Better Sweater Gloves Patagonia Women's vs Men's Merino Gloves: which is safer?
Better Sweater Gloves Patagonia Women's is the clear pick. Smartwool Men's Merino Gloves carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
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
Smartwool
Men's Merino Gloves
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 59/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
Merino wool
Confidence
72%
PossibleAzo dyes (synthetic colorants)
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 Smartwool.
- We flag Azo dyes (synthetic colorants) on the Smartwool and not on the Patagonia.
- The Patagonia is Polyester fleece (recycled) where the Smartwool is Merino wool, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 25 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.
Both products run through the same public rubric: 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