 |
ALPHA-X |
Structural Glove |
Pros |
+ Durable: |
+ Abrasion and |
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cut-resistant: |
+ Pliable: |
+ Good grip strength; and |
+ Dries quickly. |
Cons |
- Could be more |
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breathable. |
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Dragon Fire by |
Fireman's Shield |
8243 Hampton Bluff Terrace |
Chesterfield, VA 23832 |
Tel: 800 / 975-7059 |
E-mail: sales@firemansglove. com |
Web: www.dragonfire |
gloves.com |
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The Alpha-X gloves |
feature a special top- |
grain Italian cowhide |
leather that undergoes a |
special tanning process |
So the gloves exhibit |
remarkable durability. |
pliability and softness. |
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The Alpha Glove |
Dragon Fire's ALPHA-X Structural Firefighting Gloves combine protection & function |
By Greg Jakubowski |
|
I |
like my hands. I use them to hug my kids, pick up an ice-cold glass of my favorite pint and even type product reviews. We use |
our hands for so many things that we often take them for granted and fail to properly protect them. |
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It's easy to find gloves that are cut-resistant or water-proof or resistant to specific chemicals or bloodborne pathogens. It's far |
more difficult to find a glove that protects against all these hazards at the same time. And the real challenge: finding a glove that |
protects against all these hazards while being comfortable to wear and offering good dexterity and functionality. |
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The folks at Dragon Fire Gloves by Fireman's Shield are attempting to solve this conundrum with their ALPHA-X Structural |
Firefighting Gloves. My department received three pairs to test. |
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When I first saw these gloves at a fire show, the Dragon Fire folks let me try to cut into the gloves with a knife and, sure enough, |
the outer shell proved to be cut-resistant. Dragon Fire says they utilize a special top-grain Italian cowhide leather that undergoes a |
special tanning process so the gloves exhibit remarkable durability, abrasion-resistance, pliability, long-lasting water repellency, |
superior soft-ness and unparalleled grip strength. After using the gloves for a month, we have to agree with all their claims (except |
long-lasting, as we haven't had them long enough to confirm this). We were particularly impressed with the dexterity and grip |
strength offered by this glove.
Dragon Fire also indicates that the outer shell material doesn't absorb water as much as other gloves |
and, therefore, dries quickly. We soaked the glove in water and definitely concurred with their assertion. along with the fact that even |
when the glove has been soaked in water, it maintains good grip strength. Further, once the glove dries, it doesn't become stiff or |
brittle. |
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The outer shell is finished with a double-Kevlar-stitched top layer strategically wrapped over the palm and knuckle zone for |
increased abrasion-resistance and grip strength; the fingertips also feature an extra layer of outer-shell material. This is part of the |
trick to making gloves that provide good protection and functionality: Put the protection where it's needed most. |
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The gloves thermal liner is made of a Kovenex material, which is a blend of high-performance fibers that offer true flame-resistance |
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and unsurpassed levels of heat blocking. The liner by itself has a thermal protective performance (TPP) |
of 15. The NFPA standard for average TPP for an entire glove is 35, and the entire Dragon Fire glove |
has an average TPP of 45. |
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Dragon Fire indicates that its thermal urethane vapor barrier is task-designed for the fire service. It |
doesn't have “memory” characteristics, meaning that when bending and stretching, it can offer an |
advanced range of motion with good resiliency, returning to a static state. We cut apart a pair of |
gloves to test and confirm this. The vapor barrier is welded, and the manufacturer indicates that it meets |
NFPA standards for liquid, chemical and blood-borne pathogen penetration. |
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The urethane barrier has a melting point above NFPA requirements and has good tensile strength. |
Again, we found that even when the glove was soaked, no water infiltrated into the inner liner. The |
vapor barrier is manufactured to size, and the inner liners are designed to ensure no liner pulls out. Our |
testing confirmed that the inner liner seemed to be solidly in place. |
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Like any pair of gloves, if you don't have a coat with wristlets with thumbholes (my personal |
preference), you'll need to get the gloves with the built-in wristlets. Wearing the gloves for hours during training, my hands did feel |
quite warm (in summer-like conditions), which seemed to be contrary to the claim of breathability. |
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Overall, all three of us liked this glove --- a lot. We will be replacing our existing gloves with them. The Dragon Fire ALPHA-X |
Structural Firefighting Gloves cost $73 per pair and are available in 2XS through 3XL. |
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Greg Jakubowski is a fire protection engineer and certified safety professional with 30 years of fire-service |
experience. He is a Pennsylvania State Fire Instructor, serves as the chief with the Lingohocken Fire Company in |
Bucks County, Pa., and is a member of the IAFC. Greg is also a principal in Fire Planning Associates, a company |
dedicated to helping fire departments, municipalities and businesses with pre-emergency training. |
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