Top 6 compared
The best gardening gloves
Hands kept clean and protected while you prune the roses, pull up weeds and pot up seedlings.
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The top 6 at a glance
Gardening gloves come in two broad kinds. Leather gloves and gauntlets are thick enough to stop thorns, for pruning roses, clearing brambles and pulling nettles; grip gloves are thin knitted gloves coated in latex, with enough feel in the fingertips for weeding, potting and sowing seeds. Most keen gardeners end up with a pair of each.
Every leather pair here is sold for thorny jobs, and a gauntlet’s long cuff protects the forearm when reaching into a hedge or rose bush. Wet leather keeps its shape best dried slowly at room temperature, away from the radiator. A snug fit gives better control than a roomy one, and some makers size by the measurement round the palm.
What matters
- Men’s and women’s sizes, rather than one size for all.
- Flexible fingers, for gripping loppers and tying in.
- An adjustable wrist strap to keep debris out.
- A breathable back for warm days.
#1WZQH Leather Work Gloves
Under £10
- Thorn-proof split cowhide
- Heat-resistant leather
- Adjustable wrist strap
Split cowhide with a cotton lining and a reinforced palm, heavy-duty enough for brambles, roses, thistles and nettles, and for the rough jobs of the garden: digging, barrow work and moving logs. The leather is heat resistant too, handy at a garden bonfire.
What owners say: Owners find them heavy-duty, thick and well insulated, keeping thorns and brambles off their hands, and are pleased with the fit, smaller hands included.
A closer look: At about 24cm long they stop at the wrist, so a long-sleeved top helps when reaching deep into a rose bed or a bramble patch. Being thick, they’re the pair for gathering up armfuls of thorny prunings for the green bin.
Best for: Handling heat
- Material
- Split cowhide, cotton-lined
- Thorn-proof
- Yes
- Cuff
- Wrist, adjustable
- Pairs
- 1
#2GAVOROHANS Superior Grip Gardening Gloves (3 pairs)
Under £10
- Three pairs in the pack
- Machine washable
- Crinkled latex grip palm
- Not thorn-proof
Three pairs of gloves with a crinkled latex palm on a stretchy polyester liner, sold in medium, large and extra large. They’re made to go in the washing machine, so a mucky pair comes out ready for the weekend.
What owners say: Owners like getting three pairs, find they fit well, wide palms included, and say they stand up to repeated washing and keep mess and the odd prickle off their hands.
A closer look: The latex palm copes with damp soil, but the knitted back isn’t waterproof, so a soaking job such as clearing out a pond calls for something else. Pull them off by the cuffs rather than the fingertips, which keeps the coating from lifting where it meets the liner.
Best for: Machine washing
- Material
- Polyester-nylon with latex palm
- Thorn-proof
- No
- Cuff
- Wrist
- Pairs
- 3
#3SLARMOR Long Leather Gardening Gauntlets
£10–£20
- Elbow-length gauntlet cuff
- Made for rose and bramble pruning
- Keystone thumb grips loppers
Elbow-length cowhide gauntlets made for rose and blackberry pruning: the long cuff guards the forearm while you reach into the bush, and the palm is full-grain hide, where the wear comes.
What owners say: Owners say brambles and rose thorns don’t get through to hands or forearms, report no rips, and find the leather softens with wear and fits well.
A closer look: The keystone thumb is set into the palm rather than stitched on flat, which lets the glove close round a lopper handle without bunching. Their bright yellow is easy to spot when they’re put down in a border or dropped in long grass.
Best for: Forearm protection
- Material
- Cowhide leather
- Thorn-proof
- Sold for rose and bramble pruning
- Cuff
- Elbow-length
- Pairs
- 1
#4NickyPicky Thorn-Proof Gardening Gloves
Under £10
- Thorn-proof, tested on blackthorn
- Reinforced stitching
- Supple, flexible leather
Thick leather sold as tested on brambles, roses and blackthorn, yet supple enough to work secateurs without pulling them off. Reinforced stitching suits the hard wear of allotment work and bramble clearing.
What owners say: Owners say brambles don’t get through, and find the suede leather well fitting, durable and up to heavy garden work, with a good grip.
A closer look: Their wrist-length cuff makes them the pair to grab for quick jobs, when pulling on a full gauntlet feels like a palaver. Pyracantha and hawthorn are among the hedges they’re pitched at, so they suit a thorny boundary or a mixed native hedge.
Best for: Using secateurs
- Material
- Supple leather
- Thorn-proof
- Yes
- Cuff
- Wrist
- Pairs
- 1
#5PROGANDA Ultra-Grip Gardening Gloves (3 pairs)
Under £10
- Three pairs in the pack
- Sizes from S to XL
- Fingertip feel for seedlings
- Not thorn-proof
Nylon gloves in a pack of three, their palms coated in crinkled latex for weeding, potting and planting, so there’s always a dry pair by the back door, and enough grip in the coating to hold a wet trowel.
What owners say: Owners find them comfortable rather than stiff and tough enough for weeding, though they split on thorns: some find they keep them out, others don’t.
A closer look: The three pairs come in different colours, which makes it easy to tell whose is whose when two people share the weeding. The thin knitted liner leaves enough feel in the fingertips for pricking out seedlings or tying in sweet peas.
Best for: Smaller hands
- Material
- Nylon with latex grip
- Thorn-proof
- No
- Cuff
- Wrist
- Pairs
- 3
#6DIY Doctor Thorn-Proof Leather Gardening Gloves
Under £10
- Thorn-proof 3.5mm suede
- Cuff covers the lower arm
- Padded palm
- One size only
Thick 3.5mm suede with padding across the palm and a gauntlet-style cuff that covers the wrist and lower arm, handy for pulling nettles along a fence line or clearing a weedy corner. The maker sells them as stopping thorns as well as stings.
What owners say: Owners find them durable and well made, thick enough to keep thorns and brambles out, with a long cuff that guards the wrists; the fit divides opinion.
A closer look: Off the flower beds they double as work gloves for stacking logs, handling firewood or a spot of building work. The maker’s cleaning advice is warm soapy water and a wipe with a cloth, which shifts mud and sap without a soak.
Best for: Stinging nettles
- Material
- 3.5mm suede leather
- Thorn-proof
- Yes
- Cuff
- Gauntlet, to the lower arm
- Pairs
- 1
Side by side
How they compare
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| Feature | #1WZQH work gloves | #2GAVOROHANS Tc901 3-pack | #3SLARMOR gauntlets | #4NickyPicky thorn-proof | #5PROGANDA 3-pack | #6DIY Doctor gauntlets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | |||||
| Picked Rating | 9.4 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 8.9 |
| Price | Under £10 | Under £10 | £10–£20 | Under £10 | Under £10 | Under £10 |
| Material | Split cowhide, cotton-lined | Polyester-nylon with latex palm | Cowhide leather | Supple leather | Nylon with latex grip | 3.5mm suede leather |
| Thorn-proof | Yes | No | Sold for rose and bramble pruning | Yes | No | Yes |
| Cuff | Wrist, adjustable | Wrist | Elbow-length | Wrist | Wrist | Gauntlet, to the lower arm |
| Pairs | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Best for | Handling heat | Machine washing | Forearm protection | Using secateurs | Smaller hands | Stinging nettles |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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