Cut resistant gloves recommendation?

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Elmer Fudd

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Yesterday I managed a boneheaded move, sliced my right pinkie open across the top with a clearing saw, down to the bone. It needed 5 stiches, and I consider myself very fortunate to still have a finger.I detailed it in the injury forum. I was wearing regular leather work gloves, which did not provide much resistance to the saw.

Any recommendations for heavy duty cut resistant gloves, preferably with protection on the palm and back side of the fingers? I realize you can't get perfect protection, but something to mitigate the damage would be nice.

Thanks for any recommendations.
 

Thanks for your very detailed response. I was able to do a lot of research with this :yourock:

After looking at all the available gloves you listed, plus others, they all appear problematic in some way.

No gloves, with the exception of some specialized industrial gloves (basically chain mail for knive sharpening), have Kevlar or other cut protection material in the palm, just leather.

Some gloves do not run the protective material up the fingers, just the knuckles.

Almost every chainsaw glove only has Kevlar or other cut protective material on the back of the left hand (Husqvarna, Superior Glove Lumberworks, Oregon orange backed glove now coming available in US per Oregon CS). Since I injured my right hand, that is important to me. I will note that supposedly almost 100% of documented chainsaw injuries are to the left hand. I guess that means lefties operate chainsaws right-handed? My injury was from a clearing saw, not a chainsaw, so protection for both hands is important to me.

The Chainsaw gloves sold by Forestry Suppliers (made by Safeguard America) have Kevlar on the back of both gloves, but per the company it is single layer and not certified to any spec.

The best alternative seems to be the Oregon yellow backed gloves available in the European Oregon catalog. They have protection on the backs of both gloves, certified to the European 16 m/s standard, which is the same as the Lumberworks glove. I called Oregon USA CS and they said the orange backed glove was being introduced in the US, she even had a sample, but she verified it only had the extra protective material on the back of the left hand. She could find no info on the yellow glove being sold in the US. Apparently, they only see a market for left hand protection, like everyone else.

I will try to see if I can get the Oregon yellow gloves shipped from the UK to the US, unless someone has a better suggestion.
 
Be carefull

No matter what gloves you decide to get you should still act as if your not wearing them and try and envision which way the saw will go in a worse case senario. Every action has a reaction, good or bad.
 
I forget how easy they are to hold stuff with, but bought a pair of barbed wire fence gloves. Almost Kevlar like palms and partial finger protection on the sides and top.

Got them for handling cactus for a one-time project.

Farm supply places carry them. May be worth looking at.

The yellow gloves in the other link looked interesting.

Wonder if they are like the barbed wired gloves. Hopefully the chainsaw gloves are not just chap-like, because the shredding wouldn't seem to be enough for as thin as fingers are.
 
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I am not familiar with the title "clearing saw" so I googled it and got pictures of a brush cutter. As it seems highly unlikely you cut yourself with one of those could you post a picture or a link of what it is actually caused the injury?

Just found your thread in Injuries and now I know what the tool looks like. I suggest you do not bother with changing your gloves but rather changing the way you use the tool. As you alluded to in the other thread, the injury occurred due to handling rather than equipment failure. Some years ago I owned a similar machine and had no issues whatsoever as it was SOP to release the trigger and run the blade against grass untill it stopped spinning. Betterr to pick a few blades of grass out of the cutting head than the end of your finger.

Regarding gloves, the cut resistant gloves for chainsaw use are less than worthless for a spinning blade. They are designed to "clog up" a chain with kapok. No chain = no stopping power.
 
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medieval_steel_gauntlets.jpg


These may work
 
I am not familiar with the title "clearing saw" so I googled it and got pictures of a brush cutter. As it seems highly unlikely you cut yourself with one of those could you post a picture or a link of what it is actually caused the injury?

Just found your thread in Injuries and now I know what the tool looks like. I suggest you do not bother with changing your gloves but rather changing the way you use the tool. As you alluded to in the other thread, the injury occurred due to handling rather than equipment failure. Some years ago I owned a similar machine and had no issues whatsoever as it was SOP to release the trigger and run the blade against grass untill it stopped spinning. Better to pick a few blades of grass out of the cutting head than the end of your finger.

Regarding gloves, the cut resistant gloves for chainsaw use are less than worthless for a spinning blade. They are designed to "clog up" a chain with kapok. No chain = no stopping power.

The cause of the injury was bending over at the waist and leaning forward to pick something up off the ground, without, as you say, letting the blade spin to a stop. I have long arms, and this put my right hand close enough to the blade to get it nicked. It is such an unusual occurrence to have to reach down that forward and low in the several acres of clearing I have done so far that, if it happens again, I will either switch off the saw or unhook it from the harness and set it on the ground away from the work area if I have to.

I realize the gloves would not help much, but would hopefully mitigate a cut from the blade. It can't be worse than the plain leather work glove I was wearing. I would also use them with my chainsaws, since I don't have any chainsaw gloves for them either.
 

These Oregon gloves are crap. The material covering the kevlar or kapok on the back of the hand is a flimsy, loose weave nylon that unravels easily. Like say a thorn or bramble runs across it. You know, the kind of stuff you run into all the time when using a chainsaw in the woods :angry:

It might be a good idea for the homeowner who uses a saw once a year, but that's about it.
 
Interesting...

I was going to hit these: Youngstown Cut Resistant Kevlar Gloves (Pair) | www.baileysonline.com but while they apparently are fully lined with kevlar, I'm pretty sure they don't have the fiber fill like the Lumberworks gloves do...

Mike

LumberWorks Chainsaw Gloves List Price: $38.99 Amick's Price: $32.99 special: $29.99= save $9.00
LumberWorks Chainsaw Gloves have 8 Layers of Kevlar sewin into the back of the Left Hand to prevent a Chainsaw from cutting through at speeds up to 3140 feet per minute. They meet the EN 381:1999 Class 0 for chainsaw gloves. at Amick's online. thanks for 411 :cheers: WOW i just put a price on my hands.:msp_wink:
 
I work for the local telephone company and we are "required" to wear Kevlar gloves with using a hook blade knife(used mostly for shingling roofs) and I have seen 2 people in my short 12 year career go to the hospital wearing the gloves. another off topic..people that use steel cored fliplines for climbing because a chainsaw won't cut steel..do some research. My suggestion..slow down..accidents happen. the more you focus the less they happen..everyone that is honest has a story. as a climber.I can tell you telephone pole splinters hurt and get infected. creosote is a bit*h. two hand on a saw and sturdy work gloves..with more experience comes more risk. start with big burly can't hardly move your fingers gloves..the better you get(at your discretion) the thinner the gloves for feel..if you have 2 hands on the saw..the chance of cutting yourself is pretty low. I don't do it either..but keep in mind..unless you wear chainmail..nothing is cut proof..and even chainmail will get mangled enough to cut off your circulation and if you can't get the proper help in time you will lose it anyway..good luck
 
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