Gloves - recommendations

erica74

Hi all, I'm in a bit of a pickle at the moment.
I have Held Wave Goretex Waterproof gloves and unfortunately, after 4+ hours in the rain yesterday, they're certainly not waterproof at all.
I have worn them in heavy rain like this before and not had this problem, once a tiny bit of rain got in but nothing like yesterday - the inside of the gloves were literally sopping wet.
I've only had them 8 months so I'm waiting to hear back from the place I bought them from about the warranty (they came with a 2 year warranty and a claim that they were 100% waterproof for the life of the gloves).

My concern is that this 2 year warranty and "life of the gloves" is not really tested by someone who drives their bike 365 days of the year and maybe the warranty is designed with only occasional use in mind.
Between last night and now, I've been reading a lot of reviews for various different brands online and when an issue similar to mine cropped up (with Held and with other brands), the response from the manufacturer was "fair wear and tear". Now I don't think 8 months is an acceptable life of a pair of goretex €160 gloves?
What are your experiences with warranties?

I imagine the place I bought my gloves from is going to want me to return them for inspection but that leaves me without any gloves in the meantime. I have a few spare pairs of gloves but they're Summer gloves and definitely won't hold up against the rain we've had recently.
So I'll have to buy myself another pair of gloves to tide me over (and I'll probably need new gloves in the long run anyway because I doubt I'll get a refund/replacement/repair on my Held gloves).
So I'm looking for recommendations for gloves that are 100% waterproof worn in endless hours of torrential rain and remained waterproof.
A lot of the anonymous reviews on websites are from people who have worn something for a 20 minute commute, which is no use to me.

I'm happy to spend whatever amount of money I need to as long as the product is good. I'm bloody sick to death of spending good money on bike gear that turns out to be absolutely shíte.

zubair

Which gloves were they? Did you have the gauntlet inside or outside your jacket, a common cause of glove "leaks" is water getting inside the gauntlet from either a leaking jacket or being outside the cuff.

For summer I use the Held Air n Dry and think they're awesome!

The only problem i had with goretex gloves in the past was I had worn through the thumb after 3 winters of use and there was a hole that leaked.

erica74

zubair wrote: »

Which gloves were they? Did you have the gauntlet inside or outside your jacket, a common cause of glove "leaks" is water getting inside the gauntlet from either a leaking jacket or being outside the cuff.

For summer I use the Held Air n Dry and think they're awesome!

The only problem i had with goretex gloves in the past was I had worn through the thumb after 3 winters of use and there was a hole that leaked.

Sorry, I thought I had included the name in my OP.
They're Held Wave Goretex.
I wear the gauntlet outside the cuffs of my jacket - they're designed to be worn this way, aren't they? I thought that was the whole point of longer gloves. I don't know anyone who wears gloves under cuffs?
Incidentally, my jacket is a Held goretex jacket and I have zero complaints about it. I've had it 3 years and no leaks whatsoever.

You recommend Held Air n Dry - would you have worn them in heavy rain? I know they're described as goretex waterproof but obviously I'm a bit sceptical.

Edit - actually, after all that above, what I had on yesterday was my textile jacket with my gloves over the cuffs of my jacket and then over everything I had an RST rain jacket over the cuffs of the gloves.
I just happened to have the rain jacket in my bag and threw it on without giving much thought to it being over or under the gloves.

erica74

stewygriffin wrote: »

Held Air n Dry.have a pair here and they are great.

2 different gloves in 1 actual glove.

great for the heavy rain and cold,and fantastic for Irish summer riding too.

Thanks, would you have worn them in endless hours of rain?

stewygriffin

erica74 wrote: »

Thanks, would you have worn them in endless hours of rain?

Yup.;)

stewygriffin

The rainwater probably ran down the textile jacket and into the glove Erica,seen as you say you had the glove on over the cuff.
Easy thing to have happen,Ive done that myself many a time,so its probably not the glove.

erica74

stewygriffin wrote: »

The rainwater probably ran down the textile jacket and into the glove Erica,seen as you say you had the glove on over the cuff.
Easy thing to have happen,Ive done that myself many a time,so its probably not the glove.

It was only after I posted that I remembered what I had on yesterday was my textile jacket with my gloves over the cuffs of my jacket and then over everything I had an RST rain jacket over the cuffs of the gloves.

