Shelby Koala/Kevlar Crosstech Glove ?

[Maverick9110E]

hey guys, im looking into getting myself a set of new gloves, (the ones the dept. gave me are really not very....flexible i guess you could say. right now im running something that looks like this:

http://www.thefirestore.com/store/products/FF-LONG-LIMAGE2.jpg

and i dont mind spening a little bit of cash on these since to me thier one of the most needed pieces of gear to be comfortable, so i came across these on firestore. they seem really flexible and lightweight, anyone know anything about them?

http://www.thefirestore.com/store/products/20031027053222_Photo2.jpg

http://www.thefirestore.com/store/product.cfm?pID=1736

Specifications:
Outer Shell: Glove back of highly flexible dual stretch 10.25oz. Simplex® 100% Kevlar® with atmospheric open width. Palm is heavy weight Fire Retardant, Heat Resistant, 3.5 to 4.0 oz., Koala® Tanned Cowhide. This tanned leather will remain soft after repeated soakings.
Thermal Liner: 8.5 oz. Insular Kevlar/Nomex air Locking Spacer with atmospheric open width. Fabric is vellecular structure with an 18 CPI stitch count.
Protective Barrier: Crosstech Direct Grip Glove Insert
Finger Tip Backs: 3M Scotchlite™ Reflective Material in Silver color with Flame Resistant Fabric. Fabric is bonded to expose retro-reflective lenses with backing. RA values are 330 and 250 at Observation Angles of 0.2° and 0.33° respectively.
Wristlet: Nomex 10.5 oz per yard, Double Ply, 4" Wristlet. Wristlet sewn to liner, and then sewn seperately to the glove shell.
Wrist Pull: 3" x 3 1/2" Round Leather Pull, Sewn to Wristlet & Glove Body
Thread: Sewn with High burst strength Kevlar (30/5) lock stitch, 8-10 stitches per inch
Hanger Loop: 1/4" fire retardant, Split Cowhide, Hanger Loop
Label: Label shall be Permanently Attached to each glove and certifies the glove meets or exceeds the requirements of the latest NFPA standards (1971, Standard on Protective Ensemble for Structural Firefighting, 2000 Edition). Label shall be durable and include the following information: name or designation of manufacture; model; name or style number; lot or serial number; size; date of certification tests; patent numbers; cleaning and care instructions. Label to be sewn to inside of glove.
Glove is constructed, tested and labeled in accordance with the NFPA Standard on Protective Ensemble for Structural Fire Fighting, NFPA 1971-2000 Edition. The glove is certified by the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI)
Origin: Made in U.S.A.
Sizes: X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, Jumbo

Design & Construction:

Glove shall be a gunn cut pattern with wrap around index finger and wing thumb. The highly flexible Simplex Kevlar back improves hand flexibility and affords more comfortable seams. The combined moisture barrier and thermal liner is Crosstech Direct Grip glove insert, which is sewn in at the fingertips and wrist areas. The highly insular Kevlar/Nomex air locking spacer is applied to the back of the glove to improve thermal values where they are neeed most. Fingertip backs are of exposed retro-reflective 3M Scotchliteâ„¢. The glove body shall extend 2" above the wrist crease and shall have a shirred elastic snuggler on the top and bottom of wrist areas.

[ullrichk]

I can't speak for this particular model, but I've used Shelby Firewall gloves for several years and have beeen very pleased with them. I also purchased my own when the department issue was inadequate, so I chose carefully.

[Ron3427]

I purchased the Shelby Kevlar gloves and they absolutely are the worst gloves I have ever worn. The inner lining knots up and makes fast donning impossible, also the inner lining is made to short so there’s an inch of glove that goes beyond where your fingers stop making it hard to pick things up. I have gone through a lot of gloves and my favorites so far have to be the fire fighter, Elk Skin, Gauntlet Gloves made by glove corp. http://www.thefirestore.com/store/product.cfm?pID=427

[blaze288]

I've had a pair of these gloves for about 6 monthes and I think they're great. Good dexterity and good fit.

[Neman13]

I have them and I love them. They are worth every penny.

[squara]

I love my Shelby kevlar gloves, but most of the other guys my dept. who have tried them, hate them. I like them because they don't feel like oven mitts, and they actually seem better cut for female hands than any other gloves I've worn. To me, they seem easy to get on when dry, but a bear to put on when wet because of the thin inner lining getting twisted up like the poster above said.

[erics99]

Before you buy, take a look at Fire Guard Commander gloves. They are blue in color. They are by far the best gloves I have ever used. They can be bought at allhandsfire.com or edarley.com.

[stillPSFB]

Also look at the Eclipse gloves by American Firewear - best glove I've ever had. They are now available with kangaroo leather palms as well which make them even better.

[Fawlty]

Personally... bought them 3 months ago.. they fit poorly, are heavier and stiffer than my well worn 'Firefighter' gloves, and the lining balls up when you take them off if you wear them for an extended period (read sweaty hands).. making it real difficult to re don them!!

