Clothing

FR Gloves from the PIG Makers

I’ve mentioned before about having an FR ensemble for work purposes, not because it’s at all likely I’d need that, but even if the likelihood of need is tiny I really do not want to have melted polyester from standard uniform covering my skin in the event of something going super badly down hill.

To that end I have issued FR MTP trousers and combat shirt, a Massif balaclava and these Bravo gloves from SKD Tactical, amongst a few other small items. The popular Alpha and Delta gloves of course make heavy use of common synthetics and would not be FR for the most part, whereas these Bravos retain the patterning of the Alpha with a full leather and nomex construction. Interestingly there’s a vaguely exotic combination of sheep and goat leather mixed in to these gloves with no cow hide.

Do they facilitate the exact same dexterity as the Alphas? That was my question and probably most peoples’ question. They’re close I’ll say that, pretty bloody close. The FR fabrics through most of the construction are a fair bit thicker than the fabrics in the Alphas, but the patterning is as I say the same, with the same excellent design especially at the finger tips. I only spent a few hours actually wearing this pair somewhere warm-ish but they certainly did not hinder basic weapons handling and I’ve worn lots of issued gloves which do.

They do seem to come up smaller than the Alphas and Deltas, I went with my usual size small and they were a tight squeeze to get on so if I were to buy again I’d go a size up over my Alpha sizing. The materials used however do feel supremely comfortable and supple, so I was extremely impressed in that regard.

Also despite being a fair bit more expensive than the non-FR versions these are actually some of the cheaper FR gloves on the market to come from a quality brand. The FR gloves I’ve seen from OR for example cost a good bit over $100 and I’d be surprised if they offer close to the legendary FDT dexterity. I’ll admit right away I’ve not tried the competitors, but in my search online there weren’t any I felt could beat the FDT Bravos in dexterity and they all cost more, so my choice seemed very clear cut.

For military folks this would definitely be a strong contender in my mind and I’m sure there’s plenty of other applications out there for a glove with great dexterity that can shield against burns.

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