The UK's bestGardening Gloves2022 Review

At first glance, these Olsen Deepak Leather Gloves certainly look the part. Made entirely of leather, they have a wrist tie and reinforced palms for heavy-duty gardening jobs. Let’s see how they stand up in practise.

Design – 4.5/5

These yellow rigger gardening gloves aren’t necessarily the most fashionable, but the bright colour makes them easy to find.

They also fit well, and the finger length is a good medium fit.

The stitching is double-reinforced in tough nylon, and there’s a leather patch over the palms. They also have shaped wrists for easy movement.

By far the best feature is the wrist strap. I don’t want to seem hyperbolic, but I would personally describe it as life changing.

The strap is made from black nylon and works similarly to a cable tie: simply pull the red tag and it tightens as much as you need. The strap stays in place until you release it by pulling back a plastic fastener.

It didn’t loosen at all whilst I worked. Good design, done well!

Comfort – 5/5

The good fit and adjustable wrist strap meant these were extremely comfortable to wear.

The leather is supple, moves easily, and there’s minimal excess fabric in the fingertips. This is often a bugbear of mine, so the comfortable fit was refreshing!

My hands stayed dry and didn’t sweat – top marks for comfort.

Grip – 5/5

The suede leather palm gives a sturdy grip which was handy for raking and brushing up debris. Plus, the wrist strap meant the gloves didn’t slip.

Durability – 5/5

After an afternoon’s work, these gardening gloves barely had a mark on them and the stitching was good as new. Very impressive given that I’d had a fierce struggle with an overgrown patio buddleia whilst wearing them!

To test them further, I tugged the fingers apart and tried to break the nylon strap, but nothing stretched or tore. They’re very durable gloves overall.

Value for Money – 5/5

I am impressed by these gardening gloves and think they offer good value for money. These are heavy duty gloves that are thorn-proof and breathable. Plus, they offer great control – all thanks to the inclusion of a simple wrist strap!

Overall – 4.9/5

The day after testing, I wanted to dig over a border. These were the gardening gloves I chose from all the pairs I tested.

That might change in summer when I need something lighter, but for autumn and winter, these are an excellent choice.

I think they’re the best gardening gloves overall, and I was certainly keen to use them again thanks to their comfort, durability and fit.

These Pink Viridescent Leather Gardening Gloves have leather palm with bright pink uppers made from sponge, polyester, and Lycra. They also have a Velcro wrist strap.

Design – 5/5

I wouldn’t usually go for pink gardening gloves, but the colour actually has a functional use – they’re certainly hard to lose in the garden!

The leather is well stitched on the inside and there are no bulky seams in the fingers. The finger and palm length are both spot-on for my medium-size hands.

I like the soft fabric uppers because they allowed for easy hand movement and keep hands from sweating.

These gardening gloves would best suit female hands as they are pretty slim-fitting and on the petite side.

Comfort – 4/5

The gloves are very comfortable. The Lycra content gives them plenty of stretch, and give a firm grip on tools.

The leather fingers are soft enough to make a fist, but they are thick enough to feel protective. I hand-brushed a pile of stones with these, cut lawn edges, and moved grass clippings all without issue.

I also moved a toad who had no complaints about his transportation.

I like the streamlined feel of these gloves; there’s no bulk. They are stretchy, breathable – and yes – they can stay on to drink tea.

On the downside, the uppers are only made from spongy material, so there’s little protection against prickly or thorny plants.

Grip – 5/5

Because they fit well around the contours of my hands, the grip is excellent. My thumb had enough room to move easily, and the leather palm was grippy enough to safely use the garden shears in damp autumn grass.

There’s a Velcro fastening that tightens around the wrist to keep the gloves firmly in place without rubbing. Because of this, they felt secure and provided a good amount of grip despite the wet conditions.

Durability – 4/5

I think these will last if you look after them. They’re light duty gloves, suitable for light jobs such as clipping, pruning, and planting. Heavy landscaping and rubble work will pull them apart after a few hours.

Value for Money – 4/5

As long as you don’t want to do a lot of heavy duty gardening, these garden gloves offer good value for money. They’re made for lighter jobs including grass clipping and trimming back plants. The fit is spot on and the grip is excellent.

