I got these for winter bike commuting because my old combination of Pearl Izumi lobsters plus liners wasn't cutting it. This morning it was -4F with -25F windchill and the mittens worked fine just by themselves; no liners. While my hands weren't toasty warm they were at least comfortable. I'll update this review if needed.
I ski a lot and the battle is always to have my gear dialed in where I don't really have to think about whether it will work or not. I've gone through the normal rounds of gloves from North Face, FlyLow, Black Diamond, Kestral, etc and it wasn't until a patroller at our local turned me on to Kinco work mitts. Once these things were sealed up with Nik Wax or SnoSeal, they are by far the driest and warmest gloves I've ever worn, even on the coldest days. Not only do I own a pair of mittens for the coldest days, I also own a pair of the Kinco Pigskin full leather gloves and two pair of the Kinco 1927W for spring skiing days in the backcountry. For the price, Kinco sets the bar pretty high.
If they keep my hands warm, they'll keep about anybody's hands warm. I put them to the test over the weekend where it was near zero and I was out in it for an hour or so feeding cattle. As long as you're moving around and keeping your fingers active they'll be warm. Seems like a very high quality leather. They do have a thick fleece glove lining so your fingers do not touch each other. I wish this was removable so that it could be washed or cleaned.
These are the business, they live up to expectations. They came with 2 small nikwax waterproofing packets, plenty to coat them for a season. I ended up buying some sno-seal to provide extra waterproofing and another layer. They are super warm, I just need to add some leashes to really make them perfect.
Gloves on right have sno-seal and nikwax and been used 7 days, ones on left have just nikwax and have just 1 day on them.
I bought these for snowblowing in upstate NY and have used them twice so far. I love them. My hands are always cold and gloves are always a challenge. I admit to being concerned the first time I wore these because after a short time my fingers were getting cold like they did in my old gloves. I did what I used to do with my old gloves, which was to pull all my fingers together out of the "finger" places and make a fist until they warmed up a bit. I figured I would keep doing this, get through the shoveling and then start the search for new gloves. BUT after that one little rewarm my fingers were fine for the rest of the time, and in fact my hands felt warm when I took the mitts off. The second time I wore them I had zero coldness, and that was in harsh windy conditions. The difference, upon reflection, is that the second time the gloves were warm (i.e. had been in the house) while the first time they were in my back entryway/basement which is noticeably colder. So, my suggestion is put them on while both the mitts and your hands are warm.
Feature Product
- Durable pigskin leather
- Heat keep thermal 5-finger lining for those really cold days
- Reinforcing leather palm patches sewn with draylon thread
- Pigskin 'breathes' so the gloves will dry soft after getting wet
- Note: may not come pretreated with waterproofing, If not pretreated will come with packets of Nikwax to be applied
Description
Kinco pigskin ski mitt. Golden color premium grain pigskin leather palm with premium suede pigskin back. Reinforcement leather patch on palm sewn with draylon thread. Ergonomic wing thumb. Polyester knit wrist. Plastic pairing hook. Heavy heat keep thermal lining with the glove 5 finger design. Treated with Nikwax waterproofing solution.
First of all, make sure you wax these mittens if you plan to be in the wet or snow - I'm wondering if some of the complaints I see missed that step as a good wax will keep your hands a lot warmer.
These mittens get used for ski patrol work in the PNW near Seattle where it usually doesn't get below 0 degrees so I can't really speak to those complaining about the warmth in sub-zero temps but for setting up rope lines all morning in dumping snow and/or rain they are the warmest durable work mittens I have found. The glove-like liner is actually very useful when doing work that requires manipulating your hands as it keeps the mitt from bunching around. Also, the inner liner is somewhat permeable and is separate from the leather outer so you do get a lot of the mitten advantage in warmth though maybe not as much as otherwise. Again, I can't speak to the really cold climates but for for skiing and doing ski patrol work in the PNW this (waxed!) mitt has been amazing.
So far I am happy with the purchase and would buy again. My previous mittens, probably bought for skiing, had developed a hole. I will be using these mainly for shoveling snow and using the snowblower. I live at 8500 feet in the eastern Sierra Nevada and we get a lot of snow in some years (like this year - 2016-17 winter). I alternate these with gloves for warmth. I will note that the interior liner is like a glove - i.e., individual finger extensions.
The insides are a very soft fleece. These gloves are very warm. I live in Maine and ski everyday at Sugarloaf which is known for it's strong winds and rather cold temperatures. My fingers only got cold on the coldest of days when it was below 0 degrees Farenheit. The NixWax works very well and darkens the gloves. I skied in the rain and my hands remained dry... the rest of me didn't. These are awesome gloves and the affordable price makes them even better.
Forget the other gloves on the market, these are what you need.
They are warm. They are tough.
Yes, they are kind of an ugly color, but when you are skiing, they say: "I'm a legit local. I care more about performance than fashion."
Yes, they are stiff when you first get them. But if you put the wax on them and maybe some mineral oil or another oil-based water proofer, they soften up and conform to the shape of your hand. Best. Deal. Going.
I'm an avid snowboarder, I go out to the local hill weekly and make a trip out west once a season. After putting two layers of snowseal and double baking them in my oven these things worked superbly. Never had any wet or cold fingers. I would however recommend not using them unless you are in below freezing temps as you will sweat excessively in these.
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