Do you use garden gloves?

Recently, I am considering getting a quality pair of gloves for myself (at last!). And while I was doing my research of garden gloves online, I came across a poll in a garden forum asking gardeners whether or not they use garden gloves.

I am curious to find out how many gardeners use garden gloves and what kind of garden gloves they use. As for myself, I always keep a few pairs of garden gloves handy, both in the bonsai workshop and at home. And being a thrifty gardener, I have always been using those inexpensive cotton gloves that are convenient, light and breathable, yet, they are not waterproofed and will worn out very quickly. And sometimes, I will forget about my glove and only remember them after I get a handful of blisters or after my nails get all dirty with soil.

According to the poll result, not all gardeners wear their gloves all the time when they are in their garden. There are gardeners like me, who always carry a pair in her pocket but only wear them when necessary (such as heavy works with rocks, cutting trees or brushes, pulling tall weeds). And there are gardeners who hate gloves and love the feel of the dirt so much that they always pull off the gloves soon after they put them on.

But it appears that most gardeners own and wear gloves at some point of time when they are working in their gardens. Even those gardeners who hate gloves admit that they have a few pairs of gloves too. And the only reason we use gloves in our garden is our hands. Cracked fingers, abrasions, cuts, and scratches are just too painful and are hindrance for days until they heal. And not to mention those gardeners who might need to go somewhere later in the days with a pair of “clean and presentable” hands.

How about you? Do you use garden gloves? And what type of garden gloves do you use?