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If you love to garden eventually you will find yourself needing to prune or remove something thorny. Make sure you have the best garden gloves for thorns on hand and ready to protect yourself while you work!
When you’re gardening it’s important to have a good pair of garden gloves on hand
But if you are pruning roses, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, and other prickly plants then having thorn-proof gloves to protect your hands is a must
In a hurry? This is our top pick for both men and women. It has great coverage and is water resistant too!
What Kinds Of Gloves Are Good For Thorns?
Traditional cotton gloves just won’t stand up to these kinds of thorny plants and to keep your garden looking it’s best you need to keep up on the pruning. Gloves made from leather-like goatskin or pigskin and strong synthetic fabrics will do a better job protecting your hands and arms when pruning or clearing brush.
Good Wrist Closures
The best garden gloves have either an elastic or velcro closure around the wrist band. This is very helpful to keep your glove fitting well and not sliding off when you are working.
It also helps to keep dirt, small leaves, and other garden trash from falling down inside the gloves.
Reinforced Fingertips
The fingertips are one of the most important parts of your work gloves. They get the most use and are often the first part of the glove to start fraying and getting holes. If you work in rocky or sandy soil or are handling strong brambles often your gloves will take a beating.
The best gloves have an extra layer of material in the fingertips to help keep them from wearing out too quickly. This also helps to protect your fingers from thick thorns when you grab a branch, stinging insects and trash you may be cleaning up.
Double Stitched Seams
Gloves that are double stitched will last longer than single stitched seams. It gives them extra strength and has the added benefit that if the stitching on one seams fails it’s backed up by the second seam.
Good Protection
Just like looking for reinforced fingers, you need to make sure the gloves have padding in the right places.
Gloves with padding in the fingers, knuckles, and palms will help to keep you safe from thorns and prickles in the garden. Look for gauntlet gloves, these offer great arm protection for when you need to reach into rose bushes.
Flexibility
Garden gloves really need to be flexible. Don’t think that just because you are just trimming branches that a stiff glove is ok. It’s quite the opposite really!
You need to have a good grip on the branches large or small and be able to hold pruning shears securely. Make sure to buy gloves that let your fingers move freely and feel comfortable to you.
Best Garden Gloves For Thorns
Best Coverage & Water Resistant: LilGardens Long Thorn Proof Garden Gloves
Leather Gardening Gloves for Women and Men
These luxury garden gloves
The long cuff protects your arms from thorns when pruning and unlike most gloves, they have a drawstring along the edge so you can tighten them to fit your arms. This keeps dirt, branches, and other debris from falling inside your gloves.
You can also fold the gauntlets down if you don’t need the arm protection.
The palm is reinforced for added protection and comfort, the soft leather is very flexible and molds to your hand.
As an extra bonus, the gloves have been treated to be water-resistant. So if you find your self working in the early morning dew or rain these gloves are made to hold up just fine.
These are one of the best garden gloves for pruning thorny plants you can buy.
Pros
- Made from 100% top grain cowhide
- Soft and flexible with reinforced palm padding.
- Water resistant
- Elastic cinch to keep dirt, bugs, and debris out of your gloves.
Cons:
- A little more expensive than other gloves.
Best Leather: Legacy Gardens Leather Gardening Gloves for Women and Men
Legacy Gardens Leather Gardening Gloves for Women and Men
If you’re looking for a garden glove tough enough for pruning thorny plants but flexible enough for everyday garden work you’ll love these Legacy garden gloves.
Designed for professional rose gardeners these gloves are made from grade A goatskin leather. With long gauntlets, they proved great protection for your arms while still being breathable.
These gloves are also hypoallergenic to help you avoid any skin irritations while you’re working. The thick but breathable design make these a great choice for garden work in all seasons.
Pros
- Made from strong but comfortable real goatskin leather.
- Hypoallergenic
- Accurate sizing chart.
- Gloves are flexible enough to use for everyday garden gloves.
- Wide gauntlets that allow for good air circulation.
Cons
- Some say the gloves had a strong smell when first opening them.
Best For Arthritis And Comfort: Exemplary Gardens Rose Pruning Gloves For Men And Women
Growing roses is so much fun but these plants can really bite! It’s not just the odd prickle either, rose thorns can really rip your skin. These injuries can be dangerous especially if you have sensitive skin or health problems.
These rose pruning gloves are designed to keep you protected from hand to elbow. The hands are made from goatskin leather that is soft and flexible, while the gauntlets are made from durable cowhide.
These gloves are treated with lanolin to keep your hands moisturized while working.
They have been specially designed to have ergonomically designed thumbs making it easier to hold garden tools. An excitant choice for people with arthritis or sensitive skin.
With over 2000 positive reviews this is one of the most popular pruning gloves available.
Pros
- Made from 100% leather, goat grain on the hands and cowhide on the cuffs.
- Cuffs extend to the elbows making it easy to prune rose bushes.
- Soft and flexible with natural lanolin moisturizing.
- Ergonomically designed, great for people with arthritis.
Cons
- Sizing seems to run a little small.
