Oakley’s SI Tactical FR Glove is a far cry from the Nomex flight glove that remains popular. Can a hard-knuckles and goat skin compete with the operators standby glove?

The gloves feature a double layer of 180g Nomex on the back of the hand and between the fingers for extra protect against flash burns.  The palms are made from supple Pittards Digital Goatskin leather. The knuckles are covered with a molded polycarbonate which is then covered with Pittards leather – perfect for something that deserves a well placed fist strike and you want to leave an even more deserving mark. The knuckle covers are sized to accommodate different hands for the sake of comfort and dexterity. While they aren’t keyed to each size of glove, there are two sizes; one for medium and below, and a second size for large and up.

When we opened the box and first read the data sheet, we were a little skeptical about the written description regarding the design which claimed both a “double layer of Nomex” along with the comment “maintains an athletic fit design”. Claims like these usually fall into the Military Intelligence category. Nomex is stretchy to a point, but getting it to stay conformed around a complex shape like a hand without making it so tight that it cuts off circulation takes some serious thought when designing the fabric panel layout. Oakley did a decent job here. The gloves don’t bunch, but they aren’t “second-skin tight.”