Good gloves are an essential for landscaping and most manual work and even more so when its outdoors and you are dealing with heavy or rough materials.
We have reviewed 10 of the best gloves for building, landscaping and gardening to make sure they will protect your hands from injury while not inhibiting your movement too much.
We look at what is important in a glove such as durability, grip, comfort, etc.
Ideally you want the best protection for your hands and safety should be paramount.
It’s worth spending time researching what glove will suit you personally as well as offer good resistance against whatever it is that you need them for.
This article has been written by professionals who know what it takes to do hard outdoor manual work day after day. We have out our top recommendations right hear for quick access but if you want to know how to select your own then we have a in depth guide towards the bottom of the page.
Which type of gloves should you go for?
The type of glove you should choose depends on what you will use it for. For gardening in good weather a leather glove will be great with its good grip, great puncture resistance and high durability.
Gloves for landscaping want to prioritise durability, grip, weather resistance and flexibility.
This will probably lead you to some synthetic gloves with a breathable back and protective front.
For builders and other tradesmen you will likely need good thermal, weather resistance and durability. This will probably lead you to a leather or neoprene glove with reinforced palm, knuckle guard and backhand protection.
Which one is best?
Our preference is to go with a synthetic, robust combo which has great durability and works for almost every task. We have tested many types of glove and these seem to give by far the most bang for your buck.
OX Thermal latex work gloves
These are our top recommendation because they offer the best balance for heavy outdoor work such as landscaping. They have a good grip, cut resistant protection and very high durability due to their double rubber coating.
With their rock bottom price tag these gloves are an absolute winner for most garden, landscape and building work.
Whistling Dixie PPE Gloves
For cut resistance, flexibility, chemical protection and durability the Whistling Dixie PPE Gloves are a winner. They are also a good value for money.
These gloves are best for those working indoors or in good weather as they don’t have weather protection and aren’t as heat resistant.
However, they are the most durable gloves we have tried out there and will last you for many seasons to come.
They also offer a good level of cut resistance which makes them ideal for anyone who needs to handle glass or other sharp objects on a regular basis.
Thorn proof leather gloves
These are king when it comes to durability and comfort, with a sleek design for to enhance dexterity they be a good choice for fiddly garden tasks.
However, they don’t have any chemical resistance so would not be ideal for working with substances like oils or chemicals which you might encounter when landscaping or in tasks related to building work.
These gloves are best suited to people working outdoors in the garden or in hot conditions as they offer good heat resistance.
Long gauntlet leather gloves
100% GENUINE GRAIN COWHIDE: The glove is made of high-quality genuine grain cowhide which offers superior abrasion and puncture resistance. You’ll be comfortable, flexible to wear! Thorns? Scratches?? Not with these gloves on your hands!
These gloves will provide you with excellent protection for: Gardening, Landscaping and Building work.
Machine washable and dries quickly so they’ll always be ready to use again!
They don’t have great weather resistance so anyone outside for long periods may prefer another option.
What to look for when selecting gloves for landscaping, building and gardening.
Grip
Good grip is essential for many tasks especially when you’re working with things like metal, paving slabs, timber or brick. T
he last thing you need is for heavy objects to slip through your fingers and land on your toes or even worse, get jammed up in machinery.
The grip needs to be good in all weather conditions and when your hands are wet too.
Gloves with the best grip tend to have a textured palm and finger pads.
A lot of manufacturers use synthetic rubber or nitrile to provide grip but unless its specifically designed for outdoor work, the material can be less than durable.
Pinch resistance
This is one not many people consider but is extremely important when lifting heavy objects. Our team always opt for gloves which protect the ends of their fingers from pinching.
When laying slabs this is especially important and can cause some nasty injuries if your gloves are too thin.
Here the trick is to get some thicker gloves which have stiff protective rubber ends which will not allow you skin to be pinched under the weight of your materials.
Durability
Gloves need to withstand the rigours of everyday use and not fall apart after a few days or weeks because they haven’t been made properly using quality materials.
