Digging Gloves and Normal Gloves: What’s the Difference?

Most people enjoy gardening as a relaxing and fulfilling pastime, but let’s be honest, it can also be a dirty job. If you’ve attempted it barehanded, you’re probably familiar with gritty nails, stained hands, a few splinters, scrapes and broken nails. Gardening gloves are a must no matter what type of gardening you’re doing.

Besides keeping your hands clean they also protect you from nasty bacteria that can enter through your skin or get stuck under your fingernails. If you already have a pair of gardening gloves, is it really necessary to get digging gloves too? Yes! We highly recommend you get a pair of digging gloves. The two pairs are distinctly different. Here’s why.

The Purpose

Regular gardening gloves are designed to keep your hands clean, provide a better grip when using garden tools and can provide some form of protection, especially from splinters or branches. They are however not always waterproof and don’t protect against sharp thorns or nails that can still penetrate through the glove lining. The fingertips of these gloves are usually the first to show wear, and although they may be very useful when doing pruning or holding tools, they won’t be suitable for digging if the fingertips aren’t reinforced.

The Material

Gardening gloves are often made from fabric or even a very thin rubber. Fabric gloves are, however, not fully waterproof and can tear or easily let sharp objects such as broken glass or thorns through.

Digging gloves, on the other hand, are made specifically to protect and enhance your fingertips for the job at hand. They are made to last through many adventures in mud and hard soil. Most digging gloves are reinforced to protect your hands and fingers from biting insects and sharp objects or rocky areas. Digging gloves are generally waterproof, tear-resistant and puncture-resistant. Many good-quality digging gloves are also breathable to prevent sweating and slipping inside the glove while working.

Claws

One thing that makes digging gloves extra unique is the claws you’ll find on the fingertips. Three or four of the fingertips will feature durable hard plastic claws that allow you to dig with more efficiency and save your own nails. Digging gloves practically replace the need for a hand spade and will get into hard soil, mud, clay or rocky soil much easier than trying to use your hands and a pair of regular garden gloves. You may look a little like ‘the gardener on Elm Street’ during your planting endeavor, but the short-lived clawed look will be well worth the efficiency and protection gained.

When Not To Use Digging Gloves

Tasks that require detailed work and not as much protection are best done with regular gardening gloves. Regular gloves will offer better control and feel of your fingertips. Claws are great for digging and the extra protection is ideal to keep your hands injury-free, but they can get in the way and hinder your ability to grip fine objects such as tying string or trimming small plants or herbs. You may be able to get a combo pair that allows you to detach the claws when necessary, however, these don’t always last as long since the claws may come off during digging.

Protecting your hands when gardening is essential. Get a good pair of gloves so you can enjoy your next project injury-free and with great efficiency!