IronClad Pro Grip Gloves - a review
For a while, we have had a lot of good tactical gloves manufacturers, like Mechanix, Wiley-X, P1G and the others. However, a new player is coming to town - IronClad. It's the brand that gained a lot of fame in a very short period of time. Due to the innovative solutions, it's popular both in airsoft and shooting world. All of this at a considerably low price. Is their popularity an effect of good quality, or just hype for something new? Let's find out.
The package
It's a pair of tactical gloves, not the limited edition of the Colt 1911, so there is nothing fancy about it. There is a simple string bag with a piece of cardboard. The cardboard has the printing with the producer's name and the gloves model. Overall, it's OK. Nevertheless, the gloves are connected with a very little and tight plastic loop, which makes it quite hard to cut without doing any damage to the gloves. Keep that in mind while unpacking.
The materials
The gloves are made of artificial materials like neoprene, spandex, artificial skin and... silicone!
The spandex and neoprene appear mainly in the outer layer of the gloves. This makes them nice in the touch and quite adjustable to the user's hands.
The inner side of the gloves is made of the artificial skin, which is similar to the one used in Mechanix products. However, there is something more innovative here - the skin is covered in silicone crosses that form a cool, attractive to the eye, pattern. It's patented by the IronClade as a DiamondClad.
The thumb has another piece of material - terrycloth.
Of course, there is a velcro with rubber handle too.
The overall quality
Here I will have some complaints, because I'm quite grumpy where it comes to the equipment.
First of all, there are a few strands standing out.
On the inner side of wrist.
And on the fingers
Nevertheless, I highly approve the sewing of the velcro and handle are connected very securely - both on the edging and the additional piece of material. There is a lot of stitches, so the velcro shouldn't be a weak element of the gloves, like in the competitive products.
The finger tips are quite wide, it seems like there is too much material.
The DiamondClad layer of silicone gives a good impression. The silicone holds onto the artificial skin very well, and it's hard to remove it. With a lot of effort, I've managed to tear off a piece of the silicone from the glove - it came off with a little of the glove skin. However, there was no hole in the glove, so even with the destroyed DiamondClad layer, there will still be usable.
Besides the little faults mentioned before (which, frankly, don't bother me in a product at that price) I'll say the overall quality is good. The gloves seem to be sturdy enough for long use, while still having an interesting look and innovative solutions.
My experience with the gloves
Enough of the details, time for some user experience.
The IronClads fit the users hand very well, and don't slip off. The velcro works like charm, I didn't have any accidental opening of it.
Operating rifles with the gloves is comfortable. Thanks to the proper thickness of used materials, there are no problems with operating on the trigger.
Operating manipulators like: the charging handle, magazine release button ant the bolt catch, hop up regulations is very convinient.
When it comes to the "stickiness" of the gloves - IT'S AWESOME. I often wrap my guns with rubber tape, stipple the grips. Now there is no need for that because the same effect can be achieved by wearing the IronClads. In this case, the beat the competitors completely.
Yet, the silicone pattern and the wideness of the fingertips makes using the GBB pistols harder and not intuitive. Thanks to their weak recoil springs, it's very easy to stop the slide in half of it's way back - while pressing the slide release the wide fingertip will touch both the pistol body and the slide. For example, while wearing the IronClad gloves, I have to release my Marui M&P slide by the "power stroke" move, not the slide release button.
Moreover, the gloves lack any loops to attach the gear. There is a little and very tight hole, where the snap hook can go through but it's not very useful. If someone is patient enough, he can make paracord loops by himself.
The final verdict
The IronClad Exo Grip is a very good and interesting product, which stands out from all well-known products from brands such as Mechanixs, GFCs and Amored Claws. The stickiness of the grip makes them quite innovative in comparison to other products available on the market. Yet, that comes with the price of a few little faults. Remember that it's my subjective opinion - the decision is yours!
Author:
Paweł "Fishbonee" Napieralski
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