Best Overall
Firm Grip General Purpose Gloves
- Quality5/5
- Comfort4.5/5
- Design5/5
- Durability5/5
- Value5/5
- These are great all-purpose gardening gloves, offering padded comfort and an adjustable fit. The gloves are also touchscreen compatible.
These are great all-purpose gardening gloves, offering padded comfort and an adjustable fit. The gloves are also touchscreen compatible.
- They're only available in one size, so they might not fit your hand perfectly.
They're only available in one size, so they might not fit your hand perfectly.
If you only want to have one pair of gloves on hand for all your gardening chores, our choice for the best gloves—the Firm Grip Women's General Purpose Synthetic Leather Gloves—are a good option.
The synthetic leather fingertips provide good grip, and the stretchy spandex between the fingers and on the body of the glove adds breathability and extra comfort on hot days. An adjustable hook and loop wrist strap allows you to customize the fit. Reinforced seams at common wear points add durability, and the padded palm enhances comfort, especially during repetitive tasks. If they get dirty, the gloves are easy to clean—just throw them in the washing machine when needed.
In addition to offering protection during a variety of garden tasks, these gloves are also touchscreen compatible so you don't have to take your gloves off every time you need to reach for your phone. Plus, the thumb features a terry cloth strip to help you wipe away sweat—a nice feature for those hot summer days.
We found that the fingers fit well (although the thumb was too long for one of our testers), and we appreciated the adjustable closure on the wrist, which made the gloves feel more comfortable and secure. The gloves earned a 4.5/5 for comfort during testing and a 5/5 for both design and durability. We found the gloves protected our hands from blisters and bruising when using outdoor power tools, digging, and raking and that they held up well to normal use.
How They Performed After Six Months
After six months, we’re still impressed by the quality and padding that these gloves provide. They’re our go-to pair for more strenuous gardening tasks like mulching or turning the compost, and we feel comfortable wearing them for long stretches.
Product Details: Size Options: Small to 2X-large | Materials: Synthetic leather, spandex | Waterproof: No | Machine Washable: Yes
Best Budget
Ansell Hyflex Nylon Work Gloves
- Quality4/5
- Comfort5/5
- Design4/5
- Durability5/5
- Value5/5
- These gloves are so thin, they almost feel as if you aren't wearing a glove at all; they provide plenty of dexterity for repotting seedlings and weeding.
These gloves are so thin, they almost feel as if you aren't wearing a glove at all; they provide plenty of dexterity for repotting seedlings and weeding.
- These gloves aren't particularly cute or pretty, but they get the job done.
These gloves aren't particularly cute or pretty, but they get the job done.
Since these Ansell HyFlex nylon gloves are sold in a 12-pack, we expected them to be pretty much a disposable glove (use once and then toss), but we were surprised to find that they held up for multiple uses. They offer plenty of value for the money, earning a 5/5 during testing and making them our choice for the best budget glove option.
A stretchy nylon liner and polyurethane coating make these gloves ideal for carpentry and automotive work, in addition to gardening chores. They are so lightweight that we almost forgot we were wearing gloves at all. And since they’re so lightweight, they offer excellent dexterity, allowing you to easily handle small seeds and seedlings.
Anti-slip material on the palms gives these gloves a good grip, and they offer abrasion resistance as well. While they aren’t waterproof, we found that any dampness that soaked through dried almost immediately. You can’t put the gloves in the washing machine, but some users have suggested you can leave the gloves on and wash your hands with dishwashing detergent to clean them.
How They Performed After Six Months
After six months, we haven’t had to throw away any of the gloves and still have an unopened stack remaining. Even our most-used pair is sturdy enough to continue wearing. We even used these for general home tasks and appreciated the extra grip and protection while removing and installing a toilet.
Product Details: Size Options: 2X-small to 2X-large | Materials: Nylon | Waterproof: No | Machine Washable: No
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / CHRISTINE COLBY
Best Leather
StoneBreaker Rancher Work Gloves
- Quality4/5
- Comfort4/5
- Design4/5
- Durability5/5
- Value4/5
- These leather gloves are great if you need a pair of heavy-duty work gloves for all sorts of garden chores. Plus, they offer protection from thorns.
These leather gloves are great if you need a pair of heavy-duty work gloves for all sorts of garden chores. Plus, they offer protection from thorns.
- They're a bit bulky, so they aren't good for working with small items. They're also not waterproof or machine washable.
They're a bit bulky, so they aren't good for working with small items. They're also not waterproof or machine washable.
These heavy-duty work gloves from StoneBreaker are a good choice if you'll be working around thorny plants, picking up yard debris, or doing pruning or mulching. A combination of North American deer skin and split cowhide creates a tough, durable glove that's ideal for all kinds of work in the garden and beyond.
