Nitrile glove source

[Brian Runau]

I've used Harbor Freight brand 5 mil vinyl gloves for years without problems. Recently opened a box I bought 6 months ago and every pair is tearing during a one time use. Same use situations as before. Never happened with any of the previous boxes.

Just curious if anyone else has seen this and if there might be higher quality options at a similar price? thanks Brian

[Prashun Patel]

thanks for the heads up. I use HF nitrile gloves too. Will take note for next time.

[Malcolm McLeod]

Nitrile and vinyl are different polymers. Which are you taking issue with? (Nitrile is generally better/stronger and suited to chemical resistance; vinyl is thus generally cheaper.)

[Jim Becker]

I use the heavier 7 mil gloves from HFT and haven't had any issues with tearing, at least yet.

[Jeff Roltgen]

+1 on Jim's statement. Best 7 mil nitrile I've ever used, just picked up a fresh box a couple weeks ago. Last better than the brand with the spider on the box. Not unusual to get 2-3 uses per pair - they hold up that well. Only hit the trash due to buildup of stain.
HFT is usually a good value, but unfortunately, expect some zingers in the mix.

jeff

[Paul F Franklin]

I use the Raven brand Black nitrile 6 mil gloves from Amazon. About $20 for 100 gloves (comparable price to HF 7 mil). Very durable (and less "smurf-like" :D ) I don't think I've ever torn one putting them on.

[Edward Weber]

Sam's Club or Costco exam gloves work just fine for most of my uses, and they are usually much less expensive.

[Bruce Page]

I picked up some Kirkland brand nitrile exam gloves at Costco that are more durable than the HF gloves I had been using.

[Marc Fenneuff]

If you're in Indy you have Menards. The Venom nitrile gloves in their paint department are what I use.

[Jeff Roltgen]

The Venom nitrile gloves

Those are the "spider on the box" ones I was trying to remember. They rip fairly easily, compared to the HFT, IME.

[David Walser]

Recently, Project Farm tested several brands of nitrile and latex gloves. The video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfNnvvSPyCU

[Brian Tymchak]

I've been using the Home Depot gloves. HDX 6 mil gloves (https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-Black-Heavy-Duty-6-mil-Nitrile-Gloves-Powder-Free-10-Pack-BLKNL/312607980). Tough enough that I got 2 - 3 uses per pair during a recent finishing project.

[Jim McCue]

I use harbor freight nitrile gloves. You can pick the thickness from 3-12 mil with increasing price. 5mil is adequate but feels a little thin, 7+mil is good. I think they had quality control issues d/t the pandemic with gloves tearing easily or already torn in the box. Also the price more than doubled. But the last box I got was better or back to normal quality.

[Larry Frank]

I use the Venom Steel gloves from Amazon.....work really well and tough.

[Brian Runau]

Nitrile and vinyl are different polymers. Which are you taking issue with? (Nitrile is generally better/stronger and suited to chemical resistance; vinyl is thus generally cheaper.)

Nitrile, sorry used vinyl in error.

[Brian Runau]

Thanks to all. I will go to 7 mil with next purchase. Brian

[roger wiegand]

I use the same Halyard purple (5.9 mil) gloves that I used in the lab for the last 20+ years. (These are what you will see in use in the majority of medical facilities) Good fit, almost never tear. I reuse them multiple times for light duty tasks like finishing/staining. More expensive than some (around 20 cents each), but not bad considering their durability. Tried some cheap ones the last time I ran out and nicely stained my fingers when they tore. Not worth the aggravation.

[Mark Gibney]

Interesting and timely - so many of the Harbor Freight 7ml gloves tear too easily now. Next thing my hands are swimming in something squishy and chemically.

What are HFT gloves? When I google it ads for Harbor Freight fill the page.

[Jim Becker]

What are HFT gloves? When I google it ads for Harbor Freight fill the page.

HFT "is" Harbor Freight.

[Mark Gibney]

Thanks Jim. I was thinking as much, but good to know.

[Jonathan Jung]

Raven, been using them for years, they are durable enough to use many times before tossing.

[Bryan Hall]

I'm not sure where they came from, but when the pandemic hit we were mailed thousands of gloves and masks. We gave most away, but I kept a few boxes of the gloves. They rip easily and get the weird chemical sweat on the inside just as you described. I now use a pair of fabric on the inside, nitrile exterior gloves that I got from coastal farm and ranch. $20 a pair and have been using the same pair for maybe 2 years now? I throw them in the wash from time to time when needed.

[John TenEyck]

Brian, you must have gotten a bad box. I just bought some 5 mil nitrile gloves at HF and they are very tough. I have used the same pair several times w/o issue. I normally buy the 3 mil ones, but decided to try the 5 mil this time. Honestly, I prefer the 3 mil. Easier to get on/off, better feel, tough enough for most applications.

John

[Robert Hayward]

Raven, been using them for years, they are durable enough to use many times before tossing.

+1 on the Raven brand. I also have used them for years with no problems.