Gear glossary

The height difference between the heel and the forefoot of a shoe, in millimeters.

Why it matters: Switching between very different drops changes the load on your calves and Achilles. It is also the spec most likely to differ between a manufacturer listing and an independent measurement - one shoe on this site is listed at 5 mm and was measured at 9.1 mm.

Where we use it

How much material sits between your foot and the floor, measured at the heel and the forefoot.

Why it matters: More stack usually means more cushioning and a less stable platform. It is the number behind 'maximum cushion' marketing.

Where we use it

The stiffened cup at the back of a shoe that holds your heel in place.

Why it matters: Squeeze it: if it folds flat, the shoe is not controlling your heel. This is why an open-back clog cannot do what a closed shoe does.

Where we use it

A stiffening element under the arch, between the insole and the outsole.

Why it matters: Twist a shoe: if it wrings out like a towel, nothing is supporting your arch. For twelve hours of standing that matters more than foam.

Where we use it

The surface your foot actually rests on, which may be removable.

Why it matters: Pull it out and stand on it. If your foot overhangs the edges the shoe is too narrow, and no amount of cushioning fixes that.

Where we use it

A rated measure of how an outsole performs on a wet or contaminated floor, usually to a published test standard.

Why it matters: A hospital floor is the test case. Where a maker publishes a standard we name it; where a listing just says 'slip resistant', we say that is what it says.

Where we use it

The unit compression is measured in. A sock described as 15-20 mmHg applies that pressure range at the ankle.

Why it matters: It is a measured gradient, not a comfort setting. Higher is not automatically better, and the level is the whole purchase decision.

Where we use it

Compression that is strongest at the ankle and decreases up the leg.

Why it matters: The gradient is the mechanism. A sock that squeezes evenly, or tightest at the calf, is doing something different from what the number implies.

Where we use it

Stockings designed for a patient who is lying down, typically at a lower pressure than graduated compression socks.

Why it matters: They are not interchangeable with compression socks for someone on their feet all day. This is the single most common mix-up in the category.

Where we use it

The measurement around the widest part of your calf, taken in the morning.

Why it matters: Compression is sized by leg measurements, not shoe size. A sock sized by shoe size is a sock sized by nothing relevant.

Where we use it

A single-sided chestpiece that switches between low and high frequency ranges depending on how firmly you press.

Why it matters: It means one side does two jobs, so you are not flipping the head mid-assessment. We report what the maker says it does rather than ranking subjective loudness.

Where we use it

The two classic sides of a dual-head chestpiece: the bell for low-frequency sounds, the diaphragm for higher ones.

Why it matters: A dual-head is cheaper and perfectly serviceable. The trade is that you have to physically turn it over.

Where we use it

The metal tubes and eartips that carry sound to your ears, and a commonly replaced part.

Why it matters: Eartips and binaurals are the parts that fail or get lost. A stethoscope whose parts are sold separately outlives one whose parts are not.

Where we use it

The width of the head, in millimeters or inches.

Why it matters: A smaller head sits better on a small chest or between ribs, which is the whole argument for a pediatric or infant head.

Where we use it

Fabric that stretches both along and across the weave, usually because it contains elastane or spandex.

Why it matters: It is the difference between a garment that moves with you and one you move against. The cost is that elastane degrades with heat over time.

Where we use it

Stretch built into the weave itself rather than added as elastane.

Why it matters: It gives less than a spandex blend and it does not wash out, which is a genuine durability argument for a fabric that feels stiffer on day one.

Where we use it

A regenerated cellulose fiber used in premium scrub blends for drape and softness.

Why it matters: It is the best predictor that a garment will not survive hot or industrial laundering. Read the composition line, not just the care line.

Where we use it

A treatment applied to fabric, with claims usually expressed as a number of washes.

Why it matters: It is consumable, and the makers' own disclaimers are explicit that it does not protect the wearer or others from bacteria or viruses - it is an odor and garment-life claim.

Where we use it

A gathered, puffed scrub cap style that covers all the hair, as distinct from a fitted tie-back.

Why it matters: Coverage and hair type drive this choice, not looks. Satin-lined versions exist specifically to reduce friction on hair.

Where we use it

The thickness of the yarn in a woven fabric. 600D polyester is a lighter build than 1200D.

Why it matters: It is the closest thing this category has to a durability spec, and one of the few figures bag makers reliably publish.

Where we use it

A finish applied to the outside of a fabric so water beads rather than soaks in. 'Non-PFC' means it avoids certain fluorinated chemistries.

Why it matters: A named finish is a real claim; 'water resistant' on its own is not, and some listings that say it also warn against prolonged rain.

Where we use it

What the bag weighs before you put anything in it.

Why it matters: It rides on top of everything you pack, every shift, and most listings omit it entirely. The published range on this site runs from 1 lb 8 oz to about 1.3 kg.

Where we use it

How long an insulated bag keeps its contents cold.

Why it matters: The figure you actually want, and almost nobody publishes it. Owner reports for soft insulated bags land around three to five hours against a twelve-hour shift.

Where we use it

A lanyard fitting designed to come apart under load.

Why it matters: It is not a feature on a nursing lanyard, it is the product. Without it a neck loop stays a neck loop.

Where we use it

The bandage-scissor geometry with angled blades and a blunt, flattened lower tip.

Why it matters: The angle is what lets the blade lie flat against skin under a dressing. It is also why a trauma shear cannot do this job.

Where we use it

Steam sterilization at a stated temperature, commonly 120 C or 143 C for instruments in this category.

Why it matters: Bandage scissors publish a ceiling; trauma shears generally publish nothing, and no published figure is not the same as permission.

Where we use it

A facility rule requiring forearms and wrists to be clear during direct patient care.

Why it matters: It is the rule that decides whether you can wear any watch at all, and it predates smartwatches entirely.

Where we use it

A count of viable microorganisms, often reported per square centimeter.

Why it matters: It turns up in the lanyard and device contamination studies we cite. It measures contamination, not infection - a distinction those studies make themselves.

Where we use it