When we realized that in all our years of writing we had never addressed the question of who makes the best work gloves, well…something had to be done. We quickly rallied the team and started discussing what makes one work glove better than another. We also want to cover all possible applications. The best gloves for the industry. Best glove for the money. leather gloves. Gloves for working with electronics. To be honest, this article has been written for a long time.
Of course, we had to start with our favorite gloves—the best work gloves overall. After much deliberation by our office staff, there may only be one option…you may not like it.
Overall Best Work Gloves
Firm Grip Nitrile Coated Gloves (15-Pack)
After trying every work glove imaginable, we've come to a simple conclusion: fancy padded work gloves wear out just as easily as cheap ones. Additionally, they often add bulk to your hand while reducing the dexterity of simple fabric nitrile-dipped gloves. For men who work on the job site every day, the best work gloves are a pair of lightweight coated fabric gloves that you can buy in bulk.
We get a 15-pack of Firm Grip Nitrile Coated Gloves for $9.88. We put two boxes on the work truck – a clean box and a dirty box. When we get to the job site, we grab a clean pair. At the end of the day, when they get dirty, they go into the dirty box. On weekends, we take out the dirty box, throw out any torn or broken shoes, and put the rest in the washer.
Not only do these gloves provide adequate basic protection, but they also allow you to pick up things like screws. They also work well with touchscreen devices like smartphones. While other companies add this as a feature, these cheap gloves work right out of the box…literally. They do this for less than $1/pair. Trust us, you won't be going back. We have a few more options, but they pertain to other applications that may require more than basic protection, so read on!
also recommended
- G&F Products Latex Double Coated Work Gloves (12-Pack) – ~$14.50
- Firm Grip Nitrile Coated Gloves (10-Pack) – ~$6.88
The Best Work Gloves for Using Smart Devices
GRX Palmwick 733 Nitrile Coated Gloves
We can't help but love the same gloves as above for smart devices, but Lowes' GRX Palwick 733 gloves offer even better performance. They also offer ANSI A3 cut protection – a nice bonus. Even after we soiled these gloves with dirt and wood chips, they continued to let us answer calls and even send text messages without major issues.
Honestly, these $9.98 gloves perform better than some gloves that claim to be especially good for touchscreens and smart devices!
Milwaukee Winter Performance Gloves
The Milwaukee Winter Performance Gloves put the emphasis on general protection and warmth. They include a reinforced layer between the thumb and forefinger and a nylon pull tab for easy removal. With 60 grams of insulation, these gloves keep the cold out better than most.
What's more, they don't ignore the fact that when you're working, you tend to sweat — even when it's cold outside. To that end, Milwaukee added terry cloth sweat towels on the thumb. You also get a handy SmartSwipe section on the knuckle, allowing you to use your phone or tablet without taking off your gloves. They run about $30 a pair.
also recommended
- Milwaukee Winter Demolition Gloves – $34.99
- Mechanix Wear Winter Gloves (Synthetic Leather) – $18.98 – $30
Best Work Gloves for Hot Weather
Ironclad EXOT Tactical Operator Impact Gloves
We choose the Ironclad EXOT Series Tactical Operator Impact Gloves as our best work gloves for hot weather for a number of reasons. Obviously, if you don't need as much protection, you can opt for summer gloves in thinner, breathable materials. However, if we're talking general protective work gloves that breathe, the Ironclad Tactical Operator Gloves make a lot of sense.
These protective work gloves feature a breathable back that allows air to flow (and wick away heat) where it's needed. You can also use the handy terrycloth sweat wipe on the back of your thumb. The synthetic leather won't shrink, so you can throw these gloves in the wash when needed. Finally, they offer this glove with a touchscreen capacitive feature (about $30) so you can use your smartphone.
These tactical gloves look cool, too—and they're available in black, green, or brown for about $25.
also recommended
- Ironclad GUG Universal Gloves – ~$16.59
- 212 Performance Nylon Multipurpose Gloves – ~$20–$35
Best Work Gloves for Electricians
Youngstown FR Leather Gloves
When picking the best work gloves for electricians, there are a few things that come to my mind. First off – are we talking about the lineman's insulated gloves? In this case, not really. These gloves have very standardized specifications to limit conductivity and insulate from high voltage and current power lines. We want to specialize in residential and commercial electrician wiring for homes, warehouses, industrial buildings and more.
Electricians need gloves that aren't too thick and can pick up screws. You need protection, but not at the expense of being able to use the tools and get the job done. Genuine leather gloves also perform great when pulling cables, stripping wires, or just using commercial hand tools. For this reason, we really like the Youngstown FR Leather Gloves with Kevlar Cut Protection. Wait – leather and Kevlar? Yes, please.
An all-around glove, these gloves provide everything from basic arc flash protection to cut resistance and general durability when working with cables and wires. A pair runs about $49, but they seem to hold up.
also recommended
- Smart Flame Retardant Arc Resistant Gloves with Neoprene Palm – about $20
- Makita Leather Palm Work Gloves – ~$25
Best Work Gloves for Handling Wood
Tight Grip Nitrile Coated Gloves
The best work gloves for handling wood should provide protection from splinters without losing the tactile feel your tools and fasteners need. Here we like the Firm Grip Nitrile Coated Gloves for most general construction work. This includes working with wood and most of our power and hand tools are used.
Are we including these twice in our list? No. Once you jump on board with your cheap nitrile-coated gloves, we think you'll be hooked. At $10 for a 15-pack, we sure did.
