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SHOWA is advancing hand protection for metalworking with next-generation gloves designed to deliver the perfect balance of cut resistance, grip, and comfort. In this episode of MSC’s Tooling Up, host Toni Neary talks with Brian Moseley, Technical Manager at SHOWA, about how advanced glove engineering is helping manufacturers keep workers safe and productive across today’s most demanding metalworking environments.
Brian walks through SHOWA’s design philosophy, starting with high-cut protection using materials like stainless steel and aramid fibers, improving grip with micro-foam coatings, and enhancing comfort with soft liners and ergonomic fit. Each feature is engineered to help reduce injuries, improve dexterity, and ensure gloves stay on throughout the workday. The three specific gloves discussed in this episode are:
SHOWA 581 – Lightweight Cut Protection
Combining stainless steel and aramid materials, the 581 delivers an impressive A5 cut rating in a lightweight, flexible design. Workers get serious protection without stiffness, making this glove ideal for tasks where dexterity and precision are critical.
SHOWA 576 – Grip and Comfort in Oily Conditions
Built for environments with oils, cutting fluids, and lubricants, the 576 features a double-dipped nitrile coating—a gray continuous barrier film that blocks liquids and a black micro-foam layer that enhances grip. Inside, a plated white liner provides lasting comfort, keeping hands cool and dry during long shifts.
SHOWA 377 SC – Full-Coverage Protection
For the toughest jobs, the 377 SC delivers complete fluid resistance with a fully dipped continuous blue coating and micro-foam grip finish. This glove offers extended wrist coverage and robust cut protection, making it a reliable choice for heavy-duty or hydraulic applications where full protection is essential.
From lightweight flexibility to full-coverage safety, SHOWA’s gloves are redefining what workers can expect from metalworking hand protection. Each design is backed by SHOWA’s commitment to research, innovation, and real-world performance—helping teams stay safer, work smarter, and perform better.
To learn more about SHOWA's metalworking gloves, visit mscdirect.com.
For even more safety insights and expertise, check out MSC's Knowledge Center.
For more Tooling Up videos, check our MSC Tooling Up playlist.
And subscribe to our channel.
Video Transcript
BRIAN MOSELEY: These gloves find a home because of their resistance, because of their comfort, and because of the different applications that they can go into and still keep that worker being efficient, reduce injuries, and allow everyone involved in this hand protection program to win by keeping work moving forward in a positive manner.
Narrator: This video is brought to you by SHOWA. Always innovating, never imitating. If you're looking for real-world insights, tips from leading industry experts, the latest trends in products and technology, you've come to the right place. From MSC Industrial Supply, this is Tooling Up.
TONI NEARY: Hello and welcome to Tooling Up. I'm your host, Toni Neary, and I'm so glad that you've joined us today. Before we get to today's guest, here's your reminder to click those like and subscribe buttons so you never miss an episode. Today we're diving into next-generation metalworking gloves, and we've got Brian Moseley, a fan favorite and returning guest. He is the technical manager at SHOWA.
Brian, welcome back to Tooling Up.
BRIAN MOSELEY: Thank you for the invitation back. It's always good to be with you, Toni, and discuss some hand protection. Looking forward to the things that we go over today for the metalworking applications.
TONI NEARY: And Brian, Tooling Up viewers know this is not your first show here. It's not even your second. But we also know how passionate you are about gloves. So let's get into it. When it comes to metalworking, safety and performance go hand in hand. Pun intended. When designing gloves for these tough environments, what's most important to get right?
BRIAN MOSELEY: You know, there's three main things because in the cut-resistant lineup, you have different challenges. You're trying to offer people, you know, a cut-resistant glove, but you're also trying to, you know, offer comfort as well. And when we go into designing these types of products, the first thing that we look at is the cut resistance itself.
And I know that sounds funny, but we do the testing because you always want to be able to compare apples to apples, as they say. So some cut gloves may have a, you know, an A3 rating, some may have an A5 rating. So that's going to be one of the three things that we look at. The second thing that we're going to look at that is often overlooked is the grip of the glove.
Many times cut happens because you have a poor grip on the glove. And that when either sheet metal or, you know, a sharp metal edge slides through the glove because of poor grip, that can cause the laceration through the film and to the person themselves. So we want to make sure that we design a very good grip.
