First off, not that my opinion matters much in this world, but If something truly isn’t good I probably won’t review it. I’m not one to post negative reviews, but If I don’t think something is useful or made of the highest quality, I just flat out won’t review it. It’s a waste of time. Secondly, these gloves ARE THE BEST GLOVES I HAVE EVER USED. I may be halfway through a 12 pack after being 40 miles off the coast in a fast attack boat for 13 1/2 hours today only to come back with a terrible sunburn, but, no that’s not some “typo”. these gloves are good enough for all caps. I have searched all over the land to find a glove that I can use during small boat operations and I can tell you after 3 operations with these gloves, they have not let me down. No tearing at the seams. I can touch my radar or my GPS when my gloves are wet. They keep my hands warm, but they also don’t make my hands feel like they are twice as big as they are. These gloves are just flat out sick.
The guys and gals over at S&S Precision really stick by their word on their gear they produce. The Cold Water Maritime Assault Gloves are no exception. You get a glimpse of the quality just by looking at the gloves – they are sleek and low profile, but you don’t really notice the quality until you’re going after a ship in the open ocean at 55kn in building seas and all you can do to stay in the boat, is hold on to a single bar on the console. That’s where my biggest problem was with finding a glove that works for that aspect of my job. I needed grip and warmth. No hate towards Mechanix, I have several pairs, but even with a bottle of Atsko they would still get drenched and if they are wet I would lose my grip and things become a little sketchy on a boat.
S&S Precision’s gloves get tackier when they are wet which means less chance of me falling off the boat as well as a less of a chance of having to end our OPFOR exercise or real-world scenario to tackle other matters such as a man overboard. Win the battles and win the war. The back of the gloves features a laminated Wind resistant patches which are ideal for that trip to board a vessel or when you’re running around the ocean. The gloves are designed with what they call “GripMax” conductive material. It’s basically conductive when you need it. I put them to the test when I ran my whole operational loadout with wet hands. As soon as I released a little pressure on my AR-15 pistol grip, my hand was free and no longer “sticky” for lack of a better term. I was easily able to switch to my sidearm just about as fast as I would be able to in perfect conditions. I didn’t have any problems “feeling my gear” or “feeling my trigger” because the gloves are not very thick (they really give you a good sense of touch and I love that about them) but they keep you warm still even only being .8mm thick. Even with the cold weather gloves made of some sort of neoprene material I don’t have any restrictions in hand movement like I have had with the other 4 sets of neoprene gloves that I have used. They are tight on me, but they are comfortable and there is no restriction. Restriction is big to me. With any sort of restriction in the fingers or in hand movements and I get thrown off my game. My shooting becomes piss poor because my trigger pull is not smooth. That’s not the case with these gloves. I can feel the details of my trigger through my gloves. I like my gear to be light and free of restriction. I need to have the ability to move, for example boarding a vessel with a jacobs ladder (super sketchy, but a lot of fun).
Another great aspect of this glove is the ability to use it with any sort of electronic device. This is another key aspect in my line of work. Our GPS’s and radar get wet along with our hands. Electronics and wet screens are no bueno. Our coordinates change constantly when we are chasing down ships, so the ability to use the screen while going +45kn on the water is key. You don’t really have time to stop to get a grip on things so you hold the top of the GPS and you have to type in precise coordinates while moving on the water. These gloves truthfully were easier to use electronics with when they were wet than my bare hands when they are wet. It was kind of crazy, but another great aspect.
Finally, the durability of the Maritime Cold Water Assault Gloves is another plus. That’s why I have loved Mechanix, but like I said, water and Mechanix are no good, so even through various tests and lots of line handling/holding on for dear life, there are no wear marks in the gloves. No little rips, no little snags on the seams, they are truly made of the highest quality by one of the most underrated companies out there. I would recommend these to just about anyone whether you’re in the water or not. They are that good. Once the water gets a little warmer I will review the Warm Water gloves that S & S makes as well. They are just as comfortable! What gloves are you guys wearing on operations?
Author – AJ P. Is a former US Navy Sailor who made the transition to private military contracting. He currently is working as a DoD contractor on the east coast. In his free time he enjoys training, shooting and hunting.
