SHOWA 874 Review (2026)
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★★★★½ 4.6/5
Reviewed by Steven Eaton, WC Safety Editorial
| Brand | SHOWA |
|---|---|
| Category | Butyl Chemical-Resistant Glove |
| Construction (per listing) | Butyl rubber; rough grip finish; unlined |
| Typical price | $51.20 |
| Model | 874 |
The SHOWA 874 is a butyl chemical-resistant glove from SHOWA, stocked at $51.20 — built as unlined butyl rubber with a rough grip finish. It's the pick for acetone, MEK, ester, and aggressive polar-solvent work where nitrile's breakthrough time is measured in minutes. This review covers what the listing documents, where it beats its closest rival, and who should buy something else.
Why the SHOWA 874 Stands Out
There are chemistries that eat every nitrile glove made — ketones like acetone and MEK, esters, aldehydes — and butyl rubber is the polymer that stands up to them. The SHOWA 874 is the industrial standard butyl glove: unlined, rough-gripped, and expensive for the same reason it's necessary. When the SDS says nitrile fails in minutes, this is what the permeation chart points to.
Specification and Configuration
What the listing commits to: butyl rubber; rough grip finish; unlined. Claims beyond that — lab numbers, endurance figures, certifications the listing doesn't state — don't appear in this review, because we don't invent them. Size and color options run on the linked Amazon listing rather than as separate stocked variants.
Chemical gloves are selected by polymer against the specific chemical — nitrile for oils and many solvents, butyl for ketones and polar solvents, neoprene for acids and caustics, PVC for rough wet service — and the deciding document is the manufacturer's permeation chart, not the word 'resistant' on a listing. The SHOWA 874 is the butyl chemical-resistant glove entry in that matrix; the full polymer-sorted lineup lives in our Chemical-Resistant Gloves collection.
Where It Falls Short
Its limits, honestly: General solvent duty — butyl is overkill and overspend where nitrile's chart says hours; and note butyl tears easier than nitrile on abrasive work.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Butyl rubber
- $51.20 — positioned honestly against its ladder
- From SHOWA — the reference brand in jobsite cooling
- Listing states its construction claims plainly
Cons
- Single-listing size/color selection happens on Amazon, not as stocked variants
- General solvent duty
Who Should Buy It
Order the SHOWA 874 if you are acetone, MEK, ester, and aggressive polar-solvent work where nitrile's breakthrough time is measured in minutes.
Who Should Skip It
Skip it for general solvent duty — butyl is overkill and overspend where nitrile's chart says hours; and note butyl tears easier than nitrile on abrasive work.
How It Compares
The MCR CP7 is the thinner (7-mil) butyl at $18 less — more dexterity, same polymer logic. The 874's heavier build takes more physical abuse. Choose by task roughness; the chemistry coverage is the polymer's, not the brand's. The Chemical-Resistant Gloves collection carries the complete ladder so you can compare every tier. Head-to-head rival: MCR Safety CP7.
Other Options in the Lineup
- MCR Safety CP7
- Ansell AlphaTec Solvex 37-155
- Ansell AlphaTec Solvex 37-175
- Ansell TouchNTuff 92-600
- Ansell Microflex 93-260
- SHOWA 730
- SHOWA 727
- Liberty 2570SP
- SHOWA Atlas 660
Hand Protection Guides
- Best Chemical-Resistant Gloves Buyer's Guide
- Best Chemical-Resistant Nitrile Gloves (disposable)
- Nitrile Gloves Complete Guide
- Chemical-Resistant Glove Guide
- Glove Size Chart
- EN 388 Glove Standard Explained
- How to Choose Work Gloves
Browse by Category
- Chemical-Resistant Gloves Collection
- Nitrile Gloves
- Latex Gloves
- Vinyl Gloves
- Cut-Resistant Gloves
- Heat-Resistant Gloves
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SHOWA 874 made of?
Per the listing: butyl rubber; rough grip finish; unlined. That's the documented construction — anything beyond it belongs to the manufacturer's spec sheet, not this review.
How much does the SHOWA 874 cost?
$51.20 at the linked Amazon listing. Prices track the live listing, and size or color selections there can shift the number.
SHOWA 874 vs MCR Safety CP7 — which should I buy?
