Mechanix gloves are tactical now?
Dammit, I've been using a pair of black Mechanix gloves as my trash-hauling/lawn-mowing/random yard-work gloves since I moved to Roseholme Cottage over two years ago. I just bought 'em because they were comfortable and in a nice, low-key black color instead of vomit yellow or covered in little flowers, and this whole time I've been looking like a specops poser and nobody told me?
Thanks a lot, guys.
(And I wear the 5.11 boots for the ankle support. Really. And the side-zip thing is kinda convenient.)
Oh shit Tam, I'm cool too, dammit!
ReplyDeleteI have 2 pairs or the grey ones. They fit my bitty little paws better than most, and were $9.99 on sale at Home Depot.
Now do I have to burn them or hide them until the zombies are coming over the wall?
And forgive me, I'm very old, but what are 5.11 boots?
5.11 Side-zip Boots.
ReplyDeleteCould be worse, I have a friend who wears the Mechanix gloves because Sting (the wrestler) also wears them.
ReplyDeleteGood to be a trend setter. I was worried about 5.11 for a couple of years knowing it meant something that no one had bothered to tell me, so I started looking it up. When I got to the rock climbing I put it with 110%. Sounds cool but really impossible.
ReplyDeleteI took my lightweight motorcycle gloves from the tactical gloves that some troops wear in the desert.
I bought mine for, um, mechanical work. They don't inhibit my dexterity like other gloves, so it only made sense to throw a pair into my range bag. I feel so dirty.
ReplyDeleteUm, I bought mine for protecting my hands when sanding corrosion off the airplane ribs - otherwise I'd sand the calluses and skin off my fingertips, too.
ReplyDelete'Course, mine are red with little flowers because that's what fit (no black available) and I was so tired and annoyed at hobbling around on a crutch that I bought several pair in order not to have to come back.
Tactical gear in flowered - guess that makes me steampunk in that Kaylee of Firefly way. Or something.
Thank goodness I'm wearing walmart brand black gardening gloves instead of defiling a pair of tactical Mechanix.
ReplyDeleteTactical trash-hauling... Sounds like a YouTube video that needs to be made.
ReplyDeleteMine are purple. Is that still considered tactical?
ReplyDeleteThe sedan is still black and apparently tactical though.
I wear 5.11 pants and shorts because they're comfy, look professional enough to wear in an office, and have lots of pockets. I in no way, shape, or form consider myself "tactical" or even "tacticool". They just work for me.
ReplyDeleteAnon 11:00,
ReplyDeleteA lot of this is very tongue-in-cheek, of course. :)
Tactic: means to goal: a method used or a course of action followed in order to achieve an immediate or short-term goal...
ReplyDeleteExcuse Me while I grab my gloves and get all tactical on the dog poop out back. :)
(They are great all purpose gloves)
On a side note: Fred doe's an excellent job on His reviews, kudos!
Mechanix brand sucks. I've yet to have one that doesn't somehow come apart on me ASAP- my most recent pair had the right index finger stitching come undone the second time I used them.
ReplyDeleteJust get the Craftsman brand mechanic's gloves; those have done much better for me. My only problem is that I need to keep two pairs- one for the really oily jobs and one for the clean work- the oil tends to seep into them, and the oily pair leaves smudges on everything from then on.
I hate the new ones I have that velcro closed on the inside of the wrist instead of the backside, but have a fake rubber dingus that makes you think they still velcro there.
ReplyDeleteThey are considered disposable since I blow through the fingers in a month or two.
I prefer the Craftsman ones too.
I guess Mechanix gloves are the new Nomex flight gloves. I use desert Nomex gloves to keep my hands beautiful while I cast boolits, and also to make sure my neighbors think I'm an operator.
ReplyDeleteHe's a smooth operatahhh. Smooooooooth operatah-aaaaah.
Isn't this worrying about looking like a mall ninja just as silly as actually being a mall ninja? "Oh noes, I can't wear cargo pants - someone might think I'm trying to be tactical!"
ReplyDeleteJust embrace your inner tactinerd and stop worrying about silly stuff, I say. :) (Of course, I probably look awfully mall ninjaish in my boonie hat and shooting gloves and combat boots and... :p )
Actually I've seen a lot more Nomex flight gloves in the dispatches from the front as of late. They're part of the flame resistant field issue, and a lot of commanders are requiring you wear them on missions.
ReplyDelete(I was actually having problems finding pictures of guys "over there" wearing Mechanix gloves. Plenty of Airsofters though!)
Being cool without trying, knowing, or even caring is the very definition of trendsetter as opposed to trendfollower. No worries.
ReplyDeleteBut do get one of the big Rubbermaid trash cans on wheels; great for yard work. And yeah, they're tactiblack too, so next thing you know the neighbors will be jumping on that trend too.
