Garden Gloves: Are You Using the Right Ones?

String Knit Glove

• Used for general purpose work applications.
• Provides cut and abrasion resistance.
• Some styles are coated with a polymer to provide added protection or to provide a better grip.
• May be constructed of cotton, a cotton/polyester blend, synthetic fibers and high-performance fibers.

Cotton Glove

• General-purpose glove for performing a variety of tasks around the home and garden.
• Offers good comfort and breathability.
• Quilted style is good for heavy, multi-purpose applications and added heat protection.
• Chore gloves are for general purpose work.
  
• Some gloves may be marketed for specific tasks, such as garden gloves with patterns or designs to attract certain types of buyers.
• May be cotton or cotton/polyester blend, canvas, jersey or terrycloth. Often has a knit wrist.
• Some styles may have PVC dots to improve gripping ability and durability.

Leather Glove

• May be solid leather for heavy-duty applications or have a leather palm.
• Durable and long lasting glove. Handles a wide variety of applications.
• Construction materials include cowskin, pigskin, goatskin and deerskin.
• Driving gloves offer dexterity when operating equipment.
• Welding gloves offer protection from heat and sparks in welding applications.
• Gunn pattern leather palm gloves offer protection from rough objects, sparks and for cushioning blows.
• Clute pattern leather palm gloves offer the best economy in leather protection.

Supported Glove

• Protects against solvents and resists chemicals, cuts punctures and abrasions.
• May be constructed of neoprene, nitrile, PVC, rubber or vinyl.
• One style is a coating over a lining of cotton or other fabric. The fabric helps insulate and adds comfort.
• Another style is dipped, where the PVC or other material does not have a fabric lining.
• Neoprene offers the most chemical protection and flexibility.
• Nitrile offers good abrasion resistance.
• PVC offers good liquid and solvent protection.
• Rubber offers good gripping power and cut and puncture resistance.
• Vinyl offers breathability, gripping power and minimizes absorption.

Unsupported Gloves

• Good for applications requiring dexterity and mild chemical resistance, or disposable gloves.
• Thin gauges offer a better sense of touch while a heavy gauge offers more protection.
• May be constructed of latex, nitrile, neoprene, vinyl, polyethylene or blends.
• Some styles are lined.

Courtesy of NRHA.org