Product Review

==  Product Review ==

                                                          

I was invited by Tad Stephens (co-founder of Eldhus.com) to try out their special Cut-Resistant Safety Cutting Gloves  around late-June this year. Within a short time I was looking at the grey/black/white blended colors of the fabric, which appear “heather” in color from a distance.

These cut-resistant, stretch fabric gloves really do fit all sizes – I have “medium” sized female hands, my husband has “large”… the gloves fit us both – with a little excess on the finger length for me (I don’t do long nails), but a little short on the finger web area on my husband (who is 6’2”), however he found that he could force the web area down and in a few minutes the fabric loosened up a bit and fit well enough that he thought he could use them. Upon research however, I learned that when these types of gloves are stretched to fit larger hands they are not as cut-resistant. Whereas loose fitting gloves can be a hazard when it comes to using motorized equipment that might grab the cloth and wrench the hand.

The gloves feel light on the skin, and were thin enough that we could really feel what we were doing in the kitchen. I think these gloves would be fantastic for people who work with box-cutters on a regular basis, or for anyone who works with sharpening tools, garden tools, etc. Save time, reduce cuts, scrapes and bruises from clumsy handling of virtually any kind of non-powered tool commonly found around the home or garage.

For myself, I think they will be most handy when it comes to grating, zesting citrus fruits, and peeling items (the activities that I tend to get a little knick). The stretch cuff is about 3” long and therefore goes way up the wrist area – where I’m less likely to cut or scrape my hands, and as such I think the cuffs are a little excessive for my needs. I was a little concerned that the cloth would be unsanitary over time, even with frequent washings, or that using the gloves for all foods could contaminate with unwanted flavors, or color from juices. I think the best way of avoiding that would be to wear one glove for things like onion and garlic and then wear the other for things like beets or cherries. Another possible setback is that these gloves need to be hung to dry, they are not to be put in the dryer machine - so that means a lot of wait time before they would be available to use again. That makes me think that using one glove at a time might prove more practical.

 The 1.9 oz. gloves are rated as high-performance, food grade (CE Level 5), and are machine washable (hang to dry). There wasn’t any information on the type of cloth or coating that might have been used in the manufacturing process. And - unfortunately, these gloves are made in China, which means a greater chance of poor work conditions and much more environmental impact in regards to shipping (fossil fuels). However, the gloves did arrive with minimal packaging, encased in a single, sealed plastic envelope (recyclable). I think consumers will also appreciate the 100%, 100-day, money back guarantee offered by Eldhus. "Eldhus", but the way is an Icelandic word that translates to: "kitchen"... although the relevancy of the Icelandic theme is not explained since the product is made in China - perhaps the company is based in Iceland but has the manufacturing done in China, but that is just a guess. It could, perhaps, also be a marketing tool to detract attention from being made in China. The main issue with where it is manufactured, for me, comes in the form of equal rights and in the form of environmental impact (fossil fuels/shipping, etc.).

* Check out their website eldhus.comfor instructions, e-book, recipes and more.

Find the product at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca