Heated Gloves
We tested two electric gloves, one from AliExpress - KemiMoto, the other locally purchased - Five HG 1 EVO Heated Gloves.
Having owned many pairs of gloves from the ultra thick winter riding gloves, sports gloves down to light short cuff gloves we had some knowledge of what is “normal” so choosing some heated gloves took a little research.
There are two systems on the market, 12v harness connected items and battery 7.2v heated items at the time of writing this item.
If you are riding 8 hours a day in the cold, a 12v harness system will win every time.
If you are just needing to ride in the cold for a few hours and don’t often ride in the cold or have multiple motorcycles, battery powered heated gloves are very handy to have around provided you charge them up after riding each session!
So what are the results of using AliExpress heated gloves?
Both heated glove brands tested came with excellent thermal insulation before even using the electric heating features with a bonus of reasonable finger dexterity and touch screen items still work.
Overall, it’s a real luxury having heated gloves and your confidence is less affected by poor or cold weather as your hands are far more comfortable.
Both heated glove brands last about a hour on full heating power, 2 hours on lower settings.
If you are riding in negative -2 degrees @ 100KPH, the wind chill is quite noticeable using typical motorcycle gloves!
Wearing these heated gloves makes it feel like a 5 degree day standing on a sports field sideline in these cold conditions so well worth it!
Heating reduces as batteries get lower (logical outcome), heating is not consistent after 30-60 minutes of maximum heat with continuous use.
KemiMoto branded item has a hotter back of hand heating which does help keep fingers warm by warming blood flow vs wind chill.
The Five branded item has better all around heating for fingers, the thumb is definitely warmer than the KemiMoto item.
Both items are water proof, but that is the inner layer. The outer layer is a breathable layer and water splash resistant but both items will absorb water eventually and that reduces effective heating for hands but your hands remain dry (ie water saturated external layers takes away some effective warmth).
The Five item tested also has option for a battery harness accessory and wirelessly syncs between the glove pair for what heating level you have chosen while the KemiMoto is daily basic item, push a button on each glove to adjust and power on and off from a 7.2v battery.
Also noting the throttle hand for KemiMoto item, the battery in the glove’s cuff can at times push the glove button to off or different heat level… Bit of a negative there but still easy to turn it back on and far better than cold hands!
As we purchased the KemiMoto item sight unseen, we we’re quite interested in the hand protection offered by the gloves themselves.
Visually and by feel cannot really see anything “less” or different from locally sourced glove brands available. I won’t be putting my hand in the gloves and onto on a belt sander to test them but they have palm sliders and knuckle protection no worse than other gloves and overall is a good feeling glove to use.
Best performer - Five HG1 Evo Gloves
Costs: More, but is a more substantial glove overall.
Features: Everything a glove would need.
Does the job? yes!
Go without? Nope, a must have.
Packaging? Good quality
Instructions? Supplied, english included
Rated 5/5
Good Value - KemiMoto 8012BL PRO Plus
Costs: Less, far better than the thickest non-electric gloves you can buy and your warm and dry hours later. Cheaper than heated grips.
Features: Basic one button per glove.
Does the job? Yes!
Go without? Nope, a must have.
Packaging? Good quality
Instructions? Supplied, english included
Rated 3/5
Heated gloves vs heated grips
Ideally you would have both headed grips and gloves!
But the issue found with heated grips is they do not warm up the outside of your hand at all.
If it is raining and cold, you will have COLD hands. Rain soaks into gloves and then reduces warmth even further!
Heated grips are just as expensive as heated gloves and need to be fitted to the motorcycle, you may need replacement parts due to general handlebar grip wear and tear or damaged/faulty items.
How do heated gloves work
At the most basic level, these work as resistive heaters.
The power is sent through resistors placed inside the glove that use up the energy to create a warming effect.
Rubber gloves over/under normal gloves?
Adding rubber gloves works really well to prevent hands getting wet directly and reduces the wind chill a lot… they also squish up really well so can carry some in a jacket pocket for a rainy day.
Dry and cold hands function much better than wet and cold hands!
Do really thick gloves work ok?
On short trips in the cold, absolutely thick is better than thin gloves.
However, once the cold has saturated the thick glove’s layers they then become much harder to warm up, heated grips take much more time to heat thick gloves and near impossible to warm up when wet and cold combine so you may find thick gloves thermally are at a disadvantage on long trips once the cold as set in.
