The Best Work Gloves (Review) in 2023 | Autance

We’re kicking off our list with these gloves from CLC which are packed with useful features. First off the main construction material is of synthetic leather. This means they are bringing a number of the features of leather work gloves – toughness mixed with a high degree of dexterity – whilst also being moisture resistant, which is one of the big drawbacks for leather as a work glove material.

Speaking of dexterity, this is further enhanced by the provision of Lycra panels in the glove sides. This helps them stretch a bit more, providing a close but comfortable fit. The gloves are held in place by safe and secure wrist straps.

The gloves also have a decent level of internal padding. This helps to make them a good option if you are on the lookout for a pair of cold weather work gloves. They may be a little too thick for very fiddly jobs like changing out fuses or LEDS, but all in all these are very good quality work gloves.

Our next gloves have a very interesting twin material construction. The body of the gloves are made of Nylon, with a Nitrile coating added to the inner palm and fingers. This combination gives you a pretty good mixture of protection and high flexibility and dexterity. If you need a glove that allows you to perform smaller, intricate jobs then this could be the one.

On the other hand (pun intended) don’t expect these gloves to provide much protection from, for example, tools or from the weather. This is very much a summer glove, with no internal padding. That does mean they are more breathable than winter gloves though, and should help keep your hands dry even during prolonged wear.

Still, for a good price you are get 6 pairs of gloves per pack. We’re no rocket scientiests or mathematicians, but that’s a very good value for the money.

First things first these gloves are not made of coyote skin. Boo. What you do have however are the perfect work gloves if you need to work on your car whilst it is parked in the middle of a war zone. That’s because whilst these gloves may sacrifice a degree of flexibility and dexterity compared to some others, they replace it with a very high level of protection.

You can see a lot of the protective measures in the image of the gloves. The big stand out is the knuckle protectors. Made of thermoplastic rubber, they are a godsend to anyone who has the habit of rapping their knuckles on bits of the car. There are also double layer protection points to the tips of the thumb and forefingers, and the palms have extra tough padding.

They are also very easy to clean too, a feature that should not be overlooked. Simply pop them into the washing machine and they come out as good as new. If you are looking for extremely practical, highly protective gloves these could be the ones for you. 

Our next entry comes from Wells Lamont who is bringing us out first pair of genuine leather work gloves. With a price point of a bit over 10 bucks, these gloves are excellent value for 100% genuine cowhide.

They are worn with a very simple wrist closure device that secures the gloves to your hands. The palms are reinforced with a strip of leather and the thumbs are an ergonomic keystone design. That’s really about it as far as features go, these are pretty simple work gloves really. Of course, when they are made of such a naturally awesome material as 100% cowhide, they don’t need to be bursting with features.

That’s because the leather itself is the big selling point. It’s extremely tough, very durable and surprisingly supple. Owing to that low price point, the leather is not treated in any way to provide any water repelling features – so do try not to get them too wet.

From a very traditional design, we’re back to a more modern, heavy-duty work glove style. Again, it is the mixture of materials that are the stand out with this product. Nylon makes up 55% of the construction material and provides the body of the glove. This is backed up by synthetic leather, mainly on the palms and fingers, which brings the advantages of this material that we talked about earlier.

These are relatively tough gloves and Ironclad has worked hard to beef up the design where possible. So for example you will find that double stitching has been used at stress points like the fingers and around the palms.

There are some useful practical features too, including rubberized knuckle protectors and a secure wrist closure. There is no insulation however, so don’t expect them to keep you warm in winter. 

If you are looking for a glove that provides more of a tactile feel, along with outstanding grip, then this product from G&F could be the one for you. What they have done here is to create a glove whose body is made of tough cotton and rubber composite. On the inside of the glove, so the palms, fingers and thumbs, they have added a Latex layer.

This is designed to provide a glove that is really well designed for allowing you to work almost as if you aren’t wearing them. The cotton and rubber blend is nice and flexible, whist the latex provides a lot of grip.  The knit is also pretty thick, so you do get a certain degree of protection from sharp objects and the elements.

There’s no actual insulation or padding though so this protection is pretty minimal. They will however help keep your hands clean when working on the car, whilst allowing you the dexterity to easily complete most jobs. They also come in a pack of 12 and are a great value too.

Quick question – what do mechanics wear? Well for over 20 years it has often been Mechanix Wear, and this glove here, as the name suggests, is The Original. This design has been around for a while, and is part of Mechnix Wear’s line up of specialized gloves.

These work gloves stand out due to its 100% Nylon construction. That is quite a departure from most other gloves on the market today, making these gloves something of a unique design. You see, on the one hand (ha ha) an all Nylon construction makes for a glove that is very tactile. This work glove is designed to allow you to do the smallest task easily – unscrew small bolts, switch speed on your power tools – and do all of that with almost the same ease as if you weren’t even wearing gloves.

The downside of this is the fact that they provide very little protection. There is no rubberized knuckle guard, there is no synthetic leather palm patches or double stitching. It’s very much a trade off, and if you need a pair of work gloves that still allow you to have a high degree of dexterity then you should definitely take a look at these bad boys.

CLC Custom Leathercraft is a manufacturer who we’ve seen on quite a few lists here at Car Autance. They have a reputation for producing top quality leatherwear items, though here they have chosen to work with synthetic leather with this model.

So the body of the gloves are synthetic leather, so they are both tough but also, unlike real leather, shrink resistant. That makes them easier to clean too, as well as being resistant to water damage. They are also very tough, with the leather present at all parts of the design considered high abrasion – so the fingers and the palms. That protects you but also makes for a glove that should be a little longer lasting.

They are also another design that includes Lycra and spandex panels along the sides. Again, this allows the gloves to stretch to meet your hand movements better, making for a design that is more dexterous. There is very limited padding inside, so whilst it provides good protection from abrasion, it does not guard against impacts very well. All in all, it’s a bit of lightweight heavy duty work glove, kind of a halfway design.

Our penultimate item, and we’ve had to wait this long for a Kevlar work glove. Saying that however is kind of unfair to this glove. Yes, it contains Kevlar, which is cool. But this is a very well thought out design that is packed with other features.

For example, the bulk of the glove is actually of leather construction. It is treated leather though, which resists shrinking from moisture contact. It’s fear of the water is leathers big let down as a glove material, so it’s great to see Ironclad tackle it here. In addition, they have a patented design to the fingertips that essentially rolls the material over them for extra tough reinforcement.

Speaking of reinforcement, that is where the Kevlar is deployed. You’ll find it in the fingertips and palm, the areas where it is most needed. Leather and Kevlar are of course going to combine for a glove that is extremely tough! The cuff is elasticized and made of softer material, helping to make the glove very flexible and also surprisingly lightweight given the high levels of leather and Kevlar used.

This is a premium glove with a premium price tag to boot, but you are getting a seriously well-designed work glove for your money here.

If you are the kind of person who needs a lot of pairs of work gloves, this value pack of five gives you plenty of protection for all manner of tasks including construction, gardening, and DIY work. The palms of the gloves are made of synthetic leather for added durability. But this also helps in terms of comfort as well, which is important if you are completing time-consuming tasks when you will be wearing the gloves for hours on end.

At the back of the gloves is stretchy spandex material to offer enhanced dexterity and plenty of breathability. Since you have five colors in the pack, you also have the option of keeping them separate for different tasks if you would like. When you want to wash the gloves, you can simply throw them in the machine, which means that they will be ready to go again in no time at all.