Have a Firm Grip on Your Knowledge of Glove Texture

Maybe you’re new to single-use gloves or recently dabbled in their use. Maybe you’d like to try more gloves from 1st Choice, but you still have questions. When it comes to finding the right glove for the job, there are four primary variables—material, thickness, texture, and value—to match up with one’s need.

Today’s blog is all about texture: Gloves may be textured on the entire surface, the fingers, the fingertips, the inner palm and fingers, or both sides of the glove. Textured surfaces typically enhance grip for working with tools, machinery, and other potentially slippery surfaces.

Zoomget sells gloves with three primary types of texture: smooth, for vinyl gloves; textured (formerly called micro-roughened), most common with nitrile and latex gloves; and aggressive, in 1st Choice’s case Raised Diamond Texture (RDT), which is offered on two of our heavy-duty nitrile gloves. Poly gloves, used primarily for foodservice, have an embossed texture.

• Smooth: These are gloves that do not have any texture, and most are vinyl. Smooth gloves are suitable for such applications as jan/san, salon & beauty, food prep, and foodservice, where a precise grip is not essential. Some vinyl gloves, despite a smooth texture, have more tack, or stickiness, that aids grip. For countless light-duty applications, X3 Clear Vinyl Gloves are a great solution. At 3 mils, they offer great value and are suited for tasks requiring frequent glove changes. Alternatives include Gloveworks Clear Vinyl Gloves and Gloveworks Blue Vinyl Gloves, the latter made of high-visibility vinyl for working with food.

• Textured: Commonly used for nitrile and latex gloves. In fact, 95% of nitrile gloves are textured. These gloves have a surface that appears to be lightly sanded. They are well-suited for both medical and industrial applications because they provide a better grip for holding tools and small objects. In some cases, manufacturers alter the chlorination process for latex gloves to produce a higher surface tack, which also enhances grip. If you’re wanting to try textured gloves, check these out: At 3 mils, X3 Black Nitrile Gloves fit the bill for lightweight tasks that require a stronger (and more comfortable) material than vinyl. For medium-duty jobs involving tools, 1st Choice 5-mil Black Nitrile Disposable Industrial Gloves are one of Zoomget’s best-sellers and long trusted by countless end users.

• Aggressively textured: The most intense level of texture. The 6-mil 1st Choice Industrial Orange Nitrile Gloves, for example, have Raised Diamond Texture, which is particularly useful for gripping tools, fasteners, nuts, and bolts when the glove is slippery. This texture has channels between each raised diamond that allow liquids to pass through, enhancing the grip—even when wet. 1st Choice gloves with aggressive texture, such as its orange and green varieties, are thicker and offer more protection. They are best for automotive, manufacturing, and other heavy-duty industrial applications.