ALL THINGS Gloves and sleeves
Comments
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Dassi, one of the features of the Sealskinz gloves that caught my eye is that the membrane that makes it waterproof, is somehow also breathable, just like Gore-tex. Whether it works or not--we won't know until someone tries it out, but theoretically, the glove should not allow perspiration and heat to build on the inside. I use cotton gloves for lots of cooking tasks, and I flour them up when kneading bread. It works so well that I'm able to make artisan bread that requires are super-wet dough, and nothing sticks to the cotton glove, nor does any moisture or flour get through to my gauntlet. So I'm sold on cotton gloves. Like Binney, sometimes I use an old gauntlet and get it wet, but if I had the option to cover my gauntlet in a way that does not cause my hand to sweat, I would really like that option. Perhaps the Sealskins will do the trick, and when I find some, I'll be sure to report back.
Also, it's very, very encouraging that the Farrow rep agreed to help you out on the exchange.
Carol
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dassi
Valeria was the Farrow rep I spoke with as well. She was very nice as you mentioned.
I would like to thank you for sending that polite email because they should in fact let customers know about the difference in sizing- ESP if the other colors are made elswehere ( no wonder the difference is so significant) Dont forget , not all customers are here on this forum and the onus should not be on us to be on guard for these things. I think it is a perfectly reasonable request.
I just got my copper, and it actually seems smaller than the BLK ( odd)
I am going to wait and try it on in the AM and see.In the meantime, Brightlife did not indicate that I paid ( I Did by CR CARD) and this looks more like a bill. I am going to call them and ask for a PAID IN FULL to be sent to me. I honestly dont think that will be an issue.
GMA
PLS look at your PM!0 -
Here are more gloves that might work for a waterproof layer...
http://www.uline.com/BL_7298/Ironclad-Tuff-Chix-Gloves
http://www.uline.com/BL_6537/Ansell-Hyflex-Dyneema-Gloves
http://www.fullsource.com/waterproof/memphis-gloves-9685/
http://industrial.gloves-online.com/WK-CGO-888
http://industrial.gloves-online.com/CG-WP
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Carol, I saw what you wrote about the breathable part, and I am indeed waiting to see how it works in real life.
I am absolutely in awe that you can do all that kneading with the cotton glove. Is yours a knit jersey kind of glove or is it smooth cotton (like a shirt) material? What brand is it and where did you get it? I just came to the realization that a cotton glove is a must. My Farrow glove was so dirty, especially the seams, and it's hard to clean. I'm scared to soak it in a very strong detergent. When I get the new one, I am going to guard it really carefully and protect it from dirt as well as I can. The problem is that I don't like to put on a white glove when I am teaching, so it won't distract my students. On the other hand, they got used to seeing me with gauze wrapped fingers, and this is no different.
One more thing about my Farrow in sand color. Today someone commented that it was barely noticeable because the color blends in so well with my skin. Wait for a suntan! (Does that mean I should get a copper one for the summer???)
Purple, glad you liked my email. I am sure that you will have no problem with Brightlife. Wish all businesses had such nice customer representatives as the one I spoke to.
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Dassi, the white cotton gloves can be dyed any color you like, so as not to be so obvious. Or, so as to be MORE obvious--in purple, say:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/How_You_Can_Cope_with_Lymphedema.htm#GLOVES_AND_HYGIENE
Be well,Binney
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One more thing about my Farrow in sand color. Today someone commented that it was barely noticeable because the color blends in so well with my skin. Wait for a suntan! (Does that mean I should get a copper one for the summer???)
Interesting, dassi!
I am thinking maybe I should have ordered the beige as I am very fair. (I'd trade the copper, but it's a size small not XTRA small :>)No, I do not expect any issues with Brightlife at all.
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Sorry I haven't had the chance to read above posts.
