Blackhawk has a series of gloves ( http://www.blackhawk.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=5109&d= ) which it makes in both Kevlar and Nomex. In all other respects, they look identical, and they both cost the same. I'm thinking about getting a pair for the daily commute to work by train and subway, and for driving.

I now have a pair of Nomex flight gloves, which have experienced considerable pilling of the Nomex fabric. Any suggestions?

Kind of depends on what you want the gloves to do. Kevlar wears better and is designed to resist penetration/cutting. Nomex's strong point is heat deflection, like the fire suits race car drivers wear and the hoods you see on firemen. For everyday use, Kevlar is the better choice.

Kevlar resists heat as well. Not quite as good as Nomex, but well enough. That's why body armour is like wearing an oven.

While I haven't looked at the specific gloves you are looking for, pay careful attention to the protection coverage of the gloves in question and compare that to your objectives. Most of these "Police" gloves have less protection than you might think.

-john

What are you looking at them for? Nomex 3+ times better with heat, carbon is better but more money. In term of pilling, did you wash them, or put them in a drier?

Nomex is designed to repel heat. Kevlar, on the other hand, repels penetration due to the type of fiber, twist of the thread, and tightness of the weave which contrbutes to heat retentention and reflection. Body armor also contains strategically placed armor plate that doesn't breathe at all.

Don't confuse heat with flame. Nomex doesn't repel heat, it protects against flame. You need to wear something under the nomex to protect against heat.

In reply to Adrenjunky, I want them for general purpose travel to and from work, on a train and subway, and for driving. I'm thinking about trafic accidents, and also possible service interruptions or accidents on the rails, in which I would have to exit the train and track area in an unconventional manner. Both the train ride and subway are partially in underground tunnels.

Seems like Kevlar gloves would be more versatile. You get heat resistance, plus abrasion/cut resistance in case you need to manhandle mangled sheet metal or broken glass to escape from a derailed subway or subway collision. Well, any gloves would be better than bare hands, so we're talking relative benefits here.

Someone mentioned that Nomex is flame but not heat resistant. Can anyone confirm that? I always thought that Nomex offers both qualities.

And I don't know if all Nomex grades offers this, but I've seen Nomex stuff advertised as anti-static, too. Handy for those commutes after a really frustrating day at work when you just want to jump down off the subway platform and grab a hold of that third rail nice and tight. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> (Yes, I realize, that's not what's meant by "anti-static")

What is NOMEX?

I didn't know that DuPont made both Kevlar and NOMEX.