The Hands-On Guide to Selecting the Right Exam Gloves for Your Task
Choosing the right gloves for your task is crucial as gloves protect you from health and safety risks. However, the variety of products available can be overwhelming. This selection guide explains the strengths and weaknesses of each material and highlights other important factors to help you find the right glove for your task and budget.
Different glove types and materials provide different protection levels against the hazardous substances you come into contact with. The most common materials used to make examination gloves are latex, vinyl, nitrile and neoprene.
Vinyl Gloves
Disposable exam gloves made of vinyl are economical alternatives and carry no risk of allergic reactions compared to latex. They are the best choice for use in medical offices or hospitals and for cleaning tasks. The disadvantage of vinyl gloves is that they are not very elastic and therefore can only provide a loose fit. If a tight fit is an important factor for your task, it is better to consider either nitrile or latex gloves instead.
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Latex Gloves
Latex is made from natural rubber. These gloves are very popular as they offer excellent stretchability and good protection against hazardous substances. Due to their elasticity, they fit the hand precisely and offer an optimal fit and greater comfort than vinyl and nitrile alternatives. The disadvantage is the proteins from natural rubber, which can trigger allergic reactions in a relatively small percentage of healthcare professionals and patients.
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Nitrile Gloves
As a synthetic rubber nitrile resembles latex and offers a good fit without triggering allergic reactions. Among the four types of glove, nitrile gloves offer the best strength and puncture resistance. Another advantage is that they are also more breathable than vinyl or latex. However, they have the highest price.
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Neoprene Gloves
Neoprene, also called polychloroprene, is also a synthetic rubber like nitrile. Neoprene gloves are very durable and have excellent resistance to sunlight, weathering and oxidation, making them ideal for outdoor use. The high flexibility allows for a good fit and a higher wearing comfort, which is in no way inferior to latex gloves. Compared to nitrile gloves, neoprene gloves exhibit a lower chemical resistance.
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The table shows the strengths and weaknesses of vinyl, latex, nitrile and neoprene gloves at a glance.
Attributes | Vinyl | Latex | Nitrile | Neoprene |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Resistance to puncture, abrasion & cut |  | | | |
Comfort/sensitivity | | | | |
Resistance to chemicals | | | | |
Fit/flexibility | | | | |
Weather resistance | | | | |
Cost per unit |  | | | |
Type 1 latex allergy |  | |||
Environmentally friendly/degradable | | |
Glove thickness is another important factor in choosing the best examination gloves. Thinner gloves offer better flexibility, dexterity and touch sensitivity, while thicker ones offer more protection and are more durable, so they can last for several cycles. Thinner gloves are the best choice for medical and physical examinations or for medical procedures. Thickness is expressed in mils. One mil is equal to one thousandth of an inch.
It sounds trivial, but it is important to choose the right glove size to get the best performance and protection. Wearing a glove that is too big not only affects dexterity, but also increases the risk of infection/contamination. Small particles or liquids can get into the space between your hands and the gloves and particles can drop from your hands and contaminate samples and processes. Gloves that are too small or too tight will reduce dexterity after only a short period of wear and quickly lead to hand fatigue.
Exam gloves are available in either powdered or non-powdered form. The advantage of powdered gloves is that they are easy to put on and take off. However, glove powder has been suspected to promoting the development of latex allergies. Considering non-powdered alternatives would be a better choice if you are sensitive to latex.
There are many other advanced features that improve comfort and could be beneficial for your work, such as beaded cuffs, textured fingertips etc. Beaded cuffs increase the protection level against fluid drips and the strength of the glove by preventing roll down, while textured fingertips provide a better grip on wet and dry objects.
No glove is perfect for all tasks. Browse through our wide selection of exam gloves and use our interactive selection tool to find those with advantages that best fit your task and budget.