The 5 Best Nitrile Gloves [Ranked]
If you are working in an industry where you need to get adequate protection for your hands, a pair of gloves is a must-have gear.
And a pair of versatile nitrile gloves are considered by many professionals to be the ultimate solution. From food processing and automotive to body art and medicine, these gloves are being used heavily to protect the wearer from different types of professional hazards.
Over the years, nitrile gloves have gained a solid reputation for being suitable replacements for latex gloves (Source).
If you didn’t care about the composition of the gloves you wear, keep on reading this article to learn why you should and why nitrile gloves would be your best bet.
Contents
Comparing Them
- The ideal solution for individuals sensitive to natural rubber latex and donning powder.
- Nitrile Gloves: Chemical & puncture-resistant nitrile gloves provide a higher level of protection against liquids, gases, & sharp objects. The textured finish provides slip resistance in wet or dry conditions. Each glove features a beaded cuff and is 4 mil. thick.
![[100 Count] Black Nitrile Disposable Gloves 6 Mil. Extra Strength Latex & Powder Free, Chemical Resistance, Textured Fingertips Gloves - Medium](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/419yO02TwkL.jpg)
- Multipurpose disposable gloves- pack of 100 6 Mil. medium black nitrile plastic chemical resistance disposable gloves. Popular in janitorial industries, food service, lab work, and areas where hand protection is required. Its black color hides dirt and grime.
- MEDIUM-DUTY: Our 5-mil nitrile gloves provide better barrier protection against grease, gasoline, & other petroleum-based chemicals than standard 3 mil gloves. Suitable for extended-duration use.
- Authentic Nitrile: Made of pure authentic nitrile material, these blue nitrile exam gloves provides greater chemical resistance than latex and vinyl gloves, offering optimal protection for your health in high risk work environments.
Buying Guide
As nitrile gloves are steadily growing in popularity, it’s important to stay informed about the things you should consider when buying a pair of them.
- First of all, these gloves are available in two main categories – medical grade and industrial grade. If you need to come into contact with environmental contaminants (Source) or blood born pathogens, it’s highly recommended to use medical-grade ones. And if you need to handle harsh solvents and chemicals on a regular basis, you should go with industrial grade gloves.
- Nitrile gloves come in different textures to cater to different purposes, which you should keep in mind when purchasing them. For instance, if you work in a wet and dry condition, you should go for a pair of gloves with added palm and finger texture that would enhance your grip.
- Another thing you should consider is the thickness of the gloves. In simple words, the lower the gauge or thickness of the gloves, the higher the level of flexibility and dexterity.
- Finally, never underestimate the importance of a pair of well-fitted gloves. Though nitrile gloves come in a variety of sizes, they can interfere with your productivity if don’t fit properly. So, just make sure that you get a proper glove size.
More Details
Nitrile gloves first hit the market in the 1990s and since then, the demand for this product has been steadily increasing.
While these gloves provide similar protection from cuts, chemicals, and punctures as latex gloves, they relieve the risk of allergic reactions. Nitrile is synthetic latex that comes with a composition of certain properties that are resistant to petroleum fuels and oils. Gloves manufactured using this synthetic material offer up to three times more puncture resistance compared to latex.
So, if you need to deal with sharp edges, you can be much assured of the safety of your hands. Apart from gloves, this man-made element is used in a broad range of products – from any type of molded goods, footwear, and aeronautical application to sealants, sponges, adhesives, etc.
One of the key reasons behind the increasing popularity of nitrile gloves is that the compound is much less complicated to produce compared to natural latex rubber’s production.
Additionally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or EPA mentions that nitrile gloves are perfect for many toxic tasks such as they provide a barrier to organic solvents and paints – the chemicals which are some of the toughest on gloves.
Black Styles
- Nitrile Gloves: Chemical & puncture-resistant nitrile gloves provide a higher level of protection against liquids, gases, & sharp objects. The textured finish provides slip resistance in wet or dry conditions. Each glove features a beaded cuff and is 4 mil. thick.
