Heated gloves

[Jared]

I've been thinking of purchasing some heated gloves for this winter. Does any have a pair? How are they? What brands are good and what brands should I avoid?

[mercianbike]

I purchased a pair of Widder electric gloves about three winters ago and they have been great. I was going to give you a link to their web site (http://www.widder.com) and now I find they have gone out of business after 37 years. There are probably vendors that still have them in stock but there would be no warranty with them.

As far as as electric gloves, I found them to solve a major winter problem I've always had: cold fingers. Some people are not bothered as much as others. But I was always cold regardless of how many liners and layers of Thinsulate I wore. I did find that if I plugged the gloves in for about five minutes before I put them on, they were able to stay warm much better.

[bobhamlin]

I got electric glove liners from Gerbing. I had already invested in waterproof glove and mitten shells.

Today was the first cold day (32) and I tried them with the mitten shells. They worked great, and I didn't even have the heat turned on constantly. I didn't expect "electric" apparel to feel so fabric-y.

I'm satisfied, but one of my PGR buddies says that TourMaster is cheaper. Before last winter, I would have had cost much higher on the deciding factor list. I think I did pretty thorough research for results and dependability.

[ringadingh]

Ive never used electric gloves but I did install handlegrip heaters.
The ones I installed help take the chill out of the metal but are not as good as I would have liked. Since I installed mine they have come out with better ones that work on the Kury grips. They also have a control switch that lets you plug in and control your heated clothing. Here are a couple links to look at.

http://www.heatdemons.com/
http://www.pollyheaters.com/ph400.htm

[dank]

I've thought about them, but pretty expensive for using just a few times a year in spring and fall. I opted for winter elite gloves that make 40 - 50 degree rides comfortable and then just use the chemical warm packs made for hunters in them if I am riding at temps in the mid-30's.

[Jared]

I ride all year long. If the road are dry, I'm riding. I've got on in well below freezing temps and heated gloves would be great.

[mep]

I have worn the Gerbing battery operated heated gloves for a couple of years now...the batteries are rechargeable. Beneath them, when the temperature is in the upper 30s or the low 4os, I wear one pair of liners. When it dips to the low 30s or below, I wear two pair of liners. They work very well and I am not tethered to the bike in order to use them. I have ridden all day in the rain in them and they are, indeed, waterproof. The downside is that the battery life decreases along with the ambient air temperature, so when riding in really cold temperatures I may only get a couple of hours before the battery needs to be recharged. To solve that, I bought a total of 4 sets of batteries so that I always have fresh sets on the bike if I need them. Another downwside is that the whole set up, especially if you get extra batteries, is relatively expensive. That said, however, I think that they are worth every penny.

[Jared]

Mep, Why did you decide to got with the battery powered gloves instead of the plug in kind?

[Top Cat]

It seems to me the battery kind would be more convenient.
The kind that hook to the battery would have you tethered to the bike. How would that work? Run the wires up your sleeves down your back and out the bottom of your jacket? Sounds like a pain to me if that is how it is done.

[Kawhead]

Thats how I run my wire TC. The battery might be more convenient, but I wouldn't know. It's what you get use to. The wire is no problem.

My gear is Widder and I got a deal on ebay and it would have been a deal at twice the price. ;)

[mep]

Originally Posted by Utah Motorcyclist

Mep, Why did you decide to got with the battery powered gloves instead of the plug in kind?

Utah...I chose the battery powered ones because I did not want to be tethered to the bike. I can be off the bike and still have heated gloves if I need them. I will say this, however...I don't think that the battery operated gloves get quite as warm as the 12 volt plug in variety. They work for me, though.