I viewed the sealskinz gloves today. Unfortunately they only had an extra large one left. Tried it on, and I could see this glove working for outdoor gardening but not cutting veg in the kitchen. It looked like it was lined with cotton and I think this may have been the coolmax. IMO, I would get this glove for outdoors gardening. Oh how I wish that it may not be sweaty as they say it wicks away. I think I will get it once it comes "in season" and I can try the right size on at the store. I will keep you posted. Oh the grippy stuff in the palm.... It is really sticky and that is why I don't think it would be good in the kitchen chopping veg. That sticky stuff must be some kind of a chemical in that plastic that may not be good on your produce which you will consume. It says it is waterproof and hand washable. Carol, this is the glove for gardening I think. It is not like a second skin though. Good for yard clean up but you won't be able to pull a weed.0 -
I started my morning with my cotton glove over the regular one. (It's my day off from work and there's what to do in the house. I now see that the one issue with the cotton is that it is very wide and stretchy, and quite short, so it keeps on sliding off (the Farrow is very smooth), and I keep pulling it back on. You get the idea. Does anyone know of a reasonably priced cotton glove that is a tad longer and slides off less? (Although this may happen with every cotton glove because of the microfiber). I was thinking I could have some kind of loose wristband closed with velcro that could keep the glove in place.
If you know of a specific brand that comes up higher and / or has fewer sliding issues or if you have an idea how to solve the problem, please post.
Purple, if your copper one is good and you have extra money lying around (
), you could keep the copper one for the suntan days and buy a sand colored one for the winter. In any case, even if you decide that sand suits you better, there is always next year's insurance... My skin is not as light as yours if I go by the pictures you posted. On the other hand, my screen color is not that accurate either.0 -
and you have extra money lying around (
),
Aaaaaaah, that darn money tree withered up after my 20% co ins on my LX, dassi!
My skin is very light. And you see, since we cannot actually SEE the gloves or try them on before ordering this is yet another reason why I think some grace period for an unused glove would be reasonable . Not everyone can shell out another $chunk of change up front even for the return. IMHO, the Farrow policy is still not what it should be . ( I would like to be able to return an unused glove within x # of days and once they have it in their hands and see it is unused, then exchange it for the proper size or color/ no add'l monies asked for .)
Btw, Valeria from Farrow did email me back. She is very nice and explained that she agrees but does not set the policy ( of course). Naturally, I would be much more concerned with proper fit over color, but OTOH if places are going to offer their gloves in color in order to attract more consumers then I think they must give that some consideration as well.
I hope someone can help you on that brand name, dassi. This has become an interesting thread.
I would really love to see ppl. be able to use it to swap off (righ/left) gloves that they have had to buy in pairs as well.
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dassi52--To return to your earlier question regarding removing your glove while flying. I have what can best be described as intermittent lymphedema in my hand. My p.t. gave me permission to remove my glove and sleeve to wash my hands on a really long flight. Since my lymphedema is in my hand, I never, ever wear a sleeve without a glove. I have been experimenting and find that my hand actually does better on a really long flight (i.e. 6 hours plus) when I remove the glove and sleeve 3 or 4 hours into the the flight. I have gone up to 2 hours* without the garments, but always make sure to put them back on 3 hours before landing. It's risky if there is a sudden drop in pressure, but so far so good. Note that I have yet to find a compression glove that does not eventually irritate my skin. Even the seamless Elvarex which seems to work best, eventually causes discomfort and I really dislike the loss of mobility with bandages. The seamless Elvarex is actually more compression than I need, but is easier on my skin than the other brands. I often travel with two gloves so that I change into a clean one.
*My therapist was not pleased that I removed the garments for such a long period of time. She approved removal for a much shorter period of time. On the other hand, she encourages finding what works for me.
Good luck.
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Dassi, the cotton gloves I wear are ones I find in a drugstore, in the lotion aisle, meant to be worn overnight after applying tons of lotion. They are short, same problem you describe. When kneading wet dough, I also put a sock over my sleeve (foot cut out)--a white sock, and I can pin the sock to the cotton glove. I really load the glove up with flour, which is why it works so well, and I am amazed that neither flour nor moisture works its way through the glove to my gauntlet. I'd be wary of a velcro closure on anything you'd put in the same room with your beautiful Farrow glove! Pesky velcro reaches out and grabs compression wear quite maliciously.
Hugz, darn it anyway, I had such high hopes for the sealskinz. On the UK home site, there are versions without the grippers, but I don't find all of them online here.
Cindy, thank you for the additional resources for us to check out!
