Cuts of varying severity are the most common kitchen-related injury - even more common than burns!
This is not surprising due to the number of bladed utensils and appliances we use to prepare food on a daily basis. From knives to peelers to blenders, there are plenty of opportunities to accidentally injure yourself while cooking.
Although minor cuts generally aren’t seen as serious injuries, any open wound to the hands can result in potential complications.
Because we use our hands for just about everything we do on a daily basis, this area of the body is exposed to a lot of bacteria. This makes a cut on the hand or fingers an infection risk, especially for people with long-term health conditions or compromised immune systems.
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Comparison Table
Key Criteria
There are several key criteria you will need to bear in mind when purchasing a pair of cut-resistant gloves. To help you out, we’ve written up a guide to the criteria by which we tested and ranked our top 5 cut-resistant gloves.
Material
The single most important factor to think about before you buy a pair of cut-resistant gloves is the material they are made from.
In most cases, cut-resistant gloves will be made from a combination of different fibers.
Nylon, polyethylene, spandex, and fiberglass make up the best kind of material for cust-resistant gloves.
Nylon and spandex provide an essential combination of durability and elasticity. Polyethylene, meanwhile, has a range of beneficial properties when it comes to both comfort and safety. As a thermoplastic material, it is lightweight, flexible, and durable.
Fiberglass, though, is what typically gives a cut-resistant glove its abrasion-resistant property. If you want optimal protection against cuts and abrasions in the kitchen, you’ll need to prioritize the presence of fiberglass in the material.
It’s also a good idea to look out for different types of coatings, specifically on the palms of the gloves. A polyurethane coating, for example, will enhance your grip on whatever you’re holding, meaning you never have to compromise a good purchase for cut resistance.
Grade
You will also need to pay attention to the gradings listed in the product information for any pair of cut-resistant gloves.
There are different grading systems for different types of resistance, so make sure you’re aware of which one is which.
The most common resistance rating you’ll find associated with cut-resistant gloves is the abrasion resistance rating, which can range from 0 to 5, with 0 being the lowest, and 5 being the highest.
We have chosen to only include gloves rated 5 in this article because this is the best way, in addition to material type, to gauge how effective gloves will be at preventing cuts.
Another rating system you might find advertised on pairs of cut-resistant gloves is puncture resistance. Puncture resistance ratings range from 0 to 4, with 4 being the highest.
The difference between cut resistance and puncture resistance is that one protects against cutting motions with a blade while the other resists the application of pressure across a small surface area, which is how puncture wounds occur.
It is up to you whether you want your cut-resistant gloves to be puncture-resistant as well, but if you want to protect yourself as much as you can, it’s a good factor to look for.
Bear in mind that there is a limit to the protection offered by even Level 5 cut-resistant gloves. For more on this, see our FAQ section.
Size
When cooking, it’s important that the gloves you wear don’t impact your dexterity and movement in your hands and fingers. Therefore, it’s imperative that you choose gloves that are the right size for you.
If your gloves are too small, you will feel uncomfortable and restricted in your movements. Too large, and your movement are likely to become clumsier and less efficient.
Most reputable manufacturers, such as the ones we have featured in today’s article, will provide sizing guidelines to help you out, including which parts of your hands you need to measure.
We’ve selected gloves for our review section that have wide size ranges to fit as many different hand sizes as possible.
Additionally, ambidextrous gloves might help you to be less constrained by fixed shapes for each hand.
Elasticated cuffs are also very useful when it comes to ensuring the perfect fit because they keep the glove securely in place and also make sure you can get your gloves on and off easily.
Washing
Of course, in order to maintain proper hygiene and food safety, you’ll need to wash your gloves after each use.
This can seem like a lot of hassle, but the good news is that many cut-resistant gloves designed for culinary use can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
However, most gloves of this kind are not safe for machine drying, so you will need to let them air-dry before you use them again.
If your gloves are slow-drying, this might make it difficult to use them on a daily basis, so if you do a lot of cooking involving sharp utensils, we recommend getting yourself several pairs of cut-resistant gloves so that you can alternate them according to your washing schedule.
As you’ll see below in our product review section, many cut-resistant gloves actually retail at very reasonable and affordable prices, despite the advanced complexity of their materials and construction methods.
So, if you’re worried about the financial impact of purchasing multiple pairs of cut-resistant gloves, see our budget-friendly pick.