AT
I used to lurve my nomex gloves. They worked great as glove liners under the black army work gloves, and you could actually use your hands on small fiddly bits without taking the gloves off, which is useful inside a tank with a busted heater when it's 30 degrees outside.
ReplyDeleteI need to go get another pair, now that I think about it.
Fred the "hot set up" for convoys was nomex or some other thin supple glove with a cheap pair of big leather work gloves worn over them. Running in up armored SUVs, we worried more about glass and getting out of the wreckage. I actually despise 5/11s - poor value/cost ratio. Royal Robbins was the heat, but those days are long gone...
ReplyDeleteWho knew that tactical could be so comfy?
ReplyDeleteTerry (lounging by the computer in tactical pants, tactical polo shirt, tactical slippers while typing on tactical black keyboard)
Anon 1:14,
ReplyDelete"Royal Robbins was the heat, but those days are long gone..."
Heh. My shoot-me vest is a Royal Robbins; nice and faded, too. 'Cause I roll old school like that. :D
With Dirt Crasher and Raving Prophet on the Mechanix gloves. They're horrid for usage in what they were ostensibly designed to do.
ReplyDeleteTam, you could always toss a box wrench in your back pocket and call it good. You could say you were working on the scooters, right? =)
I know lots of cops that use Mechanics Gloves for hands-on social purposes. I personally am very happy with a cheap pair of batting gloves for the same purpose.
ReplyDeleteLove love love the 5.11 sidezips. Except when it's hot.
ReplyDelete-Anon 1:14
ReplyDeleteIt's been a bit since I've been in a "hot convoy..." you're guys are lucky, we used to dream of armored trucks... I'm just relaying on pictures and friends who've been over there more recently.
My choice of tati-kewl hand covering is the Bell fingerless gel padded bicycle glove. Just the thing to prevent hammer bite, recoil shock, long distance motorcycle riding fatigue, and adds a little something when I play the congas.
ReplyDeleteGloves? Hell, back in my day, you'd just keep a red shop rag or 2 stuck in the back pocket! Cut yourself, Hell, pour some rubbing alcohol on it and put a BandAid on it, then get back to work! Hell, you young whippersnappers can't even chop a load of wood without some fancy-dancy Goretexas Insulate mittens when the snow flies...
ReplyDeleteRaving Prophet:
ReplyDeleteGet some "Goop" brand hand cleaner. WalMart carries it, and some auto parts stores. Put the gloves on, scoop some up, and work it into the glove like washing your hands. Let them sit for twenty minutes, then toss into the washing machine with your work/garage clothes. (do the same for oil/grease spots in jeans and athletic shoes)
It may leave a slight odor if that is the only soap in the wash. I usually add the normal laundry soap, unless I'm washing a large amount of oily-Gooped clothes. If so, I'll rewash with soap after it goes through a rinse cycle.
I've had this stuff remove stains from jeans after they have gone through a dozen regular wash and dry cycles. Cleans carpet stains too.
There's no grit in it, so it doesn't hurt your hands, clothes, or machine.
Oh, BTW, it also cleans hands :)
Bubblehead Les,
ReplyDeleteThere is no virtue in suffering. ;)
Wal-Mart MechPros here. Bought after freezing my fingers off taking pictures in the winter.
ReplyDeleteWhen they wear out I might try Mechanix, though the obnoxious branding throws me off a little. I know that being consumer these days requires surrendering part of your body for billboard space, but Mechanix is really pushing the boundaries.
Uhhhh, the Craftsman gloves ARE MADE BY MECHANIX. Check the tag. I've got both, because I buy them when they're on sale. If you really want to be loud, JEGS sells their bright yellow and black units for $10 all the time, and they hold up just as well as the Mechanix brand.
ReplyDeleteMy only gripe about the Mechanix gloves is when they tried out that fucking rubber on the finger tip shit. I guess they figured out no one liked it quickly, though, as I haven't seen them on a shelf in a while.
Craftsman is made by Mechanix?
ReplyDeleteDon't doubt it, but I don't know why those are the ones that last and the Mechanix are the ones that come apart from such light duty as tire rotation. All I can do is say my experiences, but I'm past spending real money on the Mechanix labeled stuff. I always end up regretting it.
I got a bunch of the cotton gardening gloves, 'cos they were black instead of brown. usually a pair in each glove box, and a couple in my range bag. I also have a box of black dragon nitrile tattooist gloves around. I keep a baggie of 10 handy, in case I want to stop leaving fingerprints....
ReplyDeleteTacticool Game (in a deep monster truck announcer voice): "You have now achieved Mall Ninja Level 3."
ReplyDeleteTam: "No, wait, wait, I wasn't trying to level up! These are just practical!"
Tacticool Game: "...and tactical."