Blending its features for law enforcement and life on the range, the Duty Glove by Viktos brings together improved features that will provide the wearer with greater tactile control, durability, and improved comfort.
Made with a dual chassis that brings together a mesh fabric backhand, combined with an AX suede Laredo leather palm, the Duty glove affords a high-degree of breathability with adequate enclosure around the hand and fingers. This synthetic leather extends up and around the front half of each finger and thumb for increased protection.
Between the thumb and forefinger is a reinforced valley that will protect the hand web and material from compromise, be it through abrasion or impact. This is especially good for handgun users of compact and sub-compact handguns due to risk of contact with the slide.
Each finger includes touch-screen compatible segments for use on iPhones or other devices.
The Duty glove features a hook-and-loop enclosure around the wrist bone that secures the glove, as well as anchors a paracord pull loop that aids in donning the glove.
The Duty glove is available in Fieldcraft (featured), Nightfall, Greyman, and Ranger with sizing between Small to 3XL.
Product Evaluation Scores:
- Cost – Excellent (5/5): At just $35, the Duty Gloves by Viktos are a very affordable option for gloves that will likely give the consumer longer use than other range/duty gloves. The leather and padded chassis will help ensure abrasion resistance to most of the expected contact points to be encountered while still being comfortable. In comparison, some of the market alternatives for this type of glove would include SKD’s PIG Full Dexterity Glove, ($42.95), Direct Action’s Leather Hard Glove ($37.90), or First Spear’s Multi Climate Glove ($35.99). And while the market has a very narrow price range for this type of accessory, the Duty Gloves were still one of the more affordable for its material giving it a good rating for its overall cost.
- Comfort – Good (4/5): The padding on the chassis gave the Duty Glove a very comfortable feel, being soft enough to contour across the hand while still affording full coverage. Likewise, the leather palm was not stiff nor rigid and easy contoured to the various surfaces encountered. The thumb and forefinger felt a little bulky due to the difference in design between those and the rest of the fingers that utilize breathable side fabric, but this can be attributed to the fact these will be the fingers that also take on the most abrasion. Flexibility around the wrist was comfortable due to the elastic panel on the top of the glove that worked in conjunction with the hook-and-loop tab on the bottom. This way a secure and comfortable fit was achieved.
- Durability – Average (3/5): While the Duty Glove felt it was intended for light-to-moderate use, the leather palms gave it adequate (or average) durability that protected the hand from most hard surfaces (save for puncture or slashing surfaces that often necessitate a Kevlar lining). The same leather material also extended from the palm, down the bottom length of the fingers, and around the front half of the fingers. This ensured the fingertips were properly protected from hard or abrasive surfaces. The stitching appeared to be one continual line throughout most of the glove, with only bartack added to minimal stress points. And while the hook-and-loop (male) panel does also double as a point of anchoring the nylon loop, again there was minimal reinforcement stitching. If Viktos were open to the idea, bartack could be added more to the valley webbing lines and wrist material that would greatly strengthen the Duty Glove in points typically where failures are experienced.
- Functionality – Fair (2/5): From a functional aspect, the Duty Gloves did what was expected, it protected the backhand with its non-slip style of padding material, while giving the palm and fingers extended protection with the leather. Placing the hook-and-loop enclosure on the bottom of the wrist gave the strap an added bonus of not snagging on surfaces encountered, accessories, or other items. With little noted re-enforcement stitching, the nylon loop was better suited as a means to fit the Duty Glove once already on the hand, or a means by which to hang the glove. Using it as the sole means to don the Duty Glove will most likely result in the eventual stitching’s failure, as some people tend to put on range/duty gloves like they are donning nitrile gloves for surgery. One negative function noted was the inability to utilize the integrated touch-screen aspect of the Duty Gloves. Using an iPhone during evaluations, no finger nor part of the material for using a touch screen, worked with the phone’s interface (either to unlock the phone or at the home screen to select an app).
- Weight – Average (3/5): Weighing 2.7 ounces for the pair, the Duty Glove was a lightweight additive to the evaluating range belt or bag. Its materials and size did not contribute to overall bulk, and was otherwise very comfortable. While the PIG Full Dexterity Glove, (2.04 ounces), and Direct Action’s Leather Hard Glove (2.4 ounces) demonstrate the more average market weight for such accessories, other gloves like Mechanix Tactical Impact (5.9 ounces) with its rubberized knuckle and finger protection obviously tip in at a heavier weight. Given the listed market alternatives, they all demonstrate that the Duty Glove is of an adequate (or average) weight among its competitors.
Overall Rating – Above Average (17/25)
Product Link: https://www.viktos.com/collections/gloves/products/leo-duty-gloves
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