5.11 Tactical Screen Ops Tactical Gloves

2012 Shot Show was GWA's first. I sent CB to do some scouting and to report back on any new gear. Shot Show is usually when companies debut their latest and greatest. 5.11 definitely held nothing back. They debuted a lot of new gear including a new line of gloves.

I don't know about everyone else but I use some kind of touch device on a daily basis. Whether a phone or tablet. With my current gloves whether Oakley, Mechanix, etc. I find that sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. The performance and accuracy are always inconsistent. I was surprised to hear that 5.11 was the only company coming out with a pair of tactical gloves with touch screen fingertips built-in touch compatibility.

http://www.511tactical.com/All-Products/New-Items/Screen-Ops-Tactical-Gloves.html#Product_Description

Specs from 5.11's site:
-All fingertips are specially constructed to enable the wearer to operate capacitive resistance touch screen devices.
-Compatible with most cell phones, touch screen computers, pads and tablets, GPS, etc.
-Full Made in USA Kevlar® knit fabric and perforated leather knuckle reinforcement makes this a true multi-role glove for LE and Military professionals.
-Features our patented Tactical Touch™ seamless fingertip construction that provides superior dexterity, fit, and comfort.
-Seamless goatskin palm and fingers for durability and tactility.
-Full length cuff with velcro closure and closed
-MSRP $89.99
-Available in Black or Coyote

Overall shot of the gloves. Note the silver tips and black padding.


5.11 is using their Tactical Touch patented fingertips to give you both touch screen performance and excellent fit. Although it looks very space age it performs extremely well. Using them with any kind of touch screen device with extreme accuracy.


The outside of the glove feature a Kevlar knit fabric and perforated leather knuckles. Giving the gloves strength and more breath-ability. One thing I don't understand is why they chose to go with black instead of coyote to match the rest of the glove.


The palm and fingers of the glove features seamless goatskin. Less seams and less opportunity to fail.


Tab to tighten the glove. Plenty of adjustment and also constructed of leather. Complete with 5.11 logo.


Backside also with 5.11 logo. Note the "Built tough by Ironclad" logo patch. Ironclad it seems is a longtime industrial glove maker. Nice to see this co-op.


Turning the glove inside out. Note the lack of seams. The seams you see are where the Kevlar is attached on the knuckles.


Palm side inside out. Again notice the one piece of leather instead of pieces sewn together. This gives the glove more strength and durability.


Shot of the finger. Note the lack of large bulk that typically digs into your fingers. This gives your hands a more natural feel and closer to the trigger. I can say the fit of the glove closely reminds me of standard nomex flight gloves (which I love).


Closeup shot of the tag. Made in China, 5.11 can do better.


Back of the tag. "Built tough by Ironclad"


I was honestly surprised that 5.11 was the ONLY company releasing a touch screen compatible glove. CB saw many different gloves being offered but was surprised that nobody thought about adding this feature. He even asked all the reps what kind of phone they had and 100% of them all had some kind of touchscreen phone. He even demonstrated how none of their gloves worked well with touchscreens. With other gloves they sometimes work but never accurate enough to leave them on, whether I need to type something or access information. I find myself more often than not having to take 1 glove off. Not to mention that if your outdoors the moisture, sand, and debris can further debilitate the effectiveness of standard gloves.

Overall I'm very satisfied with the fit and accuracy of the gloves with all my touch devices. Bonus points for 5.11 for the ingenuity.

Notable likes:
-100% touchscreen compatible with EXTREME precision even with small screens. Very accurate even with texting.
-Low profile fit. No bulk gives you better control especially with handguns. Comparable fit to thinner flight gloves.

Notable dislikes:
-Glove isn't 100% coyote
-Made in China
-$90 price-point is a bit higher than the competition