Top 7 Reviews: Chainsaw Safety Gloves
My wife’s cousin works in the forestry industry, and while he always wears personal protective equipment while he works, on a recent visit he admitted to me that this includes everything except for gloves. This seemed strange to me so I asked him why he would take such a risk. The reason for this was because he felt gloves restricted his mobility and the fact that he found them uncomfortable. I pointed out that it would be a lot more uncomfortable getting cut by a chainsaw and I think he got my point. When you’re working with powerful equipment such as chainsaws you should never take any safety shortcuts; that includes wearing a good pair of gloves that are specifically designed to protect you from being cut by a chainsaw.
What my wife’s cousin didn’t realize at the time was that chainsaw gloves don’t have to be uncomfortable. There’s a lot of choice out there and, if you do a little bit of research before you purchase any, you’ll have no problem finding a pair of gloves that offer great protection and also a great fit. The reluctance of a professional like this to wear gloves made me realize how important it would be to include some good reviews of chainsaw gloves on this site. The rest of this page takes a closer look of some of the best gloves available.
Seven Great Choices for Hand Protection
Normally I wouldn’t think there was a great deal of variation when it comes to work gloves. In the past I’ve always felt that one pair of work gloves was just as good as any other pair, no matter what the price. That does not apply when it comes to chainsaw gloves, as they have to provide adequate protection in the event that your hand comes in contact with a chainsaw. In our reviews we outline what you should be looking for when purchasing a pair of chainsaw gloves, and we provide our recommendations for which ones are best based on certain features.
Best with Anti-vibration Protection
Endura Hi-Viz Cut-Resistant Chainsaw Gloves
The Endura Hi-Viz Cut-Resistant Chainsaw Gloves offer great protection when you’re working with a chainsaw. These gloves are highly resistant to cuts – especially on the left side where cuts are most common – due to extra layers of Kevlar material included inside the gloves. They’re also made of a nice supple goatskin leather which is ideal for comfort when working with heavy machinery. Chainsaws aren’t the lightest piece of equipment you’ll ever handle, so it’s a good idea to use a comfortable pair of gloves such as these.
Anti-vibration
Another great feature of these Endura gloves is that they also have built-in anti-vibration technology. Operating a chainsaw can be difficult work and there certainly is a lot of vibration produced by the action of the saw blade. With the extra layer of protection from vibration included in these gloves you can continue to work for hours while barely feeling the effects. Nothing will provide absolute protection from vibration, but these gloves come close.
Water Resistant
When working outdoors in an environment surrounded by trees you’re bound to come into contact with a lot of moisture every so often. These gloves are completely water-repellant and designed to keep you dry no matter what type of weather you’re working in. Comfort isn’t just about how a glove fits your hand – it’s about how good of a job they do at keeping you dry as well. Even after a long day at work, wearing these gloves your hands will remain comfortable and dry.
Top Rated Waterproof Chainsaw Gloves
Elvex CSGLV-LG Prolar
There’s always one product that stands out a little and I have to admit I like the Elvex CSGLV-LG Prolar gloves. They’re comfortable, they’re highly visible, and they’re available in multiple sizes. The palms are also well padded to reduce the impact of vibration, but they’re still relatively supple so you will be able to work in them comfortably all day.
Certified Cut Protection
The number one reason for wearing chainsaw safety gloves is so that you’ll be protected against accidental cuts from chainsaws, and these Elvex gloves are fully compliant with all main global safety standards. They have several layers of a material called Prolar, which is very similar to Kevlar and will prevent a chainsaw from coming in contact with your skin more than 90 percent of the time.
Water Resistant
I’ve worked with my wife’s cousin who’s a professional lumberjack on a couple of occasions; it seemed almost impossible to avoid coming in contact with some level of moisture. That’s why it’s nice to know that these gloves are also very water resistant so that you can keep your hands nice and dry. It’s not a pleasant experience having to work in a pair of wet work gloves, so this is definitely a welcome feature.
Best Under $30
Husqvarna 579380209 Functional Saw Protection Gloves
Husqvarna offers a number of different saw protection gloves that are ideal for use with a chainsaw, and the one we’ve chosen to include in our reviews is the 579380209. These gloves are affordably priced at well under $30 and they offer a great deal of protection in all different types of environments. They meet and exceed government standards for safety and they’re designed for a nice comfortable fit as well.
Flexible Spandex
As you’re probably aware, spandex is one of the most flexible materials available when it comes to clothing these days. These gloves include spandex as part of their basic materials, which makes them much more flexible and pliable so that they fit nicely to any-sized hands. Safety may be the most important thing when it comes to a pair of chainsaw gloves, but comfort is an important thing to consider as well, and these gloves do well in that regard.
High Visibility Color
One final thing that should be considered when looking for a good pair of chainsaw gloves is whether or not they’re made from a high visibility color material or not. There have been many safety studies over the years that point to certain colors being much more visible and noticeable to the human eye – such as orange, yellow, and various other fluorescent colors – and these gloves are made from materials that include this type of high-visibility color. This is important to catch the attention of those working around you as well. You might be able to control how you safely operate machinery, but you’ll never have complete control over other people’s safe operation of equipment, no matter how hard you try.
