5 Unexpected Applications of SHOWA Gloves

There is a simple goal at the heart of everything that SHOWA® does, and that is to create the highest quality, robust and reliable hand protection products that meet their customers’ needs regardless of their application.

Typically, though, those needs span across many industries and have common use cases like in healthcare, manufacturing and food preparation, for example. But today, SHOWA would like to highlight five of the more unexpected applications that show the wide range of use cases their community of users wear in their daily lives.

Sailing

When sailing out in the ocean in all weather conditions, the comfort and protection of your hands are imperative – not only for sporting performance but also for your safety.

In particular, it’s crucial that gloves keep the same shape when they’re wet and that the grip isn’t affected by moisture. With improper grip, sailors can waste a lot of energy. When gripping onto ropes, wet or dry, sailors shouldn’t need to clench ropes or trim sails with force to keep their hands from slipping.

So when it comes to choosing the best gloves for sailing, the proof is in the pudding, as they say, and SHOWA is proud that their gloves don the hands of Pavlos Kaglianis from Greece and Italy's Giorgia Bertuzzi and Jana Germani when they are taking part in sailing competitions.

But which SHOWA gloves do they choose to wear?

The Best Gloves for Sailing

SHOWA 306

The SHOWA 306 is the best glove for light wind conditions, according to Olympic medalist sailor Pavlos Kaglianis. In light wind, sailors need a heightened sense of when to take and release ropes. The 306 provides more dexterity when power at the ropes is reduced. Pavlos also noted that although it is a very technical glove, he felt like he was not wearing any gloves at all. And, the waterproof material is of course essential when sailing.

Atlas 330

Next up is the ATLAS 330 as it is very strong and the grip is extremely hard-wearing which is crucial when dealing with ropes on a regular basis. However, there is a slightly decreased sensitivity due to the more enhanced, rough surface grip.

SHOWA 310

In comparison to the ATLAS 330, the SHOWA 310 features an increased grip and elasticity, making them more comfortable than the highly durable ATLAS 330. The increased comfort comes at the expense of the enhanced durability and grip, meaning the SHOWA 310 may not last as long as the ATLAS 330.

Scuba Diving

Scuba diving deep underwater to inspect shipwrecks or conduct maintenance work on underwater infrastructure requires your kit to be 100% fail safe because if anything goes wrong then there could be serious consequences.

It’s common to associate neoprene material with scuba diving gloves for warmth but when there are more technical capabilities needed, it’s the nylon seamless knit gloves with polyurethane coating that really excel underwater mainly due to their dexterity and breathability features.

When it comes to hand protection for scuba diving, there are four key questions that professional divers like Marcin Krawczyk from Poland need answering to choose the most suitable gloves for their protection:

• Do they keep hands warm in deep, cold waters?
• Are they comfortable to wear for long periods of time?
• Are the gloves dexterous enough to carry out inspections?
• Are the gloves durable enough to withstand many dives?

The Best Gloves for Scuba Diving

Marcin’s choice of gloves for scuba diving is the SHOWA TEMRES 281.

SHOWA TEMRES 281

The reasons why these are the best gloves are that they are fully waterproof to great depths and are insulated to keep out the wet and cold whilst still retaining breathable capabilities. The best part about the TEMRES technology is that it’s made with four unique layers, with a membrane fixed between the coating and the liner to make this a high-performing glove for this unexpected application of scuba diving.

Hiking Expeditions

If underwater conditions weren’t challenging enough for kit and equipment, then the bitterly cold climates of Canada definitely demand the highest quality protection for your hands.

Hiking expeditions in some of the most remote and icy places in the world require your hands to be warm and dry because the risk of them being otherwise is deadly. Handling ice, operating your and your team’s kayaks, and fiddling with kit bags also mean that dexterity cannot be sacrificed for that warmth and dryness.

Professional hiking expedition guide, Jimmy MacDonald, depends on SHOWA gloves for hiking specifically for his personal safety when out in the wilderness of Antarctica.

