UKC

After everyone raving about these gloves on here, I decided to get a few pairs for work and also use them for climbing if they seemed ok.

Wore them for the first time today and I have to say; I really don't understand the hype.

The fit wasn't great, the thick coating made the gloves very un-dexterous. Even the huge krabs we use at work were a struggle. Also the coating made gripping anything a real hassle. Even just making a loose fist was a bit of a workout, fighting against the material of the glove which seemed to want my hand to stay open.

To top all of this off, it was probably no less than 5 degrees today and after a few hours work outside, my hands were pretty cold and clammy. Not ideal for a glove supposed to be used in cold environments, I was hardly pushing the limits of human endurance today!

Anyone else found these problems? To be honest, I was just a bit miffed after the praise they received on here, that the turned out to be so very naff.

This is them for reference- http://www.arco.co.uk/product?productcode=14G7400

Worst bit is, I've got to spend the next week pretending how good they are so I can sell all my pairs to my workmates!

In reply to Dave 88: I used these when I was a laborer for a year, the were the only ones I found to last more than a few days. Warm enough, dexterous and cheap at £3.
http://www.xs-stock.co.uk/greglcmaster-artic-polar-extra-warm-extra-thick-e...

I've never used the skytech gloves.

In reply to Dave 88: i`m with you on this.
i`m a bricklayer & suffer from raynuads (vibration white finger)
i use these gloves during the winter (on sites) & as you have mentioned they are very poor for dexterity & not very good at keeping fingers warm (& im not talking sub zero temps! 3-7deg+ )
they may be slightly useful for when plunging in wet snow to get to the base of a climb (to keep your good gloves from getting soaked)but thats about it.
i used them once on a walk in when it was blowing a hooly & raining then snowing, gloves got wet as hands sweated (due to rubber coating)then fingers became cold anyway.
all in all, i believe its all hype & a lot of people who have bought em, will soon give up on them.
they`re ok (ish) for what they are designed for, as are rab/montane/marmot/black diamond winter climbing gloves, so i`ll stick to using winter climbing gloves for winter climbing.

just my two-penneth worth.

skar.

In reply to Dave 88:

Completely agree! Garbage!

In reply to Dave 88:
I've only just bought a pair, I'm glad I didn't buy 4 pairs as originally planned but I'm not disappointed with my single pair. I've picked up axes with them and they feel really good, just depends how well they will keep my hands warm.

In reply to danrock101:
They may come in handy for dry tooling if they're crap.

In reply to Dave 88:

Glad it's not just me then, I though my hands were broken!

Danrock, do you not find its proper hard to get a tight grip on things? I reckon to make a fist, about 10% of my grip strength is wasted just fighting against the glove. Quite an odd sensation really!

In reply to Dave 88: I bought a pair now I use em for gardening/jobs outside.

I wore them in a few minus temp days in the last cold spell and thought they were great. Certainly enjoyed the dexterity increase from what I was used to climbing in dashtein mitts...I will report back after a first proper climb with them.

In reply to Dave 88:
I bought the largest arco glove I could - XL - But they are still too tight across the hand and are not the easiest to get on and off for me.

That said my stepson whose and engineer on high ropes in the north sea finds them excellent - but he does have smaller hands than mine, so perhaps fit is everything.

The Polar gloves in the other post I've used and find them both comfortable and warmer than the normal builders latex grip gloves I use in summer. (I'm a drystone waller) But I don't think I'd use them for winter climbing at all - You'd get cold hands and wet ones too.

In reply to Dave 88:

I bought a pair after all the rave about them!

Have used them drytooling, I find that they have too much resistance, hands get tired gripping a tool. It hey had no rubber on the back of fingers/knuckles, this would help with articulation.

I guess this is the difference between £5 gloves and more expensive ones with pre-shaped fingers, designed around a closed hand!

Stuart

In reply to Dave 88:

The recommendations for the gloves were for winter climbing (at least mine were.) I've used them on every route this season (12,) and found them better than anything else I have. Everyone is different, try something else (or try them for climbing.)

In reply to jonnie3430:

Yeah I realise the recommendations were for winter climbing, however if I had problems with them in 5 degrees doing industrial climbing, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't work for me on a route!

Like you say, everyone is different, it seems from this thread and the others that these gloves either work brilliantly for you, or not at all.

In reply to Stuart the postie:

Yeah I think you've hit the nail on the head there, definitely shaped around an open hand. These things knackered me today!

In reply to Dave 88:

Not used on a full winter route but lots of cold / wet soaking crags etc at work. They seem to work very well. Yes they take an age to dry (turn them inside out!!) I do find I can place gear, tie knots and even use woodworking hand tools (unheated workshop at home) with a lot more ease and dexterity than in ANY other glove.

Mine are perfect fit to my hands by the way I have no problems with making a fist. I dont forsee me hanging on tools for extended lengths of times though with my grades.