Duluth Trading work gloves review Reviews

Duluth Trading Work Gloves: Product Review

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.


Duluth Trading Work Gloves Review

Note: This review is for both the men’s and women’s Work Gloves from the Duluth Trading Company.

While not technically “gardening gloves,” the Duluth Work Gloves are a welcome addition to the collection of gloves used in my garden.

If you’re like me, you prefer not to risk close encounters with sharp objects and stinging/biting critters in the garden (like the scorpion that tried to sting my boot last week). So a well-fitting and tough pair of gardening gloves is a must-have.

Gardening gloves come in a wide range of styles, materials, and price points, each intended for different uses. If you’re looking for durable gloves that can take a beating, don’t bother with the cotton or nitrile gloves. You’ll want leather palms and reinforced finger tips, double-stitched seams, and a strong material that’s still flexible and breathable.

Duluth Trading Work Gloves are tough and flexible

Duluth Trading Work Gloves are tough yet flexible enough to use for gardening tasks

I’ve tried a lot of gardening gloves over the years, many of which didn’t stand up to regular use in the garden, let alone the kind of heavy duty work I tend to do – moving rocks, digging in gravel, carrying firewood, and pruning deadwood. But the Duluth Work Gloves have taken everything I’ve thrown at them without any signs of damage. And, best of all, they’ve kept my hands safe, clean and comfortable.

My husband and I evaluated the men’s and women’s gloves over the last month be using them for everything from general gardening tasks (digging, planting, watering, pruning) to hauling rocks and gravel, cutting down a dead mesquite tree (very hard wood!), and demolition/construction. Here’s what we found:

Great Fit

The Duluth Work Gloves fit perfectly. The men’s and women’s models are sized differently – each was designed specifically to fit a man’s or a woman’s hand so the women’s gloves are a little narrower, including the width of the fingers and wrist. The design of the back of the hand is also a little different, with more rugged knuckle protection on the men’s gloves and a different wrist closure. But, for the rest, they’re pretty much the same.

men's and women's work gloves from Duluth Trading

Men’s (left) and women’s (right) work gloves from Duluth Trading have similar features but are sized differently.

We used the sizing chart to determine the proper fit and it was fairly accurate for both men and women. For an everyday work glove, you may want to go with a slightly looser fit, but for gardening I recommend a snug fit to give you a better “feel” for the objects you’re handling.

Surprisingly Flexible

Flexibility is an important characteristic of good gardening gloves and the Duluth Work Gloves measure up well. My husband was even able to tie his shoe laces while wearing the gloves – something he typically isn’t able to do while wearing other work gloves.

The synthetic leather palms and fingers have strategically-placed cut-outs that make it easier to close your hand but still provide protection where you need it most. The back of the glove is made of 95% nylon with 5% spandex that gives it extra stretch in all directions without sagging.

Padded for Extra Protection

I expected the palms to be padded (they’re very lightly padded and reinforced with synthetic leather) but I wasn’t expecting the back of the knuckles and thumb to also be padded. That turned out to be a nice feature that makes the gloves extra comfortable and has saved my knuckles from some nasty bruises.

padding on Duluth work gloves

The work gloves have extra padding on the back of the knuckles (not shown here), as well as on the palm and fingers, yet they’re still flexible

Reinforced Finger Tips

The finger tips have an interesting design in which the synthetic leather is rolled over the end of the finger. Normally, you’d have a seam (or two) at the end of the finger, which reduces dexterity and can sometimes be quite uncomfortable. The Rolltop® design on the Duluth Work Gloves means that there’s no seam at the tip of the finger, making it more comfortable to wear and easier to handle delicate objects.

rolled fingertips on Duluth trading work gloves

The rolled fingertips on the Duluth work gloves eliminate seams that can otherwise be uncomfortable.

Breathable

I was concerned that the gloves would be too warm given all of the leather and padding but they breathe well. They’re not waterproof so I wouldn’t use them in wet conditions and while they’re a little warmer than a typical gardening glove, they’re not intended for use in cold weather.

Snug Cuff

The cuff is high enough to prevent debris from easily falling into your gloves but not so high that it impedes wrist movement.

On the women’s gloves, the elastic at the wrist keeps it from gaping but could be a little tighter (at least on my size medium gloves). The men’s glove comes with a hook-and-loop closure that keeps the glove snug at the wrist – something that I’d really like to see on the women’s gloves as well. The product description says that the women’s glove has a “surgical-grade hook-and-loop closure that won’t pick up hair or debris” but that’s not actually true – there’s no closure other than the elastic around the wrist.

Reinforced Tab for Easy On and Off

There’s a very handy reinforced tab on the inside of the wrist to help you pull on (and off) your gloves. It’s firmly attached to the leather palm so you won’t stretch the cuff as you put your gloves on.

reinforced tab on Duluth work gloves

You can see the reinforced tab at the wrist on both the men’s (left) and women’s (right) work gloves.

Machine Washable

We put the gloves through the wash a dozen times and line dried them. Each time, they came out looking and feeling like new.

Recommendation

5 Shovels Rating from Gardening Products ReviewThe Duluth Work Glove is a tough but comfortable glove. While it works well for rough work, like handling rocks or logs, it’s also an excellent all-round gardening glove. I wouldn’t use it for delicate work, like handling seedlings or deadheading flowers, but for tasks like digging, pruning, or planting, it’s a good choice.

Where to Buy

At $24.50, these work gloves are reasonably priced. They’re available in blue for women and brown or black for men, and come in sizes Small through Extra Large (women) or 2XL (men).

The gloves can be bought online from the Duluth Trading Company or in their Duluth Trading Company stores in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Men’s Work Gloves >> Buy Here

Women’s Work Gloves >> Buy Here

Now over to you – Which are your favorite gardening gloves? Let us know in the comments below!

And if you liked this review, please [OptinLink id=1]sign up for our weekly newsletter[/OptinLink] with reviews and helpful articles.

Disclaimer – GPReview would like to thank the Duluth Trading Company for giving us two free pairs of work gloves to review. There was no expectation that it would be a positive review and we received no compensation for writing it. All opinions expressed here are those of the author based on personal experience using the product.

Other Gardening Glove Reviews

Enjoyed This Review?

If you liked this review, please sign up for our email updates with reviews, how-to articles and gardening videos!

Disclaimer – GPReview would like to thank the manufacturer/distributor for giving us a free sample to review. There was no expectation that it would be a positive review and we received no compensation for writing it. All opinions expressed here are those of the author based on personal experience using the product.

Please note that the Amazon links (and only the Amazon links) above are affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase products through these links, GPReview will make a small commission (at no extra cost to you) that helps to support this website and our gardening product reviews. Thank you!

4 Comments on Duluth Trading Work Gloves: Product Review

  1. I love, love, love my Bionic Rose gloves. Good protection and fabulous flexibility. Great fit. They fit like, well, like a glove! I wear them for all garden jobs where there is even the slightest chance of scratching my arms, not just when pruning roses.

    • Thanks for sharing your experience, Cathy. It’s always nice when you find a pair of gardening gloves that are just perfect for you.

      I’ve heard good things about the Bionic gloves in general. We’re currently testing them out so stay tuned for the review!

    • I’m working with the rose gloves right now – the review’s not ready but I did publish a review of the Bionic ReliefGrip garden gloves. Absolutely love them! Review is here: /bionic-reliefgrip-gardening-gloves-review/. AND there’s a special offer for GPReview readers! Thanks for suggesting these gloves, Cathy!

Comments are closed.