Hatch Operator HK vs Mechanix M-Pact

[0nslaught]

http://www.entrygear.com/product.asp?id=SOG-HK300/350/400

 

vs

 

http://garage.mechanix.com/detail.aspx?ID=2

 

who here has either of these gloves? which one is more reliable?

 

ill be using these for airsofting, real gun shooting, hiking, rock climbing.

 

most of the time my hands will be grasping sharp rocks, and scraping against dirt. what do you guys think?

[yubbermax]

I have the Mechanix classics and they are well made. They feel good wearing them and are nice overall. Only mine smell like smoke because I bought them used off of Amazon.

[nilz]

I have a pair of M-Pacts and while they are extremely comfortable gloves, the Operators may be more hard-wearing (note that I have no hands-on experience with these). Considering the price, you cannot fault the M-Pacts though. Mechanix also makes a Heavy Duty glove that can take a little more abuse.

[0nslaught]

I have the Mechanix classics and they are well made. They feel good wearing them and are nice overall. Only mine smell like smoke because I bought them used off of Amazon.

 

ya i was thinking about getting these instead. but i wanted something that offers protection to the knuckles. thanks though

 

I have a pair of M-Pacts and while they are extremely comfortable gloves, the Operators may be more hard-wearing (note that I have no hands-on experience with these). Considering the price, you cannot fault the M-Pacts though. Mechanix also makes a Heavy Duty glove that can take a little more abuse.

 

hard wearing as in they would be more durable? ya the Mpacts are at a pretty good price, but the hatches arent bad either

 

ya i saw those heavy duty gloves. however i want something that can be bought at a CB color.

[IronWolf]

Between the two mentioned, its gotta be Mechanix for durability imo. I've had two pairs of Hatch's and both didn't last more then a few months , and compared to the others I've owned thats pretty poor.

[nilz]

Like I said, the Hatch's just look more durable. If they're not, Mechanix all the way!

 

You lose suprisingly little sensitivity and dexterity wearing them, they're padded exactly where needed. They might seem a little stiff at first, but once broken in, they're very soft and comfy.

[mr eagle]

I have 2 pairs of Hatch gloves one 2 yrs old and the other is a year old, both still going strong. I only got the new ones (hatch hard knuckle) as i liked the look of them and had some spare cash. In terms of usage i use them nearly every week as staff at the site and i spend half the day as player marshal so they do get down and dirty.

Found that the operator shortys nicer to wear in woodland and would prob be better rock climbing as they feel less restricted. The hard knuckle on the other hand are great for urban games due to the little extra protection on the knuckes. Either pair should serve you well IMO, as for the mechanix i have never seen nor used them im affraid.

[Danke]

I've had Mechanix gloves in the shop for about 10 years now and worn out multiple pairs. They fit well, wear well but don't have the tapered fingers of the Hatch so they may feel a bit bulky compared when you've got to do up a button.

 

I try to stay away from any glove with the bumper pads glued on the back as they just rub off. I am also very suspicious of hard knuckle pads as after an hour or so of wear you've got a massive pressure point that feels like someone's drilling into your hands.

 

Now as for rock climbing if you're ice climbing or on a belay you'll want a glove, but if you're going up a rock you want your skin to be what you're grabbing with.

[Jagdraben]

I own numerous pairs of Hatch gloves. I have no complaints about them, other than sizing. (Namely where they put the elastic on my ancient black size L flight gloves, and the length of the digits on my newer sage size L flight gloves.) I own two pairs of Hatch flight gloves (one black, one sage), a pair of Operators (in tan), and a pair of Operator CQBs (in black).

 

I have owned (technically) one pair of Mechanix 4.0 Heavy Duty gloves and have actually owned two. The first pair fell apart the first weekend I owned them. Sent them back on warranty. The pair I got from Mechanix in exchange for the warrantied pair lasted longer. Once I actually did real work with them (about a week of moving cereal boxes at Wal*Mart) they began to fall apart again: This time in the materials themselves, rather than the seams, as had happened earlier.

 

Haven't bothered to warranty them and have simply elected to stick with bog standard cow-hide gloves for manual labor and my Hatch gloves (no gloves I have ever tried or owned compare in comfort to my Hatch flight gloves) for shooting and gaming.

[MadCat360]

I have an old pair of Hatch gloves and a pair of classic Mechanix gloves (which I use on my car). The Hatch gloves fell apart but I fixed them with duct tape. The Mechanix don't seem like they're going to die any time soon.

 

If you're gonna use it as an all-around glove, the Mechanix will probably be your best bet.

[0nslaught]

hum, i went down to my target a few days ago and saw a pair of original mechanix for $4.98....i actually bought two while i was there. one for me, and one for my friend. however the problem is large was the only size there, and its pretty big on me. big enough that its annoying to wear and use. im thinking about selling these and getting a pair of mediums.

[nilz]

They do run fairly big; I wear my Mechanix a size smaller than usual too.

[TheEgo]

I've owned 2 pairs of Hatch's, old Operator CQB's and the the Hard Knuckles

 

the old style operators where great and lasted me over a year, until they finally started wearing out. Scorch marks the lot. Loved them and very hard wearing.

 

The hard knuckles on the other hand are ######. All the seams round the hard knuckle insert have started coming apart, and just generally look battered. This started after only a couple days of use, and is just getting worse.

[Magsz]

Definitely avoid the mpacs.

 

The rubber knuckles tend to wear off almost immediately.

 

Now, the neat thing is that if you dont care about that whats under the rubber knuckle protectors is actually an extremely breathable glove that i happen to like quite a bit.

 

Ive been using mine for about five months and i really dig them. They're not quite as good as my old SWMS friction fighters but they get the job done.

 

One thing i will caution you against is thinking you're going to have any kind of protection against heat. After a couple 30 round magazines i really wouldnt attempt to touch any hot parts of a gun with these things. With Nomex gloves you can get away with testing temperature by hand, with mechanixs gloves, be careful.

[Augustus]

definitely the mpacts

 

i had the hatch operator a few years ago and for durability and comfort, the mechanix are way ahead. after using the mpacts and the mechanix original wear glove i can say that these gloves are by far the best gloves i have ever used and i have owned quite a few over the years (hatch operator, nomex flight, hellstorm solag, oakley si assault, damascus neopren, under armor)