Mechanixwear Nickelbacks are sweat absorbing nitrile gloves. They cost a little more than standard disposable gloves but the flock lining makes all the difference in the world when you’re putting them on and wearing them for any length of time. Additionally, they are biodegradable. Sold in boxes of 50.
Mechanixwear products are available for unit and agency orders within Canada from Rampart International.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 17, 2021 // — Mechanix Wear®, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance work gloves, announced today it has acquired Chicago Protective Apparel (“CPA” or the “Company”), a 108 year-old, family-owned manufacturer of personal protective equipment (PPE). Mechanix Wear is a portfolio company of middle-market private equity firm Gryphon Investors. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1913 and headquartered in Skokie, IL, CPA manufactures and offers an extensive line of over 20,000 products for arc flash, foundry, and welding applications. The Company’s previous owners, Scott and Myrna Sherman, are retiring after 30 years of service. Vice President John Merikoski will remain with the Company as Director of Production, along with other members of the management team.
Mechanix Wear CEO Michael Hale said, “Our two-year partnership with Gryphon has accelerated our growth and positioned us to expand beyond our core line of work gloves. CPA’s culture of quality and focus on innovation synchronize with Mechanix Wear’s mission of bringing the latest design and material innovation to gloves for working hands. Moving forward, we will integrate and expand on CPA’s product portfolio by looking beyond conventional ideas to innovate the most advanced PPE possible. We are excited to collaborate with John and his team.”
Ryan Fagan, Managing Director in the Consumer Group at Gryphon, said, “We’ve been happy to partner with Michael and his team, and see the impressive growth they have continued to achieve as Mechanix Wear celebrates its 30th year of Hand Built Trust. We are excited to welcome CPA into our partnership.”
Mr. Merikoski commented, “We thank Scott and Myrna for building a trusted company that has attracted a loyal following and enjoyed enormous success. We are now in a great position to grow, and we are delighted to team up with such an iconic brand as Mechanix Wear. With their support, and with Gryphon’s capital and operational resources behind us, we expect to invest in continued innovation and customer satisfaction both domestically and abroad.”
EC M&A served as financial advisor to Gryphon and Mechanix Wear. Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal advisor to Gryphon and Mechanix Wear, and Williams, Bax & Saltzman acted as legal advisor to CPA.
SEATTLE, Wash. (Aug. 5, 2021) – Outdoor Research, LLC. (OR), a leading brand in the outdoor and tactical gear industry, announced that the company, in partnership with Prime Vendor ADS Inc., has been awarded a multi-year $49 million contract from the U.S. Army for the next generation Cold Weather Glove System (CWGS).
The interchangeable system is comprised of five individual gloves with varying levels of temperature protection and is customizable depending upon mission requirements. The Army received several offers from industry for this Program of Record (POR), ultimately selecting Outdoor Research based on the capabilities of the OR glove system and the company’s past performance providing best-in-class cold-weather solutions for American military service members. Army Contracting Command Aberdeen Proving Ground Maryland will oversee this contract.
The Outdoor Research CWGS includes a fire resistant (FR) liner base layer glove, a next-to-skin glove for cool conditions, a trigger-finger mitten for cold to extreme cold conditions, a regular mitten that can combine with other gloves, and a white overglove designed for cold weather and snow camouflage. Each glove within the system is designed as “no melt, no drip” to protect against rapid heating during combat operations.
The CWGS provides protection from 40 degrees Fahrenheit down to -70 degrees Fahrenheit. Each glove can be worn independently or layered to provide scalable protection against a variety of temperatures. Combining elements of the CWGS provides for “fast doffing,” or rapid removal for short-term manual dexterity and combat operations. The individual five-finger gloves provide index finger and thumb touchscreen compliance, while the mittens are waterproof, windproof and seam taped for unparalleled protection against cold weather elements. The over-white mitten is made of Alpine Multicam™ and fits over multiple glove/mitten combinations, providing camouflage in winter conditions.
“The contract award for the OR Cold Weather Glove System is the culmination of three years of work by our dedicated team of engineers and production staff and represents the largest contract award in the history of our company,” said Roger Barton, President of Outdoor Research. “Providing best-in-class cold weather gear to the U.S. Military is one of the most important things we do as a brand.”
