3 Electric Gloves Reviewed [long]

[DHallerman]

As the OP of the “Electric gloves for warm hands” thread, as someone whose fingers get numb easily (Reynaud’s phenomenon), and as someone who just prefers the term “electric gloves” to “battery heated gloves,” I went online and bought a few pairs.

Combining basic research with a few pointers from Paceline People (thanks!) convinced me to try these 3 cold-hand solutions:
* Sealskin Waterproof Heated Cycle Glove: $160
* Racer E-Glove 4: ~$210
* eWool Heated Glove Liner: $263

Let’s start with the bottom line: I like all 3 pairs, but each for different temperature ranges and conditions.

And let’s add an interesting fact: all 3 pairs came from companies outside the U.S. - Sealskin from the UK, Racer from France, and eWool from Quebec Canada. Dunno why that’s the case; although there is another electric glove company of note in the US, Volt Heat out of Florida (irony).

Okay then, please note this is a preliminary review, because I hadn’t done any rides longer than an hour with the new gloves until full winter came.

Warmth
This is the raison d’etre for electric gloves, n’est pas? And the winner is the eWool heated glove liner from Quebec, which enveloped my hands with warmth. However, its full protection capabilities were colored by the overgloves I chose, as you might imagine. One old pair of ski gloves worked well at holding in warmth and blocking the wind, but made it a somewhat cumbersome to shift and brake. But that combo will be good for snowshoe days like later today or tomorrow.

The Racer E-Glove 4 were the next warmest pair. Like the eWool, the heating coils extend through the fingers. And good windblock too. The sizing was almost tight for me, making it less robust at keeping my fingers warm. I’ll discuss sizing below. The 40-degree (F) range looks to be a good time to wear these Racers.

While the Sealskin gloves were the least warm, they are the most comfortable. Good hand-padding on the leather palms and fingers. But unlike the other two pairs, the Sealskin’s heating elements are found only on the back of the hand and not through the fingers. In this way, these gloves emulate the sort of gloves where you zip a chemical heating pack into a pouch on the back. That limit is why the Sealskin was least warm for me. But that’s also why my easily numb fingers will still appreciate these gloves when it’s 45-50 degrees out.

Electric
All 3 pairs use the same type of battery, and all 3 have dual-headed charging cables that let you juice up both hand’s batteries at the same time. I didn’t do any rides long enough to test how long the batteries last.

However, with both gloves, from Sealskin and Racer, you need to remove the batteries from their wrist-level pouches in order to charge them, a mild PITA. The eWool glove liners have a charging port inside each hand, making the process easier.

And a small extra cost for recharging the Racer gloves – the charging cable comes only with a European 2-prong, not the North American style. An adapter cost me $5 on Amazon.

Out in the field, each glove has a switch except for the Racer, which has one switch on the right hand and Bluetooth connects to the other glove to control both. A nice feature, but no more than nice, not really needed I’d say. And all 3 gloves offer 3 levels of warmth, easily set by poking the switches. I s’pose the Racer might be more than nice in that regard, only one poke needed.

Fit
Here’s the tricky part. Each company has a glove-sizing chart on its site. I normally wear size medium, and in all 3 cases my measurements suggested their size medium.

In 2 out of 3 cases, the company’s chart was accurate. I had already seen warnings that Sealskin’s cycle gloves were undersized, but figured if too tight, perfect for my wife who likes gloves one size down from me. And that’s the case. Size large Sealskin for me and Cathy gets the medium.

But here’s the other thing about glove sizing: They never ask you to measure the diameter of your fingers. That aspect of fit matters especially when warmth is of the essence because a glove’s fingers, even if the correct length, need to allow a bit of extra breathing room for extra warmth. Now my fingers are more on the thin than the fat side, so I shouldn’t be hard to fit. But the Sealskin’s greater comfort over the Racer in that way will likely encourage me to reach first for the UK company’s gloves.

