Gloves & PPE
Barrier protection for a treatment room or a kitchen bench. Nitrile rather than latex as the default, because latex sensitivity is common enough that most Australian practices moved years ago, and a glove that gives somebody a reaction is worse than no glove at all. Latex is still here for the people who prefer the feel of it and know they are fine with it. Everything is powder free. Powder was banned in surgical settings for good reason and it has no place in an examination glove either: it carries latex protein into the air and it contaminates whatever you are working on. Nitrile examination gloves come in three sizes rather than a box of mediums, because a glove that is too big catches on everything and one that is too small splits at the web of the thumb. Black nitrile and blue nitrile are the same glove in a different colour: blue reads as clinical and shows a tear against skin, black hides staining and is what most mobile practitioners buy. Masks are rated to the Australian standard rather than described loosely, so a Level 2 mask is a Level 2 mask. Gowns and aprons on a roll for the jobs where something is going to splash. Buy a single box or a carton, and the price per unit is on the page either way, which is not true of most of the people we are competing with.
Prices are indicative while the range is being finalised, and you cannot check out yet. Open any product to pre-order it, which takes an email address and no payment, and the price and the pack size are confirmed before anything is charged.
Not sure which one you need?
Three plain questions and the Gauge Finder tells you the thickness, the length and how many. Nothing you answer is stored.
Nitrile or latex
Nitrile is synthetic and contains no latex protein, which removes the allergy question for wearer and patient both. It is the sensible default. Latex has better tactile feel and more stretch, and is worth stocking alongside rather than instead.
Most people take a smaller size in nitrile than they expect, because it has less give. A glove that is too big snags and one that is too small splits at the web of the thumb.
Thickness, and what heavy duty actually means
Glove thickness is quoted in mils, a thousandth of an inch, measured at the fingertip where it matters. An examination glove is usually around 3 to 4 mil. Anything sold as heavy duty is 6 mil or more, and the difference you feel is not strength so much as the loss of fine touch.
Thicker is not better, it is a trade. For handling a vial or a dressing you want to feel what you are doing, and 3 to 4 mil is where almost all clinical work sits. Heavy duty earns its keep on cleaning, decanting and anything with a sharp edge, where a tear costs more than a little dexterity.
Nitrile examination gloves are the standard weight. Sizing runs small through extra large and the fit is worth getting right: a glove too big bunches at the fingertip and a glove too tight tires your hand and splits at the thumb web.
Why they come in blue and black
Blue is the clinical default, and the reason is visibility. Against blue, a puncture or a split shows up immediately, and so does anything on the glove that should not be there.
Black came from tattooing and from automotive work, where the point is the opposite: it does not show marks. It has carried across into clinics that prefer how it looks. There is no difference in the material and no difference in protection. Nitrile is nitrile and the colour is a pigment.
If you are choosing for a treatment room, choose blue and choose it for the reason above rather than habit.
Powder free, and why powdered went away
Every nitrile glove listed here is powder free. Cornstarch powder used to be standard as a donning aid, and it stopped being standard because the powder carries glove protein into the air and onto whatever the glove touches.
Powdered surgical gloves were banned outright in the United States in 2017 and the rest of the world has largely followed. If anybody is still offering you powdered examination gloves, that is the question to ask about, not the price.
Mask levels are about fluid, not fit
Level 1 for short procedures with little fluid, Level 2 (Type IIR) as the general purpose clinical mask with a fluid resistant outer, Level 3 for heavy exposure. None of them seal to the face, so none of them do the job of a fitted P2 or N95.
Questions about gloves & PPE
If yours is not here, the contact form routes to the person who can answer it.
Are nitrile gloves latex free?
What does Level 2 mean on a surgical mask?
What thickness of nitrile glove do I need?
Is there any difference between black and blue nitrile gloves?
Are these the same as the ones in a supermarket?
Do you sell gloves by the carton?
Know when it lands
We are still building the range. Leave an address and we will tell you what has come in, without making a project of it.
Restock notices and new guides. Two or three emails a month at most, one click to stop, and we do not sell or share the address.