R4 Yulex Regulator Three Finger Mitts vs Women's Etip Indi Gloves: which is safer?

Patagonia R4 Yulex Regulator Three Finger Mitts is the clear pick. The North Face Women's Etip Indi Gloves carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Our pick

Patagonia R4 Yulex Regulator Three Finger Mitts

Patagonia

R4 Yulex Regulator Three Finger Mitts

PFAS grade

Excellent 90/100

Overall grade

Excellent 82/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Yulex (synthetic rubber), neoprene-free alternative

Confidence

72%

PossibleCoating degradation and water-repellency loss

PossibleAllergen potential from Yulex itself

The North Face Women's Etip Indi Gloves

The North Face

Women's Etip Indi Gloves

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 12/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Nylon with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating

Confidence

55%

Possiblewater-repellent coating chemical leaching (non-PFAS alternatives unknown)

PossibleSynthetic fiber microplastics from wear and washing

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Coating degradation and water-repellency loss and Allergen potential from Yulex itself on the Patagonia and not on the The North Face.
  • We flag DWR coating chemical leaching (non-PFAS alternatives unknown) and Synthetic fiber microplastics from wear and washing on the The North Face and not on the Patagonia.
  • The Patagonia is Yulex (synthetic rubber), neoprene-free alternative where the The North Face is Nylon with DWR (durable water repellent) coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 70 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

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