Overall: 4.4/5

I’d say that these are some of the best budget gardening gloves because, although they’re not suitable for heavy-duty jobs, they’ll be useful for general gardening tasks and they’re inexpensive.

These Olsen Deepak Gauntlet Gardening Gloves have long leather forearm protectors, and adjustable straps. They look like heavy duty gloves, perfect for pruning back thorny bushes – good job I have an overgrown pyracantha to tackle!

Design – 4/5

The design is well thought out: these are waterproof gloves, and the hand area (up to the wrist) is made from soft supple leather. It’s gathered at the wrist to help keep the glove in place.

The gauntlet arm pieces are elbow length and have tough, easy-pull straps to tighten the fit. They’re easy to put on over thin sleeves and fit well once tightened.

Comfort – 3.5/5

Not bad for medium sizing, but they’re a touch big. I could probably size down in these garden gloves.

There’s also a some excess material in the fingertips that should have been removed after the seams were sewn. This material gets under your nails and pushes them back, which is uncomfortable.

Grip – 5/5

The adjustability and flexibility of these gardening gloves really helped with grip.

Firstly, there’s an adjustable strap at the elbow which tightens the gloves like a tourniquet.

It works really well – it can be altered to fit your size and prevents that horrible moment when you pull your arm back from the thorns but the glove stays put.

Secondly, the flexible thumbpiece and supple leather, meant I had a good grip on my secateurs – even in the depths of a pyracantha (and that’s the last place you want to drop your tools!).

Durability – 4.5/5

They performed well against thorns and didn’t rip at the stitching despite my best efforts to pull them apart.

There are some tiny nicks in the leather from the thorns, but bear in mind pyracantha is called ‘the burglar bush’ for a reason – its thorns are huge. I’m not surprised it left some wounds.

Overall, I’d say these are extremely durable gloves.

Value for Money – 4/5

I’d say these are good value, heavy duty gloves. They protected my hands and forearms against the most aggressive type of thorn, and the tourniquet-style strap kept them in place.

Overall – 4.2/5

These are the best gardening gloves for thorns overall. They’re comfortable, easy to adjust and protective. They’re also some of the best gloves for keeping your hands warm, thanks to the long gauntlet.

I’ll keep this pair for thorny jobs without a doubt. They’d also make a good gift for a gardener with lots of tough pruning to do.

These Pine Tree Tools Bamboo Gardening Gloves are made from bamboo with waterproof rubber palms. My initial reaction was that they felt a bit flimsy, but as always – the proof is in the test!

Design – 5/5

These lightweight gardening gloves have bamboo uppers and rubberised palms with elasticated cuffs. The rubber coating doesn’t cover the knuckle area which is excellent as it allows plenty of stretch.

Also, although they’re not advertised as being touchscreen gloves, I found I could operate my phone whilst wearing them – nice!

Comfort – 5/5

These are easily the most comfortable gardening gloves I’ve tested.

The bamboo uppers are a breathable fabric, yet they successfully stop damp dew soaking through. The rubberised palm is stretchy and the fingertips don’t have any excess material on the inside.

They’re a pretty good fit for my standard ‘medium women’s hands’, but perhaps a little snug. I could get away with a large in these.

Grip – 5/5

I’ve got to say – I’m impressed by the grip on these.

The rubberised palm and fingers provide a huge amount of grip. I had no fear using tools.

Plus, if you have a tough-to-open jar, pop these on and the lid will be off in no time!

Durability – 4/5

I’m pleasantly surprised by these gardening gloves. I thought they would fall apart, but the rubber palms were still in excellent condition after use.

You couldn’t use these for heavy-duty landscaping because they’re not thick enough, but they’re the best gardening gloves for light jobs.

Value for Money – 5/5

I think these are great value for money – especially as a durable alternative to leather. Bamboo offers an eco-friendly and sustainable choice compared to standard gardening gloves.

I clipped bushes, raked the lawn, and used loppers to prune back tall trees these medium duty gloves still look good as new.

Overall – 4.8/5

I found these to be an all-round excellent pair of medium duty gloves. They bring new meaning to the phrase ‘green fingers’ and offer excellent grip and control. They’re ideal for any re-potting jobs, planting seeds, and using tools.

