HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST STRUCTURAL GLOVES IN 2020


Firefighters work in varied and complex environments that increase their risk of on-the-job injuries. When there is an emergency rescue situation, or when you’re responding to a structure fire, your hands and wrists are the most at risk to burns, flame, and chemical exposure–compared to the rest of your body covered in turnout gear. Thanks to technical improvements in textiles, it is possible to protect and give your hands the utmost defense by getting the best structural firefighting gloves available on the market.

Your knuckles, fingers and hands require the highest level shielding from the job’s safety hazards (flashover, backdraft, thermal energy transfers, high heat areas, hot steam/liquid, chemicals, blood borne pathogens) out in the field. Bear in mind, fire gloves play a crucial role and serve as a first line of defense for every rescuer, first responder and structural firefighter.

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The ideal firefighting gloves offer the best combination of thermal protection and dexterity with the ability to protect your hands while staying flexible and nimble so you can move freely (to pick up fire hose, pry open doors, use chainsaws, climb ladders, press the call button on the radio and all other fire ground tasks. When you have to go into a dangerous emergency situation as a firefighter, you can have the confidence of knowing that you can trust Pro-Tech 8 gloves to safeguard your hands. A firefighter requires a glove that will allow them to change channels or hit the “Mayday button” on his or her radio, don or doff them when they are wet, or don a helmet and breathing apparatus while wearing them.

nfpa-certified-structural-firefighting-glovesOur multi-layer glove technology is the best in the industry, and the materials are certified to NFPA 1971-2018 to protect your hands from heat exposure, cut and puncture resistance, as well as deliver the proper amount of comfort, finger motion and dexterity. Remember, finding a proper glove fit is equally as important as its performance.

What sets our gloves apart from other structural fire glove manufacturers?

Why choose Pro-Tech 8 gloves?

All of our glove models are now equipped with an independently Certified Porelle® PTFE moisture barrier for enhanced chemical and viral protection. This extra layer gives our gloves the highest breathability and thermal characteristics, and it is double certified to the NFPA’s moisture barrier standards (inside and outside of the glove).
Pro-Tech 8 gloves have emerged as the new standard in structural firefighting gloves. The reason our gloves are called Pro-Tech 8 is because we use 8 layers of material while most other manufacturers may use only 2 or 3 layers. All of our glove models are made by hand. Here is a video from our CEO and founder Ted Bart at FDIC 2019 describing the design, innovation, and features of Pro-Tech 8 gloves.

Pro-Tech 8 has several different models that vary on materials, fit, and price. We wrote this article to help you, as a firefighter, understand our products more and find the best structural firefighting gloves for you and your department.

Pro-Tech 8 Titan K Structural Firefighting Glove

The Pro-Tech 8 Titan-K Gloves offer the perfect solution to a firefighter looking for versatility; which includes fit, comfort, grip, dexterity and flexibility. It is made from 100% fire-retardant kangaroo leather which absorbs the least amount of water and has the greatest tensile strength of any other leather. What is great about Kangaroo skin is that it has 4 times the tensile strength of cowhide leather. It is stronger, more durable, and more water-resistant than any other leather. And because it absorbs the least amount of water it will not get heavy or weighed down. So it prevents you from getting hand fatigue that you would get from a normal, standard fire glove. The kangaroo shell in this glove is known for it is incredible strength and natural toughness.

Its flexibility has been proven in both training grounds and out in the field–to handle all fire ground duties you are bound to face. It performs well under basic motor extrication tasks as well. It has a multi-layered and stitched down palm glove design. We designed this glove by reinforcing the vulnerable areas of the glove and made each part as tough as possible. Our proprietary 8-Layer knuckle guard system boasts 100% kevlar fused with silicone carbide which further enhances the durability of the glove.

The construction of the Pro-Tech 8 Titan-K is made to comply with all NFPA 1971-2018 firefighter glove standards. This glove is also constructed with a Porelle® PTFE moisture barrier that is designed to shield your skin from blood-borne pathogens and chemical exposure.