I still use them... hoping that they will wear in, become softer and fit a little better - oh and of course that the money I spent wasn't completely wasted.

[Patrick631]

I have used the Shelby Cross Tech glove and as was said before the inner liner will twist. If your hands are wet and you try to put them back on you'll be fighting to put them back on. I have switched to the Shelby Koala & Pigskin. The Kola is on the back side to give you the flexabilty, and the pigskin on the palm to make them durable.

Good Luck,

Patrick

[Rescue21D]

I have a pair of the black gauntlet American FireWear gloves and LOVE them. They are NFPA compliant and the liner is GUARANTEED to not pull out like most other gloves do after putting your wet hands in and out of them. I've had these gloves for over a year and have seen a fair amount of fire.

[npfd801]

We are in the midst of transitioning from the typical "Firefighter" (Glove Corp.?) to the similar competing model from American Firewear. I believe both are elk. The A.F. models seem bulkier initially, but I like the fact that the tips of the finger's lining is sewn in (no pullouts) and the cuff is designed differently so to me they're easier to put on (which is only an issue with the gauntlet style of gloves for use with bunker gear with wristlets). After wearing a set for a day training some recruits at a training tower, they've broken in nicely and most folks seem happy with them.

I guess where this is all leading is I'd suggest you give the American Firewear kangaroo glove a try, as the fingers won't pull out...

I've got a pair of the kangaroo hide gloves coming for trials, but the cost impact is pretty substantial over elk, especially when you're buying for quite a few guys. Everything I've heard is that the kangaroo hide offers more dexterity and doesn't wear out as fast. We'll see...

[Maverick9110E]

are these the gloves your talking about?

http://www.firewear.com/product_pages/8700_series.html

seem pretty nice, my asst. chief has the elk skin ones mentioned earlier and they do fit rather nice. lol i was hoping to find something like a mechanix glove only NFPA rated, lol nice dream that was huh? who sells the kangaroo glove? any idea on the price?

[npfd801]

This is actually the kangaroo glove we're trying:

American Firewear Fire Mate (http://www.firewear.com/product_pages/9000_series.html)

I will say the guy I've been buying from for gear and such has been really good about suggesting items that he thinks are better, not just to sell a more expensive product, but to save us money in the long run. The elk A.F. gloves were no more expensive than what we were already buying, and he sold both lines. He's helped on quite a few PPE items, and he's been on the money with all of them. He swears by the Fire Mates, so we'll see.

Unfortunately, we'll be looking at $10 minimum extra per pair. Perhaps I can start working them in with the next gear purchase. I'm trying to be a good boy and not ask for too much, as I think I'm within just a month or two of getting leather boots for the entire department.

Fingers are crossed.

[Maverick9110E]

they seem pretty good, are they very flexible? cause thats what im most concerned about is the flexibility of them. not like im wearing a dang ove mit, lol. do you know if their certified to protect against bloodboorne pathogens like the koala's? one more thing? did you get a price on the kangaroo gloves? it doesnt seem to list it anywhere. sorry if for all the questions, just tryin to do some research b4 i buy. good luck with the leather boots too. wish i had a pair. lol.

[Maverick9110E]

just noticed on this page, those blue ones i showed you seem to be the newest version of the kangaroo gloves if you look here:

http://www.firewear.com/glove_evolution.html

[Maverick9110E]

after looking for the past few days i think ive decided to settle on the Shelby FDP Elk/Pigskin Glove w/Wristlet. anyone have these? done some good research on them and they seem to be unmatched (almost the same thing as the glove corp X2's) heres a presentation on them: i think everyone should watch this.

http://www.shelbyglove.com/Shelby-FDP/index.html

and heres just the specs:

Shelby FDP Elk/Pigskin Glove w/Wristlet
Fit
Durability
Performance

The FDP series glove with the Shelby barrier system, uses waterproof, breathable GORE technology to provide a look, feel, and performance different from any other glove used by Fire Service today.

Shelby Glove produces the finest fit, with proven durability, to ensure unbeatable performance and protection for those who serve. The innovation of the industry's first ever cut and sewn e-PTFE fire glove barrier system, along with its waterproof, breathable performance, provides an excellent integration of technology and manufacturing expertise. The GORE RT7100 Glove Barrier Fabric is uniquely suited to complement the highly engineered Shelby cut and sewn glove system, and is perfectly crafted to fit Shelby's NEW anatomically correct outer shell glove patterns.

The Shelby FDP breathable barrier thermal liner glove system is individually graded and produced in as many sizes as glove sizes. These barrier/thermal liner glove systems are sized proportional to human hands. Shelby's unique "Black Line" wristlet serves as a visual indication of heat exposure.

This glove is constructed of Heavy Weight Split Elk Hide and Shelby Abrasion Resistant Brushed Pigskin, Gore RT7100 Glove Barrier Fabric and Shelby "Black Line" Nomex Wristlet. It is NFPA Compliant and Fire Retardant.

The Shelby FDP gloves meet or exceed current NFPA 1971 requirements.