I carry a pair of Mechanix-style gloves in my bag everyday. I've gone through so many pairs that I'm starting to form a pile in the corner. They're one of the first things I reach for when starting any sort of work, becaus having crippled hands can really suck. Even minor wounds or cuts can really cause problems in some situations.

They're good for protection, but not insulation. They're pretty good if you need dexterity but don't need the heavy duty protection of regular leather work gloves. Most of them are made of synthetic leather, which means they will melt, so you have to be careful of what you grab. The original Mechanix gloves fit me the best, but they are also the thinnest and most expensive. There are a lot of knock off brands from Home Depot/Sears/Walmart look and feel the same, but they're thicker (less dexterity), don't wear as well, some of them are downright crappy. A lot of them have rubber grip pads on the tips of the fingers, which I personally don't care for, but could be useful if you needed more grip.

I also keep a cheap pair of leather work gloves in the car for emergencies, and if I need to deal with really hot items, I've break out the full length welding gloves. For painting or dealing with chemicals, I have a box of Nitrile gloves from Costco. Nitrile seems a lot stronger and more resistant to chemicals than regular latex. Latex ones will literally dissovle off your hands if you expose them to anything stronger than paint thinner.