The Pro-Tech 8 Titan-K glove is designed to deliver the highest level of dexterity, due to the adaptable Nomex® and Kevlar® finger sidewalls. The glove has an easy to use leather pull tab for easy Don (putting on) and Doff (removing). If there is any feedback on this glove it would be that it may be a slightly tight-fitting before you break them in, but once you do the gloves break in beautifully and mold to your hands. These really are the gold standard of structural firefighting gloves.

The glove’s full kevlar lining adds an additional level of cut resistance. Some of the features include:

  • Flexible, allowing it to withstand a number of fire ground tasks
  • Keeps your hands dry with its great breathability
  • Well-reinforced, making all its parts tough and sturdy
  • Complies with the standards of NFPA 1971-2018
  • Cut-resistant and fire-retardant

“I remember when my Titan-K gloves looked that fresh! 😪 best gloves I ever wore. I’ll only wear Pro-Tech!”
“ PPE needs to be washed. I have a pair of Titan-K so broken in they feel like I am wearing batting gloves”
“I’ve washed mine a few times….and yea exactly my thoughts! They feel amazing!”  510Rhino

This glove is priced at $109.95.

Pro-Tech 8 Fusion Pro Structural Firefighting Glove

Our Pro-Tech 8 Fusion Pro gloves are made and designed to satisfy most firefighter hand sizes and use cases. These gloves have been one of our most popular selling gloves since they were first introduced because of their many features. At an affordable price, most firefighters will enjoy a protective, high-quality and high-performance glove. It has superior dexterity and flexibility from the moment you first put them on, which is a favorable advantage for those who would like to move with ease and minimal effort when they are doing their job. The added cut resistance is provided by Kevlar®, includes an inner modacrylic liner – known for being a “soft, strong, resilient, and stable fiber with outstanding resistance to chemicals and solvents, and quick to dry.”(wikipedia)
It is made with water-resistant, fire-retardant goatskin leather that will stay plush and soft and will not get hard and crusty after multiple washes. After several years on the market, the Fusion Pro glove continues to be our number one selling model and now it has been upgraded for NFPA 1971-2018 certification. It now includes a Porelle® PTFE moisture barrier which has the highest level of resistance to chemicals and blood-borne pathogens.

We are grateful to be part of a tight-knit firefighter community that is very satisfied with our gloves and we’ve received amazingly positive feedback. They praise the advanced and modern multi-layer design used in each of the gloves because it reinforces the vulnerable parts of the gloves, making them stronger and more protective. Each of our gloves, including the Fusion Pro features our multi-layer knuckle-guard technology.

But don’t take our word for it, here’s what other firefighters are saying:

“I wouldn’t trade my pair of 8 fusion pros for anything else. Absolutely love them!” – Thomas Jones @bigt1542
“Those are great gloves I have had mine for about 2 months and have about 8 fires under them. Keep up the good work.” –Zrogers33

Another feature this glove provides to its users is its superior comfort, softness and flexibility. It also includes the Porelle® PTFE moisture barrier, which is effective in providing maximum viral and chemical protection while maintaining a great amount of breathability to keep your hands dry. These gloves come with a leather pull tab for easy Don (putting on) and Doff (removing).

“Over 1 million pairs of Fusion gloves have been used in service around the world today.
This is the best selling and most affordable glove.” – Ted Bart, Founder and CEO, Pro-Tech 8 Gloves

This glove is priced in the range of $72.95 – $77.95.

