When looking for a tactical set of gloves we all have our favorite brands, Oakley, Mechanix, Condor, and so on. Some of us will hunt high and low to find the right set of gloves and pay what we need to pay, which can be expensive at times.
I recently deployed to a new AO (area of operations) and was looking for a new set of gloves. They needed to be something I could put on fast – a glove that would allow me to operate often small and fiddly bits of equipment without the hassle of taking the gloves on and off. This is something I have encountered time and time again with gloves; you throw in kit like night vision or thermal device and it has all these small buttons everywhere. It’s the middle of the night and you’re there trying to feel around with your gloves on and you can’t feel a thing. I needed a glove that would allow great dexterity and a nice tight fit.
Well, I found these features in the Mechanix Wear FastFit model in coyote tan. Straight away, the moment you put them on you can feel they are a nice and tight fit with a slim build around the fingers. The FastFit gloves also felt tough around the palm which was great, so now it was time to put them to good use.
After four weeks of hard abuse I can say this they are a hard wearing glove and very easy to work with. I haven’t had any problems working any of my equipment, including some of smaller knobs and buttons on my gadgets. They allow me to freedom to push and work all the right buttons on my thermal sight without wasting precious time. They’ve held up great when running CQB (close quarters combat), working my way through houses, broken windows, splintered doors, or even hitting the ground hard, palms first – these gloves can take it.
Sometimes with issued or purchased gloves, they come with squared-off fingertips that can cause problems with some of the tighter trigger guards. Not a problem with the FastFit straight out the box. I have been using a Makarov pistol as a sidearm and have yet to encounter a problem with my sidearm transition drills. The FastFit dexterity is phenomenal, giving natural feedback to my hands when feeling around my kit or operating a piece of gear. This is key when working at night and your life may depend on speed. On top of dexterity, the FastFit grip allows you to grab mags quickly even when wet.
These gloves aren’t featured with knuckle protection or hard rubber running along the fingers, but they still offer protection to the hand from things like broken glass, sharp metal, or splinter pieces of wood. I can’t count the number of times I have put my hands down on broken glass when climbing through a window or lifting broken and smashed H iron beams out of my path.
They are not the warmest glove if the temperature is down, but they do take the chill out the wind. When it’s warm and the suns out, the FastFit are breathable, so hands stay reasonably dry and sweat free.
All in all, these gloves are fantastic and at $16 they’re a steal. I have to put these at the top of my list as some of the best gloves I have ever used. As long as Mechanix keeps making the FastFit, I will continue to keep on buying them. Great gloves from a great provider – 10 out of 10.
FastFit Features
- Form-fitting TrekDry® helps keep hands cool and comfortable.
- Elastic cuff provides a secure fit with easy on/off flexibility.
- Reinforced thumb and index finger provide added durability.
- Durable synthetic palm.
- Anatomically designed two-piece palm eliminates material bunching.
- Nylon cord loop provides convenient glove storage.
- Machine washable.
