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Find out more about Robin: Robin is a professional writer who has created a charming kitchen garden overflowing with vegetables, herbs and flowers on her 20-acre Maryland homestead. When not gardening or cooking, she travels extensively visiting public and private gardens. She also blogs about her potager and pets, including chickens, at bumblebeeblog.com. |

I'm sure you're wondering what makes the Pallina Vegan Gloves vegan. Unfortunately, the Pallina website doesn't provide us with a clue. Maybe it's because these gloves don't eat meat or dairy products. But maybe they are only meant to be worn by vegans. Or perhaps a vegan designed the gloves.
Despite the baffling name, the Pallina Vegan Gloves are fairly straightforward garden gloves. They don't have the feminine styling or wide array of patterns that some manufacturers are promoting these days. What they do offer is a good, sturdy glove that will hold up to all the hard work you can give them.
Description: The Pallina Vegan Gloves are constructed of what appears to be synthetic suede palm and fingers and Doylon Spandex backing. The fingers and palm have a texturized tree print. There is additional padding on the upper palm pad and around the thumb area. The back of the glove is gathered with elastic. The glove closes with a sturdy Velcro closure and has a grommet on each cuff for easy hanging at the end of the work day. The gloves are treated with Teflon to repel dirt. The Pallina website explains that the cuff can be turned down and the terry lining used as a brow wipe, but the fabric isn't a true terry and I did not find it particularly absorbent.
Style: The tomato red color is appropriate for both men and women. The overall construction is more about durability than style. The durability is evident in the double Kevlar stitching around the fingers.
Fit: The overall fit is quite comfortable. The Spandex backing allows you to move your hand freely. The hand opening makes the glove easy to pull on and take off and the Velcro closure keeps the glove snug. The Vegan Glove is available in standard fit sizes small, medium, large and extra large.
Best uses: These gloves are made of sturdy stuff and will hold up to rugged work, such as laying pavers, digging, pruning and hauling. The thick construction on the fingers makes them less useful for pulling small weeds or planting seeds.
Disadvantages: Due to the rugged construction, these gloves can be quite uncomfortable in hot weather.
Washability: These gloves hold up after multiple machine washings and drying. Take care to close the Velcro closures before washing or they could catch on other wash items.
Durability: Excellent. These gloves will probably last forever.
Extras: The Pallina website has downloadable PDF size guide to help you get the right fit. Brilliant! Every manufacturer should have such a handy guide. Pallina also makes gloves in slim fit sizes.
Price: $30
Overall rating: Very good
How we tested: All gloves in this review series were tested in the author's real-world garden with her very own real-world hands. Activities the gloves were subjected to included weeding, pruning, digging, hauling, planting, watering, deadheading, scratching (bugs, you know), wiping sweat from brow and hoisting multiple glasses of iced tea.
You can reach Robin, the National Gardening Examiner, at gardeningexaminer@gmail.com.
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