Ansell HyFlex 11-840 vs SHOWA 377

Ansell publishes the fullest specification of the four, including the 15 gauge, the 1.25 mm FORTIX foam nitrile coating and an EN 388 code of 4131A. The SHOWA 377 matches its abrasion level at a lower tier and beats it in oil, which is the trade most buyers are actually making.

Ansell HyFlex 11-840

Buy it

A 15-gauge knit with a foam nitrile palm that posts EN 388 abrasion level 4, the top band, in a glove thin enough to fasten small parts in.

• Ansell publishes EN 388:2016 4131A, so abrasion is level 4, the top of the four-level scale, at roughly 8,000 cycles on the test rig.
• The specification sheet names the gauge, 15, and the coating thickness, 1.25 mm of FORTIX foam nitrile, which most makers do not disclose.
• Palm coating only with a knitted nylon and spandex back means the glove breathes, and Ansell lists it silicone free and DMF free.

• Ansell states plainly that the glove is not liquidproof and should not be used against chemicals, so it is not the wet or oily choice.
• The grip claim Ansell makes is up to twice the grip in dry environments, with no baseline glove named and no wet or oily figure at all.
• EN 388 puncture is level 1, the lowest band, and there is no impact rating of any kind on the specification.

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SHOWA 377

Buy it

The cheapest glove here and the only one whose maker designs the coating specifically to push oil and water out of the way.

• SHOWA publishes EN 388:2016+A1:2018 4121X and EN ISO 21420:2020, so it matches the Ansell glove on abrasion level 4 at a lower tier.
• The coating is listed as nitrile plus foam nitrile, with a double layer of nitrile foam on the palm that SHOWA says disperses oil and improves grip in wet, dry or oily conditions.
• SHOWA lists it as water resistant, breathable and seamless knit, in sizes 6 through 10, and names oil-coated parts handling as an intended application.

• SHOWA does not publish the knit gauge for this model, so you cannot compare its thickness to a glove that does.
• EN 388 tear is level 2 and puncture is level 1, both below the Ironclad glove here.
• There is no impact rating and no cut rating worth the name, with the straight-blade cut position reported as X.

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Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the Ansell HyFlex 11-840 - A 15-gauge knit with a foam nitrile palm that posts EN 388 abrasion level 4, the top band, in a glove thin enough to fasten small parts in. Choose the SHOWA 377 instead if anyone whose hands are wet, greasy or muddy most of the day, and who buys gloves by the box because they are consumables.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Work Gloves: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).