The English language is about to change. No more “iron hand in the velvet glove”; from now on it’s “the iron hand in the Ethel glove”.
The new Ethel garden gloves for women are a sleek and comfy combination of Spandex fabric with synthetic suede palms, fingers and fingertips. Designed for a narrow hand, they fit me snugly. When in doubt, size up.
Ethel gloves come in more than nine patterns. My Ethel Traditional gloves with a two-inch cuff are ‘Signature’: dark brown with orange accents that look oh-so-Hermès and make me feel like a Parisian gardener swanning down the Rue du Faubourg Sainte-Honoré. They don’t show the red Nevada County dirt either.
How do these compare to Atlas gloves? The stretchy nylon part of Ethel is a bit softer inside than Atlas, and the synthetic suede fingers of Ethel have a much more appealing feel and a tighter fit.
For a regular garden day like today (raking, picking volunteer mushrooms before the dog gets them, scooping up gooky persimmons that fell during the storm) I choose Ethel. A muddy job--I’d go with Atlas.
There’s another model in the Ethel line, the ultra-long-cuff Rose gloves. I’m sad to say they don’t work well in a rose bush. They’re fine on the way into the bush, but on the way out the thorns catch the gauntlet cuff. I hope these will be redesigned with the cuff made in synthetic suede. The current version works well with plants that have sharp edges but no thorns, like pampas grass. And my, they’re pretty.
Ethel gloves feel good, allow great dexterity and are fun to wear. I know they’ll give me that extra boost to get out in the garden on those mornings when I’m wavering. They machine wash and drip dry with no trouble at all.
Ethel Traditional gloves come in so many fabric patterns and it’s hard to pick just one. At least I know what to ask for as presents. Hustle on down to your garden center and buy some for the gardener on your shopping list or visit the fun Ethel website.
I received two complimentary pairs of gloves from Ethel Gloves, for trial and review. Actually they look nice together, so they are complementary as well.
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9 comments:
What a lovely idea. I might have to get myself a present!
Astrid
The Ethel glove does sound promising. I'm glad you compared them to Atlas since they are my favorite gloves and the gloves I use as a yardstick when considering any other brand. I checked out the Ethel website and loved the look of the Snakeskin glove. Thanks for the hint about Ethel being designed for a narrow hand, that will help me deciding on a size.
Those sound exactly like the kind of garden gloves I need. I have very small hands, and most gardening gloves are either too big and floppy or too stiff (rubber) to allow much dexterity.
Thanks for such a great idea - I read about them somewhere a few months ago and completely forgot about 'em! Now that your post has included such great photos, showing how beautiful they are (hate to admit it, but I DO love anything with a fashionable slant!!)...I'm heading right on over to their website to order myself a pair (or two). Merry Christmas to ME!! ;)
Astrid, Prospectors Nursery in Nevada City carries Ethel gloves. I use them for dog-walking and any other time I want to protect my hands.
Debbie, I like having both Ethel and Atlas gloves. Best to try some on. Posh garden centers should carry them and I bet you have a few dozen of those in CT!
Deja Pseu, The small size should be small enough for you. Will be curious to hear what pattern the style maven selects.
Rebecca, My synthetic suede fingers are crossed, hoping you like them as much as I do.
Thanks for the comparison to the Atlas gloves. Those are my go to gloves, but they lack style. Now I have a choice when looking to spruce up my gardening wardrobe.
I'm a big fan of Ethel Gloves and got to trial the rose gloves before they actually went into production. I didn't have the problem you did, but perhaps the fabric was a bit different than what the gloves in production are now.
I absolutely LOVE my Ethels that I have in their signature print. I've worn out two pairs of them in the last two summers! (Yes, I abuse them, because I love them so much!)
I will have to look at Ethel Gloves again. Tried some on at the store and wasn't impressed, but it could be they weren't my size. I love my Atlas gloves.
I'm glad the gloves are complementary to each other as well as to you ;-) I bought a 6-pack of various styles of gardening gloves from Costco last year, so I'm probably good for a while. Not forever, because I'm hard on gloves and I also lose them!
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