Southcombe Gloves: Over a Century of Safety

16 July 2015

One of the only Safety Glove manufacturers that have captured the heart of the glove-wearing nation as a whole, Southcombe Gloves are just as respected for their elegant, every day creations in mens and ladies leather gloves as they are their hard-wearing PPE range. A British brand that continues to be run as a family business, Southcombe currently exports their touch of English elegance to over 40 countries and has a wealth of experience from every facet of glove manufacturing.

A Family History of Gloves

Born from the spirit of entrepreneurship, Southcombe Gloves can trace its history back to 1847 when Richard Southcombe arrived in Somerset from Devon. He was looking to find coachmen in need of gloves, with no one else willing to provide. By 1865 Southcombe had established a reputation for quality and service and was crafting more than 36,000 pairs of gloves each week, moving from cotton to leather to gloves they produce today. Throughout the company’s history, British manufacturing has always been at the heart of what they do, with the expansion into technical gloves being just one way to continue to provide British-made high quality products where they are most needed.

Cutting Edge Gloves

Closely collaborating with fire-fighters has allowed Southcombe to design a range of work gloves that are perfectly tailored to the requirements of hands working under pressure. Featuring a combination of Kevlar, Nomex, Kovenex, Gore Crosstech and their own Pyrohide - an exclusively made fire, water and chemical resistant leather - you can be sure that your hands will be kept safe with Southcombe.

With gloves that adhere to the European Standard (EN) as well as those of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Southcombe Service Gloves can now be found in a whopping 80% of the countries fire stations, meaning these gloves are already proving themselves to the world by keeping it safe daily.

Southcombe gloves don't stop at firefighting; they also provide gloves that are suitable for police or tactical work with high cut and impact resistance.

Comfortably Safe

All of Southcombe’s Fire Gloves can claim to adhere to either to the NFPA Standard of protection, EN Standard 388 for Protection Against Mechanical Risks or EN Standard 659 of Protection For Firefighters (awarded to gloves that have passed 388 standards and  withstood fire and heat testing). Learn more about the exacting specifications for fire fighter gloves from our dedicated blog post.

To understand which gloves have precisely which standard of protection please consult the table below:

Southcombe Model NFPA Approved? EU659 Approved? EU688 Approved?
Firemaster U.S.A.R Gloves No No Yes
Firemaster 4 Classic Gauntlet Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster 4 Classic Gloves Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Tech Rescue Gloves No No Yes
Firemaster Debris Gloves No No Yes
Firemaster Xtricator Gloves No No Yes
Firemaster 4 Premium Gloves Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Ultra Premium Gloves Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Ultra Premium Gauntlet Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster 3 Gloves Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Firestar Gloves Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Firestar Gauntlet Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Falcon Gloves Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Fusion Gloves Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Fusion Mk.II Gloves Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Elite Gloves Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Ultra Classic Gloves Yes Yes Yes
Firemaster Ultra Classic Gauntlet Yes Yes Yes

Please visit the Safety Gloves website for a full range of Southcombe Gloves.