Welcome to the first installment of Sliding Scale, a new series in which we’ll be bringing you a single product for every budget. We’ve decided to kick things off with American-made work gloves, as we recently received an email from a reader who was looking for “a nice pair of yellow / tan insulated work gloves for cold-ass winters.” If you’ve got a product you’d like to see included, shoot us an email and we’ll see what we can turn up.
Carolina Glove and Safety Co.
The cheapest American-made options come from Carolina Glove Co. There are only three lined styles – thermal-lined top grain, Thinsulate-lined rough-out, and pile-lined “Sand” – and they’re all made from cowhide. Prices start at $16.00.
MidWest Quality Gloves
For a few more dollars, you can pick-up from something MidWest Quality Gloves, which is the largest still-operational glove manufacturer in the US. They offer a wide array of lined work styles, in myriad leather / liner-material combos. Ordering can be a bit tricky though, as they don’t have their own webstore, so your best bet is to choose the style you want from their work catalog (PDF link), and then search for it on Amazon. Prices start at $20.00.
Geier Glove Co.
There’s a fairly sizable price jump between MidWest and Geier Glove Co., however there’s an equally sizable jump in the quality and materials too. In addition to traditional leathers like cowhide and deerskin, Geier also makes gloves out of elk, bison, and even kangaroo leather. And, they have several wool-lined styles, whereas MidWest and Carolina only offer synthetic liners. Another thing that sets Geier apart is that their gloves come in six sizes, instead of just three, so you can get a more accurate fit. Unfortunately, Geier doesn’t sell direct, and none of their stockists carry the complete range. That said, Prospect Outfitters has a nice selection of the more basic styles, while Leather Gloves Online has most of the exotic ones. Prices start at $42.00.
Sullivan Glove Co.
Sullivan Glove Co. has been around for almost 75 years and all of their products are still made in the USA. The leather options are plentiful, and include buffalo, elk, deer and goatskin. And they also have a number of different designs, ranging from plain and utilitarian to refined and elegant. Four sizes (instead of three) help for a better fit too. Prices start at $55.
Filson
And finally, at the furthest end of the price spectrum are the Original Lined Goatskin Gloves from Filson. They’re made in the USA out of Grade A American goatskin, lined with moisture-wicking Merino wool, and have a winged thumb and elastic wrist. There’s only the one style, and it’s priced at $132.00.