Some of the features include:

  • Soft and flexible, promoting superior comfort
  • Offers maximum viral and chemical protection
  • Boasts of an advanced and modern multi-layer design
  • Vulnerable parts are well-reinforced
  • Modacrylic inner liner
  • High tensile strength
  • All-time best-seller

Pro-Tech 8 Titan Pro Structural Firefighting Glove

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Our Pro-Tech 8 Titan Pro glove works well for every rescue and fire ground task. It is made with the same design as the Fusion, an outer layer using water-resistant, fire-retardant treated goatskin leather which has a high natural oil content–making it super soft, pliable and liquid impervious. This glove was designed for larger fire departments, who are often–on their hands and knees–responding to emergency calls. To protect them we added another layer of Nomex® to the palm area. The palm area is stitched down with Kevlar® thread to strengthen grip. “We are the first company to add this feature into a fire glove,” claims Ted Bart, Founder and CEO of Pro-Tech 8 Gloves. “We felt this was important because when a firefighter is working with tools (such as saws, axes, pry bars etc) on the fire ground, the palm area tends to bunch up and they lose feel and dexterity. This is why we stitched down the palm–to prevent that from happening.”

This glove model comes in both a short cuff and a long cuff. The short cuff model gloves are made specifically for use with sleeves within turnout gear that have a thumb hole wristlet. The long cuff model gloves are designed for use with turnout gear sleeves that do not have thumb hole wristlets or extended wristlets. The long cuff feature extends the full glove-sleeve interface and features a 100% Kevlar wrapped elastic band inside the cuff for extra secure fit and protection against fire ground debris.
This glove is priced in the range of $87.95 – $89.95.

Some of the features include:

  • Flexible finger sidewalls of Kevlar® and Nomex® maximize dexterity
  • Fully reinforced leather inner liner and leather pull tab for easy don and doff
  • Palm layers stitched down with high-burst kevlar thread to strengthen grip and prevent’s bunching of materials
  • Built for larger firefighter departments that get a lot of emergency calls
  • Comes in short cuff and long cuff models: Model # PT8-TNSCand Model # PT8-TNLC, respectively

Pro-Tech 8 TPR-Gold Structural Firefighting Glove

TPRG-structural-fire-glove
Our newest structural glove model is called the Pro-Tech 8 TPR Gold which is the most complete and innovative structural firefighting glove to date. We decided to utilize a thermo-plastic rubber with flame-retardant (FR) tendencies. We added it into the TPR-Gold knuckle guard underneath a layer of Kevlar®. No other glove has this. The palm and thumb areas on these gloves are different than our other models; we’ve added fire-retardant gel pads which act as a cushion and energy absorber. This added feature will give a firefighter enhanced grip and dexterity capabilities on the fire ground. The TPR-Gold is made from 100% water-resistant, FR treated goatskin leather. The goatskin leather is stronger and more flexible than cowhide. Its natural high oil content gives it a soft and pliable feel even getting wet and washed. The fully knitted inner liner is constructed from 100% Modacrylic that will keep your hands bacteria-free. We have also added a high-visibility yellow reflective strip and leather pull tab.

The NFPA 1971-2018 double certified Porelle® PTFE moisture barrier provides the most chemical and viral protection on the market, while keeping your hands dry and maintaining breathability. These gloves have a superior impact and thermal protection for exposure to high-abrasion and high-heat areas on the fire ground. To protect the vulnerable glove-sleeve interface, it comes with a convertible cuff/debris blocker that extends the glove body.

This glove is priced at $79.95

Some of the features include:

  • Advanced multi-Layer design includes suede goatskin palm for grip and durability and fully lined Kevlar® glove body for added protection
  • Flexible finger sidewalls of Kevlar® and Nomex® maximize dexterity
  • Hi-Vis yellow reflective strip and leather pull tab for easy don and doff
  • Cut level 8 fire retardant TPR knuckle guard and FR gel pads on back of fingers for added back of hand protection

Conclusion

We have been the leading structural firefighting glove innovator for the last decade. Our gloves are used in the field all over the world. We continue to innovate and improve our products for the purpose of protecting firefighters and rescue workers. If you have any questions about sizing or which glove would be best for you, you can contact us for further questions or visit one of our 85 distributor partners for a dealer nearest you.

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