Best Cut Resistant Gloves
1. Best Overall: NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves
The NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves are hands-down the best protective gloves you can get to eliminate the risk of cuts to your hands in the kitchen.
NoCry is a company based in Estonia that manufactures protective safety gear for the home and workplace. It launched in 2014 as a small company that has rapidly grown and now operates from over 8 different countries.
The NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves are made of a combination of spandex, polyethylene, and glass fibers. This blend of fibers ensures that the gloves are breathable, durable, and elasticated.
Level 5 cut resistance, which is what these gloves are rated as provides the best possible level of protection against cuts. Therefore, you can use them without fear of accidentally cutting yourself.
The sizing for the NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves is ambidextrous, which makes the fit more versatile. Thanks to the elasticated nature of the fabric, you can enjoy a snug fit. Sizes range from Small to Extra Large, so you should be able to find these gloves in the perfect size for your hands.
NoCry’s Cut Resistant Gloves are easy to clean by putting them on the top shelf of the dishwasher in a cool setting. However, the downside to the cleaning process is that they are quite slow-drying, so they may not be the best option if you want to use and wash them every single day.
Pros
- Polyethylene, spandex, and glass fiber - Durable and elasticated
- Level 5 cut resistance - Highest possible protection
- Ambidextrous - Wide application
- Dishwasher safe - Easy to wash
- Sizes Small to Extra Large - Wide size compatibility
Cons
- Slow-drying - Not ideal for daily use
- 4x stronger than leather: Our cut resistant, highly durable gloves give you EN388 level 5 cut resistance. In other words, they’re made of the highest level of cut resistant material you can get on the market.
- 100% food safe: Use your cut resistant gloves when you’re shucking oysters, cutting up your meat for dinner, dicing vegetables, using the potato slicer or the mandolin. Protect your hands, feel like a masterchef and give your hands some extra protection.
- Ambidextrous: Get a pair of knife resistant gloves that fit either hand perfectly… like a glove. Fab for men, women, kids and everyone responsible enough to handle a knife to slice some vegetables or fillet a fish. And the grip is great too - your gloves won’t slip, fall off or irritate your skin.
- Machine washable: Done using that onion slicer, chopping up steak meat, dicing the vegetables, grating the carrots or using the mandoline? Taking care of your gloves is easy peasy. Just throw them in the washing machine on cool with some mild detergent then let them drip dry.
- Perfect for outside the kitchen too: These gloves are great for any job that needs precision like woodworking, whittling and carving. If you’re looking for some multi-purpose work gloves you can use when you’re handling sharp tools, you’ve found them.
2. Runner-Up: DEX FIT Level 5 Cut Resistant Gloves
Our runner-up cut-resistant gloves are made by Dex Fit. The brand is owned by Muveen, and specializes in safety gloves for work, with its name being an amalgam of Dexterity and Fit.
The Dex Fit gloves are rated at Level 5, which means that they are as effective as gloves can be at protecting against cuts.
Thanks to the material, which is a blend of spandex, foam, rubber, and fiberglass, these gloves are tough as nails but very comfortable. They also don’t impede manual dexterity, which is very important when cooking, especially when working with sharp objects.
Additionally, the rubber coating is water-based, which means that the gloves remain breathable even after long periods of time.
One feature that makes these gloves particularly practical is their touchscreen compatibility. The fingers allow you to interact with the screens on your smart devices without removing your gloves for the ultimate convenient and safe cooking experience.
The Dex Fit gloves come in sizes Extra Small to Extra Large, so finding a pair in your perfect size shouldn’t be a problem.
The only downside we noticed to these gloves is that they do have a tendency to fray on the inside over time. This doesn’t impact the overall structure of the glove, but you might notice that they begin to feel a little more abrasive as this happens.
