough coating provides less dexterity and tactile sensitivity so it’s not ideal for handling small parts. |
| Sandy Nitrile | Gritty texture provides non-slip grip in heavy oils and liquids. Good abrasion, puncture, cut, and snag resistance. | Like plain nitrile, sandy nitrile provides less dexterity and tactile sensitivity so it’s not ideal for handling small parts. |
| Foam Nitrile | Channels oil and liquid away from the hand for a better grip. Excellent abrasion, puncture, and snag resistance. | Foamy texture can become saturated in heavy oil or liquids resulting in poor grip. |
| Latex | Latex gives the best overall dry grip. Adding a finish texture such as foam or crinkle also helps channel liquid away. | Can cause allergic reactions in some workers and tends to degrade when exposed to oils or other hydrocarbon-based fluids. |
| Silicone | Increases heat-resistance and delivers superior dry grip. | Can prevent paint adhesion in certain applications. |
When You Need More Than a Traditional
Glove Coating
Most coated machine-knit gloves tend to become saturated when working with liquid or oil, making them lose their grip. This is a particular problem when the work is also highly abrasive since gloves not only get soaked, but their coating wears out quickly, adding to the problem. Gloves with a palm coating such as sandy nitrile are a good solution for wet or oily work. You can even employ a double-dipped glove, which incorporates a second layer to help improve abrasion resistance. But the downside for both is less dexterity and tactile sensitivity. For workers in demanding jobsites, selecting the right construction cut-resistant gloves can help balance grip, durability, and protection in wet or abrasive conditions.
TriTek Palm™ Grip in Heavy Liquids and Oils |
VersaTek™ Adaptable Grip for Any Environment |
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A recent advancement in glove coating technologies solves all of these problems with a double-dipped glove that absorbs oil on the outside, keeps hands dry on the inside, and provides amazing oil grip and abrasion resistance – all with the dexterity and tactile sensitivity of a single-dipped polyurethane coated glove.  The result is the exciting TriTek PalmTM that lasts longer than any coated work glove we’ve seen. Testers found 54% improvement in abrasion resistance over foam nitrile and 61% improvement over sandy nitrile, all in a glove that maintains dexterity and is one-third lighter than other double dip coatings. Workers can also easily pick up small, oily parts without removing their gloves, saving time and keeping them safer.
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If your workers are performing multiple tasks across different environments, a standard glove coating won’t give them the best performance. Common work materials like oily pipes, small nuts and bolts, and rough bricks all require a unique grip that standard coatings might not provide. Fortunately, the newest technology in work glove coatings can give your team an amplified and intelligent grip no matter their work environment.  Magid’s VersaTek™ palm coating technology is infused with special stabilizers that read your workers’ environment to adjust its grip and enhance performance. Whether they handle wet, dry, slick, rough, heavy, or light objects, VersaTek helps your workers confidently do their job so they don’t have to change their gloves based on job needs. It also lets them work comfortably because of the coating’s engineered dexterity that flexes with natural hand movements. In addition to amplified grip, adaptability, and dexterity, VersaTek is 50 percent more abrasion-resistant than other popular glove coatings. A sample of the palm coating lasted over 20,000 revolutions when tested under constant friction on a rotating disc from two rotating weighted wheels, far surpassing the minimum for achieving ANSI Abrasion Level 6.
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So if you find your workers going through gloves too quickly, or complaining about reduced grip or too much oil saturation, review your coatings to be sure you’re choosing the right work glove for the job!
