Leather-palmed gloves have been my go-to for years, but I’ve noticed the same thing—washing them seems to help with the smell, but the stitching starts to give out way faster. I’ve tried those synthetic “washable” gloves, but they just don’t hold up to rough work. For eye protection, I’ve had a bit more luck with the Radians brand—still get some fog, but less than the cheap ones. Has anyone tried those anti-fog wipes? I’m skeptical, but maybe they’re worth a shot. Disposable gloves are a pain for anything more than a quick patch job... they just shred.
I hear you on the leather-palmed gloves—mine always seem to fall apart at the seams after a few washes, but the smell gets unbearable if I don’t. I tried those “washable” synthetics too, but they just don’t last when I’m splitting wood or hauling stuff around the yard. For eye protection, I’ve actually used those anti-fog wipes a couple times. They worked okay for the first hour or so, but after that, I was back to wiping my glasses on my shirt. Not sure they’re worth the extra cash if you’re sweating a lot. Disposable gloves are pretty much useless for anything more than painting or handling chemicals, in my experience—they rip just from pulling weeds.
I’ve run into the same issues with leather gloves—after a couple of months of landscaping work, they’re either stiff as a board or falling apart at the seams. I started rotating two pairs and letting one air out between uses, which helps with the smell but not the durability. For eye protection, I’ve had better luck with anti-fog safety glasses that have built-in vents, though they’re not perfect if you’re sweating buckets. Disposable gloves are a non-starter for anything heavy-duty...they just shred. Reusable nitrile-coated gloves seem to last longer for me, especially when dealing with rough materials.
Yeah, leather gloves just don’t hold up for me either—especially if they get wet a few times. I switched to those nitrile-coated ones last year and they’re way tougher for hauling rocks or digging. Only downside is they aren’t as breathable, but at least I’m not buying new gloves every month. For eye protection, the anti-fog glasses help, but on humid days I still end up wiping them off every half hour... kind of annoying, but better than nothing.
I’ve had similar issues with leather, especially once they get saturated—they shrink and the seams just give out. Nitrile-coated gloves have held up better for me, but yeah, I notice my hands sweat more. For eye protection, I tried a pair with foam gaskets thinking it’d help with fogging, but honestly, it just made it worse on muggy days. At this point I just keep a microfiber cloth in my pocket... not ideal, but it beats scratched lenses.