Pros
- Fiberglass, spandex, foam, and rubber - Tough, yet comfortable
- Level 5 - High cut resistance
- Water-based coating - Breathable
- Touchscreen-compatible - Practical
- Extra Small to Extra Large sizes - Wide size range
Cons
- Some fraying inside the glove - May feel abrasive
- HIGHEST CUT PROOF CE EN 388 4544 - Protect hands from cuts and punctures while cutting meat and while handling sharp metal, knife, mandoline, blade, glass, plastic, construction materials
- BEST & COMFORTABLE - Ergonomic snug fit to all fingers. A second-skin feeling. LIGHTWEIGHT 13-gauge cool HPPE & Spandex performs with outstanding MANUAL DEXTERITY on various delicate professional works
- NON-SLIP EVEN WITH LIGHT OIL & UNDERWATER - Prevent pipe’s slippage and minimize hand fatigue. Convenient SMARTPHONE TOUCHSCREEN COMPATIBLE. Breathable WATER-BASED rubber coating for an all-day comfort. Passed US Food contact coating test
- PREMIUM & STYLISH - Easy on and easy off thanks to the high elastic knit wrist cuff. Silicone free. Excellent for mechanics, gardening, carpentry, kitchen, plumbing, filleting, fishing, oyster sucking, woodworking, metalworking, auto, HVAC, and carving. Suitable for boys and girls. Next level cut-proof gloves for med, women, chef, ladies, and children
- RELIABLE OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE - CE Qualified and met ANSI Cut standards. We offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee or Money Back if you are not happy with our product
3. Best Budget: Dowellife Cut Resistant Gloves
There’s no reason to break the bank on a pair of cut-resistant gloves! Dowellife’s Cut Resistant Gloves retail for a low price, but will still provide you with all the protection you need.
The Dowellife Cut Resistant Gloves are made of fiberglass, spandex, polyethylene, and nylon. This is an ideal combination of materials that provides enough elasticity to deliver both a comfortable and tight fit.
You’ll still have all the mobility you need in your hands and fingers, so you’ll be as dexterous as ever.
Rated at Level 5, these gloves have the maximum cut-resistance on the market, although the lower price means that there is no additional finger reinforcement.
This means that the gloves may not be quite as cut-proof as some other, more expensive gloves, but they’ll still provide more than enough protection against sharp kitchen utensils.
These gloves are dishwasher safe, which means you won’t have to expend any energy or time cleaning them after use. Once the gloves are clean, you can hang them up to dry using the hanging rings sewn into the cuffs.
You can get the Dowellife Cut Resistant Gloves in sizes Small to Extra Large. If you have very small hands, these gloves may not fit you perfectly, but otherwise, sizing should not be a problem.
Pros
- Fiberglass, polyethylene, spandex, and nylon - Elastic, tight-fitting, and abrasion-resistant
- Level 5 - Extremely strong
- Dishwasher safe - Easy to clean
- Features hanging rings - Easy drying
- Sizes Small to Extra Large - Lots of size compatibility
Cons
- No finger reinforcement - Not as cut-proof as some other gloves
- Protect your hand from cuts and abrasions---The high performance cut resistant material HDPE is adopted and the gloves is awarded with the highest EN388:2003 level 5 (EN388:2016 Level C) cut resistance certification. 10 times stronger than normal gloves.
- Excellent comfort and dexterity to wear and grip--- flexible operation, Not too hard, No sliding. The special high elastic nylon is blended to make the gloves fit your hand so well.
- Easy to sanitize and keep clean--- it is hand and machine washable and can be sanitized as kitchen dishwashing towel.
- More convenient to hang dry and replace--- One intimate designed hang ring is fixed on each gloves wrist.
- Now click the "Add To Cart" button to order to avoid 99% hand accidental injury for your family at kitchen cuts, oyster shucking, meat cutting, butter mandolin, vegetables slicing, fruits peeling, wood carving, carpentry and garden working .
4. Best Premium: MAGID Cut Resistant Polyurethane Coated Gloves
There’s no sense in taking chances when it comes to cuts, especially on such a sensitive and exposed area as your hands. If you want to be extra safe in the kitchen, buy this premium Cut Resistant Polyurethane Coated Gloves from Magid.
Magid was founded many years ago in 1946 and gloves are the company’s original and bestselling product. Although Magid now manufactures many other products, their gloves are still the star of the show.
In addition to having a Level 5 rating for abrasion resistance, these gloves have a Level 4 puncture resistance rating, which means that they will also be useful protection against stabbing motions in addition to cutting movements.
Thanks to the polyurethane coating on the palms, the Magid cut-resistant gloves offer a firm and non-slip grip that will help to keep yourself even safer while cooking.
The 13-gauge shell structure delivers 360 degrees of protection all around your hands, unlike some other gloves which are more protective in some areas than others.
No matter how small or large your hands are, you should be able to find your perfect fit through Magid’s size range, which goes from Extra Small to XXX-Large.