Lyle Lanley

My father gave me a pair of Rayven gloves when I got my first bike 11 years ago. Still wear them all the time, still completely waterproof in all conditions.

8 months is nothing.

erica74

Lyle Lanley wrote: »

My father gave me a pair of Rayven gloves when I got my first bike 11 years ago. Still wear them all the time, still completely waterproof in all conditions.

8 months is nothing.

I know, it just doesn't seem reasonable at all!
I've had a Held goretex jacket and goretex trousers for 3 years and they're still 100% waterproof. That's the minimum life I'd expect out of gear.

stewygriffin

Remember with winter/waterproof gloves,not just top be fixated with them being waterproof,but look at what armour and protection they have on them too.

erica74

stewygriffin wrote: »

Remember with winter/waterproof gloves,not just top be fixated with them being waterproof,but look at what armour and protection they have on them too.

Ah yeah, same with any gear.

Wonda-Boy

+1 for the Held Air n Dry I have been wearing them since day one and never a problem. Current pair is 3 yrs old and they still look like new, they are literally 365 days a year gloves but you would prolly need heated grips for the extreme cold days.

zubair

I think we found the problem as it would be odd for both to leak at the same time after 1 saturation.

As per wonda, I wouldn't wear them in winter but they're good with heated grips for the rest of the year.

Wonda-Boy

I would wear them in winter as they are really good and with the xtra fit technology making them warm but thin, most other gloves are thick and clumsy but with the AnD you can still feel the controls on the bike. But as I said on the exceptionally cold days heated grips would be needed.

antiskeptic

erica74 wrote: »

So I'm looking for recommendations for gloves that are 100% waterproof worn in endless hours of torrential rain and remained waterproof.

I'm happy to spend whatever amount of money I need to as long as the product is good. I'm bloody sick to death of spending good money on bike gear that turns out to be absolutely shíte.

I used AlpineStar gloves and boots 365 riding and found both to give years of waterproof wear - the boots where worn right down by the time I replaced them but water in, never. Same with the glove. Long rides and fellow riders all had soggy gloves cept me. I wore gaunlet style over textile and the water didn't get down to the hand. Couldn't have countenanced everyday riding without being dry throughout - what a 'mare otherwise.

CJhaughey

I saw a test where they tested various different gloves for warmth and waterproofness, the winner was Richa Cold protect GTX which beat all the others. I can't remember who carried the test out but it was pretty comprehensive including holding your gloved hand in ice water for as long as you could stand and seeing if the glove leaked or your hand fell off:D

Wonda-Boy

Another group glove test in RiDE magazine this month, well worth alook. Held Air N Dry are the winners again....but other gloves do very well in the lesser price bracket.

You can also get the Held gloves without the summer partition if you will, so just a bulkier glove. Exact same just not dual compartment.....

erica74

antiskeptic wrote: »

I used AlpineStar gloves and boots 365 riding and found both to give years of waterproof wear - the boots where worn right down by the time I replaced them but water in, never. Same with the glove. Long rides and fellow riders all had soggy gloves cept me. I wore gaunlet style over textile and the water didn't get down to the hand. Couldn't have countenanced everyday riding without being dry throughout - what a 'mare otherwise.

Yep, I'm with you there. I have to have my bit of comfort on the bike because I spend so much time on it.
Do you remember the name of your Alpinestars gloves?

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

Another group glove test in RiDE magazine this month, well worth alook. Held Air N Dry are the winners again....but other gloves do very well in the lesser price bracket.

You can also get the Held gloves without the summer partition if you will, so just a bulkier glove. Exact same just not dual compartment.....

Sound, I'll give it a look. Not at all bothered about price, I'm happy to spend whatever I need to just as long as they do the job.

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

Wonda-Boy

TBH, I am no fan boy but if stuff is good I will sing the praises. Its like "Kriega" gear best stuff ever made for a motorcycle, what I really like about the Held gloves is you can see where the money is gone on them. The stitching is very good, I love the Kevlar on the palms and they have a generous cuff and wiper blade on finger....its a no brainer.

And totally waterproof for me anyway.

Alkers

I've had a pair of knox zero 2 gloves.for the past 18months and have found them excellent. Only on the coldest days have my hands felt the chill and they've been 100% waterproof. I wear my jacket over the cuffs though - I think it depends on your posture if this will have an impact or not