While nitrile gloves come in a broad variety of colors, black ones have more to offer than only the variety of color. Many black gloves are made of a material that’s 30 to 50% thicker compared to the traditional nitrile gloves, which makes them perfect for use in heavy-duty industries.
Additionally, these gloves are powder-free, which may seem like a simple feature, but when it comes to working industrial fields, it becomes highly important. Sometimes the powder that’s put inside gloves may react negatively with the finishes and paints that are used by industrial workers on a daily basis.
Black nitrile gloves also come with different forms of textured patterns on the palm and fingers of the product. It provides the wearers with exceptional grip capability in both dry and wet environments. Finally, as the black color hides fluids, grime, dirt, and other substances that industrial workers daily get on their hands, these gloves can be used for a longer period of time.
Powder-Free Options
- MEDICAL-GRADE, PUNCTURE-RESISTANT NITRILE GLOVES: These premium medical examination gloves are made of great quality nitrile that is proven to be more resistant and durable than latex or any other type of gloves. Waterproof and puncture-resistant, they can fully shield your hands from needles, drugs, blood or any other potential threat so you can examine your patients with peace of mind.
These days, the trend toward using powder-free nitrile gloves is rising steadily and there’re reasons behind it. It has been demonstrated by clinical studies that glove powder on the gloves can increase infections, enhance foreign body reactions, and act as natural latex allergens’ carrier.
The manufacturing of these gloves involves a chlorination process which offers a less tacky surface while facilitating quicker donning of the product.
On the contrary, in powdered gloves (Source), the powder contains accelerators and residual chemicals that can trigger some serious hazards such as contamination of medical equipment, contamination of diagnostic tests, respiratory allergies, skin damage, and surgery complication.
Thickness Considerations
Nitrile gloves are available in different thicknesses and thus, you’re most likely to find a specific thickness needed by the industry you’re working in.
When choosing gloves, the rule of thumb is the greater the thickness of the glove in mils, the lower dexterity you’ll have.
Thickness may not seem like an important aspect, but for someone working in the food processing industry for eight hours each day, opting for thinner gloves results in less tired, sweaty hands. On the other hand, finishers, painters, or tattoo artists require thicker gloves as there’re wear and tear and puncture threats associated with their jobs.
They’re also great for smearing cortisone cream and keeping your hands clean.
Color Options
Nitrile gloves come in different colors (blue, black, white, pink, etc.) and by using HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points) to eliminate contamination if you’re working in the food industry.
By changing gloves between tasks, you’d be able to eliminate the risk of transferring microorganisms. For instance, if someone is working with raw meat and then handles cooked meat, there’s a good possibility of harmful bacteria getting transferred to the completed product. You can assign different colors to every step in the process.
For example, red gloves can be used by those handling raw meat, green ones can be assigned to those working with cooked or processed meat, blue gloves can be used by those working in the poultry industry, etc.
Disposable Styles
- Multipurpose disposable gloves- pack of 100 6 Mil. medium black nitrile plastic chemical resistance disposable gloves. Popular in janitorial industries, food service, lab work, and areas where hand protection is required. Its black color hides dirt and grime.
Disposable nitrile gloves are gaining steady popularity and there’re reasons that help them stand out from other kinds of disposable gloves. Some of the key advantages of using these gloves include extreme puncture resistance, hypo-allergenic in nature, great chemical resistance, high versatility, great durability, etc.
Additionally, these gloves are manufactured with coatings which reduce the resistance to friction of the gloves. It means, they’re highly convenient to don and doff regardless of the job you’re doing.
Medical Grade Quality
- The ideal solution for individuals sensitive to natural rubber latex and donning powder.
Medical grade gloves are widely used in hospitals, dental offices, laboratories, etc. Due to the presence of high risk, these gloves are tested rigorously and meet specific guidelines from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
The FDA regulates different types of medical devices (from heart valves to dental floss) before and after they hit the marketplace. Different classes of medical grade nitrile gloves include Class I (low risk and come with the least regulatory controls), Class II (higher risk than Class I and come with greater regulatory controls), and Class III (highest risk and have the greatest level of regulatory control).
