[Wayne Thomas]

I have been off work for the past three days because I have a nasty thumb infection which has turned poisonous. I am now taking antibiotics to deal with the poison. My thumb is now at least twice the size it should be and is yellow and black around the edges of the infected area. It has left me unable to work these past few days because I am unable to hold a cuppa in my hand, let alone a wfpole. The pain level I would rate as similar to having terrible toothache which has left me with sleep deprivation hence why I am posting this reply at stupid o'clock in the morning because I can't sleep. I have just popped the huge blister and the smell is putrid, I would rank it as bad as the smell of burning flesh. It has left me feeling shaky and light headed.

I have a very rough idea how my thumb became infected. Either carbon splinters from my wfp or grit got into my cuts whilst handling my wfp hose. The point is because I don't wear gloves I have left myself open to the predicament I'm in now. In future I will be wearing gloves at all times whilst working with wfp. It's an expensive lesson that I'll have to put down to experience. Lesson learnt the hard way.

I have put up a poll to see if other wfp users wear gloves whilst working or not. Has anyone else been in the same predicament as myself?

[DaveG]

Ive put "might consider wearing gloves in the future"

Thats made me think Wayne that they should be worn all the time!

Where is a good supplier and what gloves do people recommend?

Get well soon mate

[STEVE-UK]

i have always worn gloves due to g/f or c/f splinters

i get taskmaster gloves they about a month and they dont make you hand ache as some of the thicker gloves do,you can get them in homebase and asda for £3.50 - £4.00

[john tomkins]

I always wear gloves too, anyone had a real good look at what the hose gets dragged through..... The worst I find is a slabbed area where the dog poos and they scoop it up with a shovel but it still leaves a thin slice stuck to the slab the sloppier the worse

[Alex Gardiner]

I always wear gloves as it does protect against damage from gritty hoses etc.

I wear lightweight work gloves (GUL) all year and go up to winter weight neoprene on the really cold days. I am currently trialling a new pair of very lightweight work gloves that we are about to stock. They have Amara reinforced palm and lightweight spandex backs.

[jaykie]

oh cool Alex got some sl-g coming out

[jaykie]

h ttp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Silverline-Yellow-Gripper-Gloves-10-Pairs_W0QQitemZ280253652158QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item280253652158&_trkparms=72%3A1121%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

the grip on these are 2nd to none, easily washable and cheap, just not water proof.

Chris

[Kevin R]

I have had a real time of it with gloves over the years!!!

I really only wear them in winter nowadays and my current preference are cheap rubber gloves with a soft cotton washable liner underneath on the really cold days, or the lined rubber gloves from the supermarket.

I have gone through countless pairs of Unger gloves, Sealskins (regular and kevlar reinforced) Gul gloves, rubber gloves, lined gauntlets, cycling gloves etc etc.

The problem is you do need a waterproof glove otherwise they are horrible to put on again and get smelly in days, which rules out most gloves. The gul gloves were the worst for this as once wet they would dry out hard and I went through them in days(£12.00 ish a pair)   The Sealskins were the best but I would go through two pairs over the winter and at £20 a pop very expensive. Unger neoprene gloves also wear too quickly due to the lack of palm protection.

I think its the curling up of your pole hoses that does the damage as I use a cloth over my microbore when winding it in, and the wear is always over the top of your hand between the thumb and first finger.

I have found that cheap, lined disposable gloves are the most cost effective. You can get them at the supermarket for pence and just throw them out when they wear or get smelly.

Open cuts and wfp dont mix as Wayne as found out. There are many organisms found in the average garden that can cause us real problems. Always make sure your Tetanus jabs are up to date and wash your hands regularly and cover open cuts. I also carry a tube of antibacterial hand lotion for use before I eat.

Wayne get well soon mate  

[carl stanton]

yeah ok, sometimes i wear gloves, but my says i have to, to keep my hands smooth! 

[JSMC]

why not get some marigolds and line with some soft cotton gloves inside. you can buy thes ein large packs form workwear stores.

[NWH]

I have tried loads and loads of gloves and in the winter the only ones that are truly waterproof are the sealskinz ones,not the usual sealskinz these ones are like sking gloves and the palm part of the glove has a rough surface.

[Kevin R]

I have tried loads and loads of gloves and in the winter the only ones that are truly waterproof are the sealskinz ones,not the usual sealskinz these ones are like sking gloves and the palm part of the glove has a rough surface.

They are the kevlar reinforced ones 

[NWH]

I don`t know there soft but they are totally waterproof in my experience,the other ones they do are rubbish and not waterproof but the ones i`m on about are,there about 30 quid and they go up and over the wrist.

[Wayne Thomas]

Soldiered on today. Couldn't sleep so started work at 6am and finished at 7pm so I'm definitely going to sleep tonight. It was a refreshing break to get out of the house after three days being stuck indoors going scatty with pain.
I was speaking to one of my customers who is a doctor and she said I done the right thing popping the blister and squeezing the puss out. She says the infection is under my thumbnail and recomends that I heat up a skewer and poke it through the thumbnail to let the poison escape.  She told me that's how she sorted out her gardener last week who had the same problem as me.
I'm wearing gloves from now on when my thumb stops seeping puss.
I always keep a first aid kit, spray on plaster aid and antiseptic wash in the van for emergencies as who knows when an accident will happen

[Londoner]

Try www.mstore.co.uk

Plenty to choose from and cheap enough to throw them away when you are finished with them.

[prestigeclean]

gul scuba gloves are without doubt the best , try them totally waterproof regards alan

[Alex Gardiner]

gul scuba gloves are without doubt the best , try them totally waterproof regards alan

You've prompted me to put these on the website.  We've had a whole box ready for winter but with this weather they might as well go on the website sooner!

[prestigeclean]

bloody hell someone agrees with me regards alan

[matt]

mine are gul scuba gloves

have a search on the net, they are allways on offer on some scuba site or the other, normally 10 quid a pair

[prestigeclean]

make sure you get the right size regards alan