The Best Hiking Gloves for Cold Expeditions

It’s in these environments that SHOWA's hiking gloves excel due to their superior qualities; in particular, the glove of choice for Jimmy is the SHOWA TEMRES 282.

SHOWA TEMRES 282

Waterproof yet breathable, these multi-purpose gloves use thermal insulation and SHOWA's state-of-the-art TEMRES® technology to keep hands warm, dry, and well-protected in cold climates for optimal comfort and performance.

The glove’s seamless knit and thin fleece liner keep hands irritation-free when worn for long periods of time. The 282 remains flexible down to -60°F.

Wheelchair Rugby

If you’ve ever watched the intensity of wheelchair rugby then you’ll acknowledge the need for tough and robust hand protection during these competitive matches. It’s commonly reported that most gloves don’t last more than one match and are often punctured with holes in them, which puts the player at risk of injury as they push their wheelchair around the court and are tackled chair-to-chair.

Here are some of the benefits of wearing highly protective gloves during wheelchair rugby:

• Provide additional grip when pushing the chair, and aid with starting and stopping
• Help compensate for the loss of hand and finger function associated with a disability
• Make catching, throwing and handling the ball easier during practice and competition

According to the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, a common material for wheelchair rugby athletes’ gloves are rubber-coated cotton gloves, but SHOWA has two key models that captain of the French rugby team and 2022 European champion, Jonathan Hivernat, chooses when competing in matches.

The Best Gloves for Wheelchair Rugby

Renowned for its comfort and tactical grip, SHOWA’s 305 and 310 models are general-purpose gloves that have been ergonomically designed to improve performance and comfort especially during wheelchair rugby matches.

SHOWA 305 Gloves

Combining hard-wearing strength with comfort ensures that these ergonomically designed gloves are ideal for all general-purpose jobs. The fingertips feature deep grooves for gripping onto the rugby ball.

Additional coating on the knuckles provides added protection and comfort over long periods of use like training or matches.

SHOWA 310 Gloves

The breathable, open-back design of our 310 gloves maintains a comfortable temperature under physical activity and the elasticated wrist ensures comfort and flexibility throughout a game.

The rough-textured natural rubber palm coating provides maximum grip and dexterity, and the dark color ensures they look great for longer.

Tattoo Artistry

More and more, tattoo artists are seeking eco-conscious disposable gloves because not only are they the responsible choice for the planet but also because they wear so many each week.

When tattooing people, like professional artist Emari Omnava Donahue does, they are exposed to a myriad of bloodborne pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. Tattoo studios are obliged to protect their customers. Ensuring a safe environment for all is of paramount importance and one of the vital safety measures in place is wearing gloves.

Tattoo artists have a strict criteria of features that their gloves must meet — a high resistance to tear, a tight but comfortable fit for maximum dexterity during long use, and textured for enhanced grip. But are all black nitrile gloves created equally?

The Best Gloves for Tattoo Artistry

Using SHOWA’s superior Eco-Best Technology (EBT), the versatile SHOWA 6112PF is a biodegradable single-use glove that prioritizes sensitivity and dexterity.

SHOWA 6112PF

Its 4mil/0.10mm thick nitrile is waterproof and provides extreme comfort during long periods of use which is especially important for tattoo artists. These gloves also boast the EN ISO 374-5:2016 virus certificate for peace of mind for users. But the best part about these gloves is their eco-friendly credentials. The gloves break down by 82% in just 386 days when tested in a laboratory – a leader in the market.

Those were five unexpected applications of SHOWA gloves and hopefully you can see the wide range of use cases that have a positive impact on the users. It’s applications like these that drive SHOWA's team to design and manufacture the highest quality of gloves possible but also meeting their core values like eco-consciousness, for example.

SHOWA is confident that their gloves will perform when you need them, regardless of how you will use them; whether you’re a sailor, a scuba diver, a hiking explorer, wheelchair rugby player or even a tattoo artist – they are here for you.

Previously Featured on SHOWA's blog.