5.11 Series – Tac-NFOE Glove
Recently I’ve been replacing a lot of my old ‘tactical’ apparel, clothing and alike due to it’s age and the fact most of it is just plain worn out. My waterproof layers are, well, less waterproof, my trousers don’t fit properly due to one too many ration packs over the past year and my gloves had indeed seen better days. With the rest of my new action man costume replaced, it was time to turn my attention to the gloves – this is when I discovered the 5.11 Series – Tac-NFOE (Tactical NOMEX Flight Ops Extended). Designed by Jeff Gonzales, a former Navy Seal for 12 years, you can guess the guy knows what he’s talking about when it comes to tactical gear.
The 5.11 series is a well respected line-up of accessories that, as stated on the packaging is ‘the choice of federal, state and local law enforcement for over 25 years’… Excellent, they missed off ‘Airsofter’, but that’s really not going to sell too many items now is it?
In their words, the TAC-NFOE glove is a ‘full-length, enhanced flight glove. 5.11’s TacticalTouch provides the dexterity and the comfort that each operator needs while a Nomex fabric offers enhanced heat and flame resistance…’ – yes, in a nutshell that is it. You see, as an Airsofter, we don’t need to really go over the top – we don’t need Kevlar re-enforced, bullet proof, bomb proof gloves, we just need something to protect your hands from the usual hazards found at urban and woodland sites, as well as some protection from those nasty BB’s.
That is where the TAC-NFOE’s come into their own. They’re not over the top and they provide you with a level of dexterity to you need for the fiddly tasks like loading up mag’s etc in the field, without having to take the gloves off. The Nomex fabric provides a soft, light and breathable layer, with the added bonus that it’s heat and flame resistant – you might think not needed on the Airsoft battlefield, but I’ve seen someone get a nasty burn from a grenade fuse when it met his finger! The soft leather gives you ample protection in the places you need it, without hampering the overall flexibility of the glove.
My previous gloves over the years have consisted of a pair of leather driving gloves and more recently a pair of army issue duty gloves, you know the ones with the padded knuckle (see picture). The problems I’ve found with the various gloves I’ve owned is that with the driving gloves, they offer a good level of dexterity, but no protection at the wrist or beyond – and I’ve been caught there a few times. With the Army issue gloves, they’re far too bulky and you have to take them off for any fiddly tasks, but offer a good level of protection.
The TAC-NFOE gloves address all these problems and in my mind offer the perfect Airsofter’s glove.
In Detail:
So, the Tac-NFOE features the following:
TacticalTouch (soft fabric and no seams on the finger tips for you and me…)
Nomex Fabric – Yes it’s heat and flame resistant, from the people who bought you Kevlar – DuPoint
Cowskin Leather – Non-shiny and soft, just like my sofa
Pull Tab – To assist in putting on the gloves without stretching them out of shape
Elastic Wrist – erm, yes, an elastic wrist?
Wrist Strap – adjustable and held in place with Velcro
Now, I chose the large size, and they fit very snugly, in fact, one could say they fit like… well, a glove? But a word of warning, I have what I would say are average size hands for someone of my size, with quite slim fingers, and the 5.11 gloves do come up rather small compared to other brands of the same size, so you may need an XL.
The moment I put them on I thought they’re slightly ‘Batman’ in appearance, and indeed the Dark Knight I feel would be proud wearing these whilst patrolling the roof-tops of Gotham City. But for you or me, protecting your hands whilst getting shot at with 6mm plastic balls will just have to do.
The soft matt black leather on the palm is re-enforced in three places (see picture) and the entire construction is double-stitched for maximum strength. The leather extends over the finger tips and covers the fingernail area on the back of the hand, as it does for covering the back of the thumb also. An additional leather piece provides protection for the knuckles, good job too as this is the bit that will be sticking round the corner with you and your gun, and the back of the hand is always a soft and painful target.
The packaging is quite smart too, and details that the gloves are available in the following sizes: S, M, L, XL and 2XL – although as mentioned earlier, the L and XL sizes will be adequate for most people. You even get a free caribina and key ring loop, which I guess they use to hang the gloves on the shelves with, nice touch and that’s now going on my kit bag!
Overall these gloves are truly excellent pieces of kit, very comfortable, provide excellent durability, dexterity, flexibility and protection – not to mention they look the business too. Slightly pricey at £31.99 a pair, but they certainly do look like they’re built to last. As they say, you get what you pay for, and in these gloves you’re paying for 12 years worth of tried and trusted Navy Seal experience to make on of the best pairs of tactical operator gloves on the market.