The MCR CP7 is the thinner (7-mil) butyl at $18 less — more dexterity, same polymer logic. The 874's heavier build takes more physical abuse. Choose by task roughness; the chemistry coverage is the polymer's, not the brand's.
Who is the SHOWA 874 best for?
Acetone, MEK, ester, and aggressive polar-solvent work where nitrile's breakthrough time is measured in minutes.
When should I skip the SHOWA 874?
General solvent duty — butyl is overkill and overspend where nitrile's chart says hours; and note butyl tears easier than nitrile on abrasive work.
What sizes does the SHOWA 874 come in?
The size run (and color options where offered) lives on the linked Amazon listing — we deliberately don't restate it, because listings update. Check the size chart there before ordering.
Is SHOWA a good brand?
SHOWA (formerly SHOWA-Best, home of the Atlas line) is one of the most established names in dipped and chemical gloves — the Atlas 620/660 PVC gloves and the 700-series nitrile family have been industrial staples for decades. Model numbers are stable and its chemical-resistance guide documents the claims.
What chemicals does the SHOWA 874 protect against?
The ones its polymer handles per the manufacturer's permeation chart — 'chemical resistant' is never a blanket claim. Look up your specific chemical and required contact time in SHOWA's chemical-resistance guide before relying on any glove; breakthrough times differ by orders of magnitude across chemistries.
What do permeation and breakthrough time mean for the SHOWA 874?
Permeation is chemical movement through an intact glove at the molecular level; breakthrough time is how long that takes at test conditions. A glove that visibly survives a solvent can still be passing it through to your skin — which is why selection runs on published breakthrough data, not on whether the glove looks fine.
Can the SHOWA 874 be reused, and how should it be decontaminated?
Yes — rinse per the manufacturer's care guidance before removal, dry fully, and inspect for swelling, stiffening, or color change before each reuse. A glove that has absorbed its chemical keeps permeating from within; degradation signs retire it regardless of age.
Does OSHA require chemical-resistant gloves like the SHOWA 874?
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.138 requires employers to select hand protection appropriate to the hazard identified in their assessment — for chemical exposures that means a glove whose polymer and breakthrough data match the chemical and task duration. The HazCom SDS for each chemical names the protective-glove requirement the assessment must satisfy.
What thickness is the SHOWA 874, and does mil rating matter?
Per the listing: butyl rubber; rough grip finish; unlined. Thickness buys durability and (usually) longer breakthrough, at the cost of dexterity — but polymer choice matters far more than mil count. A thin glove of the right polymer beats a thick glove of the wrong one every time.
Lined or unlined — which configuration of glove like the SHOWA 874 should I buy?
Flock lining absorbs sweat and makes full-shift wear tolerable; unlined gloves decontaminate faster, shed no lint into the process, and dry quicker between cycles. Assign by task: lined for continuous dry-side handling, unlined for wash-down and lint-sensitive work.
When should I use a disposable instead of a reusable chemical glove (or vice versa)?
Disposables for incidental contact and splash — strip and bin with the contamination. Reusables for immersion, sustained contact, and abrasive handling, where a 5-mil film would fail mechanically long before the chemistry got through. The crossover mistake is using disposables for immersion; that's how breakthrough happens mid-task.
What other PPE pairs with the SHOWA 874 for chemical work?
Splash protection scales with the task: chemical splash goggles over safety glasses, a face shield for pouring and transfer, and chemical-resistant aprons or coveralls for anything that can wet clothing. The glove is one layer of the chemical PPE assessment, not the whole answer.
The Bottom Line
The SHOWA 874 does its job at its price: unlined butyl rubber with a rough grip finish at $51.20. Rated 4.6/5 on documented spec, configuration, and value for the intended buyer.
About the Author
Steven Eaton is the founder of WC Safety and an industrial PPE specialist who sources and evaluates chemical hand protection for industrial and construction buyers.
How We Review
Reviews draw on the manufacturer's published listing data and the applicable OSHA and ANSI consensus standards. We do not run lab tests or invent specifications; where a listing states no rating, the review says so. Ratings reflect documented spec, configuration, and value.
Affiliate Disclosure
WC Safety is an Amazon Associate and earns commissions on qualifying purchases through links on this page. Affiliate relationships do not influence our ratings.
Editorial Standards
Claims are drawn from listing data and published standards. WC Safety does not invent specifications or test results. Report errors to safetynw2012@gmail.com.
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