I've a mind to write to LLBean, that wonderful company in Maine, to see if they might help out with a gore-tex glove that meets our needs. They sell lots of things made of it, and perhaps they might help us out with some contacts to explore more possibilities.
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I have some nitrile exam gloves that Mom's care giver uses... hadn't thought about them, but they slipped over my gauntlet easily and stayed on well, worked great when I was cooking supper last night. They are about $15 for 200 and work for either hand. They were a little warm, but not as bad as plastic gloves...
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My husband uses the nitrile gloves in his woodworking business, I use them in the kitchen, but they do make my hands sweaty. At his business he wears the cotton gloves under them when he has to wear them for any length of time, I haven't tried that yet - he needs to order more cotton gloves.
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A cautionary thought for LindaKR who mentioned using a hand sanitizer and it's quick drying properties on her glove - to refresh my memory, I just checked the SUSO site where there is a warning about things like Purell compromising the elastic fibers of our garments.
On the other hand (so to speak!), it is suggested that rubbing alcohol be used to revive the "stickiness" of silicone beads on the top of a sleeve band. Just don't soak in it?
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Shushanna, thanks for that info about the flight. It's really interesting. i admit that I take off my glove from time to time, and sometimes keep it off for a few hours. Not that it's so good for the LE because at some point the fingers start swelling, but it makes me feel good! With a 12 or so hour flight, I understand that while you'rein the middle of the flight it is less of an issue, more when you change altitude. Is that correct?
Carol, I hear what you're saying about velcro. Admit I didn't think of that. I discovered today that I was wrong - even if you wear a cotton glove under the vinyl, it's sweat time really fast. I tried it, and in the end just removed all the gloves so I could peel and cut the veggies (made a great soup!). I also see that the cotton glove is so short that what you did (pulling a cutoff sock over it, might be the only thing to keep it in place. I have these visions of making my own cotton glove on the serger (mind you, I haven't sewn since this whole thing started) so it'll be long enough. Then I'd decorate it easily with fabric paint. You could paint on a fake ring! However, I doubt I will be doing anything like that in the near future. I am already overwhelmed as it is. But I can dream...
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I'd be wary of a velcro closure on anything you'd put in the same room with your beautiful Farrow glove! Pesky velcro reaches out and grabs compression wear quite maliciously.
Carol
Thanks for posting that as a reminder to all.When I first got my Isotoners, they became "pilly " within days. I wondered why.
As it turns out, I have a velcro pouch on my purse for my phone and it was always pulling it ( You can bet i dont use that anymore) Good lesson to learn on a cheap OTC glove.
Velcro is an enemy to these garments!
Dassi- dream away ~ There has to be an answer. What about "evening wear " gloves like these : http://www.lightinthebox.com/spandex-party-evening-opera-length-gloves-more-colors_p291359.html
Sure would be long enough :>)0 -
LindaKR. Yes.. How do they wash one hand without the other because I can't imagine how you could get inbetween your fingers clean? Hum, You got me thinking.
Binney, I wonder how that cool vent Juzo glove is? Wouldn't that be a dream in Arizona heat? I am going to look it up and have a gander for myself. I hope Brightlife carry's it.
As for velcro. I have banned it from anywhere near me. Except my ski jacket and I can't avoid that much. It does come out and grab my precious glove every so often. eeeks and a grrrrr.
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Hugz, I did an experiment in the kitchen yesterday with the Cool-vent while fixing dinner. Wore my regular (Gottfried) glove on one hand and the Cool-vent on the other (I'm bilateral), with plastic food-service gloves over both. After 20 minutes the Gottfried was wet all over (which I expected since that's why I don't use food-service gloves
). The Cool-vent was dry on both back and palm side of my hand, and very slightly damp on my fingers only. So I'm thinking it actually works in terms of ventilation. Interesting! And it's a thicker fabric than the Gottfried, too, so I was actually surprised.It's even kinda pretty, with the diamond-shaped vent sections
--and the color is a bit darker than "medical beige ugly" too.I believe it comes in a gauntlet-like thing and a short-fingered glove (I have the glove). Since my fingertips don't swell (unless my glove fits too tight at the top) the shorter fingers don't bother me (they come to just a bit below the top knuckle, rather than just below the nail bed), but if anyone had fingertip issues this style might not work for them.
