Cut resistant gloves are a kind of personal protective equipment designed to protect hands from lacerations and cuts that can occur from contact with cutting machines, tools, equipment or sharp items like blades, knives, glass, ceramics or metals. These gloves feature certain composite materials as well as fiberglass, stainless steel mesh and synthetic yarns, which work together to offer superior hand protection.
Considering the number of hand injuries that occur every year in this country, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting over 143,000 incidents in 2015, it is imperative to wear the best cut resistant gloves when working around hazards. However, choosing the right glove for your workers is not easy — some products are higher-quality than others, and many were designed to suit specific activities and work environments. Read our buying guide to learn about the best work gloves on the market so you can figure out which products are safest for your workers.
Best Cut Resistant Gloves
Here are our top cut resistant work gloves along with the specifications, benefits, and recommended applications for each.
1. Majestic 3437 Ring Spun Dyneema Gloves Cut Level 3
If your employees regularly deal with sharp objects, the Majestic 3437 Ring Spun Dyneema Gloves Cut Level 3 will provide the needed hand protection for a variety of activities, including assembly, glass handling, mechanical work and operation of industrial machinery.
This glove consists of a gray shell protected by a black polyurethane palm coating which, along with its 13-gauge seamless knit, provides superior protection, comfort and flexibility. This cutting-edge glove also offers exceptional durability, even in the most challenging work environments.
These popular cut resistant gloves come in a variety of sizes and can accommodate everyone in your workforce, with S, M, L, XL and XXL sizes all available. You can refer to the manufacturer’s helpful sizing chart to figure out the best fit for each member of your workforce.
2. Majestic 3396 Polar Penguin Gloves Cut Level 2
The Majestic 3396 Polar Penguin Gloves provide ANSI Cut Level 2 protection. They are made of a heavyweight napped terry knit material to keep your workers’ hands warm and comfortable without losing dexterity. They are available in hi vis yellow and hi vis orange for improved visibility as well as in standard black. A lighter version for summer is also available.
Polar Penguin 3396 gloves have a latex-coated palm that provides a superior grip as well as excellent wear resistance. They’re ideal for working in freezers and colder food storage areas, warehouses, outdoor construction sites and other cold-weather environments.
3. Majestic 37-3435 Dyneema White Gloves Cut Level 4
The Majestic 37-3435 Dyneema White Gloves will provide your workers with the lightweight feel and cut protection of Kevlar, but with 10 times more resistance to abrasion. In other words, this product is the perfect combination of durability and dexterity.
These gloves feature a material called Diamond Dyneema, which offers an impressive combination of durability, cut protection and comfort. Dyneema has 15 times more strength than steel, making it the most durable fiber in the world. The glove’s white polyurethane palm coating provides an extra layer of protection, and its long-knit cuff ensures a snugger fit. It also features a pre-curved finger design, which will minimize the amount of hand fatigue your workers experience.
This glove is best for activities including window installations, glass handling, assembly of small electronics parts, mechanics and industrial applications.
4. PIP MaxiFlex Endurance 34-846 Dotted Palm Nylon Cut Resistant Gloves
The MaxiFlex Endurance 34-846 features raised microdots, which enhance the gloves’ durability and provide better cushioning, which is especially helpful when doing repetitive actions that require precision. The cut resistance level of the glove is EN 388 1.
These gloves are the most breathable of their kind on the market, and their breathability is due to their micro-foam nitrile coating. Not only are they 25% thinner than most other foam nitrile gloves available today, but they also offer double the performance.
These gloves also feature the most cutting-edge knitting technology, which creates smooth, rounded fingertips that enhance fingertip sensitivity. They also feature a micro-cup finish, which optimizes the grip. The feel, form and fit of these gloves mimic hands when at rest, which makes them more comfortable to wear and minimizes hand fatigue.
MaxiFlex Endurance gloves are best suited for DIY projects, wiring operations, the use of instruments and tools, maintenance, handling small parts, gardening and warehousing and logistics.
5. Majestic 37-1550 Dyneema 13-Gauge Cut-Less Diamond Gloves Cut Level 5
The Majestic 37-1550 Dyneema Cut-Less Diamond Gloves feature a gray shell of Dyneema Diamond Technology continuous fiber and a coating of latex palm.
Dyneema has the distinction of being the most durable fiber in the world, having 15 times the strength of steel pound-for-pound. The glove also offers ample comfort — its long-knit cuff allows for a snugger, more secure fit, and its pre-curved finger design will minimize how much hand fatigue your workers experience.
This glove is ideally suited for window installations, handling of glass, food applications, industrial applications, mechanics and assembly of small electronics components.
6. PIP G-Tek 16-150 Seamless Knit Polykor Blended Polyurethane Coated Cut Level 3 Gloves
If your employees are working in harsh environments with mechanical hazards, the PIP G-Tek seamless knit PolyKor blended glove will provide reliable protection, thanks to their protective PolyKor-engineered yarn.
The palm and fingers of this glove feature a smooth, polyurethane-coated grip, which makes them exceptionally resistant to abrasion, punctures, cuts, water, chemicals and ultraviolet light. Even in wet conditions, they provide a good grip. The polyurethane coating is also thin, which gives the gloves superior dexterity and tactility.
The PIP G-Tek 16-150 is also seamless, which makes the glove breathable and comfortable to wear. And workers won’t have to worry about debris getting inside the glove, as the design of its knit wrist keeps dirt out.
These gloves are a great choice when working with glass cutting, electronics, parts assembly, general duty, sheet metal and small, sharp parts. Thanks to the color-coded hems, identifying the size of each glove is easy.
