The Leather Hard Glove by Direct Action Gear is a more durable and flexible variant to its original lightweight glove design, the Hard Glove. The Leather Hard Glove still grants the wearer a somewhat tactile feel of weapon control systems, while providing added protection to fingers and palm.
The Leather Hard Glove was recently redesigned from its classic version to a newer design that exchanges the traditional synthetic leather with genuine goat leather to give the Hard Glove improved durability, feel, and fit.
There is a microfiber lining along the spine of the thumb from forefinger to wrist that gives the gloves a soft contact material when touching skin or other sensitive surfaces.
The finger joints have a slit design that gives the Leather Hard Glove improved flexibility and dexterity over other traditional designs that would otherwise stretch the material when the fingers are articulated. Where the Leather Hard Gloves differ from its predecessor is it does not have the touch-screen compatible material at the thumb and forefinger, but rather are extensively leather.
The gloves are anchored just above the wrist bone with an adjustable hook-and-loop cuff, attached to which is a Hypalon loop to aid in donning or to hang on a clip with other gear.
The Leather Hard Glove is available in Coyote (featured) or Black, the Hard Gloves are available in sizes that range from Small to 2XL.
Product Evaluation Scores:
- Cost – Average (3/5): At $37.90 the Leather Hard Gloves are at a reasonable (or average) price point as a short-use tactical glove that will most likely give the wearer roughly six months of moderate/heavy field use given its materials and design. The most direct market competitor to the Leather Hard Glove is the Full Dexterity Tactical Glove (FDT) ($42.95) from SKD that is very similar in overall design (though not full leather). Other similar tactical gloves to the Hard Glove would be the Operator Contact Glove ($35.40) by First Spear, or the Duty Glove ($35) by Viktos. These later alternatives have similar materials but lack other design aspects the Leather Hard Glove considers (specifically the split finger joint).
- Comfort – Good (4/5): The materials involved had a fair amount of flex and breathability when used (even the leather), that gave the wearer a good level of comfort. The materials between the thumb and forefinger, where the greatest amount of stress takes place, held the only notable double line stitching for added strength. The split finger design along the knuckles gave added comfort during finger articulation and at no point did the materials inhibit or restrict movement. It should be noted this type of glove is good for temperate or moderately cold weather, but not temperatures near the freezing point as its lightweight and breathable material is not intended to serve as a winter or outdoor glove.
- Durability – Average (3/5): The materials in the Leather Hard Gloves offer maximum protection while retaining the greatest degree of tactile sense possible. The tradeoff being that those materials will be unable to hold up over time given moderate/heavy field use. Consumers need to understand that this is the tradeoff in these type of gloves, and is one shared among the market alternatives noted above. The more protective and durable the glove, the less tactile sense is provided. During the 30-day evaluation period the only negative aspect to the Leather Hard Glove’s durability was some curling of the leather on the hook-and-loop tab that is consistent with wear, but could become problematic over the glove’s expected lifespan. A recommended area of improvement for Direct Action would be to consider an elastic wrist band here or perhaps double stitching along the hook-and-loop tap to minimize separation.
- Functionality – Good (4/5): The Leather Hard Gloves functioned well and as was intended for a pair of shooter gloves. Positive tactile sensation was maintained to the trigger despite the thickness of the leather, and dexterity during magazine changes and function drills was not impaired. The slit finger joints gave the gloves a good level of flexibility over a number of market alternatives that use a solid approach. It would be nice if the Hypalon loops were somewhat larger or more open, as it was a little difficult to thread them on/off of carabiner clips on the gun belt or vest. The only negative note would be the lack of a touchscreen pad on the middle finger and the gloves had no compatibility with touch-screen technology.
- Weight – Good (4/5): At 2.1 ounces (for the pair) the Leather Hard Gloves were very lightweight and gave a near “naked” feel that provided very good tactile sense to the trigger control group and magazines. The Hard Gloves were lighter than either the FDT Gloves (3.04 ounces) or the Duty Glove (3.42 ounces) which alludes to the Hard Gloves lightweight materials and design despite the use of the thicker leather material. Obviously the more protective materials and features included on any glove, the more weight is added and for a lightweight field/duty glove the Leather Hard Gloves stride the line between weight and function.
Overall Rating – Above Average (18/25)
Product Link: https://us.directactiongear.com/hard-glovesr-leather
I am reviewing this product as a courtesy to the manufacturer and via STL Shooting Enthusiasts, so that I can evaluate it and provide my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give positive reviews. All views are my own, and based off my personal experience with the product.
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