With our ever-expanding line of modernized beekeeping gloves, we’ve been getting more questions about what the differences are between them and which would be the best to choose. Here’s a discussion on how our various gloves compare to each other and how to determine which would best match your beekeeping.
The “Standard”
Our first model is called our “Standard” Beekeeping glove. It was our very first model of our re-designed, modern beekeeping glove and continues to be a very popular choice. It represents a high value-for-the-dollar and provides an excellent new-style beekeeping glove at an affordable price.
The Standard model features the modern short cuff and is worn under the beekeeping suit/jacket, just like our PRO model. It also has goatskin palms for high dexterity as well as the patented back-mesh for cooling and sting protection. It comes in white goatskin with black back-mesh.
The PRO
Our next model is the Apis Tactical Professional Beekeeping Glove and it’s an upgrade to the Standard model. This is the same style in that it’s a modern, short-cuff style glove. It features upgrades such as full fingertip coverage and a re-designed thumb, double-protection system. It also has a leather pull to help put on the gloves without stressing the cuff. It features a Velcro patch to help latch on to the suit/jacket sleeve and latch securely to our Apis Tactical suits and jackets.
The PRO model also has a goatskin palm for maximum dexterity. It comes in light brown goatskin leather with a choice of black or white back-mesh.
This Apis Tactical Professional model is our best selling model.
The Heavy Duty
While the Standard and PRO models are optimized for coolness and dexterity, our Heavy Duty model is optimized for protection and durability. …that’s the most important point to know about our “HD” model.
Instead of the goatskin, the Apis Tactical Heavy Duty Beekeeping gloves use full-grain leather palms to provide a thicker, more durable glove. While there is a trade-off in dexterity when you opt for a thicker glove, the quality of our leather is such that, once broken in, the HD model still has respectable dexterity. While bees can sting through any type of leather, the thicker leather results in less stings and those that do get through are more tolerable.
Unlike the Standard and PRO models, the Heavy Duty model sports a “3/4 Gauntlet” which means it has a longer cuff that is wornover (i.e. on top of) your beekeeping suit/jacket. It extends about half-way up the arm or just short of your elbow (depending on how long your arm is). This provides plenty of protection for your forearm while still allowing heat to escape. The Velcro strap and elastic keep bees out of the cuff, even under the most “bee-aggressive” situations.
Like the PRO model, the Heavy Duty is available in light brown leather palms and a choice of black or white back-mesh. Technically, it will also come with a choice of the full-grain leather palms, or, …pigskin! (see next model)
The ”Pigskin”
By the time you read this, our new Pigskin model may be available. It will come in the same format as the Heavy Duty Model above, but with pigskin instead of leather.
Why pigskin? The main reason for creating a pigskin version is that, for those beekeepers who get their beekeeping gloves wet a lot (whether from frequent washing after handling treatments, or from daily sweating), pigskin doesn’t get as hard and stiff as cow leather.
We developed this pigskin version more or less to answer the requests from commercial beekeepers who wanted a pigskin beekeeping glove. From what we could determine from using the initial prototypes, it seems that these pigskin gloves should have a similar durability as the cowhide, while if they don’t get as stiff, maybe they will actually have a longer useful life.
After these have been out in the market for a year or so, we will be able to determine if more pigskin versions (perhaps a PRO model in pigskin) will be warranted. For now, they come in the Heavy Duty model in the white color option only.
Choosing what’s best for you…
So how to you pick which gloves might be the best for you? Well, as with many things, it depends. At the end of this blog post is a chart that lists the pros and cons of most of our models. It’s helpful to look that over.
In short, here’s my basic recommendation…
If you are a hobbyist beekeeper with less than, say, 10 hives, …and you want to try this new style of beekeeping glove without breaking the bank, our Standard model is a great introduction to the Apis Tactical line. It will give you a great glove and a good idea of how our gloves might work for you (hint, you’re going to like them since they are cooler and allow you to do more dexterous work).
If you need some of the more advanced features or want to jump in straight to an improved version of our gloves, the PRO model is the best choice. You will find that the PRO model of the Apis Tactical Beekeeping glove is perfect for most of your beekeeping duties. This model is great for inspections, repairs, feeding etc. Most beekeepers end up with a pair of these PRO gloves at some point.
For heavier activities that are hard on gloves, like moving a lot of honey supers, loading boxes/hives, or if you tend to be rather hard on gloves, …our Heavy Duty model is going to be a better fit for you. The Heavy Duty models also provide more protection for when bees are aggressive or if you are in regions where the bees tend to be ornery.
…what ends up happening over time for most beekeepers, however, is… they end up withboth the PRO and Heavy Duty models. That’s because each model is optimized for different beekeeping tasks. If you have both on hand, you can wear the one that is most appropriate for whatever you are doing. You will end up with better performance, less hassles, and both gloves will end up lasting longer. It’s definitely something to consider.
I hope this discussion helps to understand the differences between our various models of gloves. Again, take a quick look at the chart. Never hesitate to reach out and contact us with questions or concerns. You will find that we answer quickly and enjoy talking with you.
-Jeff