As for it being great for the desert, that's my thought exactly. I see my therapist and my fitter soon and I'll certainly take it along and show it to them. (But in terms of "a dream in Arizona heat", what I dream of is not wearing any compression garments at all
--sigh!)Gotta love all this "research" we all do! If you try it, Hugz, let me know what you think.
Hugs,
Binney0 -
Binney where did you get the cool vent from? Can't see it on brightlife, so if you didn't get it there then I may ask them to carry it. Is it Brian that I talk to at bightlife? They are always open to suggestions. They sound great compared to my medi espirit, and medi 550.
Maybe with the cool vent we won't need to find a waterproof over glove that doesn't sweat. Wouldn't it just be a dream to wear it with a vinyl glove and it would be sufficient and yes...we could chop wet veg without sweating up a storm.0 -
BTW,
Not changing this subject, but I believe it was this thread where someone was asking about reasonably priced products (cuticle care) for LE. I cannot add to that , but did want to pass on a cheapo product I have found that I like for showering. We $pend so much on this beast!
ST IVES TRIPLE BUTTERS Intensely hydrating bodywash is very inexpensive, hypo allergenic and made w/ natural ingred. and is forumlated w/out Parabens & Phthalates.( l love the coconut ... reminds me of the beach!)
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Hugz, you can find a dealer from this page:
http://www.juzousa.com/product.aspx?menu1=Lymphedema+Garments&menu2=Gauntlets&product_class=SG1&group_model=3020I would think Brightlife or LymphedemaProducts would be happy to add it to their product lines. Just ask. I asked for something from LymphedemaProducts once and they gave me a nice coupon for suggesting it--worth a try!
Binney0 -
Binney, I phoned Nancy at Brightlife and she is ordering the cool vent for me. it is about 130.00 $ for OTS or custom made for 218.00 . I told her we would love it advertised and she will let the webmaster know.
Nancy is willing to find whatever we need, you just need to ask, For instance we both looked at the Jovi site together and we ordered the serrated anterior with Axilla for me. She just is the best! I did ask her about shaper tees but she suggested UNDERAMOUR, I guess that is one thing that they can't do. I directed her to this thread, she use to come to the site but hasn't for a while. She may come on so if you have suggestions, fire away.
COLORS FOR GARMENTS GIRLS! Although Brightlife may show a Juzo in beige you can get other COLORS for the off shelf, Just ask. Denise helped Nancy and I with this. I am getting the 3512 Juzo with the strap in black.(black will be tighter) Other SEASONAL COLORS can be ordered such as chestnut, dark blue, grey, black but are not returnable due to the dye process. I think the lighter COLORS are returnable but not sure. I asked if they could post the info and color choices, she will let the web guy know. So I think this is only for ANY Juzo glove or sleeve, you may want to investigate further and get more details. If so this may be better than trying to find a decent sleeve cover. Just so excited about this.
I ordered my cool vent in beige because with the OTS sizing for me, the black would be a bit to tight for me,yet the next size up may be too big. Plus the black would not be returnableand I haven't tested out the glove yet, so beige would be returnable.
Just phone, they are so helpful. I passed it on that us girls just think they are the greatest, because they really are. Nancy helped me for about a hour and never got frustrated with all my questions.
KEEP IT UP BRIGHTLIFE! OH and off course LYMPHEDIVAS, they are great to!0 -
GREAT NEWS!
So, an update on Farrow and Brightlife. (Valeria and Nancy respectively)
I wore the copper glove for about a half hr to get a better feel and squeezed the fist open and closed etc .. and could see it was not a good fit compared to the black. At first, I thought I might keep it, but I realized that might put my hand at risk, limit my gloves and would be advocationg for nobody for the future. It just didn't sit well with me.Knowing how dassi made out with her return policy, I realize it was good but not good enough .
e.g . : dassi said ". She will send me a new glove in sand (what I have right now), charge me but as soon as she receives the returned black one, the money will be credited back to my account."
