Ed Grimley, technician from Tower Garage in Staffordshire, puts Fortress Distribution’s mechanics glove range through its paces.
Black Mamba Nitrile Disposable Gloves
These are the most similar to the gloves I already use. They are definitely thicker than any gloves I have used before, but this didn’t make them any less sensitive. We found we could still do lots of intricate work with them, such as electrical wiring, and were even able to find the end of PVC tape! These gloves lasted well and were quite hard wearing. On the whole, these are the best all-rounder for general mechanical work, MOT, etc. They are very oil/petrol resistant – even paint thinners didn’t have much effect on them.
Black Mamba Torque Grip Nitrile Disposable Gloves
When I first put these on, I thought they were going to be too thick to be able to do any fiddly jobs, but how wrong I was! Not only could I manage handling tiny components but I could actually feel quite well through them as well. These gloves are a must when carrying out jobs where you are blind to what you are doing, such as locating panel screws up the back of a dashboard. The ribbing helps with grip, even when the gloves get quite oily. This was especially noticeable when removing oil filters, where there was little room to get a filter wrench in. They also lasted really well. I think my record was two full days of non-stop servicing and MOT tests, and even then I only changed them because they went a bit baggy – still no tears or cuts in them! These were definitely my favourite to use. The fit was really snug without being tight and restrictive, but they also make you feel really protected as well.
Impact Gloves
These are great when you’re using impact wrenches or something like an air chisel. They do take out quite a lot of the vibration and are very comfortable. The padding isn’t restrictive at all and they don’t feel like you’re wearing a boxing glove, like some I’ve used before. I didn’t really get a chance to use them as much as I’d like, but when I did use them I found them to be up to the task.
Mechanics Gloves
I used these mainly for doing things like wheel/tyre changes as there is little need to feel what you are doing. They are obviously not as touch sensitive as the Nitrile and the Torque Grip, but then they’re not designed to be. They are very protective against the sharp edges produced on steel plates. They even wash quite well as they can just be thrown in with overalls into the washing machine. Whilst these are a very comfortable glove, they aren’t the right pair for oily or greasy jobs, as they are quite absorbent.
Pro Blu Mamba Gloves
There’s not much I can say in a review of these gloves, as I don’t think they really fit with being a mechanics glove. The Torque Grip fulfils all of the roles that could be attributed to the Pro Blu. Our car washer loved them though as they look better than his Marigolds!
