Great topic. I keep a pair of lightweight Mechanix gloves in my EDC bag. They are thin and light, made for abrasion protection but not insulation. They sit flat in the bottom of the bag. I have a pair of traditional leather gloves in the car.

Fit is important, and different pairs of the same brand/model/size can fit differently. Try on a bunch to find the ones that fit you best.

Yeah, it seems that I'll have to go trolling through hardware stores and outfitters rather than relying on varying sizing standards online. Thanks for the ideas!

A word of caution buy the ones you try. I bought a pair of heavy leather work gloves for clearing brush not long ago.

However during my search for acceptable hand protection, I made the mistake trying on the same pair that everyone else had also tried on.

Liking the fit, I grabbed the same size off the hook without trying them on first.

Big mistake. They were not assembled properly. Resulting in one glove being smaller than the other.

So back to the store to return the defective gloves. A simple trip to the store for a pair of gloves turned into a hassle.

I found the prices on the nitrile covered knit gloves similar to those offered at County Comm. County Comm's are much more subdued looking. They appear to be purplish with a black nitrile coating.

At Academy Sports similar gloves are only $2.49 (made by Stanley Tool). There are 2 sizes offered: the large are white with a blue nitrile coating and the X-large are white with a tan coating. Lowe's had similar offerings for $4.99 though I don't recall the exact colors.

(Standard disclaimer)

Just last week I saw a huge box of nitrile-coated knit gloves at Home Depot (insert disclaimer) for 99 cents a pair. I tried some on and liked them. I said to myself "I'll get some when I come back in a day or two". Yup, you guessed it. They were all gone. Now I have to wait, hopefully not in vain, for them to show up again. One of the workers told they expect more sometime; whenever that is. When they do come in I'm going to jump on them like stink on a gorilla.

Thanks for the updates, guys! I saw the ones at Lowes for $5 but didn't pick them up yet. If Home Depot has some for $1 though, I think we've got a winner. =)

For the more medically inclined, I'm gonna grab some of http://www.narescue.com/liBlack-Talon-Gloves-C156.aspx too

They come pretty highly recommended, and the 8mil thickness at the fingers is impressive.

Does anyone know how heat resistant nitrile is? I'm curious about both melting and the amount of heat conducted through the material.

P.S. the Lowes gloves were blue nitrile on a bluish gray shell.

EDIT: Man, these are cool: http://www.progradegloves.com/video_CPG.php and not too expensive either!

Different gloves for different jobs.

For construction, after hurricane clean up and digging through rubble I plan on using a stack of polyester knit gloves with latex, actually I think it is modified latex because it doesn't seem to be degraded by oil, be sure to check, applied to the palm and fingers. I have used these shifting busted concrete, used lumber and tree limbs and found they wear well and prevent cuts without being too hot. They can be washed several times after they get nasty or slimed. They are cheap, roughly $2 a pair, and seem to last longer than leather if conditions are wet.

For keeping blood or body fluids off nitrile examination gloves are good. Better than latex in my estimation because they are more resistant to oil and don't tear so easily. If the situation combines hard use with body fluids the poly/latex gloves can be worn over the examination gloves.

For chemical resistance or when the job involves work likely to tear a nitrile glove high cuff PVC gloves are what I use. These may replace nitrile examination gloves in austere environments because they can be cleaned and reused many times if cared for. It is pretty old school but it was only in the 40s that surgical gloved were disposable. Before that gloves were cleaned and reused like everything else.

If things go south in a big way for a long time reusable glass syringes, needles that can be resharpened and reusable gloves might become valuable commodities.

Art, do you have a pointer to the polyester knit gloves with latex you describe - are they made by Atlas?

Funny thing, I walked into a Seattle marine supply store that outfits most of the northern fleet (crabbers, halibut boats etc), and almost every glove they sell is Atlas. I think some of their upper models are more than I need for light search and rescue, I think I want something like you have described for after hurricane cleanup. I think my little countycomm gloves will give way pretty quick, and my general purpose leather garden gloves don't let me grip anything too well.

"Art, do you have a pointer to the polyester knit gloves with latex you describe - are they made by Atlas?"

As a matter of fact I have used some made by Atlas. Others, as far as I can tell identical, are stamped on the card stapled to them as Wells Lamont. I suspect that one or more third parties make them and they are relabeled.

To give you some idea of what I'm talking about:
http://www.workgloves.net/StringKnitGloves/dipped-latex/9682L-Blue-Latex-Dip-Palm

Those are going to $10.50 + S&H for a dozen. About the going rate. Like I said they are tough but cheap. At that price you can lay in a supply and scatter them about so there are always a few pairs handy.

They are white with blue, or farther down the page, green palms. But the ones I got locally are a grayish blue knit and a blue palm. I have seen them in yellow knit with blue palms. I suspect that there is little functional differences between the different colors.