Editor's note: Do not wear gloves when operating table and miter saws. Gloves can get caught in the blade because they reach farther than your hand. Once snagged, they can pull your hand into the blade and cause serious injury. It is much better to operate these tools with bare hands. Likewise, you also want to avoid wearing loose gloves when running your circular saw.
Best Landscaping Work Gloves
Milwaukee Leather Performance Gloves
For landscaping, there's nothing like a nice pair of leather gloves. You want something that can handle thorns – at least that's what we do when we're working near or around holly bushes. Don't get us started on bougainvilleas! For this we generally recommend standard garden goatskin gloves from any supplier. They usually cost around $24. But then came the Milwaukee Leather Performance Gloves. And, well, we're tool people—so why not have a pair of gloves that do double duty?
Perhaps the toughest leather (for gloves) comes from goats. For this reason, we love goatskin leather gloves. Their surface is less porous than most materials and resists abrasion and punctures. This makes them ideal for most gardening tasks.
They also feel good — they make you feel what you're doing. You also get a built-in SmartSwipe touchscreen compatible knuckle and a built-in terry cloth sweat wipe. When these Milwaukee Leather gloves came out, we thought they would cost a lot more. For around $26 a pair, you really can't go wrong.
Best Work Gloves for Warehouse Work
Maxiflex 34-874 Ultimate Glove
The Maxiflex 34-874 Ultimate gloves are available in a three-pack for less than $14 and provide adequate protection for warehouse work. You won't get significant cut protection when dealing with metal, however, we've found that just using a simpler nitrile coating works wonders. These gloves also last longer than some of the more disposable suggestions we've come up with so far.
If wearing gloves is part of your job, these gloves offer great dexterity, breathability, and protection without overdoing or breaking the bank. They also give you longer wrist protection than normal, which helps with lifting materials like trays. You can get 3 pairs for $20, or 12 pairs for $55.
also recommended
- Maxiflex Endurance 34-844 – $18.50 (pack of 6)
- Ironclad GUG General Utility Work Gloves – ~$30 (traditional style with impact protection)
The best work gloves for the money
Klein Tools 60188 Leather Work Gloves
While we obviously prefer our best work gloves, I had to chime in and briefly talk about a pair of gloves that I actually like. While I'm definitely leaning towards saving money by using disposable gloves, I do like the Klein Tools 60188 Leather Work Gloves. They fit great, I love the goat leather, they have a breathable back and padded palm. You can also use your smartphone to answer calls or browse websites — though Klein doesn't advertise this as a feature.
They're under $20/pair, not the cheapest gloves you can buy, but mine have been in use for a few months. I love the fit and feel and they serve as my go-to gloves when I just want more protection than my nitrile gloves.
What to Look for in the Best Work Gloves
When shopping for the best work gloves, there are a few key areas you need to look at. We always start with big companies and work our way down.
Why Wear Work Gloves?
Before you pick out a pair of work gloves, figure out why you want them. It may be for work, or it may be for protection. Then you have to figure out what it is you need to protect. Influence? reduce? What material do you handle? Do you need multiple pairs of gloves designed for different applications, or one glove with multiple uses?
Asking these questions can help in setting you up with the right work glove. You can't simply accept other people's recommendations. Gloves that protect your palms from being crushed but get your fingers scratched by pieces of metal are doing you no good! So the cut protection itself probably doesn't "cut" (pun intended) either.
work glove material
We love that work gloves are now available in a variety of materials. To include everything, separate articles are required. Now, know that gloves come in a variety of leathers, synthetic blends, woven fabrics, and other materials, including rubber, nitrile, latex, and vinyl. Some combine these materials to achieve various goals.
The material will only do so much to provide the grip, protection and feel you need. Doctors operate without leather gloves! In the same way, you need a material that provides cut protection when handling certain materials. Nitrile (alone) won't stop the sharp metal edges of the AC ductwork from cutting you.
A good example is gardening. Leather is all the rage here, but synthetics now offer similar puncture, tear and cut protection that didn't exist 10 years ago. When you need to be in hotter climates (like Florida!)
cut protection
If you haven't already, check out our article on ANSI cut grades for an explanation of cut protection levels. When handling sheet metal, HVAC ducts, roofing metal, or similar items, you need a pair of gloves that provide cut protection. How much depends on the job or the type of work you do.
Newer gloves incorporate materials such as Kevlar and similar products into woven fabrics for cut protection and breathability. We also see that these gloves have been treated with a nitrile coating so they offer more protection and grip.
impact protection
One thing our top recommendations for the best work gloves don't offer is impact resistance. For that, you'll need something with a PVD reinforced padding on the back of your work glove. The best padded work gloves also tend to include reinforcements for the thumb and palm. These gloves are effective when you need to handle heavier items that might squeeze or otherwise impact your hands or fingers while working.
Ever looked at a "review" site, but you can't tell if they actually tested the tools, or if they were just "recommending" Amazon bestsellers? That's not us. We won't recommend anything unless we've actually used it ourselves, and we don't really care who the major retailers are. It's all about providing you with sound recommendations and our honest opinions on each product.
We've been in business since 2008, covering tools, writing reviews and industry news coverage for the construction, automotive and lawn care industries. Our professional reviewers work in the industry and have the skills and experience to see if a tool will perform well in the field.
Every year, we introduce and review more than 250 individual products. Our teams will use hundreds of other tools at media events and trade shows throughout the year.