<Sealskinz heated gloves>
I have since read all the reviews on their site (over 70) and I'm suffering a little bit of buyers remorse
Have you had a chance to try them out yet if so what do you think?
Ok. So I was going to give them a proper test on Monday when I do my long ride into work, but as you are asking now ...
Its a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. Manufacturers don't usually have buyers reviews directly on their sites, but as it appears Sealskins sell direct, it looks like they do - but I hadn't read those reviews before I purchased! doh!! (I did read reviews from other places, but mostly review mags etc). I have now read the main site reviews though, and I can agree with most of them, especially regarding the sizing.
So like myself, lots of people followed the instructions and find the gloves to be a much tighter fit than expected. It is mostly in the (elasticated ... but not elasticated enough) wrist area. They are VERY tough to get on and off. However once they are on, they follow the contour of my hand very well. Some gloves have baggy sections - not these. They are 'snug' in a good, precise fitting way. However I will have to make sure my nails are trimmed RIGHT down - its that close!
They are not big, voluminous gloves either (not for winter gloves, and certainly not for heated winter ones!) which means they are actually very well designed for more precision work, like changing gears and operating brakes! This is good for cyclists and maybe why the fit is so tight.
I went shopping (on the bike) one evening. Fairly cold but not icy. Maybe an 8mile trip.
I had the gloves on full power and was mildly disappointed as to how moderate the heat was. It was there, but I certainly didn't want to turn it down in power. Doesn't bode well for when there is a bitter, icy wind and I have an hour and a half cycle into work!
That said, I popped into the shop to buy the groceries while my wife stood guard over the bikes. She had normal gloves on and was complaining her hands were freezing! I gave her my Sealskinz to put on while I was in the shop, and when I came out, she was complaining her hands were now TOO hot, so go figure!
I also was suspicious that they were only heating the back of the hand and not the fingers. So when I got home, I did a little experiment. I left them outside for an hour (switched off) to totally cool down. Put them on. Yup. Freezing all the way through.
I then turned them on, still left them outside for 10min, tried them on again, so now I could tell instantly where the heat was, and bugger me, there DID seem to be heat in the finger areas, not just the back of the hand. However it was certainly less in the finger tips. A comment made by someone in the reviews saying the heating elements went to the knuckles is possibly correct.
We will have to see how this pans out in real life on a long cycle.
I am half tempted to see if I can fit my PlanetX cycling mittens/crab gloves OVER the sealskins. That might work in distributing the heat that does get generated a little better. (those mittens are actually XL, but they're a pretty good fit for me, so I'm not sure I can get thick gloves under them)
So I don't know exactly what to say at the moment.
They are very well made. I like them. They will be perfect for going for a walk with the dog when there is no windchill factor. I am sure my hands will be toasty in that scenario.
I wish I'd gone up a size, or preferably wish the wrists were baggier.
I'll have to see how they work in sub-zero conditions on an extended commute.
They are better than other cheap heated gloves I've got/tried.
There may be even better heated gloves out there (especially ones that heat right to the fingertips and give out even more heat), but I suspect those will be considerably more expensive, might be physically larger and not as targeted to cyclists, and I don't know what models they are and whether you can easily get them in the UK.
I'll know more on Monday after my long ride