And then the third thing is comfort. To get good cut resistance, you have to use tough materials many time. Things like stainless steel, fiberglass, and these are typically not items that you want to find in your socks or T-shirts. So we take great care in being able to put them and employ them into the glove, but be able to do it in such a way that is comfortable to the end user. Because, as we both know, a glove that's not worn is not being protective in any fashion whatsoever.
TONI NEARY: Absolutely. And today we're going to talk about three gloves that deliver on all three points. And let's start with the 581. And I have to tell you there's stainless steel in here, and you would never know it. What makes this glove so special?
BRIAN MOSELEY: Well, Toni, with every glove, it's not just one thing, but in the 581, it delivers a high cut level 5 rating in a lightweight design. When you think of a cut level 5, you don't really think about the dexterity and the weight of this glove when it's on your hand. So you're able to work fully and a lot more comfortable.
This glove has stainless steel and para-aramid materials, and of course, it has to have that to get level 5 ratings. So workers are able to have outstanding protection without the stiffness.
TONI NEARY: Anywhere that dexterity and safety really need to be together. And we love that combo in this glove. But sometimes these jobs involve oil, cutting fluids, or messy conditions. Which brings us to the 576. So what's the difference with the 576? When we compare this glove? And what makes it because it feels really different.
BRIAN MOSELEY: The 576 is one of my favorite gloves, and probably one of the best used, best all-around gloves that we've got. One reason is because of the double dip coating. Now, there's two colors on this glove on the grip and both of them are nitrile. But there's a big difference between the dips on this glove and the nitrile layers.
The gray coating is a continuous film, meaning there's no holes in there for liquids to migrate through, but the black coating is the grip portion of the glove. This is nitrile too, but it's a microfilm, and this allows the glove to absorb the oils or the cutting fluids, and allows the nitrile to touch the part even better. If you look on the inside of the glove, it's a totally different color and it's all white.
What that is, is a plating yarn, and SHOWA is committed to watching every liner being made so that plating yarn shows up there consistently, and just be white. The reason you want that plating on there goes to our number three thing that we talked about in our design inputs. And that's comfort. That white yarn is designed to allow that end user to be able to wear the glove knowing they've got protection from fluids and cuts, but also have something soft against their hand so they enjoy wearing this glove for the long hours that they have to do their job.
TONI NEARY: And the comfort, protection, and grip are really what it's all about, especially when you're in some of those oily conditions. It's essential to worker safety, but sometimes workers need even more coverage and convenience and that's where the show 377 comes in. And it's not just about this pretty blue color. There's some things stand out immediately about this glove.
Let's dive into the 377 and tell me about this showstopper.
BRIAN MOSELEY: The 377 SC absolutely has all the options and bells and whistles you can probably put in a cut-resistant glove for oily conditions. Because it first starts that we noticed, like you said, that blue coating, a fully dipped continuous film coating. So therefore, the end user is protected from those fluids in every part of their hand, whether it be the upper wrist, whether it be the thumb, that worker can go in those oily conditions and know that they're going to stay protected from those cutting fluids and hydraulic oils. Now, but it also incorporates the microfoam finish just like the 576 did, so it's able to absorb that oil and allow that worker to have a great grip.
TONI NEARY: All right, Brian, so we've seen lightweight dexterity, oil protection and now full coverage. Where are customers seeing these gloves make the biggest difference?
BRIAN MOSELEY: That's a great question, Toni. And it's very hard to answer except with a very general answer. Everywhere across the board. Like I said earlier, there's no perfect glove out there, but being able to have all the research and development that SHOWA is able to bring forth, all the different types of production processes. We can bring these types of gloves and they can fit whatever job that we find behind the door of that end user in their plant.
TONI NEARY: Brian, thank you so much for coming back and sharing your passionate expertise with us. The takeaway is clear. SHOWA's gloves provide safer hands, stronger performance, and a better bottom line.
BRIAN MOSELEY: Thank you for the opportunity, Toni.
TONI NEARY: It was great hanging out with Brian again today. And for more information on how SHOWA can help keep your team safe, visit www.mscdirect.com/products/showa-cut-resistant. And don't forget to subscribe to our channel so you don't miss an episode. Thanks, and we'll see you next time on Tooling Up.
Narrator: Want more insights and ideas to improve the efficiency and productivity of your operations? Check out the Tooling Up video playlist to hear tips that can take your company to the next level, and subscribe to our channel so you won't miss out.