Double-sewn seams decrease the frequency of rips and tears, and overwrapped leather patches provide more protection at common wear and abrasion points. Extended cuffs with hook and loop tape closures help prevent debris from getting in. Sealed shock-absorbing padding offers protection without extra bulk, so you can easily get your work done.
We found that these gloves were on the bigger side—they seemed to be sized to fit men’s hands better, so you may need to order a size smaller than your normal size. They offered excellent protection when pruning and working around plants with thorns. Despite being a bit bulky, we found them to be soft and comfortable.
These are more expensive than some garden gloves, but their quality seems to match the price. Although they are not the most attractive gardening gloves, they’re very useful to have on hand for heavy-duty yard work.
How They Performed After Six Months
After six months of use, we noticed the leather at the fingertips thinning and noticeable wear on the suede, but no holes despite being our go-to pair for pruning thorny rose bushes. We still think they’ll last a long time—the gloves earned a 5/5 in our durability test—but expect them to get dirty over time since they are not machine washable.
Product Details: Size Options: Medium, large, and X-large | Materials: Leather | Waterproof: No | Machine Washable: No
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / CAITLIN SOLE
Best Waterproof
Amazing Stuff for You! Garden Gloves
- These gloves are super versatile in the garden—they're waterproof and thin enough to allow you to easily grip small items.
These gloves are super versatile in the garden—they're waterproof and thin enough to allow you to easily grip small items.
- These are a great basic garden glove, but for heavy-duty tasks, you'll likely want to reach for a thicker glove.
These are a great basic garden glove, but for heavy-duty tasks, you'll likely want to reach for a thicker glove.
Coated palms and fingers on these gloves offer water resistance and ensure you'll have a good grip on your garden hose, tools, and other items. Nylon fibers make these gloves extra breathable; the fabric helps reduce the buildup of heat so you can wear them more comfortably for longer.
We found the overall fit very comfortable (although a tad long in the fingers). We were happy with the waterproof coating, and found the gloves held up well to a variety of gardening tasks. Sold in a two-pack, these gloves are easy to clean—just rinse them off or throw them in the washing machine.
Although you may want to choose a heavier pair of gloves if you'll be working around big thorns, these gloves offer good protection from smaller thorns as well as splinters from any worn handles on garden tools. Bottom line: These gloves might not be fancy, but they offer good protection at a good price.
How They Performed After Six Months
After six months of use, the only difference we noted was the logo peeling. This didn’t bother us, however, as the logo is entirely cosmetic and the rest of the glove is still in great shape.
Product Details: Size Options: Small, medium, and large | Materials: Nylon | Waterproof: Yes (one side) | Machine Washable: Yes
Best Nitrile
The Floral Society Garden Gloves
- These gloves are attractive, water-resistant, and good to have on hand for a lot of different garden tasks.
These gloves are attractive, water-resistant, and good to have on hand for a lot of different garden tasks.
- The price is a little on the high side, and they won't offer protection from thorns.
The price is a little on the high side, and they won't offer protection from thorns.
If you're on the hunt for nitrile or nylon gardening gloves, these are the ones for you. These durable gloves feature a basic design, but they are more than up to the challenge of a variety of garden and yard chores. The gloves' seamless nylon liner provides flexibility, while the rubber palm ensures a natural-feeling grip. The surrounding fabric is breathable enough for hot days. And since the palm is waterproof, these gloves work well for watering chores.
We found that the rubber coating on the fingers and palm was thin enough that we could still feel what we were doing when engaged in more precise tasks. While the gloves did fit, we felt like they ran a bit small and that they may be too small for people with large hands. The gloves weren’t too hot and held up to moisture well; the cuff did tend to roll up as she was working, which was somewhat of an annoyance. We found ourselves reaching for these gloves often since they were comfortable and versatile. However, after months of use, these aren’t our go-to pair of gloves as the tight fit can make them difficult to pull on, especially in humid weather.
When garden chores are done, these gloves can be thrown in the washing machine. You’ll want to hang them up to dry rather than putting them in the dryer.
How They Performed After Six Months
Though they remained in good condition, we found these gloves a bit too tight for our tastes and noted they were harder to pull on as the weather became hotter and more humid. They would probably be a better choice for people with smaller hands since they only come in one size.
Product Details: Size Options: One size | Materials: Nylon liner with nitrile coating | Waterproof: Yes (on palm) | Machine Washable: Yes
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / CAITLIN SOLE
Best Rubber
Cooljob Rubber Coated Gardening Gloves
- Quality4/5
- Comfort5/5
- Design3/5
- Durability3/5
- Value5/5
- These affordable gloves are comfortable and breathable. They're a great choice if you want to purchase just one pair of gloves for a variety of garden tasks.
