Off Duty, Technology - Navy Times

Find of the day: Get a grip

ORLANDO, Fla. — Those paw-covers you’re wearing may fit like a glove right now, but have you tried throwing them in the wash to get the funk out?

If you do, odds are, they’ll fare about as well as the three-for-10-bucks T-shirts they’re selling outside Disney World down the street.

Unless you’re wearing Ironclad Performance Wear’s new Enforcer glove, that is.

Already well known among industrial workers and racing crews for their job-specific gloves, Ironclad’s latest military and law-enforcement glove is made from washable and shrink-resistant leather.

That feature alone might make these gloves our SHOT Show find of the day. But there are a few more attributes that put it over the top as a good piece of gear for those on the front lines.

The gloves are well designed, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the back. Where other companies include plastic knuckle guards and the like, Ironclad puts its bells and whistles in the palm of your hand, where all the hard work really happens, said Jessi James Hedland, of Ironclad. Still, you’ll find reinforced knuckles and a terrycloth sweat wipe on the back side.

On the front, you’ll find a Duraclad-padded palm and thumb, with an additional grippy layer at the thumb tip. The leather in the fingers is thinner, offering better touch sensitivity.

At the wrist, you’ll find longer adjustable cuffs suitable for tucking under or folding over your camouflage jacket sleeves.

We haven’t tested them yet, but Ironclad says the Enforcer gloves will take a reasonable beating, earning a “medium resistance” rating on the company’s “abrasion scale,” a convenient marker to help you choose the right glove.

Maybe Mickey will even ditch those white gloves he’s been wearing for decades in favor of something a little sturdier. Now we’ve just gotta do something about those nerdy red pants.

The Enforcer sells for $29.99. For more information, see www.ironclad.com.