Better Sweater Gloves Patagonia Women's vs Men's Waterproof All Weather Insulated Gloves: which is safer?

Better Sweater Gloves Patagonia Women's is the clear pick. Sealskinz Men's Waterproof All Weather Insulated Gloves carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Our pick

Better Sweater Gloves Patagonia Women's

Patagonia

Better Sweater Gloves Patagonia Women's

PFAS grade

Excellent 90/100

Overall grade

Excellent 82/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Polyester fleece (recycled)

Confidence

72%

PossibleAzo dyes and heavy metal pigments

PossibleMicroplastic shedding during wash

Sealskinz Men's Waterproof All Weather Insulated Gloves

Sealskinz

Men's Waterproof All Weather Insulated Gloves

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

Waterproof membrane/coating (unspecified polymer); synthetic insulation

Confidence

45%

PossibleTeflon-type coating/synthetic polymer membrane degradation and fume release

PossibleSynthetic insulation fiber shedding

PossibleContact dermatitis from undisclosed coatings or dyes

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Azo dyes and heavy metal pigments and Microplastic shedding during wash on the Patagonia and not on the Sealskinz.
  • We flag PTFE/synthetic polymer membrane degradation and fume release, Synthetic insulation fiber shedding, Contact dermatitis from undisclosed coatings or dyes and Membrane delamination and loss of waterproofing integrity on the Sealskinz and not on the Patagonia.
  • The Patagonia is Polyester fleece (recycled) where the Sealskinz is Waterproof membrane/coating (unspecified polymer); synthetic insulation, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 70 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Sealskinz grade, at 45% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More waterproof winter gloves, see the full ranking