The only real downside to these gloves is that they aren’t the most comfortable and can feel a little abrasive on the inside. While this is a small price to pay for protection against injury, it can definitely affect the user experience.
Pros
- Level 5 abrasion resistance - Maximum cut protection
- Level 4 puncture resistant - Protects against puncturing
- Polyurethane coated palms - Enhanced grip
- 13 gauge shell - 360° protection
- Sizes Extra Small to XXX Large - Very wide size range
Cons
- Slightly abrasive inside - Not the most comfortable
- ANSI Level A4 Cut Resistance, ANSI Level 5 Abrasion Resistance, and ANSI Level 4 Puncture Resistance
- Polyurethane palm coating maintains flexibility while delivering excellent grip
- 13 gauge Durable shell delivers breathability, comfort, and 360° cut protection
- Affordable protection to meet the needs of any safety program
- Shield graphic is color-coded by cut level to easily identify cut protection from a distance
5. Highly Commended: Stark Safe Cut Resistant Gloves
Finally, we would also like to recommend the Stark Safe Cut Resistant Gloves.
Stark Safe is a brand entirely dedicated to kitchen safety, both in professional and home environments. The company specializes in protective gloves, like these ones, which are definitely some of the best on the market.
The material used to make these gloves is breathable and moisture-wicking, so you won’t find your hands sweating uncomfortably during use.
These gloves have a Level 5 rating, indicating the highest possible level of protection against cuts.
The ambidextrous nature of the Stark Safe gloves, combined with the size range of Small to Extra Large, helps to ensure that you can find your ideal fit.
Something else we really appreciated about these protected gloves is the fact that the palm grip is superior to many gloves on the market, ensuring that you won’t drop anything during the cutting process.
However, we did notice that the gloves feel very thick, which can make your movements feel a little clumsier than usual. Therefore, we recommend continuing to be careful when using these gloves despite your enhanced cut protection.
Pros
- Moisture-wicking material - No sweat
- Level 5 resistance - High levels of protection
- Ambidextrous - Versatile fit
- Enhanced grip - Safe and practical
- Sizes Small to Extra Large - Good size range
Cons
- Very thick - Can make you feel less dextrous
- QUALITY WHERE IT COUNTS: Stark Safe cut resistant gloves are made with the highest level of cut resistant material available on the market - 4 times stronger than leather - Level 5 cut resistance protection (EN388).
- MULTI-FUNCTIONAL: Great for food prep, cutting, slicing, peeling, grating, mandoline use, wood carving, oyster shucking, carpentry, metal work and more. Bulk Prices available for butchers, restaurants, and businesses.
- COMFORT FIT: Superior grip with a snug fit for small and large hands - prepare food or work on jobs with ultimate dexterity and precision. These cut gloves provide the feeling you need to get the job done.
- NO MORE HAND SWEAT: This premium anti cut material also allows maximum breathability for those long processes so your hands stay dry and comfortable. Put in a long day’s work on the kitchen line or food prep for thanksgiving dinner with complete comfort.
- CUSTOMER CARE: We want to keep your hands safe and comfortable. If you aren’t satisfied with the comfort and application of your cut resistant gloves, we’ll make sure you’re taken care of. No hassle. Cause we know you have things to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you regularly cook using sharp objects or appliances that function using blades, we recommend that you invest in a pair of cut-resistant gloves, just to be on the safe side.
Even if you are normally very careful while cooking and don’t normally injure yourself, accidents happen all the time, and it only takes the slightest mistake for something to go wrong.
When it comes to cuts on your hands, which are a part of your body that are exposed to lots of bacteria every day, it’s better to be safe than sorry, particularly if you are in any way immunocompromised.
In today’s article, we have prioritized gloves that are ranked at Level 5, which is the highest level of protection gloves can provide against cuts.
Level 5 ratings indicate that it would take between 2,200 and 2,999 grams of pressure from a sharp object to cut through the glove.
Therefore, while Level 5 cut-resistant gloves are highly effective at protecting against cuts, there is a limit to their protective nature. When using heavy machinery or a cutting device such as a chainsaw, we’d advise wearing gloves specifically designed for this purpose.
Please also be aware that cut-resistant gloves are not necessarily puncture-proof. These gloves are designed to protect against a cutting motion as opposed to direct penetration by the point of a sharp object.
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