Glove FAQ's
Why are you selling gloves?
Great question! Our goal is to self-fund in order to manufacture our long awaited helmets. We’ve had to switch our business plan around and work backwards. That is to say, products that we had originally planned to introduce AFTER the helmet will now be introduced BEFORE the helmet. Our strategy is to sell various safety items as well as offer some shares in the company in order to build up capital. The gloves are the first of those items.
On that note, any item we sell or plan to sell is subjected through the same intensive quality control process. If we set out to make a helmet, it has to outperform every other helmet in production, that same mindset has to extend to every product in our line, including gloves. We first assumed most gloves out there would have already met or exceeded their respective safety standards. We were extremely surprised to learn that nearly all manufacturers have failed to make actual protective motorcycle gloves. Most people know which standards to look for when purchasing a helmet, most however don’t realize that all other safety gear have their own standards as well. Manufacturers will knowingly sell safety gear that is rated to the lowest possible standard or none at all. Their marketing certainly gives you a different impression. Safety standards for each product are confusing, and definitely not something the average consumer can make sense of. Many companies know this and they would certainly love to keep it that way, how else can they charge you $300 for a pair of gloves that don’t work?
What’s the difference between Short-Cuff and full coverage gauntlet gloves?
Extended wrist and Ulna protection mostly (the Ulna is that bone sticking out of your wrist). Race gauntlets/Full coverage gloves are also usually mandatory when participating in Track day Racing. They fill the gap in the wrist by covering the area between the sleeve and the hands, thus eliminating any open areas that could be susceptible to abrasion or impact damage. Make sure to check with track officials before using the gloves on the track. Our upcoming gauntlet will offer a lot more protection to the wrist and hands.
What’s the purpose of the Tactical component of the gloves?
One of our objectives with the overall design was to make the glove as form fitting and ergonomic as possible. This meant looking for some way to measure good dexterity and articulation in the fingers. The best way for us to do that was by referring to the Military Specifications guidelines. Mil Spec requirements not only specify flame resistance and knuckle protection but also full range of movement within the fingers. This is especially important in ballistics and breaching operations where very close and precise tolerances are crucial. Coincidentally, in our mission to create the best motorcycle short-cuff gloves, we believe we’ve also created the best tactical gloves around!
Do you need Tactical gloves that are suitable for motorcycle use? Not really, it’s kind of overkill to be honest. Do you need Motorcycle gloves with added tactical use? Yes, in our opinion they benefit greatly from the added features, so absolutely! Our flame resistant liner greatly reduces heat friction during a slide and the augmented dexterity and compression in the finger panels decreases fatigue and improves handling of the controls during a long ride!
I've been wearing X brand gloves on the street and track. It's, in my opinion, the safest glove around. It features kangaroo leather, Superfabric on the palm and a very expensive Titanium and Carbon Fiber knuckle plate.
If every single accident only involved your knuckles or the top of your hand, you’d be pretty much covered. Most accidents however happen in the palm and finger region where abrasion resistance is the most important. All those nice sounding features make for great text on the side of the package but futuristic sounding technical jargon does not equal safety. What they don't mention in their marketing points is how any of these super materials contribute to your protection. In fact they do not pass the abrasion/Impact requirements for them to be called "motorcycle gloves" which means you just bought something similar to everyday work gloves.
By contrast, when we here at Del Rosario outline specific technical features, we make sure to outline their function and how they personally affect your safety. We only use fact-based details that can be referenced to studies or tests, not confusing hyperbole.
But, but, but! My pair of X brand gloves DO have the CE mark on the label. Their catalog refers to EN 388 it also says “Level 1.” So, yes, I believe they're CE tested.
Again, NO. Your gloves are indeed rated, but not as motorcycle gloves. PPE Level 1 does not require abrasion or impact resistance, and anyone can self certify, rendering it meaningless. EN388 is specifically a WORK glove standard, not intended for riding. There are CE ratings specific to many disciplines such as work, chemical-handling, gardening, etc.…there is ONLY ONE rating specific to motorcycle gloves. Thus, that $400 pair of race gloves you may have just bought is no more protective than that $20 pair of work gloves from your local hardware store. The fact that they're fooling everyone else buying gloves with vague certifications speak largely of the industry and clever marketing in general.
Why are you comparing the resistor gloves to full race gauntlets instead of other short cuffs?
Because of the shorter cuff and lightweight feel, our Resistor ® gloves are intended for street and or tactical use. We initially wanted to do a comparison with other similar short-cuff gloves. We needed to have some sort of starting point, some way to make sure our product was as good as we set out to make it. That however proved impossible. There currently aren’t any short cuff gloves that measure up to CE 2 standards anywhere. The only other glove in the market that complies with safety requirements is a winter full coverage model from Halvarssons “Safety Grip” model. This means that once we release our upcoming racing gauntlets, we would have to beat ourselves pretty much!
A certification sets a minimum standard for companies to aim for and to construct their product accordingly, but the dearth of tests out there are confusing and not uniform. It gives one the inclination that the lack of unity in this area means that whilst one company passes in this country could mean that it fails in another and vice versa. So which one of them is getting it right?
There really aren't any major significant ratings in terms of motorcycle gloves. Up until January 2013, there used to be a French standard (PPE level 1), but that was unified into the UK’s CE system (CE1/CE2). The old French standard is now referred to as CE 1. That level does not require abrasion/impact protection so we do not recommend it. CE 2 is what used to be the original "EN-13594.” The CE was forced by the EU to incorporate the two into one system to make everything less confusing. In our opinion it just made things worse. This means that now, every manufacturer that failed the tests before will now be labeling their gloves “CE 1” or "CE,” giving people the impression that it's CE 2 when they are clearly not.
On a racetrack, a 100ft slide is not at all uncommon. CE Standards only require just 12-15ft of abrasion resistance to get a passing grade. You’d think glove makers would at least meet this bare minimum but it’s just not the case. If you happen to fall during a high-speed race on the track, your bare hands will be exposed to hot asphalt in no time. Impact, Puncture and cut resistance are equally as important.
Is it safe?
This is a question we don’t generally answer in definite form. No two accidents or impacts are alike. Safety is an intangible concept. It’s like asking if cars are safe. What some may walk away from 99.9% of the time, may not work that unfortunate 0.1% of the time, but we do our best to ensure as high as success rate as possible, we’re riders too! There are an infinite amount of variables involved. Whether the question is about helmets or back protectors or gloves, it’s always the same answer; no two accidents are the same. Two people can be wearing the exact same gear and both will come out with two completely different outcomes. The only advice is to seek products that have a battery of independent tests to back them up; this is the only way to increase your chances of walking away from an accident event. The standards should be a starting point, a baseline to improve upon. If others can't even get to at least the bare minimum, what does that say about what they're selling you? The only right answer is always precaution.