Outdoor Research will manufacture the 100% Berry Amendment compliant CWGS in Seattle, Wash., and El Monte, Calif. Both facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art sewing and seam taping equipment operated by highly trained, skilled workers.
Mechanix Wear introduces two new M-Pact® protection gloves that meet the Berry Amendment requirements. The new line of Berry Amendment M-Pact® products are built with materials sourced and sewn in the USA and continue to deliver the same rugged protection expected from any Mechanix Wear M-Pact® glove.
Built with advanced G-Form® SmartFlex™ padding technology the Berry Amendment M-Pact® gloves deliver lightweight, flexible impact protection against the many hazards that today’s armed service and law enforcement personnel face in the field.
Features;
• G-Form® SmartFlex™ advanced padding technology that stiffens, absorbs, and redistributes the energy from an impact to minimize potential injuries
• Quick-drying and breathable mesh keeps hands cool and comfortable
• Digital-textured goat skin leather palm infused with a moisture management technology reducing absorption of water and sweat while staying soft and form fitting
• Touch screen compatible
• Ergonomically designed and vibration reducing palm patch
• Molded silicone wrist strap for secure fit
• Carabiner loop for storage and drying
Be the first to see them at Warrior East in booth #606, July 29 & 30 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
Every trade show I attend I have a favorite product or company and my pick for Warrior West 21 is Soliyarn.
This Massachusetts-based tech company was founded on research conducted at UMass Amherst. In a nutshell, they take raw goods and using a vapor technology seamlessly coat a durable, thin film on to textiles. So far they’ve developed conductive, waterproof and anti-microbial coatings.
The conductive tech has been used to heat fabric. The technology works. I put a glove on and the back of my hand immediately began to warm up.
Because there are no cables running through the garment, there’s no need to worry about a cable being cut and losing power. Essentially, the fabric serves as a self-healing circuit. As long as there are fibers still connected, there is a degree of power running through the circuit.
They are currently working with Natick on prototypes of a heated HAHO glove. One of the prototypes seen here is from FirstSpear.
They can also treat the material to be water and oil resistant using a PFC free coating. I watched a demonstration of water being poured on this sample of cotton muslin and the water beaded right off. Not only is the fabric going to remain dry, it’s going to retain it’s comfort and air permeability.
I asked a whole lot of questions like whether or not this will also serve as a data bus. Since this technology is so new, they continue to refine what it can and can’t do. This is a story I definitely plan to follow up on.
Soliyarn technologies are available for unit and agency orders from ADS, Inc.
Manufactured in my hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, Clime and Place offers a full line of protective handwear for any enviroment, including the arctic. Look for a series of articles soon focusing on their different models.
Clime and Place handwear is available for unit and agency orders from ADS, Inc.
You may see the Mechanix Wear Torch Regulator on a Mortarman near you soon to handle hot tubes.
This welding gloves is made from Durahide boar leather with a Kevlar FR lining to protect from heat and puncture, and stitched throughout with Kevlar thread.
Mechanix Wear products are available for unit and agency orders from ADS, Inc.
In addition to the new garments we’ve showcased over this week, Sitka Arrowhead Equipment is also offering a few accessories and load carriage which fans of the hunting side will be familiar with. By load carriage, we’re not talking assault vests, but rather day packs and duffels.
The Gunner Glove incorporates Gore-Tex Windstopper technology paired with Leather and a Stretch Woven Trigger Finger. Coyote in color.
The Gunner Glove is made in Vietnam so it is not TAA compliant for those of you who take that into consideration in buying decisions.
For load carriage, there’s the Drifter Travel Pack and Duffel.
The Pack and Duffel are made from TPU coated ripstop. The 25L Travel Pack is available in Lead and Coyote. The Duffels are offered in 50L, 75L and 110L sizes but only in Lead color.
The load carriage items are all TAA compliant, having been manufactured in the Philippines.
There is also some cool logo wear like T-shirts and Hats.
Find a Sitka Arrowhead Equipment dealer here.
Don’t forget, during their simulcast FB and IG Live segments at 2:30 PM today, US Elite will be wrapping up their week-long intro to SITKA Arrowhead’s products. They’ll be answering any last-minute questions you may have, but also announcing the grand-prize winner. One lucky individual will be receiving the whole layering system which includes: t-shirt, hat, one fleece, one mid-weight jacket, WWP jacket and pants in a duffle bag.
