It started with a simple oil change
Mike had been working as an auto technician for almost 10 years.
At that time in his career, he was unsurprised by the lack of jobs. He had witnessed engines being wrecked due to poor maintenance, transmissions being overworked and electrical issues that took days to diagnose. The car he had in the service bay on Tuesday morning was as easy to fix as the complicated repairs he had seen.
A customer was driving into the shop in his pickup truck for routine maintenance.
Oil change.
Tire rotation.
Multi-point inspection.
The type of work that mechanics do repeatedly and can do almost automatically.
There was a lot of activity in the shop, but it was not overcrowded. Music was playing in the background. Airlifted tools swished throughout the service bays. Technicians were shuttling from car to car, and service advisors were looking at schedules and assisting customers.
To all outward appearances, it was a normal day.
Mike then went under the truck and started to draw oil from it. He then picked up his oil filter wrench a few minutes later.
That's when a little problem became a big pain in the back.
His gloves were worn out.
Worn moderately but not all the way through.
After many months of use, the palms had become smooth. Most of the surfaces were stained with oil. He had lost his grip of the tool he was using, but he hadn't noticed that.
As most mechanics did, he was continually telling himself that he will get them replaced soon.
Now it has been several months.
While attempting to take the oil filter off, he applied pressure and the wrench slipped.
Instinctively, he tried to catch himself.
Too late.
He had his hand slam right into a sharp metal bracket near the engine compartment.
The effect was instantaneously felt.
His hand was stung with a sharp sting.
He withdrew, and glanced down.
His knuckles already had some blood.
The injury was not serious, and did not require medical attention, but it made life harder for the rest of the day.
Whenever he closed his fist around a wrench he felt it.
Each time he tightened a bolt, he felt it.
Every time he touched the cramped engine compartment he felt it.
The day should have been a good day but became hours of irritation and discomfort.
When it was Mike's turn to leave the job, he sat on a rolling tool box and noticed the gloves next to him.
Palms were shaped to be smooth.
The fingers were getting more slender.
The stitches were starting to come loose.
He no longer viewed them as gloves for the first time.
He viewed them as “old” machines.
“Maybe months ago they should have been replaced,” he said.
The discovery wasn't sudden.
But it was honest.
It's a common phrase for many mechanics.
Not because everyone has suffered the exact same injury.
However, almost every technician has felt what it is like when worn out gloves, poor grip or insufficient hand protection starts to impact the quality of their work.
The repercussions are sometimes insignificant.
Sometimes they're costly.
But eventually, most mechanics find out, however, the same lesson:
Your mechanic work gloves are more important than you may think.
The reality of life in a repair shop
Anyone not in the automotive repair business would be amazed at the things that go on the mechanics hands each and every day.
The outside of the work may seem simple.
A car mechanic repairs cars.
A customer drives away.
End of story.
The truth is, it's not like that.
The work of auto repair requires constant stress on the hands and is physically demanding.
Many times, the hands of a mechanic are his most important tools.
They are used for all diagnoses, all repairs and every inspection.
Now visualize those hands during a normal workday.
You have rusted bolts that have not been turned in years.
You have to deal with oily and dirty engine components.
You go into small engine compartments with sharp edges and unusual angles.
Carrying heavy tools, brake rotors, batteries, suspension parts.
Use of impact wrenches, grinders and power tools that vibrate directly into the operator's hands.
Operate around chemicals, solvents, fuel, coolant and hydraulic fluids.
Over the course of the week, you do hundreds, if not thousands, of repetitive movements.
Then you return the next day and repeat, repeat.
And again.
And again.
Mechanic's hands are busy all the time.
That constant exposure takes its toll over weeks, months, and years.
Even normal tasks can add up to:
Cuts and lacerations
Scrapes and abrasions
Blisters
Hand fatigue
Reduced grip strength
Chemical exposure
Impact injuries
The use of a product for a long time.
Many of these injuries are minor.
They're small.
However, that's what makes them dangerous.
A small cut today.
A blister tomorrow.
Sore hands again next week.
Taken individually, they are insignificant.
Together they impact on comfort, productivity and job satisfaction.
That is why mechanic work gloves are now standard in professional repair work facilities.
They are not just about injuries occurring at the highest level of severity.
They are concerned about eliminating hundreds of little nuisances and dangers that mechanics encounter on a daily basis.
Why some mechanics still avoid gloves
Surprisingly, there are still plenty of professional mechanics who lack the habit of routinely wearing gloves.
After a while you'll hear the same arguments in repair shops:
"Gloves hinder me from feeling what I am doing.
“They're in the way.”
"Without them I work faster.”
"They always tear."
Twenty years experience without the need for special mechanic work gloves.
These views were not born out of the blue.
Indeed, many of them were warranted years ago.
