Rustpot
M Frame Lover
Both pairs of these gloves have their uses. I bought the Factory Pilot glove about 2-3 years back to use in weapon manipulation type stuff. In that capacity it worked well, but as soon as I tried to do ANYTHING else I found the glove clunky and cumbersome. Mostly due to the large carbon fiber knuckles, the strap closure, and the finger vents.
I'd been debating getting a new pair and not too long ago Oakley rebranded their Factory Gloves as the SI Lightweight Glove and took away all the colors and logos for a streamlined military look. I finally picked up a pair and they're everything I hoped they would be. Same fit, less bulk.
For the rest of the post I'll be using shorthand - 'SI' to refer to the Assault/Pilot model, and 'LW' to refer to the Lightweight/Factory model.
The big difference to note is the palm material. The SI has their pittard leather, which is a single layer and works well. The LW has a suede palm with limited perforations, which also works well.
The biggest difference to me comes down to 2 things: deterity and trigger finger. The SI doesn't have nearly as much give to the back of the hand, so there's noticeably more resistance to make a fist or small finger manipulations. The SI also has a double layer from the finger tip to the first joint on the index and middle finger. The LW is in contrast to these points and has more flex, leading to better fine motor control, and the fingers are all single-layer with a small grip-dot addition where the SI has a second layer.
Why is that fingertip so crucial? Trigger manipulation. I've used the SI pair for shooting and they worked well. But one complaint I had was a relatively dead feeling between my finger and the trigger. The LW pair does away with that and provides more tactile feedback.
Overall? I like the Lightweight more, and I'll likely be getting a second pair to keep in my shooting kit.
The LW's highlights:
Onto the pics!
Both pairs are XXL. I had a seamstress shorten the thumbs on both pairs by about 1/8" (they both were too long for my hand, but just in the thumb). The SI Assault / Factory Pilot is in black, the SI Lightweight / Factory is in tan.
I'd been debating getting a new pair and not too long ago Oakley rebranded their Factory Gloves as the SI Lightweight Glove and took away all the colors and logos for a streamlined military look. I finally picked up a pair and they're everything I hoped they would be. Same fit, less bulk.
For the rest of the post I'll be using shorthand - 'SI' to refer to the Assault/Pilot model, and 'LW' to refer to the Lightweight/Factory model.
The big difference to note is the palm material. The SI has their pittard leather, which is a single layer and works well. The LW has a suede palm with limited perforations, which also works well.
The biggest difference to me comes down to 2 things: deterity and trigger finger. The SI doesn't have nearly as much give to the back of the hand, so there's noticeably more resistance to make a fist or small finger manipulations. The SI also has a double layer from the finger tip to the first joint on the index and middle finger. The LW is in contrast to these points and has more flex, leading to better fine motor control, and the fingers are all single-layer with a small grip-dot addition where the SI has a second layer.
Why is that fingertip so crucial? Trigger manipulation. I've used the SI pair for shooting and they worked well. But one complaint I had was a relatively dead feeling between my finger and the trigger. The LW pair does away with that and provides more tactile feedback.
Overall? I like the Lightweight more, and I'll likely be getting a second pair to keep in my shooting kit.
The LW's highlights:
- No-nonsense elastic wrist. The velcro strap on the SI is cumbersome to use when wearing a glove, restricts immediate removal, and the excess material folds over. The LW is also a lot more watch-friendly.
- No bulky knuckles. The SI pair makes getting into pants pockets or pouches more difficult than it needs to be with the carbon knuckles and finger vents.
- Slimmer fit. The SI has a little slack in the palm, and the finger backs are thicker material.
- More dexterity. Mentioned above.
- Better trigger feel. Mentioned above.
Onto the pics!
Both pairs are XXL. I had a seamstress shorten the thumbs on both pairs by about 1/8" (they both were too long for my hand, but just in the thumb). The SI Assault / Factory Pilot is in black, the SI Lightweight / Factory is in tan.