These affordable gloves are comfortable and breathable. They're a great choice if you want to purchase just one pair of gloves for a variety of garden tasks.
- They can be washed and will likely hold up for more than one garden work session, but don't expect them to last forever.
They can be washed and will likely hold up for more than one garden work session, but don't expect them to last forever.
The non-slip coating on these lightweight gloves make them a good choice for a variety of gardening tasks, such as weeding, planting, seeding, and harvesting. The soft latex coating is designed to reduce fatigue while you're working—and the material is breathable enough that your hands won't get sweaty. A long, flexible cuff helps keep dirt and debris out.
We found these gloves to be very comfortable, rating them a 5/5, plus we felt they were lightweight and breathable enough to wear even on hot summer days. We noted that the rubber palms offered some water resistance, but we didn’t feel the gloves offered any protection against thorns.
The two-pack includes two different colors of gloves. You can assign a specific color for different types of garden tasks if you like—or give one color to a garden helper if you have one. Plus, the bright colors make it easier to find the gloves if you lay them down in the garden while you're working.
You can throw these gloves in the washing machine if they get dirty, and then hang them to dry. We washed ours with cold water and found they did not shrink. Plus, they dried quickly, so we could use them again soon after washing them.
How They Performed After Six Months
After six months, these are still one of our go-to pairs of gardening gloves. While the rubber is a bit worn down from regular use, they’re still in great shape.
Product Details: Size Options: Small and medium (medium fits most women) | Materials: Polyester with rubber coating | Waterproof: Somewhat | Machine Washable: Yes
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / CAITLIN SOLE
Best Gauntlet
G and F Products Florist Pro Garden Gloves
- Quality5/5
- Comfort4.5/5
- Design5/5
- Durability5/5
- Value5/5
- Gauntlet gloves are extra-long to protect your wrist and arm from thorns, so they're great for pruning roses. This pair is also comfortable and breathable.
Gauntlet gloves are extra-long to protect your wrist and arm from thorns, so they're great for pruning roses. This pair is also comfortable and breathable.
- Because these gloves are only available in two sizes—one for women and one for men—they may not fit your hands perfectly.
Because these gloves are only available in two sizes—one for women and one for men—they may not fit your hands perfectly.
Gauntlet gloves are a must when pruning roses, and this pair offers a good mix of quality materials and comfort. These G and F gloves feature 15-inch-long sleeves, so they’ll cover your lower arm up to the elbow. The double-padded palm lends additional thorn resistance, too. Double stitches add extra durability to ensure they will last a long time. The stretchy spandex back adds breathability and comfort—making pruning chores more enjoyable (or at least tolerable).
The gloves are available in two colors: dark gray/army green for men and dark gray/pink for women. We found that these gauntlet gloves protected us very well when pruning rose bushes; when thorns broke off on the glove’s exterior, we weren’t able to feel them at all on the interior of the glove. The one-size-fits-all women’s glove fit perfectly in the fingers but was a little large in the thumb, making it difficult to grab smaller stems. The cuffs on the gloves added protection, but they didn’t feel bulky or interfere with movement. Plus, the liner on the cuff helped reduce sweat.
Because sizes are limited, these gloves may not fit everyone perfectly, but they do offer plenty of protection when working around roses.
How They Performed After Six Months
We haven’t noticed any change in quality after months of wear, and we primarily use them for previously painful tasks like handling thorny roses.
Product Details: Size Options: Women’s medium and men’s large | Materials: Synthetic leather, spandex | Waterproof: No | Machine Washable: Yes
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / VIVEKA NEVELN
Best Eco-Friendly
Garden Works Bamboo Garden Gloves
- Quality5/5
- Comfort5/5
- Design5/5
- Durability4/5
- Value4.5/5
- You can feel good that these gloves are made with an eco-friendly material. They can be used for both gardening and household chores.
You can feel good that these gloves are made with an eco-friendly material. They can be used for both gardening and household chores.
- The price of these gloves is a little higher than some other types of gloves, but they are a good option if you're willing to pay more for comfort and eco-friendly materials.
The price of these gloves is a little higher than some other types of gloves, but they are a good option if you're willing to pay more for comfort and eco-friendly materials.
These gloves are made with bamboo fiber, which offers a natural alternative to nylon that is breathable, stretchy, and helpful for wicking away moisture. The palm of these gloves is coated with foam latex to offer even more protection. They're offered in three different colors so you can choose your favorite hue or choose a different color for different family members.
