More than just a rose gardener’s glove

In this review I look at the Womanswork Rose Gauntlet gardening gloves. Womanswork is a woman owned company that was founded in 1985 in the Hudson Valley, New York. And, as the name suggests, these rose gauntlets were designed specifically for women.

Although I don’t currently have rose bushes in my garden, I have plenty of prickly plants that prove painful if I don’t have the right protection. In past gardens I’ve had roses, barberry, and even burning bushes that have nasty thorns. Right now, I’m trying to prune my vast holly hedge. If you’ve ever handled holly leaves, you know what I’m going through – they’re viciously sharp.

And for all of these tasks, elbow-length “rose gauntlets” are the perfect gardening gloves to tackle the job!

These rose gauntlets let me prune the very sharp holly bushes pain-free.

I’ve also found that the Womanswork rose gauntlets are a must-have when pruning ornamental grasses. Those long grass blades are appropriately named “blades”. Try cutting them back without elbow-length leather gloves and the blades sneak up your shirt sleeves and cause long red welts.

Tough, elbow-length gloves are a must when cutting back the irritating blades of ornamental grasses.

Womanswork Glove Features

The Womanswork Rose Gauntlet gardening gloves are elbow length and made from soft, top grain domestic leather that is brushed to a suede finish, making these gloves very comfortable.

Stitching

The stitching is very smooth and flexible. It does not rub my hand on the inside. Since they are used primarily for pruning, I don’t think the lack of finger reinforcement is an issue. Some critical areas are double seamed, while the areas around fingers are single seamed to remain more flexible and minimize bulkiness.

Reinforced stitching where you need it, not where you don’t.

Gauntlet

The gauntlet portion of the gloves stays up very well even though it’s not particularly stiff. It reaches just below my elbow (which could vary on different arm lengths). But I would recommend wearing a long sleeved shirt along with the gloves to protect the elbow and upper portion of your arm.

These hand washable gloves can be line dried or laid flat – don’t put them in the drier!

Washable

Since you won’t likely be doing a lot of digging in the dirt, the gloves aren’t likely to get very dirty. But if you do want to clean them, they can be hand washed in cold water and hung or laid flat to dry.

I gave mine a good wash and hung them up outside. After the gloves dried I was amazed that they were only slightly stiff and they regained their soft suede feel after a few uses. Other leather gloves I’ve owned felt very stiff after getting wet.

I found that the glove finger length was shorter than my fingers – you can see where my knuckles are in relation to the fingers. Next time, I’ll get a larger size.

Snug Fit Designed For Women

The company claims that the design is not a small version of a man’s glove, but has been redesigned to fit a woman’s hand shape.

There is a sizing chart on their website that I used when ordering my gloves. My hand measurements fit within the range for the small size. My longest finger is 3 inches. That is the maximum length on the chart for a small glove but it’s also the smallest length for the medium. If you like your gloves very form fitting, the chart range works, but if you prefer a little more room order the next size up.

That being said, I do appreciate the snug fit that allows me to have enough dexterity to handle my small pruning shears. I expect with more use the soft leather will conform even better to my fingers but they’re quite comfortable now and I plan to use them every time I prune.

The Womanswork Rose Gauntlet gloves are available in small, medium, large, and extra-large sizes.

Pulling on the gloves is a little tighter than I’m used to but once they’re on, they’re very comfortable.

Recommendation

I recommend these gloves with only one minor qualification. As mentioned above, order the smaller size if you want a very snug glove, or one size up if you prefer more room. The price is on the high end of the range compared with other gloves of this type. But the quality of workmanship is excellent and the fact that they are all leather and are washable warrants the higher price. I also like to support products that are made in the U.S. by a company founded by a woman.

Where to Buy

You can order the Womanswork Rose Gauntlet gardening gloves directly from the Womanswork website.

The model reviewed here costs $46 plus $6 shipping. Womanswork distributes their products at many garden centers throughout the U.S. – just type in your zip code to find stores near you using their Store Locator.

Amazon.com also carries some Womanswork products.

Womanswork Rose Gauntlet Gloves

These elbow-length gardening gloves are designed specifically to fit the unique anatomy of a woman’s hand. They’re all-leather, washable (without getting stiff), comfortable and extremely well made.

See it on Amazon