Garden, Gift Guides, Product Review

Watson Gloves Product Review – The Best Garden Gloves?

This past spring I decided to buy four different gloves from West Coast Seeds x Watson Gloves to test them out. I’ve had trouble with every pair of garden gloves I’ve owned in the past because they never seem to last more than a single season. I tried all four pairs out for the entire season, including using them for tasks that weren’t gardening related to see how they held up, so that you don’t have to spend your hard earned money on a bad pair of gloves! Here is my experience.

Homegrown Collection

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The first two pairs of gloves that I bought were the Karma Homegrown gloves (purple) and the Biodegradable Jade gloves (green). The gloves cost between $8-9 which I thought was a good price for a pair of gloves. I bought both of these in a size large because I have really long fingers and often gloves don’t fit me well. Since both of these gloves are made specifically for women I figured the large would fit me the best, and I was right.

The two gloves definitely feel different from one another. The Karma gloves are thicker and fit snugger than the Biodegradable gloves do. I feel more protection from the Karma gloves when I’m working on projects that require it (such as pruning comfrey or raspberries) and I love how snug they fit because it means I can garden with more precision. Often I choose to garden without gloves on because I hate the feeling of baggy gloves and want to feel exactly what I’m doing, however these Karma gloves almost feel like I’m working gloveless.

Watson Homegrown Biodegradable Jade Gloves

As is typical of being a gardener, I left the Biodegradable Jade gloves outdoors through a bunch of rain and they did lose their colour from sitting in the sun, however they didn’t break or crack from the sun which I found really impressive. They do look like they lost some of their shape though but are still useful. These gloves feel best for light duty work such as moving around pots or seedlings that don’t require a heavy duty glove. They are also great for weeding but when I was weeding after a rainstorm they did get wet, and stayed wet, very quickly.

I tried these gloves because I liked the idea that they were made, in part, from recycled material. I do wish that more than 25% of the gloves were made from recycled material, but at least it’s something. I did look up what “landfill biodegradable” is from the Jade Biodegradable gloves because it does sound a little bit like greenwashing and I couldn’t find much on the internet about it, however I did find this one website here. If these gloves do biodegrade 100% in landfill, that would be a great feature, however I will always be somewhat skeptical.

My Overall Thoughts on the Homegrown Collection

I’m most impressed with the fact that these gloves held up all season long without a single hole or tear. The Karma gloves didn’t stretch out or lose their shape, and I question if the Jade ones would have held their shape had I put them away. However, leaving gloves out is a true test of a gardener.

Between the two, I prefer the Karma gloves, however if you are looking for an environmentally friendly choice, the Jade is still a great choice. I definitely will be replacing my Homegrown gloves with another pair in the future, when the time comes.

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Stealth Collection

From the Stealth Collection I tried the Avenger gloves (blue) and the Hero gloves (grey). Neither of these gloves said they were meant for women so I wasn’t sure what size to buy so I bought the Avenger’s in large and the Hero in medium. The Avenger’s are way too big for me, however the Hero gloves fit my hands perfectly. Both gloves range between $8-9 which is a fair price for a good pair of gloves.

Similar to the Homegrown collection, the Hero gloves have a thicker, more durable feel. The Avenger gloves are thinner but are more waterproof than the Hero gloves are. Unfortunately, since I bought too large of a size of the Avenger I don’t like to use them at all for gardening. However they’re great for working around the garage or yard and have held up really well.

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My Overall Thoughts on the Stealth Collection

Similar to the Homegrown collection, both of these gloves have held up super well over the season and haven’t gotten any rips or holes in them. We’ve used all of these gloves extensively while reviving our city allotment which means they’ve gotten dozens of hours of use. Between the two, I definitely prefer the Hero gloves but I also prefer a thicker, more snug fitting glove. I don’t think you can go wrong with either glove and it depends on if you’re looking for a thicker glove that is less waterproof, or a thinner glove to keep your hands cooler in the heat of summer.

Final Thoughts

For the price, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these gloves, however I do have a preference for the Hero or Karma and would only buy those two again. For only $8 you can get a pair of gloves that will last you multiple seasons, fit so well you actually want to wear gloves and they keep your hands protected. Sounds like a good deal to me.