We have tested man of the gloves which claim to be “durable” and found them to be almost disposable with the worst of them lasting less than a day paving before they get holes in the ends.
Gloves with a silicone coating tend to be more resistant than those without one but it will also come down to personal preference as there are both advantages and disadvantages.
There are some very durable gloves made from leather which do last for a while but leather gloves have significant downsides for outdoor work such as very bad weather resistance.
Puncture resistance
For anyone dealing with thorny plants, nails or other sharp objects you will want to consider how resident your gloves are to punctures. Small thorns getting through and irritating your hands can be uncomfortable, putting your hand down on a nail could me much worse!
Whether you are landscaping, building or gardening puncture resistance should be up there with the most important factors as injuries can put you out of action for days or months.
The best gloves for puncture resistance are those which have reinforced stitching and a high-durability synthetic material such as Kevlar or Cordura to protect against puncture damage.
Flexibility
The flexibility of the glove is also important as it determines what tasks you can do and your comfort at the same time.
If for example, you need to be able to use your fingers then go for thinner gloves that allow some movement but not too much stretch.
Be aware that thinner gloves often lack the extra protection that thicker gloves have, so if you are doing something like heavy construction work then go for a heavier glove.
Fitting size
This one goes without saying but its still worth saying, check the fitting size. Some gloves come in very small or large sizes so make sure you check everything out to avoid disappointment.
Weather resistance
You might only need to use one pair of gloves for a limited time but if you’re working outside where there is lots of harsh weather such as rain, snow and wind then it’s important that they are made from something which can hold up in these conditions.
Unfortunately, getting weather resistant gloves is still a trade off. We are still on the hunt for gloves which are waterproof, breathable, durable and don’t cost the earth. We will let you know when we find them.
Many cheaper waterproof gloves will be made from rubber which has no breathability and generally has poor durability.
Its best to go for something which has reasonable weather resistance but which has the other properties you need too.
Our team all have to pairs of gloves each so when one gets wet they can switch to a nice dry pair.
Price Range
Before you start looking at gloves make sure that you have a budget in mind.
You can find some really good quality, high performing gloves which will last for years but they don’t come cheap and if your budget is tight then it’s better to get something inexpensive but still does the job well enough.
We have found the sweet spot to be at the cheaper end.
Accepting that your gloves will ware out is a good idea.
One way of thinking about this is in usable hours. On the poor end of the scale some gloves will give you 10 – 20 hours of moderate use before they have holes in them. On the better end you can get 100 hours or more of heavy use.
All the products that we talk about in this blog post meet our criteria for good quality gloves depending on what you are using them for.
Breathability
Breathability is particularly important when you are working outdoors. You want to keep your hands dry so they stay warmer and more comfortable, plus there’s the added bonus that you won’t be too smelly from all of the sweaty work!
Leather gloves generally have poor breathability, as do any which are coated in plastic. We find that the half dipped gloves with a rubber front and fabric back have the best breathability, which is why we recommend them.
Wrist protection
You might not think it but your wrists are a really vulnerable part of the body for manual work so you need to protect them with gloves that have good wrist support.
Tighter gloves can add some wrist support and better grip can reduce the strain on your wrists.
Thermal properties
Planning on working outside in the winter? With bad gloves you will be in a world of pain.
Take a look at the glove design and make sure that they will offer enough protection from the cold.
Opt for those made from synthetic materials which stay warm when wet.
Leather, cotton and similar materials do a very bad job of staying warm and are not recommended if you are going to be working outdoors for long periods of time.
Vibration resistance
For anyone using vibrating handled machines it could be a good idea to looking at vibration resistant gloves. Anyone in a trade will know that excessive vibration can cause a lot of hand problems. This is especially true when you start to get older.
If you like working with handsaws, manual drills etc then these gloves can be a real find and will usually come at a fairly reasonable price too!
Vibration resistant gloves use gel or other padding to absorb the vibrations from tools and equipment. If you have any concerns about the health of your hands then this is a good place to spend some money!
Of course no glove will protect you entirely so always follow best practices when working with vibrating tools.