Fit for the eWool glove liner itself was close but not too-tight, like any good liner. My problem was finding overgloves that would work for comfort and for cycling. I mentioned some ski gloves earlier. But what didn’t work were several size large cycling gloves I have around. Even though they’re one size up, the fingers were uncomfortably tight over the eWools. Finally, in addition to the ski gloves, a pair of size large Pearl Izumi early 21st century plush cycling gloves mated well with my eWool liners. This is my best balance of warmth, comfort, and cycling control.

Cost
Measured by warmth only, I got what I paid for. The eWool liners, most expensive, were warmest. And the Sealskin cycle gloves, least costly and least warm. (But most comfortable, so I still love them.)

While I bought all 3 pairs directly from the manufacturers, the Sealskin seems readily available (when in stock) from US retailers. (Note that while the company’s local site domain is sealskinzusa.com, the gloves I ordered there were shipped by slow boat from the UK, the company’s home turf.) And thinking of some comments on the original electric glove thread, I did not have to pay any duties for these gloves. And the Racer people ship DHL for free, somehow it’s factored into the price. They came in a few days, in contrast to the Sealskin gloves taking close to 2 weeks.

I hope this helps you if you’re thinking of keeping your hands warm with electric gloves. Any questions, just ask.

And have you tried any electric gloves yet for cycling? How has that worked out for you?

Dave, who somehow wound up with two pairs of size medium Sealskin gloves so he’ll soon be listing that extra pair at a discount

[CNY rider]

Great review Dave.
Adding to the list:
My wife is a non cyclist but avid hiker and XC skier with Reynauds.
She has a pair of Snow Deer rechargeable gloves that she got this winter and is very happy with them.

[Davist]

thanks! I'm still a solid maybe, can you give me an idea vs chemical handwarmers in ski gloves (that have the warmer "pocket") and liners vs any of these solutions, if you've used? Or anyone else who may be able to chime in? Ridden in the teens this year but only for about 1 1/2 hours.. Chemical warmers seem to last a long time (HotHands brand seem to be best by me) sorry in advance to derail sincerely appreciate the detail!

[eddief]

of heated gloves . Nice review.

[djg21]

I bought a set of Sealskinz and returned them. I then purchased a set of Racer eGlove 4s. The Racers are far nicer in terms of quality and fabric. They are a nice softshell which supposedly is waterproof, though I’ve not had to put that feature to the test.

The Sealskinz sizing was a mess. I measured my hand (9”) and the chart called for a medium, which gave me pause because I always figured I’m big, so L and XL is my regular go to. The Sealskinz couldn’t fit on my hands. I then got the Racers in XL (no Sealskinz in stock anywhere). They fit perfectly. The eWool liners were a non-starter. I don’t want to be dealing with liners, and then gloves. I also have carpel tunnel so need something with padding or gel on the the heels of my hands to protect the median and ulnar nerves. Between the Sealskins and the Racers, the Racers looked much better for me.

The pockets for the batteries in the Racers looked to be a better design too. The batteries are held snug to the wrist with a cuff that zips shut and fits fairly snuggly around the wrist. My sense was the battery is less likely to bounce around and be bothersome on the Racer as compared to the Sealskinz. I’ve only ridden with the Racers 2x, and I’ve worn them outside on a couple of occasions when walking the dogs or clearing my driveway with the snowblower. So far so good.

[joosttx]

Thanks for the review. It was very good. I own the ewool liners and mostly ride in combination with pEdal Yuki gloves https://pedaled.com/eu_en/men-thermo...ves-black-yuki .This combo isn’t too thick. Also, if you wait til like March and April you can pick them up on sale.

[rnhood]

Good review and good information.

[verbs4us]

Sealskin update, feb 2024: been riding these for a few winters (and this morning at 22 deg f). Findings:
—Even at 22 f, they are ok — not great, but keep blood from freezing— as long as you are not riding into the wind. Turn into the wind and game over.
—even freshly charged batteries last only 45 min at full heat at tht temp. Not impressed.
—if someone made heated lobster mitts, i would be tempted to try.

[LadyDog]

[QUOTE if someone made heated lobster mitts, i would be tempted to try.[/QUOTE]

Therm-Ic