Older mechanic work gloves were often big and stiff and were not suitable for automotive repair work.
The mechanics had to work out an awful compromise.
They could wear gloves for sure, and give up on precision.
They may also be taking off their mechanic work gloves and putting themselves in a situation where they can be easily exposed to workplace hazards.
Both choices were not perfect!
This has led to the formation of many habits developed by many technicians that stayed with them throughout their careers.
Their views did not change, even though the technology of the mechanic work gloves improved.
However, the industry had evolved.
Producers started to create auto mechanic work gloves that would be made specifically for automotive work instead of reworking and reusing general work gloves that are typically utilized in a work environment.
From a protection point of view they began to think about performance.
That shift changed everything.
Today's mechanic work gloves are lighter, more flexible, more breathable, and significantly more capable than the gloves many veteran technicians remember.
In many cases, they don't slow mechanics down.
They help them work faster.
What changed?
Try to work on a section of an engine while wearing thick winter gloves.
Your hands may still be able to move.
However, each job is more difficult.
Small bolts are hard to hold.
Electrical connectors are a pain in the ass.
Precision disappears.
Many traditional work gloves felt just like this.
Today's mechanic styles are made very differently.
Factories found out that:
Mechanics don't simply need protection.
They need control.
They must be capable of feeling tools.
They need flexibility.
They need grip.
They require comfort while on extended shifts.
Their most important need is the right mechanic work gloves for them, not against them.
Because of this, most mechanics gloves come with the following features:
Synthetic leather palms that are flexible.
Use materials that are stretchy and adjust to hand movements
Reinforced wear zones for greater durability.
Oil-resistant grip coatings
Breathe easily with breathable mesh back panels.
Touchscreen-compatible fingertips
Ergonomic finger construction
Impact-resistant knuckle protection
The goal is no longer to protect the hands from damage.
The goal is to enable mechanics to do a better job all day.
That's a huge difference.
That's one of the reasons why mechanic work gloves have become an integral part of many mechanics' lives these days.
Conclusion
Eventually, Mike changed out the damaged gloves that are responsible for his injury.
Initially, he was not expecting any great change to occur.
After all, they weren't mechanic work gloves.
They weren't a new diagnostic tool, a powerful impact wrench or even some big piece of shop equipment. A pair of mechanic work gloves was not nearly as costly as tools mechanics use everyday.
However, over the next few weeks, he started to see some odd changes.
He had less aches at the end of long shifts.
He didn't constantly wipe grease on his hands, to make sure he had a good grip.
Tools in his hands were more secure and even in the oil and other fluids.
He found he did not have to take his mechanic work gloves off so often because they did not hinder in detail work.
Minuteman tasks that used to feel "frustrating" were easier to do.
Most important of all, he put his gloves out of his head.
They just did their duty.
That's the typical indicator of quality gear.
It is so effective that you don't notice it's there.
At EvridWear, we believe that the improvement wasn't so great that it garnered headlines or guaranteed him a new career. But he still had to deal with difficult repairs, troublesome bolts, cramped engine bays and demanding customers. It wasn't as if the everyday life of a mechanic disappeared.
The experience changed that work.
Little hassles went away.
The number of minor injuries declined.
At night, the tiredness of the day was relieved.
The small improvements were cumulative over the years.
The ability to grasp all repairs.
A bit less tension in each activity.
COMPACTED: Making a little more comfort with each change.
Increased confidence with tools and components.
Those benefits are important to mechanics, since they happen hundreds of times each year.
From changing brake pads, working on engines, maintenance on industrial machinery, fleet maintenance and even working on your own car in your garage, your hands are always in the mix! They are one of the most valuable tools you have, and it's important to make them safe and secure, not an afterthought.
This is why it's essential for you to find the right mechanic work gloves, which is more than just about cutting away cuts and scrapes. It's about improving the way you work every day. Wearing quality mechanic work gloves will help alleviate fatigue, create a better grip in grease and oil, and make the work more comfortable when working for long periods of time, as well as give hand-eye coordination when using precision tools or when working in heavy-duty applications.
There is no single mechanic work gloves that's perfect for every mechanic. This will largely depend on your job, the tools you need and the most common problems you encounter. Some workers might want flexibility and fingertip sensitivity, others want the most durable, most cut resistant or impact resistant properties. The important thing is to get a pair of work gloves for the mechanic that will suit the requirements of your profession.
The lesson that Mike has learned, and will likely learn as well, is that the trick is to make small improvements that make a big difference. A good pair of mechanic work gloves is a simple purchase that can make a tremendous difference each time you pick up a tool, loosen a bolt or finish a long day working on a truck.
Sometimes the easiest changes are the most significant, not in one fell swoop, but little by little, repair by repair, day by day. When it comes to comfort, safety, and productivity, a good mechanic work gloves can be the smartest investment that a mechanic will make.