7. Majestic 35-1305 HPPE Cut Level 3 Gloves
The 35-1305 HPPE Cut Level 3 Gloves from Majestic feature HPPE cut resistant fiber. Their gray shell, which has a black polyurethane palm coating, is great for industrial applications. They are also suitable for assembly of small electronic components, mechanics, food applications, handling of glass and installation of windows. These gloves have a color-coded hem, which makes it easy to identify their size.
8. PIP MaxiCut 18-570 Micro-Foam Nitrile Coated Cut Resistant Gloves Cut Level 3
Next on our list of the best cut-proof gloves, the PIP MaxiCut 18-570 Micro-Foam Nitrile Coated Cut Resistant Glove is a breathable option that also provides flexibility, comfort and dexterity. It is particularly suitable for dry work environments.
The glove features a micro-foam nitrile coating that is compatible with light oils and allows for an excellent controlled grip and resistance to abrasion. The glove also contains reinforcement between the forefinger and thumb, an inherently weak area. Its knit wrist also helps keep debris from getting inside the glove.
The PIP MaxiCut 18-570 is the most breathable cut resistant glove available, as its micro-foam nitrile coating provides 360-degree air flow. This work glove also contains innovative, high-performance fibers and yarns that help protect against cuts while keeping the glove comfortable. It mimics a hand at rest, which will reduce your workers’ hand fatigue. Cutting-edge knitting technology creates rounded, smooth fingertips, which will enhance the sensitivity of your workers’ fingertips.
The Oeko-Tex Association has certified this product as skin-safe from the moment it comes in contact with skin, and it has also received accreditation from the Skin Health Alliance.
These gloves are especially suitable for workers dealing with glass cutting, electronics, food and meat processing and metal handing. It is available in a wide variety of sizes, from XS to XXL.
9. Radians RWG604 Cold Weather Hi Vis Gloves Cut Level 5
The Radians RWG604 gloves are highly cut resistant and have an ANSI cut rating of A4. This glove features a white-and-blue high-performance polyethylene shell, which is highly effective at protecting against abrasions and cuts, and an acrylic terry liner, which keeps hands warm when working in cold conditions.
The glove’s black micro nitrile palm coating also provides an excellent grip in both dry and wet conditions. The high-visibility TPR overlays on the back of the glove help protect against impact. The gloves are also comfortable to wear, thanks to their seamless cuff design. They have also been tested to EN 388 standards, receiving a 5 out of 5 for Blade Cut and a 4 out of 5 in the categories of Abrasion Resistance, Tear and Puncture.
10. West Chester PosiGrip Barracuda Cut Resistant Gloves Cut Level 2
The West Chester PosiGrip Barracuda Cut Resistant ANSI 2 Gloves offer outstanding comfort and excellent protection against cuts. They feature high-performance polyethylene fiber, which has 10 times the strength of steel and 140% of the strength of blended fabrics.
These machine-washable gloves are best for cutting applications, sheet metal work, glass handling and automotive environments.
Understanding the Product Descriptions
When reading about the best cut-proof work gloves, you may want to first familiarize yourself with the most common materials used to manufacture them and the standards used to evaluate their performance.
Cut resistant gloves feature rubber or polymer in combination with one or several of the following materials.
- Metal mesh: This puncture and cut resistant material is stainless steel.
- Steel core: This material is resistant to cuts and abrasions.
- Kevlar aramid fiber: This lightweight, flexible material has five times the strength of steel and is flame-resistant up to 427 degrees Celsius.
- Fiber-metal blend: This durable material is resistant to cuts and abrasions.
- Spectra fiber: Per unit weight, this material has 10 times the strength of steel and resists abrasions and cuts — even when it’s wet.
- Super fabric: This material is flexible and resistant to abrasion, cuts and punctures.
- Dyneema: This durable, moisture-resistant material is 15 times stronger than steel, yet is lightweight enough to float on water.
- HPPE: This high-quality material is knit from polyethylene fibers and extremely resistant to abrasions and cuts.
Descriptions of cut resistant gloves also frequently include ratings to help users make more informed decisions about which glove is most suitable for their needs.
- ANSI/ISEA 105-2016: Created by the American National Standards Institute and the International Safety Equipment Association, this system rates gloves in terms of their resistance to cuts, puncture, abrasion, cold, heat, flame and chemical permeation. For cut resistance, the ANSI/ISEA rates gloves on a scale from 0 to 9, and determines the ranking by performing a test to figure out the weight required for a straight blade to cut completely through the glove as it travels one inch. The higher the weight, the higher the rating.
- EN 388: This European standard evaluates a material’s resistance to abrasions, tears, punctures and cuts, and determines these standards using scientific methods. For cut resistance, a material receives a rating ranging from 1 to 5, decided by how many cycles it takes for a rotating blade to cut through the material. The more rotations it takes to cut through the material, the higher its cut resistance rating. Although an EN 388 rating is not a requirement in the U.S., some products are beginning to carry it.
- ASTM F-1790: The ASTM F-1790 standard measures how well a material protects against cuts. Deciding this rating involves using force-distance testers, which determine a material’s ability to resist cuts when exposed to a cutting edge under specific loads.
Find the Best Cut-Proof Work Gloves for Your Staff at PalmFlex
For the past 30 years, PalmFlex has been providing customers all over the U.S. with the most reliable work gloves on the market. Our line of products includes all the gloves listed above and many, many more. Although we sell a wide variety of products, every item we sell reflects our focus on quality and value. Our low overhead allows us to provide you with excellent savings on many products that have significant cost markups on other sites.
In addition to our high-quality, affordable products, we also strive to provide the highest possible level of service to all our customers. We are happy to answer your questions and help you make the best choices for your needs.
We offer volume discounts and free shipping on orders over $80 to anywhere in the continental U.S. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our customer service department by filling out our form.
