The importance of gloves

The other day I paid $22 for a pair of cowhide work gloves. $3 of that went to the 'Stihl' name emblazoned across the back.
Yesterday I went out to untangle some wire for an electric fence.
'I won't need those', I says to myself.
I wasn't out there more than 10 minutes when the inevitable happened. I got a boo boo because of the sharp tip in the wire where I had cut it.
I felt pretty stupid for making a rookie mistake. One should always wear gloves and safety glasses when working.
The biggest issue would be infection. Any boo boo should be cleaned with alcohol, soap and clean water. I've had stickers and splinters stuck in for days before I discovered them. They had pussed up,  angry and red. Gloved would have prevented that.
Get gloves that fit so you can move your hands around inside a bit. You'll want to be able to work without tiring your hands fighting a tight glove.
Leather gloves will stretch with wear. I like the gloves that have reinforced palm. Synthetic material gloves are light weight, sturdy and ventilated. Leather gloves are heavy and my hands sweat, but I prefer them. They saved my fingers on countless occasions.
One reason that cow died was to make a pair of gloves so one could protect oneself. Let not her sacrifice be for naught!  Wear gloves when working.

Agreed.  

I'm a big fan of Atlas gloves:  https://www.oregonglove.com/collections/atlas-gloves/products/atlas-therma-fit-brushed-poly-cotton-knit-liner-latex-rubber-palm-glove

Durable and inexpensive.

I also like to cut the fingertips off the first two fingers and the thumb.

This allows me to do precision work, tying nots, etc.

Check them out!

This year I purchased baseball batting gloves for work that requires more dexterity. They fit so snugly and are very comfortable, even in the heat.

Good gloves can make all the difference, for sure. In addition to saving me from untold numbers of splinters, cuts, etc., my thick leather Carhartt gloves even saved me when I got bitten by an injured squirrel I was trying to help. It chomped me hard and I felt the pressure, but luckily the teeth didn't even puncture the leather, let alone my hand.
I haven't found equally durable gloves for warm weather or for when I need dexterity, so it's nice to see people sharing what's worked for them! I don't prefer the synthetic gloves as the ones I've tried eventually start flaking that textured coating and spreading it into the soil.

I just wish I could get gloves that fit...  large child gloves fit the fingers but are tight on the hand, small ladies fit the hand but are way long in the fingers...  and yes if your wondering I wear boys socks to fit my short wide feet...  and mostly wear a ladies double wide shoe.  Clothes, shoes, gloves, etc are just not designed for real women...

Dorothy Pohorelow wrote:Clothes, shoes, gloves, etc are just not designed for real women...

I hear ya, sister!! I have much the same problem. I always say this world ain't built for normal sized people like me. It's built for homunculi (perfectly formed miniature human beings) and munchkins. When people tell me I'm big (like I ain't heard that before), I tell them, "I ain't big, you're little".
Shirts are too short in length or sleeve. I need XXL gloves so I buy several pair when I find them. I could never join the mile high club, I can barely fit myself in an airplane toilet. I was even told once I couldn't go down a water slide again because I was too big. They said the water slide teetered to the side I was on while sliding down. Only homunculi and munchkins can ride this ride. There are cars I can't get into, most are tough. I drive a big Chevy pick 'em up truck and the seat is pushed all the way back and it's tilted all the way back.
Not so much anymore, but buffets hated to see me eyeballing their restaurant. Five or 6 return trips for the entree and then dessert.
Once in Scotland some little feller was at a train station waving a sign that read, 'Yankee go home'. He was protesting the nuclear submarines that came to Holy Loch. He backed into me accidentally as I was reading the schedule on the wall. He spun around and looked me square in the chest. His mouth opened wider the further up he had to look. When he got to the top I just smiled down at him. He threw his sign down and took off running. There was no doubt in his mind I was an American (Yankee).
Once a whole street full of kids were playing when the cab dropped me and the wife off to visit friends in Glasgow, Scotland. The entire street stopped to watch me until I went inside. After we left, the friend said she was inundated with phone calls to find out who that big Yank was.
I have many more stories about a normal person having to live in a tiny world, but this is supposed to be about gloves. Wear your gloves!!

