For simple mucking around in the gardens, I'll use disposable latex exam gloves. You need to understand that I've used these hand hugging things all my career, so I'm used to them. I suppose they were difficult to get use to 40 years ago, but I don't recall. They are like a second, shed-able skin for me. Not a problem at all. I find them to be light, flexible, and they keep my hands clean. Yes they rip, but I'll just slip a second one right over the ripped one, giving the hand extra protection. Yes my hands sweat inside them. But as I said, I'm used to them. My brain doesn't give the sweat much notice. A plus is that they are cheap enough and easily available. I don't use them every day. Just when I need to keep muck off.
For protection while working around brush, trees, or other nasties that are apt to cut up my hands, I really like those new flexible cloth reinforced gloves. Firm-Grip is the brand I lean toward. They fit comfortably with no awkward gaps between the fingers or floppy finger tips. Plus they velcro snugly at the wrist. If I get them muddied up, I'll just rinse them thoroughly while I'm still wearing them. Once clean, I take them off and dry them in the sun. They last a good time.....as long as I don't cut a hole in them while pruning things with a hand sickle. Ah those gloves have taken the cut for me, instead of my finger! Good gloves.
I'm not fond of other gloves. Most gardening gives tend to bind my fingers, giving me poor flexibility. Before long my hands are aching afterward. Leather ones get stiff after getting muddy and wet, feeling uncomfortable. Most cloth gloves, in fact most gloves, just don't fit me all that well. And once they get wet, they fit even worse.
I know other people tend to like gardening gloves, or waterproof ones, or leather ones. I suppose it's a personal preference thing. I'll stick with my exam gloves and Firm Grips.
I agree - those blue nitrile gloves at 3mm, or better, 5mm, are good to prevent chafes from the $1.89 leather-palm Harbor Freight semi-disposables. I also use a dab of a lanolin-based hand cream when I "glove up", when I remember to use it - the trick is to stop and change the nitrile gloves, hanging them so that the water drains off - I use them like you, with no hesitation to change to a fresh one if I'm transplanting or weeding around really tiny seedlings. Especially when I grubbed through the really red clay stuff, the stains on my feet, knees, and hands resisted Lava soap, Go-Jo goop, and da kine. Those gloves saved me from critiques on handwashing before meals, too!
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