I dont have a spare $86 after Christmas. ( Dassi's money tree is bigger than mine
) so I played the ' what to do" game in my head a few times, and then I picked up the phone to call Nancy at Brightlife. She went on to call Valeria and call me back.She said that BECAUSE OF us ladies here on bc.org, they are aware we have been 'talking about this " so Valeria (Farrow) agreed that Nancy could send me a glove out ( NO FEES) and I could just mail the copper one back. Much as I would love to have tried the beige , I didnt dare , knowing full well the size S BLK fit, so I went with that one to be safe.
Nancy also said that *because* we ladies are all talking about this and advocating for change , she and Valeria have agreed that something must be done about uniform sizing OR at least some sort of warning about the size difference or else a more liberal exchng . policy in the future.
I told her I was sure that the ladies on this forum would really appreciate hearing that , and I promised I would be certain to post here today to say how very helpful they both were. I just got an email saying my new BLK glove is on the way! The copper one is here and ready to go out in the morning.
So be it !0 -
WOW! I am so happy for you. Purple! And as I wrote previously, I am impressed with Nancy and Brightlife's customer service. If Valeria can get the changes going, that would be something! (BTW, the reason I felt I couldn't tell her not to charge was that I can only send it back in 2-3 weeks when I'll be in the US.) I also found it interesting that your s black fits, but the copper is too small. (or did I miss something and it is too big???) If the blk is always a drop smaller, then the copper should be bigger. In any case, good for you that the blk fits well.
I started wearing my cotton glove over the sand most of the day. When I take it off at night, you can't imagine how dirty it is. At least that stuff goes in the washing machine, and even better, the real glove stays pretty clean. Too bad I didn't do that right away. Today while shopping, some woman really stared at my hand. She was speaking on her cell, so she didn't ask but I saw the wheels in her brain turning. In the meantime I was thinking if I could come up with a nice but polite rebuttal. She never asked in the end. Maybe I should tell them it's a fashion statement!
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I am impressed with Nancy and Brightlife's customer service. If Valeria can get the changes going, that would be something!
So too am I dassi!
Thank you.I am not sure of the difference in the copper sizing, but I do know the fingers were much much longer. Now, being a bit put off by the return policy I was VERY hesitant to trim them so that alone may have contributed to the fact there was a lot less " give " when opening and closing the fist. I'm just not sure. I'd love to play with it some more to tell you specifics , but I dont dare. it is packaged for shipment.
Hahahahaha....somehow I do not think you will be able to sell the idea that wearing 2 prs of gloves at a time is a fashion statement ! ( I just can't wait until summer
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Purple, that is great news! And I have some additional information, from Farrow, that might help us all understand some of the challenges that Farrow (and any garment maker, for that matter) faces. Last week I got in touch with one of the Farrow executives, someone I had spoken with extensively while attending the NLN conference in September. I sent him a link to this bco thread, and I asked him if he might provide me with some information about the Farrow return policy, to share here. He and I have had a very candid conversation about both the patient and the garment maker's needs and challenges. Here are his comments:
The company is aware of the problem with the black gloves fitting differently from other colors, and that Farrow has been working for some time with its supplier to solve that problem.
If there are issues with gloves not fitting correctly, customers can call Farrow. However, to some degree the company's hands are tied, but they will do what they can.
Here is what the executive means by 'hands are tied.' I found this email explanation, which I was given permission to post here, very eye-opening:
Customer returns are generally handled by resellers and we TRY to be flexible with them in terms of returns. We do have a warranty in place currently. This is a little problematic because there are patients that purposely damage products near the end of the warranty period so that they can get a free new garment, so language about what constitutes wear and tear must be added. We had a patient try to return garments after it looked like their dog chewed on the garment, literally, with large tooth holes and gravel embedded in the garment.
Anyway, to answer your question directly with regards to returns on garments: We do accept returns on OTS garments, BUT generally on the condition that the product has not been “worn.” I say this because really once a patient, and especially one with drainage coming from their limbs, puts on a garment it is potentially contaminated with dangerous bacteria, so we really cannot safely restock these for use on other patients. So, this is a call the reseller must make and we try to support them as best we can. So, we do accept returns, but the product must not be “worn,” (contaminated) and there is a restocking fee to the reseller because of costs that we then incur as a result. (A very few dealers in the past have ordered multiple OTS sizes for a particular patient, then try them ALL on that patient, and then returned the rest to us and did this routinely. As I hope you are beginning to see, this is quite problematic for us). Even with this policy, we find that some returns arrive contaminated and must be completely discarded so we lose all the costs associated with making that garment. This isn’t like a normal product at a store that can be returned and resold.