- People with thicker than average wrists may find these gloves too tight.
- Some of the color variations are prone to bleeding and staining color, while the white versions don’t seem to have this problem.
Best Short Cuff: NoCry Long Leather Rose Pruning Gardening Gloves For Men and Women
These rose pruning gloves from NoCry
Made from goatskin leather these gloves are very strong but still very soft and supple. You almost think you’re wearing a great pair of driving gloves when working.
These pruning gloves feature double thickness leather on the fingers to protect you from pricks and
Pros
- Strong goatskin leather.
- Extremely soft, supple and comfortable to work in.
- Double thickness protection on the fingers.
- Comes in multiple sizes for men and woman.
Cons
- The cuff is rather short it would be nice to have an elbow length gauntlet option.
- Some have found the red dye on the cuffs has stained their arms.
Best Budget: G & F Florist Pro Long Sleeve Rose gardening Gloves
These budget-friendly garden gloves from G & F are a great choice for pruning roses. Made from synthetic leather they are easily washed and stay strong and soft.
The cuffs provide protection about midway up your arms too. The gauntlets offer good coverage and are loose enough that they can be worn up your arms or folded down to allow for more airflow.
These gloves do tend to be warmer than other gloves because they have extra padding to protect your hands when working.
Pros
- Made from washable synthetic leather.
- Wrist gauntlets offer good coverage.
- Strong gloves that are lined for extra protection.
Cons
- Tend to be warm because of the extra lining.
- The wrist cuffs are wider than some other gloves so you can end up with leaves and dirt getting into the inside of the glove.
Best All Purpouse : Parva Garden Rose Gloves Gardening for Women and Men
If you’re looking for a pair of heavy-duty thorn-proof gloves you’ll love these ones from Parva. Made from a blend of leather and synthetic leather it gives you very flexible gloves that are also puncture resistant.
The leather is soft and flexible enough that you can easily handle pruning shears and other garden tools without the clumsy feeling many other garden gloves leave you with.
The long cuffs protect your arms right up to the elbow so there is no need to wear a heavy shirt or coat when working in hot weather. You really appreciate this good coverage when clearing or pruning brambles or climbing roses!
Available in multiple sizes for men and woman this makes a great all-purpose garden glove if you grow a lot of thorny plants.
Pros
- Accurate sizing
- Durable but flexible making them easy to prune with.
- Long gauntlets to keep your arms protected up to your elbow.
Cons
- Some say cactus thorns still went through these gloves.
Best Synthetic For Women: Magid Professional Rose Pruning Thornproof Garden Gloves For Women
Professional Rose Pruning Thornproof Gardening Gloves with Extra Long Forearm Protection for Women
These professional rose pruning gloves from Magid are well designed to protect you from thorns in your garden.
Made from puncture resistant synthetic leather they also include extra padding for your palms, reinforced fingertips with knuckle guards for extra protection against thorny plants.
They have a long, elbow-length gauntlet cuff that really helps to protect your arms when working. This makes it easy to reach into rose bushes when pruning without scratching your arms
These gloves are comfortable to wear for most garden chores but are not flexible enough to wear when weeding smaller weeds.
Pros
- Heavy duty with extra padding in the palms and reinforced fingers.
- Long cuffs that protect your arms from thorns.
- Elastic around the wrist to keep the gloves from falling off.
- A great option for working outside in hot weather, no need to wear long-sleeved shirts or jackets with the long arm cuffs.
Cons
- These gloves seem to run a bit small in size
- Some find the fingers run a bit short if you have longer then average fingers you may find these gloves uncomfortable.
Best Breathable Glove For Men: Magid Professional Rose Pruning Thornproof Gardening Gloves with Extra Long Forearm Protection For Men
Professional Rose Pruning Thornproof Gardening Gloves with Extra Long Forearm Protection for Men
These garden gloves from Magid are made from synthetic leather with extra padding in the palms and reinforced fingertips, providing puncture resistance.
The extra knuckle guard helps to keep you save when grabbing on to thorny plants but some still say they’ve had strong thorns go through.
With elbow-length gauntlets, these rose gloves will help to keep your arms protected when reaching into rose bushes. Yet, the cuffs are loose enough that you can wear a long-sleeved shirt without the need to roll the sleeves up.
The blue material on the back is stretchy and breathable making them comfortable to wear in warm weather.
Pros
- The ends of the glove are angled so they don’t bunch up around your elbows.
- The mesh fabric on the back helps to keep your hands cool but still provides protection.
- Extra padding on the palm and protective material over the knuckles.
Cons
- These gloves tend to run a size smaller than normal.
- Doesn’t provide whole hand thorn protection.
- Not machine washable.
Keep Your Hands Protected
Remember to always wear good high-quality garden gloves when pruning thorns! Often the features one gardener needs is very different from what another garden finds important. I hope this garden glove review has helped you to decide what pair will suit your yard work the best.
Do you have a friend who’s looking for the best gardening gloves for their next pruning job? Share this post with them so they have the information they need to find what’s best for them too.
Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.