Furthermore, because they’re leather free, they’re also a more conscious choice.

These Sawans Leather Gardening Gloves certainly look more interesting than most gardening gloves, plus they have leather palms, knuckle protectors and extra-long wrists – let’s see how they perform in the garden!

Design – 4/5

Design-wise, it’s clear that some thought has gone into these garden gloves. The green, botanical print is attractive and gives the impression that these are quality gardening gloves – they’re certainly the best gardening gloves for style out of the ones that I tested. I’d be happy to receive these as a gift.

They have leather fingers, and leather palms with added padding. The knuckles have a strip of extra leather which should protect against bumps, and the fabric uppers are made from breathable, soft, stretchy spandex.

They’re marketed as rose-pruning garden gloves and the wrist length would do for standard roses; however, it’s not long enough for rose bushes or a thorny pyracantha. They only reach a few inches up my arm.

Comfort – 4/5

They aren’t too bulky, which is down to the tapered design. It cuts in at the wrist and flares out for the forearm cover.

In terms of size, they’re an excellent fit. The fingers are a spot-on ladies’ medium.

Overall, these gardening gloves feel pleasant. There’s no strap to fasten to hold them more firmly in place, but they stay on well.

Grip – 5/5

I raked up garden leaves (about an hour’s work) and then carried the leaves over to the compost pile. The gloves provided plenty of grip on the rake but my hands got quite sweaty.

Durability – 2/5

After an hour’s work, two small holes appeared between the first two fingers and at the tip of my forefinger.

That’s disappointing as they’re leather and I didn’t work THAT hard. If you’re planning some hard graft, I don’t think these will stand up to it. They’re definitely light duty gloves – simple pruning tasks and other basic jobs will be fine – but it does seem a waste of the leather and padding which suggests more durability.

Value for Money – 3/5

If you only do quick, light jobs in the garden, they’re reasonable value for money, comfortable and grippy (not to mention stylish).

However, if you want to do heavier-duty tasks, for longer periods of time, I’d advise looking elsewhere.

Overall – 3.6/5

A bit of a mixed bag with these gloves. They’re certainly the best gardening gloves for style, and they offer good levels of padding across the palm. However, they are not as hardwearing or protective as you might expect – especially for the amount of leather in their construction.

These Heavy Duty Gardening Gloves look thick and protective – exactly the sort of thing you’d buy to safeguard against thorns, brambles, bites, or litter. Let’s see if they live up to their appearance.

Design – 3/5

Their bright yellow colour is easy to spot in the garden and the double stitching looks high quality with no loose threads.

The uppers are breathable, flexible and the insides are smooth – there’s very little leather excess inside at the fingertips.

Comfort – 4/5

These gardening gloves are marketed as unisex and they come up large. Ideally, I’d size down; when wearing the medium size, the little finger has a good 4 cm of excess length in it.

There’s a very small bit of elastic at the wrist, but it’s not enough to stop debris and water from going in.

Overall though, despite having no padding, they were oddly comfortable! The leather is soft enough to easily make a fist and they kept my hands bone dry in the wet autumn grass.

After an hour’s work, the leather remained extremely comfortable. I just wish I had a smaller size because these are some of the best gardening gloves for heavy-duty jobs – they’re lightweight and flexible.

Grip – 3.5/5

I raked leaves, clipped shrubs, and scrubbed down a hedgehog house.

They provided plenty of grip for the raking and clipping jobs despite the loose fit; however, they’re quite bulky so I feel they might not be suitable for intricate work.

Durability – 4/5

These garden gloves use nylon thread which is really tough, I couldn’t pull any stitching loose and they showed no sign of wear, other than dirt, after use.

I think these will last a long time with proper aftercare as well.

Value for Money – 4/5

There are two pairs of these waterproof gloves in the bag so they’re great value for tough landscaping and heavy-duty jobs.

Overall – 3.7/5

There’s no finesse – just standard hard-working gloves that are surprisingly comfortable. On the downside, they may be a little thick for more intricate jobs. But, overall, they’re breathable, flexible and comfortable to wear for extended periods.