PVC chemical resistant gloves

01 · WHICH OF THE TWO

Leather or nitrile inspects; this one cleans and treats

The leather or nitrile glove is the inspection glove: thin, with feel, meant to lift a frame without crushing bees. This is the other one — waterproof, closed and long-cuffed — the one you put on to prepare a treatment, handle a chemical or scrub the wax-room gear. Using it to inspect means losing feel; using the inspection glove to handle product means wetting your hand.

02 · FULL COATING AND TRIPLE DIP

What that means in practice

That the textile carrier is dipped in PVC three times and coated all over — not just the palm — so there is no seam and no porous area for liquid to get through. The hand has a rough finish, which is what lets you hold a wet drum or container without it slipping, and the inside is cotton-lined: it goes on and comes off dry, instead of leaving your hand stewed as a bare PVC glove does.

03 · EN 388 AND EN 374 ARE NOT THE SAME

And chemical protection is not certified in general

They are two different standards and should not be mixed up. EN 388 covers mechanical risks — abrasion, cut, tear, puncture. EN 374 covers chemical risk: its part 2 measures that the glove does not leak, and part 3, permeation, how long a given product takes to get through the material. That is the nuance to understand: chemical protection is certified product by product, with its codes and its breakthrough times, and that is marked on the glove itself. Before handling a treatment, read that marking and check it against the sheet of the product you are about to use.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It comes in one size, 10, which is a standard man’s hand: at 7 or 8 it will swim, and a loose glove costs you precision exactly when you are handling liquid. And a warning that answers what gets asked: neither standard certifies resistance to a sting — they cover mechanical and chemical risk, not the sting.