Between all the yardwork I do — planting, raking, mowing, weeding, pruning, repairing planter boxes — my work gloves take a real beating. Normally, I go through a pair a year, because I typically buy the cheapest pair I can find at the checkout line at the hardware store. Sadly, I don’t take advice from our own guide on the best gardening gloves!
For the past few weeks, I’ve been testing out a new pair of gloves from Cross Point Gear, which promise greater durability, but also offer a lot of flexibility while also being waterproof and breathable. While they’re not cheap, they have held up very well.
Price and design
Cross Point Gear sent me a pair of its Sport Gloves; the company has two other lines, the Pro Wool and Boneshaker.
The Sport Gloves sell for $54, and come in five colors (black, gray, safety orange, neon green, and jungle) and five sizes (small, medium, large, XL and XXL). I went with the safety orange because far too often, I’ve taken off a pair of gloves in my yard and forgot where I left them, so the bright color makes them easier to spot.
The gloves are made of three layers: The exterior, which is 95% nylon, is water-resistant; a middle layer made of waterproof-breathable Artex, and an inner liner that’s 79% acrylic and 15% polyester.
They’re comfortable
The Sport Gloves fit me, well, like a glove. I opted for a large pair, and they fit snugly, but not too tightly around my hands and fingers. The palms of the gloves have black grippy nubs, which made it easier to hold on to tools and other objects, even when they were wet.
One of the toughest tasks I used them for was building a raised garden bed in an area of my yard that had been overgrown with English Ivy. Not only did the gloves give me a good grip when ripping out all the roots, but also offered me the dexterity I needed when holding my rake and shovel. They also let me comfortably hold a screw between my index finger and thumb as I drove it into some wood siding.
They’ve kept my hands warm and dry
In March, the weather where I live has ranged from unseasonably warm — temperatures in the 80s — to frigidly cold. While I’ve avoided working outdoors in freezing temperatures, I have been out when it’s been in the low- to mid-40s, so having a warm pair of work gloves has been essential. The gloves kept my hands at a comfortable temperature and, even on hotter days, my hands didn’t feel too sweaty, either.
I don’t have to take them off to use my phone
While I wouldn’t want to type out full emails while wearing the gloves, I was able to send short text messages, open apps, and use my iPhone pretty easily. So, I didn’t have to remove them from my hands to answer calls or take photos with my phone.
Fabric can get caught on sharp objects
The weave of the exterior of the glove is a bit stretchy — you can see the inner layer of the glove if you spread your thumb and index finger apart — so you have to be a bit careful when handling sharper objects. I learned this the hard way when I tried to unspool a roll of chicken wire. A prong got caught on one of the gloves, and pulled out a bit of thread.
If you’re planning to do stuff like this, or use the gloves to play with your cats, I might suggest something a little more heavy-duty, or ones with a smoother exterior, like leather.
Bottom line
At $54 a pair, the CrossPoint Waterproof Knit Gloves are a bit of an investment, but they seem to be holding up pretty well so far. You do have to be careful around pointy things, but otherwise, they could be a good addition to your outdoor toolkit.