We were impressed by the quality and fit of these gloves, noting that the fabric was stretchy enough to fit securely without squeezing our hands too much. The bamboo fabric felt lightweight and kept our hands cool, while the latex offered water resistance and improved the grip. We did notice that the bamboo side showed some signs of wear in places where it got snagged on twigs, but the latex area still looked new after wearing it for the afternoon.
After months of regular use, we noticed that the gloves have held onto a couple of stains, even after washing. Thankfully, this is solely cosmetic and hasn’t affected the overall quality or performance. One of our testers even recommended this pair to several friends!
How They Performed After Six Months
Product Details: Size Options: Small, medium, large, and X-large | Materials: Bamboo fiber, foam latex | Waterproof: No | Machine Washable: Yes
Best Patterns
Bamllum Leather Gardening Gloves
- Quality4.5/5
- Comfort3.5/5
- Design5/5
- Durability4.5/5
- Value4.5/5
- These gloves bring style and fun to gardening tasks, while still offering comfort and wear-resistance. They would make a great gift for a garden enthusiast.
These gloves bring style and fun to gardening tasks, while still offering comfort and wear-resistance. They would make a great gift for a garden enthusiast.
- Only one size is available, so they may not fit especially small or large hands. Be sure to check their sizing chart and measure your hand before ordering.
Only one size is available, so they may not fit especially small or large hands. Be sure to check their sizing chart and measure your hand before ordering.
Sometimes boring just won't do. If you want to bring some fun style to your garden gear, these are the best gardening gloves—plus they're useful for a variety of garden tasks, such as pruning, mowing, and planting. Made of microfiber leather that provides abrasion resistance, they are also soft and breathable enough to be comfortable. The ergonomic design around the palm and fingers (as well as the leather fingertips) gives you a good grip. The back of the gloves are made of elastic, which is breathable and helps to absorb sweat; this allows your hands to stay dry as you work in the garden. An elastic closure on the wrist helps keep dirt out and ensures the gloves are easy to pull on and take off.
We found that the material on these gloves was thick enough to offer good protection from damp soils and scratchy plants. But we found the material too thick and bulky for hand weeding and planting. The material is high quality, and the gloves are well-made. Plus, the colorful fabric will likely bring compliments from neighbors; just keep in mind that it also highlights dirt more than plain brown gloves. Overall, though, these stylish gloves offer a good value for the price, earning a 4.5/5 score for value during testing.
How They Performed After Six Months
Even after six months of regular use, the material still hasn’t become flexible. We didn’t notice any wear or damage after months of use. The gloves are best for pruning hedges and working with thorny plants.
Product Details: Size Options: One size (medium) | Materials: Microfiber leather | Waterproof: No | Machine Washable: No
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / CHRISTINE COLBY
Best for Men
Bionic Tough Pro Natural Fit Gloves
- These heavy-duty gloves are great for all your hardest garden chores, including operating power tools. They were designed by an orthopedic hand surgeon to help prevent hand fatigue and joint pain.
These heavy-duty gloves are great for all your hardest garden chores, including operating power tools. They were designed by an orthopedic hand surgeon to help prevent hand fatigue and joint pain.
- These are expensive, and while the silicone pads on the fingertips add durability, they don't work with your smartphone.
These are expensive, and while the silicone pads on the fingertips add durability, they don't work with your smartphone.
These gloves are pricier than other pairs, but if you're willing to shell out the money, you won't be disappointed. Our choice for the best gardening gloves for men, these gloves were designed by an orthopedic hand surgeon to provide better dexterity, while reducing hand fatigue, joint pain, blisters, and calluses.
They're made of extra-durable goatskin leather, and silicone-reinforced fingertips and palms provide additional durability and offer a better grip. Extra padding on the gloves absorbs vibration, making them a good choice when using power tools, trimmers and weeders, and push mowers.
During testing, we found that the lycra areas over the knuckles and between the fingers added breathability and improved the fit, while an open cuff design made them easy to pull on and off. Washing the gloves makes them more durable and the leather more supple. And in case you’re wondering—they make these gloves in women’s sizes, too. Really, the only problem you may run into is that they’re so nice, you may be reluctant to get them dirty.
How They Performed After Six Months
We wore these gloves to shovel and transport many loads of gravel without developing even one blister. They were comfortable from the start, without any wearing-in period. And after six months of use, they’ve only gotten better. They’ve become even more comfortable as they’ve formed to our hands, and we haven’t seen any signs of wear.
Product Details: Size Options: Small to 2X-large | Materials: Leather | Waterproof: No | Machine Washable: Yes (cold water, gentle cycle)
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / ALEX COLBY