Best with Kevlar
Youngstown 05-3080-70-L General Utility Lined
There are a lot of different chainsaw gloves on the market that offer some type of protection from cuts, usually with a material such as Kevlar, that’s above and beyond what your typical work gloves offer. The Youngstown Glove 05-3080-70-L General Utility gloves take things a little bit further and offer several layers of Kevlar protection that’s above the industry standard even for chainsaw safety gloves.
Kevlar Protection
How much Kevlar protection do these gloves offer? Every single inch of the gloves are lined with a layer of Kevlar, and that means your hands are being protected by the same material that bulletproof vests are made from. That’s certainly good to know and a great reason these gloves should be included on your shortlist.
Long Lasting and Durable
These Youngstown gloves aren’t just protecting your hands from the odd accidental contact with a chainsaw. They’re also designed to provide protection for your everyday work-related activities. They’re extremely durable and long-lasting and should give you years of protection in all situations.
Best with Elasticated Cuffs
VonHaus Certified Chain Saw Gloves
Vonhaus is a trusted name in the chainsaw industry so it’s not surprising that they also market a pair of quality chainsaw safety gloves. These gloves come in many different sizes to accommodate just about everyone, and they’re extremely supple to make it easier to operate a chainsaw while wearing them. One criticism of some gloves is that they’re too thick, making it difficult to control machinery while wearing them. That’s not a problem with these gloves.
Elasticated Cuffs for Easy Fit
Even if you find a pair of gloves that fits your hands well, that doesn’t mean that they’ll also fit snugly over your wrists. Some of us have much wider wrists than others, but it’s not an issue that most glove manufacturers always take into consideration. These Vonhaus gloves also feature an elastic waistband, which makes sure the gloves easily cover over even the thickest wrists.
Extra Protection on the Left
If you’ve worked with chainsaws with any regularity you’re probably aware that the overwhelming majority of injuries occur on the left-hand side. The manufacturer of these gloves has taken this into account and that’s why most of the extra protection has been inserted into the left glove – to ensure you have that extra layer of protection that you need.
Best Fitting Chainsaw Glove
Echo 99988801602
The Echo 99988801602 Chainsaw Gloves are ideal if you’re looking for a lightweight glove that still offers you the protection you need when operating a chainsaw. These gloves weigh in at just under 5.6 ounces, so you’ll barely notice they’re on your hands. They’re made out of the same quality materials of most other chainsaw protective gloves available today, which includes Kevlar reinforcement built right into the material.
Velcro Fastening for Tight and Secure Fit
When I was growing up I was obsessed with Velcro, so I must admit I felt a slight twinge of nostalgia when I found out these gloves have a Velcro strap around the wrists that allow you to fasten them securely while you work. They also have a little bit of elastic give in them that makes it even easier to secure them. They come in several different sizes, so it’s not the one-size-fits-all mentality of which I’ve never been a fan.
Extra Palm Padding
On the palm of the gloves you’ll also find a lot of extra padding that will help to minimize the impact of vibrations that you do have to put up with when working with a chainsaw. You’ll never eliminate vibrations altogether, but if you’re working with a quality chainsaw with built-in anti-vibration technology, it will be a relatively comfortable experience.
Best Under $20
OREGON Large Chainsaw Safety Gloves
While our first inclination may be to automatically associate price with quality, that isn’t always the case and it certainly isn’t true when it comes to chainsaw protection gloves. You don’t have to spend a fortune on gloves – you can save your money for a great chainsaw instead. The Oregon Chainsaw Safety Gloves offer you the same level of protection as more expensive competitors, and they’re priced at less than $20.
No Substitute for Kevlar
You might be thinking that they must have taken some type of shortcuts to offer a pair of chainsaw gloves at such a reasonable price, but you’ll be pleased to know this just isn’t the case. These gloves are Kevlar reinforced and will protect you from the potential for serious injury from a chainsaw blade. They also include more protection on the left-hand side, which is common in the industry as that is the side on which most injuries commonly occur.
Supple Texture
These gloves are also extremely supple, which makes for a comfortable fit while working. For many, comfort is an afterthought when it comes to personal protective equipment, but it doesn’t need to be. You can be comfortable and protected at the same time – there’s no inherent conflict between the two.
Pull On Those Gloves
I would have no problem comfortably recommending any of the gloves on this page for anyone that works with a chainsaw on a regular basis. There are no doubt many more that will provide you with the same level of protection, but these are the ones that stand out from the research done for this site. As long as you look for a few must-have features, you really can’t go wrong. Specifically, look for a pair of gloves that are comfortable, fit snugly, are weather resistant, and include Kevlar or some kind of similar material for cut protection. If you follow these simple guidelines you should be well protected next time you head out to work with your chainsaw.
