On Sun, 4 Sep 2005 10:12:22 +0000 (UTC), "David Pearson"
wrote:

Are there any general-purpose gloves that do the same
job as leather ones, but that are not leather?

Yes, they're either very cheap or very expensive.

You can find orange knit "gripper" gloves with rubbery "strings" across
them cheaply at any market tool stall. These are great - hard wearing
for handling bricks and masonry and well ventilated for working hard.
They're useless for waterproofing or garden waste though as things catch
on the surface.

Next step up is PVC gloves from a typical toolshop. These are waterproof
(depending on cuff length) and if you get the heavyweight ones, then
they're good for bramble-clearing too. However you'll swat like a pig
in them. If you can be bothered, taking a hole punch to the backs and
ventilating them a bit can help a lot - use a hole punch, because sharp
skewer holes will tear.

Then you're off to Arco (real industrial supplier, on the web too) and
spending serious money. They have _lots_ of gloves and you can "mis use"
some sorts for other purposes.

Hydrogen peroxide handling gloves are vegetarian (they must avoid
anything flammable when doused in a powerful oxidiser) and practically
bombproof, but you have to find them mil-surplus to be affordable.

I still haven't found non-leather welding gloves though, either cheap
tough gauntlets, or flexible kid gloves for delicate TIG welding (I use
Luftwaffe officer's uniform gloves)