Garden gloves for dexterity in everyday tasks

Tested by Jason Reeves

I like the feel of soil and plants on my bare skin, so I have never been one to faithfully wear gardening gloves. But as I have gotten older, it has become more important to me to protect the backs of my hands from being poked and cut, and to protect them from the sun. I fell in love with MidWest Max Grip gloves (seen above) a few years ago. The spandex and nylon material stretches to give you a snug yet comfortable fit. This allows you to do tedious and delicate things more easily. The fit also helps keep soil and debris out, which has been a problem for me in the past with other gloves. These gloves have just the right amount of nitrile on the palm for maximum dexterity without making your hands hot, with nitrile dots that aid in gripping. When they are dirty, you can toss them in the washing machine. They come in two sizes—small/medium and large/XL—and are priced so that you can have numerous pairs around.

Source: walmart.com

Price: $23 to $25 (six pairs)

Protect your hands and arms from harm with these long garden gauntlets

Tested by Fionuala Campion

Donning my moss-green, elbow-length West County gauntlet rose gloves allows me to tackle roses (Rosa spp. and cvs., Zones 3–10), cane berries, brambles, and other spiky plants fearlessly, knowing they’ll protect me from scratches and punctures. And they remain soft and supple enough to let me switch over to more-nimble gardening chores without having to change gloves. These synthetic suede gauntlets are double reinforced at the palms, thumbs, and finger pads for extra protection, and they have an elastic wrist to stop twigs, leaves, and dirt from getting in. Surprisingly tough for such lightweight, breathable gloves, they’re also machine washable and won’t crack, stiffen, or shrink even after multiple washes. I lost one pair of mine in the garden over a whole wet winter once. After finding them, I simply gave them a wash and they were back to normal! They come in three sizes to allow a perfect fit for hands of almost any size and are available in different colors.

Source: amazon.com

Price: $30 (one pair)

Use this pair of gardening gloves to keep warm while gardening in winter

Tested by Richie Steffen

Weather in the coastal Pacific Northwest can be cold and wet for nine months out of the year, so a durable, warm pair of gloves is essential. My go-tos are the Atlas 451 gloves from Showa. These cotton-polyester gloves are warm and soft on the skin thanks to their insulated interior, which isn’t too bulky and allows for a good range of motion. The latex-coated palm and fingers keep hands dry while you’re handling wet garden debris, and the open back allows for breathability, minimizing sweaty hands at the end of the day. Best of all, these gloves are inexpensive. So if I do end up with soaked and muddy gloves, I always have a spare pair or two on hand.

Source: gemplers.com

Price: $5 (one pair)

For the toughest of all tasks, look outside the garden goods aisle

Tested by Susan Calhoun

Living part-time in the mountains of Arizona has given me the opportunity to learn about a whole new group of plants—cacti. One of the biggest challenges I have faced is planting cacti in the ground, rather than dealing with potted ones as I have in the past. Some cacti seem friendly and have no visible thorns or spines; however, that’s often deceptive. Planting them with regular gardening gloves felt OK in the moment, but later I would discover that my fingers were covered with almost invisible spines, which were painful and difficult to remove. A local cactus garden owner I spoke to suggested using welding gloves. Now I use Lincoln Electric welding gloves for handling all types of cacti without the risk of injuring my hands or breaking delicate spines. Made from goatskin and cowhide leather, they are soft and flexible. When not in use for cactus planting, they can be used for other heavy-duty tasks without falling apart, such as handling bricks, stones, and other hardscaping materials, or moving rusty metal supports or fencing. The rust brushes right off the gloves and doesn’t stain your hands.

Source: walmart.com

Price: $19 (one pair)

Check your messages in a pinch with these touch-screen gloves

tested By Diana Koehm

Smartphones are a part of life for most of us. However, when I am out in the garden all day, it can be annoying to take my gloves off every time I have to take a call, check a text, or skip a song. Inevitably, my hands end up dirty anyway from removing my gloves repeatedly. I no longer have that problem now that I use the touch-screen gloves from Cooljob. If I need to check my phone, I can simply keep my gloves on. The elastic wrist is a bit longer than those on some other gloves I have used, truly preventing any dirt from getting inside. Lightweight and breathable, the bamboo-based rayon material prevents my hands from overheating even on sunny summer days. Super affordable, these gloves are available in five sizes, from small to XXL.

Source: amazon.com

Price: $10 (two pairs)