"Bah," you say. "You really don't have anything better to do than writing about gloves?" You may be right, kind reader, however I'm firm believer in safe airsoft. Importance of eye protection, good combat boots (we will write about those in the future) and gloves are not to be underestimated. Quality, durable gloves are prime protector against cuts, bruises and creepy crawlers (ticks, mostly). I've tried several types of gloves, fingerless and with full fingers; Nomex Flight gloves are -for me, at least- best suited for serious airsofting. Nomex (Du Pont Nomex is heat and fire resistant material, which protects up to 340 C or 700 F) gloves are used by pilots and tankers; latter have thicker cowhide. However, since we have to deal with relatively small stuff and is importance to have dexterity, so pilot gloves are natural choice. Lots of companies manufacture such products, I have extensive prior experience with Hatch Nomex gloves (which I'll mention frequently).
Review? Read below. Product can be ordered in three colors: sage green, black and tan. On Patrol gloves are built to Milspec standard. This means that they adhere to Military Specification GS/FRP-2. This is extended length glove, which means that glove will cover better part of your forearm. Some find this annoying, but it is actually pretty nifty, since it protects you from insects and cuts.
Now I'll tackle the issue of sizing. Gloves are very hight, even though we ordered L size. Good news: they will stretch after prolonged use and take form after your hand. However, they still fit rather snugly; complete opposite to Hatch's gloves, which fit much looser (also size L). The gloves are manufactured in Pakistan in accordance to military specifications, as we already mentioned. The company who manufacture these gloves (from US made materials) also manufacture the exact same glove for the US military and a number of other leading glove brands. When they wanted to make slight changes to the gloves, they could do this, but advised they would not be military spec, so they kept them the same. As said before, gloves are being manufactured in Pakistan, which is nothing wrong, since the craftsmanship is good. And it is good, in fact, it is better than Hatch's.
I've used Hatch Nomex gloves for over a year and discovered really annoying tendency. Every time they are wet they bleed green dye! Not only heavy rain, hot day and heavy sweating will color your hand green. "Funny" new nicknames followed shorty. So,naturally I wished to check how does On Patrol's product take abuse with plenty of hot water- with me in gloves, of course. I thoroughly drenched them in water, waited a couple of minutes and took them off. Hm... nothing? Excellent. Just to be sure I rinsed them. Again, only water, no dye. Giant black mark for Hatch, and two thumbs up for OnPatrol.
And now something completely different: a few words about maintenance. When wet, dry them at room temperature and don't expose them to direct heat source (radiator for instance). Buy spray or cream for leather maintenance and use it occasionally on leathery parts to prevent cracking of the material. When compared to Hatch Nomex Gloves OnPatrols' shine in comparison. If you are in the market for Nomex gloves, give OnPatrol a try; stellar service, good price and overall excellent product.
