How long should a pair of work gloves actually last?

Expectations vary wildly by job. Ranchers and fabricators on Reddit report burning through even premium leather pairs in weeks of heavy fencing or plate work, while DIYers and homeowners commonly get a year or more from the same gloves. As a rough trust-weighted read across the threads we saw: 6–8 months is a realistic best case for daily heavy use, and 'buy-it-for-life' is not a realistic frame for any glove in this list.