The 7 questions you should be asking before you buy heated gloves.

•1)      How much should they cost?

There are some very cheap heated gloves around on the market and some costing as little as £9.95 but do they work? We have tested some of these gloves and yes they have wires and use batteries but the heat felt is negligible at best. The materials are cheap, the batteries heavy and the heating is poor. Good quality heated gloves supplied without batteries should retail in the region of £25 - £40 and spending less than this amount is not going to give you what you want. Some gloves cost in excess of £100 but it is not necessary to spend this much to get good quality and impressive amounts of heat. 

•2)      Where is the heating in the glove?

Some gloves have heating in the palm area and some on the back of the hand but it is the fingers that feel the cold. Check that heating is in the fingers as this is a very important consideration. 

•3)      Are they fully waterproof and breathable?

Some gloves claim to be waterproof and they should be because of the wiring inside. Gloves should have a waterproof and breathable membrane such as Ultra III Tec to make sure that water cannot pass through to the heating elements and wiring.

•4)      What are the materials used?

Some cheaper gloves you materials that mean the gloves are uncomfortable and inflexible. Choose gloves that are made from softer materials so that they are more practical and comfortable to wear and that are made from waterproof and wind poof materials to keep hands warm and dry.    

•5)      Can I wear them for motorcycling?

We do not recommend using heated gloves for motorcycling unless they have the required safety reinforcements found in all good quality motorcycling gloves. The benefit of battery heated gloves means that there is no attachment to the cycle battery and thus no wires running down the arms inside the rider's jacket but the heated gloves must be bespoke motorcycle gloves and not leisure gloves as these will not be strong enough. 

•6)      How bulky are the gloves?

Decide what the gloves will predominantly be used for before deciding which type of gloves to buy. Gloves have to have a certain amount of insulating material in the fingers to prevent heat loss so this will limit the activities that can be performed while wearing them. Go for the slimmer gloves for sports use such as riding, cycling etc. For skiing, go for the gloves where the battery pocket is completely sealed to prevent snow getting to the contact points.

•7)      What type of batteries do the gloves use and how long will the batteries last?

This is so important as the type of batteries will determine how practical your gloves are and hence how often you will use them. This is the most complex part of the decision making so I will try to make this as clear as possible.

Most gloves are supplied without batteries so the buyer must buy there own. Some gloves take type D batteries which are heavy and bulky and the gloves that take these batteries should be avoided.

Most gloves are supplied with battery boxes that take standard AA batteries (3 for each glove). Standard Alkaline batteries can be used such as Duracell's but as these are ‘one use only', this is an expensive route. Better to buy NiMH (nickel metal hydride) rechargeable batteries such as the ones used in digital cameras which means you will have to buy a charger. We recommend the highest capacity available such as 2900mAh as this means that they will last longer in your gloves.

We strongly recommend gloves that can be used with Lithium-Ion or Lithium Polymer batteries as these are supplied with a mains charger. These batteries are smaller, lighter and last longer and some even have two heat setting control to allow the temperature to be controlled. There is obviously the additional cost involved, but we feel that the benefits gained are really worth the investment.

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