On This Steep Hillside
We've tried a number of garden gloves over the last four years and finally settled on one pair. After falling for the extra-padded, touch-screen compatible, adjustable wrist strap and waterproof layer features of various gloves, there is one gardening glove that stands out from the rest: the Showa Atlas NT370 Nitrile Garden Gloves (in assorted colours). So, to get right to it....
The Feel
As a woman with smaller hands who makes good use of her garden gloves, it has been difficult to find suitable gloves that hold a waterproofing element, are snug (but not too snug), have excellent grip and protection, and allow a relatively good sensation of touch. This last feature is particularly useful when using the glove not just for gardening but DIY, construction and other jobs where fiddly hardware is required such as small nails, screws or inserting drip water emitters. The Showa Atlas glove comes in single or multi-packs. My six-pack features pink, purple, green and orange colours. When you slide the glove on, its elasticated cuff grips snugly (but not too tightly) around your wrist, preventing dirt and other gardening debris from slipping down into the glove or around your watch band. Choose the best size that fits and when you move your fingers, you'll find that the range of motion is full and unhindered. After eight hours of use, especially in the summer months, I have been pleased to find that there has been no sweat build-up. The glove overall is well-ventilated. The waterproof coating is flexible and sufficient for most of the hand.
The Alternatives
In searching for the best gardening gloves for women, I have tried several gloves quite different from this Showa Atlas glove and have ended up annoyed or disappointed. After regular use or repetitive motion, my old Digz gloves rubbed and became unusable for significant amounts of work or repetitive tasks such as sweeping or digging. Their thickness also prevented me from doing particular jobs, i.e. working with seedlings, thereby obliging me to work without any gloves whatsoever. Fully waterproof gloves did not ventilate well, causing a build-up of unpleasant sweat on the inside of the gloves. Touch-screen compatibility over many glove models ceased as soon as dirt got on the darling fingertip, and the perk was a hit-or-miss from the start. Sometimes it is simply better to take off a glove and touch the screen with a clean hand! These other models were short-lived and ended up on the FREE table at the end of the drive.
Pros and Cons
The Showa Atlas not only feels good on the hand, it moves well, protects from dirt and what-not and is easy to find when I've set the pair down without thinking--thanks to the bright colours. It's snug for a small lady's hand and offers months of hard use before the next colour comes out of the package. The best features of these gloves:
Well-fitting for small (and up to large) hands
Flexible and breathable
Waterproof (aside from upper/back portion of the hand)
Cuff blocks dirt/debris
Thin protective-waterproof layer allows for good sensation of touch through the glove
Great glove for taking to the grocery store or gas station during this Covid era
These are my go-to gloves for almost every job. There are a few things however that make them "not ideal". Here are their cons:
There is no gauntlet-style alternative, giving you protection up the forearm.
If you are using them near thorny roses or splintery wood, the protective layer is too thin and easily punctures, losing its waterproof benefit.
If you use them as protection from tools that throw sparks (a grinder, perhaps), the small hot filings will melt holes into the gloves' material--both the waterproof and stretchy uncoated layer, but in particular, the back-hand mesh layer.
While they last for months with hard use, drying in the dryer removes the rubbery grip and changes it to a less flexible, plastic-like smooth feel. PVC pipe-fitting glues also have the same effect on the rubbery material.
Verdict
These are the best gardening gloves for women that I've ever used and I even use them when I'm out there pruning the roses (carefully). My husband uses the black version for all DIY around here (his uses of which would fill a blog's worth simple of relatable keywords!); wood splitting, concrete work and general avoiding-muck jobs. You won't be disappointed with this colourful pack.
Or check out our Brit Bit for British inspired garden ideas and solutions for our California hillside garden and the unique solutions it requires!
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