Makita Enters the Work Gloves Market

Makita Tools has come out with several styles of work gloves, as they enter the safety gear and accessories market for the first time.

Makita has so far announced 7 different “function-specific” work glove styles.

Makita says:

From the bold styling and high-quality materials to the productive performance demonstrated by our ANSI/ISEA 105 standard ratings, we couldn’t be more pleased in what we’ve created and are very excited to see users slip their hands in these!

Here are the new work glove styles, along with pricing:

• FitKnit Cut Level 1 Nitrile Dipped Gloves ($8)
• Advanced FitKnit Cut Level 7 Nitrile Coated Dipped Gloves ($16)
• Open Cuff Flexible Protection Utility Work Gloves ($16)
• 100% Genuine Leather Driver Gloves ($20)
• Genuine Leather Palm Performance Gloves ($25)
• Advanced Impact Demolition Gloves ($27)
• Advanced ANSI 2 Impact-Rated Demolition Gloves ($30)

The knit gloves will be available in 2 sizes – small/medium and large/XL. The other styles will be available in 3 sizes – medium, large, and XL.

As of the time of this posting, it looks like Makita is only launching their new work gloves at online dealers.

Discussion

It looks like Makita covers broad needs and applications with their 7 new styles.

Their M thru XL sizing should suit many users, and hopefully they’ll add smaller and larger sizes in the future.

For the knit gloves, the S/M and L/X sizing seems unusual. I wear medium gloves most of the time, and large for certain sizes. I especially prefer an accurate fit when wearing cut-resistant gloves, and am likely to avoid these. I presume this was done to help keep the number of SKUs to a minimum.

Makita USA has not shared any information about where their work gloves will be sold.

The work glove market is somewhat saturated, but there’s always room for more brands to enter the mix. For instance, consider Milwaukee’s success and constant expansion. But is there room for Makita?

I would think that a big part of Milwaukee’s current and growing popularity is at least partially due to their partnership with Home Depot, and their many prominently positioned promotional in-store displays over the years.

Makita also seems to enjoy a close relationship with Home Depot, but I would not expect for the retailer to clear off shelf or floor space for these new work gloves. Milwaukee seems to be Home Depot’s premium work glove brand these days, with other brands filling shelves with low and medium price point options. So, where does that leave space for Makita?

Will these Makita gloves offer anything that other leading work glove makers don’t, aside from Makita-teal color scheme on certain styles? One of Milwaukee’s selling points is their broad availability at online retailers and also Home Depot stores nationwide.

So, Milwaukee’s success among mature work glove makers – CLC Custom Leathercraft, Mechanix, Grease Monkey, Ansell, and others – is – in my opinion – partly due to the quality, partly due to convenient access, and partly due to high visibility promotional displays.

If Makita work gloves are built as well as other professional brands’ offerings, will that drive in enough sales to fuel further growth and expansion?

If I ever see these in-person, I’ll give these a feel. But if they’re just going to be an online-only or limited independent dealer offering, I don’t see much appeal compared to my usual brand preferences. Do you feel differently?

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