A few months back, I got some "free" T-posts at the dump. (TLDR:$56 ER bill)
I was in a rush, and wasn't wearing gloves... as I tossed them into my truck, one of the blades at the base caught the heel of my hand and dug in.
I grasped it right away, and finding that it was a nice deep gash, I looked for a bandage... none. so, I put on my glove to have something to catch the blood.
Thankfully it didn't bleed! (at all!?!?) I somehow missed all the important stuff!?!?
Had a nice visit at the ER, last patient of the day, only one there, everyone on staff pitched in to give me three stitches.

It puts the gloves over its skin or it goes to the ER again!

Neat thread.  I have had a life long dislike of gloves, hats, and other forms of protection.  I am learning.  Now I regularly wear gloves and hats.  I keep a variety of choices for both.  

I would like to comment on what the OP said here:

always wear gloves and safety glasses when working

bold mine!

Yes, the thread title says "gloves", but seriously folks, 1) you can stitch a finger easier than you can stitch an eye, 2) you've got 10 digits, but only 2 eyes, 3) you can loose part of a finger and it still works at least somewhat but you're taking a big chance that if you damage your cornea, you'll need prescription glasses for life.

So, Please, Please, Please grab a set of safety glasses when you grab the gloves. Get prescription ones if you need them (in Canada we can count it as a medical expense for a tax break), however, some people like me need prescription ones just to get ones that fit comfortably on my face and don't distort my vision, so consider that if you avoid wearing them because they aren't comfortable, you have my permission to splurge on ones from a proper eye glass store!

Jay, you are so right!
Safety glasses are super important, and "I should wear some gloves..." ought to be a cue for "...and maybe safety glasses too". (and vice versa)
I have had prescription ones for years, removing the barrier of worsened vision for compliance, as well as a work pair, and a home pair. Luckily my prescription is stable, so haven't needed to update them, though they are showing their age and now some magnification would help.

I've even had stuff get by my safeties. So, they are not 100% effective, goggles offer more coverage (and fit over prescription glasses), as does a face shield (which can be worn in addition to safety glasses, or over prescription glasses)
Having foreign objects in/removed from your eye isn't fun. I've been lucky.

And in this week's episode of "The importance of gloves"... "I'm so glad that I stocked the truck with bandages... I should probably wear a glove now, to help hold this bandage on..."

Yes and yes!! I make my money looking at screens and typing with all 10 fingers. Most of my hobbies also involve looking at things and using those same fingers. I want to keep them all in good working order. Gloves and safety glasses where anything poses a risk to eyes (that's you, string trimmer, and wood chipper too) are an absolute must in this house. Same thing in our shop after a certain unnamed person who should have known better didn`t wear his goggles and had a surprise shot of ethanol squirt out of a spark plug and right into his eyes. Painful is an understatement.

Right now there are a lot of face shields floating around cheap in the stores, good chance to pick some up just in case (works for liquids, not recommended for the wood chipper).

Hi T Simpson,

Thanks for the video.  While I normally buy cheap gloves by the dozen, the video has convinced me to look into a purchase of something higher quality.

For me, gloves and hat are mandatory for anything outside.

I wear safety glasses or a face shield (sometimes both) for power tool (higher risk) activities. Eyes are easy to damage and hard to fix.

I really should wear safety glasses all the time. Clear safety glasses that are ANSI/CSA rated will block UV and IR, which over time increase the risk of eye disease like macular degeneration.

You know what glove I like? Golden Grippers which used to be everywhere where I live because they were popular with loggers. Bailey's is the last place I know where to get 'em.

https://www.baileysonline.com/woodlandpro-golden-gripper-gloves.html

click here for the picture, this is the only way I could show you what I am talking about...

They are the absolute king of working in the wet. Plus they are dirt cheap and reversible so they last twice as long.

I have a feeling my picture didn't work. I'm telling you though...