June 30, 2021
Not long ago, my close friend told me that it doesn’t matter what gloves you are wearing when riding a motorcycle. The important thing is that you are wearing one. Well, I would beg to disagree with my friend. The reason behind wearing gloves is to protect and provide your hands with maximum comfort when riding a motorcycle.
So, when it comes to choosing which gloves to wear, you should choose well. You will find various types of motorcycle gloves and work gloves in the market today, so you might get confused about which of these two types of gloves you should choose. Thus, you should differentiate between these two types of gloves to figure out which is best between these two.
The Difference Between Motorcycle and Work Gloves
If you would look closer at these two types of gloves, you will notice that the main difference lies in the fourchettes’ materials. The fourchettes refer to the panels on the finger’s sides. Moto gloves come with panels with stretch fabric, and this stretch fabric consists of lycra. Lycra is softer and is stretchable, which makes finger bending easier.
On the other hand, mechanics work gloves use palm materials for the panels (fourchettes). This material is referred to as Chamude or Clarino. This material is more heat resistant and durable. It is also abrasion-resistant, and it doesn’t stretch. Hence, work gloves are more apt for handling tools and working materials. This material also doesn’t flex likewise.
You will also notice that work gloves typically come with a small patch of this material on the fingertips to ensure that they will not wear out quickly. This additional patch, however, makes the work gloves bulkier.
Work Gloves
The work gloves, as the name implies, are protective equipment when you work on projects. They protect and cover your hands, from your wrist to your fingers. They are designed to save your fingers and hands from unnecessary injuries like blisters, cuts, skin punctures, heat, splinters, and even chemical burns. Gloves differ in types depending on which kind of environment you will be working in.
Work gloves come in different materials like cloth, wool, leather, rubber, nitrile rubber, neoprene, vinyl, or metal. These gloves can protect against cuts, splinters, friction, abrasions, chemicals, infectious disease, and even harmful biological substances.
You will see the work gloves being used by different professionals like barbed wire handlers, aircrews, butchers, woodcutters, divers, police officers, firefighters, doctors, food, medicine handlers, chemical handlers, farmers, military personnel, machine operators, welders, sportsman, blacksmith, and many others.
Because safety problems and hazards vary from one job to another, work gloves also differ from one job to another. Thus, the design and made of work gloves also depend on what type of job you are engaged in.
Motorcycle Gloves
Leather mostly makes the motorcyclist gloves. They may come with gauntlets for extra protection against wrist injuries and mitigate drafts, especially when riding in cold weather. As mentioned above, the motorcycling gloves come with reinforced palms to protect the hands from injuries, especially during accidents. It will be useful to buy gloves that display “CE” marking. Furthermore, there are anti-vibration gel-palm motorcycle gloves that specially made for motorcyclists with numb hands to minimize the vibration transferred to their hand & eliminate hand fatigue during long-distance ride.
Some motorcycling gloves also come with additional protection and waterproofing. If you are constantly touring, you can buy touring gloves with advanced insulating materials. Such gloves also come with a breathable waterproof fabric.
If you are a racer, you should go for armoring features found often in most racing gloves. Racing gloves also come with pre-curved finger sections for optimum protection.
Moreover, some racing gloves also come with carbon or titanium panels for knuckle and finger protection. Besides, racing gloves may also have additional wrist protection panels for protecting your hand’s palm and heel.
Race gloves also have a design wherein the pinky finger goes with the ring finger for a reduced chance of the pinky finger being flexed backward during a crash.
The Major Differences Between These Two Types of Gloves
If you are not a meticulous buyer or your first time buying a pair of gloves, you may fail to distinguish between the motorcycle and work gloves. Of course, you can always ask if the glove is a moto glove or a work glove, and there is no harm in asking. However, aside from the abovementioned differences, here are some of the major differences between work and moto gloves:
Safety Features
You will notice that motorcycle gloves come with different safety features than work gloves. The reason is that the hazards faced by riders and workers are different. For example, if you are a motorcycle rider, you need a glove that gives you a better grip on the handlebars, providing your hands and muscles with decreased fatigue and a better riding experience.
As you ride for a longer time, you will notice a tingling and numbing feeling on your hands. Such a sensation may be uncomfortable but also dangerous because you need a full feeling in your hands to drive correctly. With motorcycle gloves, you are sure that your gloves have padded palms that can help you maintain that keen sense of feeling in your hands while protecting your hands against the bike’s vibrations.
A good safety feature of motorcycling gloves is the better grip they offer, even if your hands are sweaty. These gloves mostly come with silicone or leather palms for a more secure grip.
On the other hand, safety work gloves have different safety features meant for protecting your hands from injuries like punctures, cuts, abrasion, and punctures. Thus, when handling pointed or sharp objects, you can’t merely wear a basic split-fitter glove. Besides, when lifting heavy loads such as lumber, you should not wear a palm-coated glove.
Level of Comfort
When wearing motorcycle gloves, you can increase the comfort level when riding. The vibrations of the handlebars, for example, can be uncomfortable while riding. The good thing is that motorcycle gloves are designed to absorb these vibrations to prevent tingling and numbing sensations in your hands after prolonged riding. Moreover, these gloves prevent the drying and onset of calluses in your palms.
Work gloves also do the same thing for your hands. They provide you a higher comfort level, especially when handling heavy loads with rough surfaces. They also protect you from developing calluses in your palms and fingers.
Protection
Glove’s primary purpose is for protection, whether the glove is a motorcycle or work glove. Thus, gloves are engineered to assuage any potential injury. Motorcycle gloves, for example, come with features for protecting a rider from potential dangers from falls. They also protect your hands from sunburns and even bugs. They can also protect you from road debris.
On the other hand, work gloves are designed to assuage or limit the impact of potential injuries on your hands when working. You will readily notice that wearing gloves can protect you from impact injuries while working. Your hands are very fragile, and any miscalculation can expose your hands to danger or injuries. As such, if you are wearing work gloves, you can easily mitigate any potential injuries to your hands.
Conclusion
Motorcycle gloves and work gloves may look the same from afar, yet, they come with different designs and materials. As mentioned above, the fourchettes of the motorcycle and work gloves differ from each other. The reason for this is that each of these types of gloves has different applications.
Of course, you can sometimes use a motorcycle glove if you run out of work gloves when working, but such an idea is not worth considering because a motorcycle glove will not give you the utmost comfort level and protection when working. Similarly, a working glove will not provide you with the maximum safety and comfort if you use it when riding a motorbike.