If you have ever wondered why protective leather gloves are so expensive, this is the article for you. I will break down the different types of protective leather gloves and their internal components so you can better understand why these gloves can become so expensive.
1) TYPE OF LEATHER:
The type of leather used for your specific glove will play a large part in determining its price. The most commonly available leather in North America is leather made from cow-hides. This means that gloves made from cowskin leather will on average be much cheaper than a comparative glove made from goatskin or pigskin leather. On the other hand, if your gloves are made from a scarce source of leather like elkskin or deerskin they will be much more expensive due to their scarcity.
2) CROSS-SECTION OF HIDE:
The cross section of the hide is relevant for gloves that come from animals with thick skin such as buffalos and cows.. Since the leather that is produced by tanning these animals is so thick it needs to be split cross-sectionally and is often divided into split and grain leather. Split leather can come from three different parts of the animal hide. The thickest and consequently the highest quality of split leather comes from the side and is known as side split leather. Shoulder split is the second highest quality and belly split is considered the worst quality of split leather because it is thinner and has the least consistency of leather. Consequently, for certain gloves that are made from split leather, the quality of split leather being used will make an impact on the price.
3) QUALITY OF HIDE:
Living conditions and climates also contribute to the price of leather. This is because these conditions affect how much leather can be used from a particular animal skin. For example, leather obtained from animals that live in fertile plains like the Punjab region in Pakistan have much fewer scratches and damage to the animal skin due to their environment. Animals living in plains will have fewer scratches due to fewer thorns and rocks being present in their environment and when grazing they can do so freely. Moreover, climate also has an impact as in warmer climates animals will have more bites from bugs and fleas whereas in cooler climates this issue will not affect animals as much. Better quality hides will mean better quality gloves. Therefore depending on where your gloves originate may also impact their price.
4) INNER LINING:
Some gloves may not have any inner lining which will make them comparatively cheaper than gloves that have insulation for protection against cold or heat. For example, a typical leather driver glove will not have any insulation so will not offer much protection in extreme conditions. In those cases, it is best to opt for a glove that uses an inner lining for insulation purposes like jersey or wool. Additionally, there are some gloves that offer even more protection that use inner linings that are made from aramids like Kevlar and Nomex by DuPont that enable cut resistance. Gloves with such protection will be significantly more expensive than a typical leather driver glove that does not offer such features.
