I almost gave these 5 stars, except that the padding on the right glove popped free pretty much the first day of use. I have projects to do around the house, so I basically put these to work the minute I received them. Nothing matches leather for strength in my opinion, so was not surprised that these are holding up very well, and that no wood splinters got through them.The open finger design was very helpful for me since there are just some jobs that only the fingers provide the dexterity and the grip required. Basically, these protected my hands without removing the efficiency; excellent design.I would have definitely given these 5 stars if not for the padding popping off. I must point out however, this may have been due to me under sizing the gloves. I like a tight fit, so I ordered medium instead of large and had difficulty getting them on at first. Once the gloves stretched out, they were perfect, but this may be why the padding popped. It was only the one glove though, so I therefore assumed it must have been a random build quality issue.Overall, I would recommend these gloves for wood working; never had a better pair.I'd assume they'd also be good for mechanics, but have not used them for such yet.
Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!]