For custom products: All arm garments are custom products. We do not offer returns of custom products because 1. They are likely contaminated, as stated above, 2. they absolutely cannot be returned to inventory because they are custom sized and they are considerably more costly for us to make (not to mention expensive for the reseller/fitter in terms of their time), 3. we wholesale these products to a reseller. If the reseller does not accept the return, we could only return the wholesale portion anyway, 4. in part this is also because in the past a very few resellers have been somewhat irresponsible and abused the privilege of returns being lax in getting US accurate measurements and then expecting US to eat the costs associated with their lax measurement standards, and they did this on a routine basis, 5. also, customer patients have tried this as well. They have ordered CUSTOM products from different companies at the same time, have those delivered to them, then pick which one they think they like best, and then cause the others to be returned and only pay for the one they chose. If custom products are returnable, what would stop everyone from doing this? Even if this were acceptable for OTS products, it is really not acceptable for custom products because it is expensive and unfair not only to the manufacturer and reseller, but eventually also to other customers because the cost would eventually have to be passed on to other patient/customers.
Our policy to all of our direct customers has been in place for quite a few years and as far as I am aware is uniform across the industry with rare exceptions. We do occasionally make exceptions, but there must be exceptional circumstances AND a request from our reseller (direct customer) to do so. If you know of other compression garment manufacturers that have a written policy that is different, I would like to see it. I hope this makes our position clear. We are always open to suggestions to make the process better for EVERYONE.So...it sure makes sense to work with dealers (and fitters) who have good, up-and-up relationships with the garment makers, and clearly Brightlife is in that group. As the Farrow executive points out, a few dealers and fitters who do not do their jobs, plus a very few patients who have tried to game the system, mean that the garment makers must protect themselves with what can feel like rigid policies.
My contact at Farrow, a very kind individual who really does care about patients, told me that he is grateful that he was able to learn about the patient issues described here. We had a very productive conversation about both LE patients' and garment makers' frustrations.
I do believe that Farrow customer service reps are following this thread, so ladies, we certainly can make positive suggestions here for how Farrow and other garment makers might help us avoid, and if necessary deal with, the 'it doesn't fit' problem, in a way that is fair all around. I don't think there will ever be a perfect answer--but thank you, Purple, for opening the discussion.
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Great job on communicating with the manufacturers/vendors!
A thought on "contamination" - last year I purchased a small ultraviolet wand (runs on 4 AAA batteries), advertised as handy to carry for disinfecting shopping cart handles, etc. Package says it kills 99% of germs & bacteria on surfaces.
I took my glove off and sanitized it at work when it felt like microbes might be present during cold and flu season. Only used it for a couple weeks however. Wonder if this technology is appropriate for garments like ours...
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Vlnrph, what a great question! I use one of those on my deodorant stick before applying it after I shave (using Hibiclens on the razor and on my skin). Is it UV light that degrades fabric, or at least fades it when it comes through our windows?
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Carol
Thanks so much for your detailed post!
As for : "This is a little problematic because there are patients that purposely damage products near the end of the warranty period so that they can get a free new garment"I truly understand this , but my issue was that there policy was not uniform across the board. For example, the day my fitter had me try one glove and also a Farrow she specifically said :
"With this glove <non farrow> you can wash and wear for 10 days and return with no questions asked." Once you sign off on the Farrow, it belongs to you - period. ( Now I must add, in all fairness to Farrow that she was totally unreasonable in not wanting to get involved if I trimmed the 'trimmable glove' - DOH!)Still, I would like to think that Farrow might be able to offer something like a 7 day grace period OR even that they take the glove back as they are doing with mine rather than what they did with Dassi ( chng more $ up front)
All of this to say, there ARE better solutions, and the good news is that I believe Farrow is striving to work with us to recognize our needs as well as their challenges. I thank you so much for your contribution to this conversation!
And again, I should add that Nancy from Brightlife was very helpful in all of this as well.
Many thanks to all - we love the Farrow product !0
