We get asked this more than we used to: how do you know the box you are holding is the real thing? Black textured nitrile gloves have become a crowded category in Australia, and some listings borrow heavily from how ours look. If you bought grip x nitrile gloves from us, you can stop reading. If you bought them somewhere else and you are not sure, here is how to check.
None of this requires trusting me. Every step is something you can verify yourself.
Start with the ARTG, because you cannot fake a public register
This is the strongest check available to you, and it takes a minute.
Examination gloves supplied in Australia are regulated as medical devices and should be included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. The register is public.
Grip-X is listed as an examination glove, ARTG No. 448462.
- Go to tga.gov.au/resources/artg.
- Search the ARTG number, or search by sponsor.
- Check that the entry matches the product you are holding.
A certificate image on a product listing is not the same thing. Images can be copied from anywhere. A register entry you looked up yourself cannot.
Check the packaging
On a genuine box you should be able to find, without hunting:
- The product name and size, clearly printed rather than stickered over.
- 50 gloves per box for Grip-X Black — not 100. Heavy-duty gloves take more room.
- Powder-free and latex-free marked.
- The manufacturer identified. Grip-X is made by Bergamot.
- A batch or lot code.
Do not expect to find the ARTG number printed on the Grip-X box — it is not there. Look it up on the register instead, as above.
Things worth a second look: a label stickered over another label, a size marked in one place and contradicted in another, printing that is noticeably soft or misregistered, or a box that says 100 for a heavy-duty glove.
“Our work is very heavy duty with truck bodies mechanical repairs and engine work.… Been using them for 2 years worth every cent”
Check the glove itself
Genuine Grip-X Black is heavy duty, black, latex-free, powder-free, and carries a raised diamond texture across the palm — raised enough that you can feel it with a fingertip, and still raised when the glove is stretched over your hand.
Sizes are M, L, XL and XXL, with palm widths of 94mm, 105mm, 113mm and 120mm and a minimum length of 240mm. If a box claims to be Grip-X in a size we do not make, something is wrong.
The physical checks — weighing ten gloves, the donning test, the stretch test on the texture — are all in how to spot cheap lookalike nitrile gloves, and they apply here too.
Buy from an authorised Australian distributor
We are the Australian distributor for Bergamot's Grip-X. Stock is held in Ravenhall, Victoria and ships from there.
That matters for three practical reasons beyond authenticity:
- Consistency. The same product, batch to batch, so what worked last quarter works this one.
- Supply. Local stock means a shipping delay somewhere else does not become your problem.
- Recourse. If a carton is short or wrong, there is an Australian business to call.
If you buy through a marketplace, check who the actual seller is rather than assuming. The listing and the seller are not always the same thing.
What to do if you are not sure
Send us a photo. Genuinely — that is the fastest way to resolve it.
A picture of the box, the side panel with the batch code, and one of the glove itself is usually enough for us to tell you either way. Get in touch and we will take a look.
If it turns out you have bought something that is not what it claimed to be, the useful next steps are to raise it with the seller or the platform you bought from, and to keep the packaging and batch code. The ACCC publishes guidance on consumer rights and guarantees at accc.gov.au.
We are not interested in chasing anyone. We are interested in you not ending up with a pallet of gloves that cannot do the job you bought them for.
A fair word about the alternatives
Not every other black textured glove on the market is a counterfeit, and I would not want this read that way. There are legitimate competing products, and there are budget gloves that are honestly sold as budget gloves and do a fine job on light work.
The checks above are about knowing what you have actually bought. If you compare on weight, texture depth, tear rate in donning, certification and traceability — and a glove stands up to that — then it stands up, whoever makes it.
Before you buy, not after
All of the above is written for someone holding a box they are unsure about. It is cheaper to do the checking first.
If you are about to commit to a carton from an unfamiliar supplier, ask three questions before you order: who manufactures it, what is the ARTG number, and who do I call if a carton is wrong. A supplier who can answer all three quickly is usually fine. One who cannot answer any of them is telling you something.
Then buy one box before you buy a pallet, and run the bench checks on it — weighing ten gloves, the donning test, the stretch test on the texture. An hour and one box is a cheap way to avoid a quarter's worth of the wrong glove. The method is in how to spot cheap lookalike nitrile gloves.
If it is the whole range rather than one product you are weighing up, the nitrile range publishes a palm width and a pack count for every glove, which is the baseline any supplier should meet.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know my Grip-X gloves are genuine?
Check the ARTG listing yourself (No. 448462) at the TGA, confirm the box says 50 gloves and names Bergamot as the manufacturer, and check the texture is still raised when the glove is stretched on. If you are unsure, send us photos.
How many gloves are in a genuine Grip-X box?
50. Heavy-duty gloves take more physical room than thin examination gloves, so the box holds fewer. A heavy-duty box claiming 100 is worth a closer look.
Where are Grip-X gloves made?
They are manufactured by Bergamot, and we distribute them in Australia from our Ravenhall warehouse. We name the manufacturer because being able to name yours is one of the checks worth making on any supplier.
What sizes does Grip-X come in?
M, L, XL and XXL, with published palm widths of 94mm, 105mm, 113mm and 120mm. See the sizing guide to measure properly.
What if I bought them from a marketplace?
Check who the seller was, run the ARTG search, and do the physical checks. If something does not line up, raise it with the platform and keep the packaging and batch code.