7 Types of Gardening Gloves - Gardeners By Trade

I talked about the importance of wearing gloves when gardening. They are our protective gear as we combat the challenges we face in the garden. However, buying one may not be an easy job. There’s a wide selection of gardening gloves that boast different tempting features. Here, I will help you by sharing different types of gloves along with their qualities to love and the cons they have.

These are the types of gloves you can check before shopping for your new one:

PVC Style Glove
StoneBreaker Gloves
Black Nitrile Nitro Powder Free Disposable Gloves
Riggers Gloves
Latex-Coated Grip Winter Gloves
Knitted Poly Cotton Gloves
Bionic Relief Grip Gardening Gloves

Why Wear Gloves?

So you have decided to wear gloves, what then? It is never easy shopping for your gardening gloves. Style, comfort, and even the price point are things to consider. You need to make sure it’s the right gloves for the tasks you are to perform. Let’s be honest, if given the choice, we only really want to buy one style of gloves to fit all our gardening needs.

Before anything else, remember the reasons why it’s important to wear gloves when gardening:

keep hands and fingernails clean and dry
avoid blisters and calluses
prevent cuts and scrapes, or protect existing cuts and scrapes from infection
protect against insect bites or stings
protect skin from harmful chemicals like herbicides, pesticides and fungicides
protection from fungal infections contracted by certain plants or gardening materials

There are so many kinds of gloves out there and you might find it hard to decide which one to choose. These 7 types of gloves might help you answer the questions you have.

PVC Style Glove

PVC gloves have superior chemical resistance, acid resistance, alkali resistance, and oil resistance. Wearing them for a long time will not cause skin tightness, which is conducive to blood circulation. These PVC style gloves are waterproof and come up to your elbow to offer more protection. They are perfect for rainy weather to avoid wetting your hands. They are mainly used when dealing with most chemicals.

PROS: It’s highly effective against water and stays flexible at lower temperatures. It’s durable and long-lasting and offers a great grip.

CONS: ?

StoneBreaker Gloves

One of the best overall gloves available that protect your hands from dirt, thorns, and weeds. And while they are durable leather that’s thorn-resistant, they still provide dexterity and are comfortable to wear. These gloves are made for women but both men and women can wear these gardening gloves, as long as there is availability in size.

PROS: Durable and long-lasting. An all-around good option for most gardening tasks.

CONS: Sizes may run small.

Black Nitrile Nitro Powder Free Disposable Gloves

These gloves are a bit of a game-changer in my opinion. They are versatile in all aspects of gardening and have the disposable element to them. They protect your hand from drying out when working in the garden.

PROS: Protects against the majority of elements in gardening, fit snug, waterproof, chemical resistant, and cost-effective.

CONS: Can make your hands sweaty and can only be worn once. Can tear easier than all other gloves.

Riggers Gloves

These gloves have been around for years and are proven to provide superior hand protection that prevents injuries like cuts and scrapes. They are generally made of leather and are suitable for bulky work in the garden like when moving stuff around. They are also great protection against blisters or calluses when using tools or wheelbarrows. They can be worn when doing just about any form of gardening tasks.

PROS: They are long-lasting and protect your hands well against sun, dirt, and blister.

CONS: Are usually bulky and loose-fitting.

Latex-Coated Grip Winter Gloves

Winter doesn’t stop a gardener from tending the gardens and these gloves are the perfect choice for cold-weather gardening. They feature a thermal knit shell to keep you warm and boasts a latex coating to ensure that you can still have a nice grip in the coldest of temperatures. They can withstand extreme temperatures and have good tear resistance.

PROS: Reliable, cost-efficient, and durable.

CONS: Doesn’t behave well around water. It’s thicker design may affect your dexterity a little.

Knitted Poly Cotton Gloves

These gloves are comfortable, cool, and absorbent. They won’t leave scratches or fingerprints and are naturally biodegradable. On the other hand, these gloves come with or without PVC dots that add extra grip. These are good for general work but are porous as such that it allows dirt to easily get through the glove.

PROS: Very cost-effective, may come with PVC dots, they are lightweight and fit snugly.

CONS: They allow dirt into the hand, easily get wet, and stay wet for a long time. They also do not fully protect your hands against the sun.

Bionic ReliefGrip Gardening Gloves

Now, these gloves are interesting and definitely life-changing. For people with sensitive or arthritic hands, these are the perfect gloves for you while going through long hours of yard work. They’re specially made to address the pain points people have with gardening gloves. They are designed to provide more grip, dexterity, and flexibility with extra wrist support. They have a neoprene wrist and Velcro closure that provides a snug, comfortable fit keeping dirt out of your glove

PROS: Designed for arthritic hands, extra durable, flexible, reinforced fingertips with silicone grips, adjustable wrist closure, machine washable

CONS: Expensive

And this one’s a bonus. For parents with young kids, you no longer need to maintain your garden alone.

Kids Garden Gloves

It’s best to encourage children to get involved in gardening while still young. It’s a great hobby that you can enjoy with them while they learn the value of hard work. These gloves come in colorful patterns that kids will enjoy. They are made of lightweight cotton that’s ideal for small hands.

PROS: Colorful and usually knitted, designed for comfort.

CONS: Well, they are too cute you’d want to buy more.

There are so many different styles of gloves out there. There are also different pros and cons to all gardening gloves available in the market. As I have said before, you need to find your wants and needs in a glove. I think it’s important to wear them and encourage everyone to do so but choose your gloves in a way that you will gladly wear and forget you have them on until your phone rings and you cannot slide to answer it and you fight to get that glove off your hand as quickly as possible.

Wearing gloves can be extremely uncomfortable. You need to take them off from time to time when distracted with other tasks and some gloves make your hands sweaty. Others are too tight and uncomfortable. I must say, if you really want a pair of gloves that you would look forward to wearing, you have to also invest in them. Sometimes your gardening gloves require you to pay more.

And while wearing gloves is essential for our protection, I still feel that there are times when we can take them off so we don’t miss that feeling when you touch the plants and even the weeds and soil. There is something therapeutic being surrounded by plants and I like combining caution with fun.