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Let me let you in on a little secret; I love riding when it is cold out. I like the crisp air and the feeling of being all bundled-up in my cold weather gear. Yep I truly love riding in sub-45 degree weather (which constitutes cold weather in central Florida).....except for one thing; my hands freeze; specifically my fingers. Maybe it's from playing in the snow during winters in Philadelphia when I was a kid (and staying out too long) or maybe it's just crappy circulation but my fingers get painfully cold. I've thought about heated gloves but I've never pulled the trigger on getting a pair.

Then a set of Techniche IonGear™ battery powered heated gloves showed-up on my doorstep. Pretty nifty except for one thing – it's 90 degrees outside and I don't need them yet, but the rest of the country can't wait until December for me to do a review on something they'll need next month. What do to, what to do.

Because I take this job seriously I decided to travel to Alaska to give these gloves a try. OK not really but I did go to a walk-in freezer. Never let it be said that I don't pull out all the stops.

Let's get the one negative about these gloves out of the way first; they aren't motorcycle specific gloves. This means that some of the protective elements one would associate with MC specific gloves aren't there; leather palms and knuckle protection are the big things missing. Of course quite a few expensive gloves aimed at “touring” and “cruiser” riders don't have knuckle protection either so this may not be as big a drawback for them. Sportbike guys may feel a bit naked though.

The gloves are made from a material that feels like a finer mesh Cordura™ and they have a rubbery patch on the finger tips and palms for better gripping ability. Reflective piping up the back of each glove helps aid visibility.

Inside the “outer” glove you'll find a semi-floating “inner” glove. Unlike some other cold weather gloves I've worn the soft interior glove is attached at some strategic points (like the fingertips) so it doesn't get all jumbled-up every time you take your hand out. It is a very soft liner by the way and should provide lots of snuggly comfort for your hands for hours on end.

In between the outer and inner glove is the heart and soul of the glove; the heating element. Being battery powered I wasn't expecting much in terms of quantity of heat nor the ability of the glove to heat up to temp quickly. Turns out I was wrong on both counts.

The battery unit, which sits on the back on the wrist cuff has a control panel that is accessible through a see-through panel on the pocket in which it lives. This control panel has an on/off button and four LED's that tell you what power level you have the gloves set on. I named them as follows:

1 - “Slightly warm” (aka 25% power)

2 - “Toasty” (aka 50% power)

3 - “Pot-Warmer” (aka 75% power)

4 - “Whatever's cooking sure smells good!” (aka 100% power)

OK so that is a slight exaggeration so here are the actual temps and battery life expected at each:

1 – 25% power – 90F/32C – 10 hours of battery
2 – 50% power – 105F/41C – 6 hours of battery
3 – 75% power – 120F/49C – 4 hours of battery
4 – 100% power – 135F/57C – 3 hours of battery

Since the heating elements run from the tips of your fingers over the back of your hand (a much more logical arrangement than heated grips provide) I doubt you'll need the 100% power setting very often. Not only do the gloves get warm but they do so in a rapid fashion. From start-up to measurable amounts of heat took less than 20 seconds and by 90 seconds my hands were toasty warm (this is on 100% power).

The batteries are rechargeable and can be charged at the same time from the same charger thanks to a two-prong charger cord. After the initial 4 hour charge that is required to fully juice-up the batteries recharging time should be in the 1-2 hour range.

So what are the downsides? Well besides the lack of a leather palm and knuckle protection (only a downside to a select few riders mind you) the only thing that I found is that they are a bit bulky. Not stiff at all just thick – but they aren't any worse than my MC specific winter gloves that don't do anything to keep my hands warm. I thought the price was a little steep but after some research I found that $199 was right in line with other battery operated  heated gloves....at least the good ones with heating elements in ALL the fingers (and yes that includes the thumbs).

The biggest benefit to having battery powered heated gloves is that you aren't tethered to a heated jacket (which you may not even need or own) so you can wear them anywhere. Going skiing? Wear the gloves. Going for a walk in the snow? Wear the gloves. Riding your motorcycle? Wear the gloves. Snowmobiling? Horseback riding? Carriage ride? You get the idea.

Some of you may be wondering who Techniche is and what is their level of knowledge when it comes to climate controlled gear (I was wondering this myself actually so I did some research). Turns out that Techniche is one of the largest manufacturers of climate controlled gear in the world. They make a wide range of both heating and cooling products for all types of activities. They even make heating and cooling products for your dog. Techniche also has the “Seal of Approval from the Riders Club of America” which means their gear as been worn, tested, and approved by its members.

The pair of Techniche IonGear™ gloves that you just read about came from Staywarm-Staycool.com who were nice enough to offer the gloves to us for review (they carry the full line of Techniche products). Not only that but they also offered a 10% discount to any 2WF.com reader. How awesome is that!?! All you need to do is put “2WF” into the coupon code space on their website and you save 10% off your order of IonGear™ battery powered heated gloves. Don't ever say that 2WF doesn't love its readers. 

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Comments (3)

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John said:

	Nice read It is still too hot here in Texas, but nonetheless I used the 10% off code to buy a cooling vest! they offer free shipping too! Thanks 2wf keep up with the reviews!
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October 17, 2011
Votes: +1

AndrewF said:

I think I'll wait I would love a pair of effective heated gloves, but not being motorcycle-specific is a deal breaker as far as I am concerned. They will likely come apart at the seams the moment your hands meet the tarmac! I am especially paranoid about protecting my hands, my logic being that this is one part of my body that is guaranteed to be involved in case of any off, even at minimal speed. So thanks but no thanks - I'll wait a bit longer.

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November 14, 2011
Votes: -1

Editor 2WF said:

Motorcycle Specific Andrew - They ARE "powersport" specific gloves just not "motorcycle specific". I doubt the seams would come apart as they appear to be sewn together very well - better than some "motorcycle specific" gloves we've tried. The manufacturer did say that they were aware they wouldn't appeal to everyone but they (and I) feel that the pros outweigh the cons. I can understand your logic and thought process Andrew and you should definitely wait if it makes you more comfortable. Thanks for reading 2WF.com!

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November 15, 2011
Votes: +1

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