Anyone who works or plays outside in cold weather knows not to leave home without cold weather gear, including gloves to warm your hands. After all, extremities like hands and feet are more likely to get cold faster than other parts of our body, and trying to function with frozen fingers is a job in and of itself.
This leads us to the all-important question: when spending time outdoors, are heated gloves worth it or can you get gloves for hand warmers?
Answering this question largely depends on you and your lifestyle. Let’s dive into the pros and cons of both heated gloves and hand warmers so you can decide the option that benefits you the most.
Pros & Cons of Electric Hand Warmer Gloves vs Hand Warmers
Electric Hand Warmer Gloves
Pros: Electric hand warmer gloves (heated gloves) are a reusable and rechargeable hand warming option to deliver hours of heat to your hands. Gobi Heat® heated gloves, for instance, deliver up to 140°F of heat at three easy on/off heat settings for personalized warmth, maintaining a minimum 113°F of heat for six hours on a full battery. One lithium ion battery can be recharged anywhere from 300 to 500 times, able to be replaced with a brand new battery for years of use.
Gobi's heated gloves are made with durable materials, such a genuine leather and water-resistant nylon, to keep hands protected from the elements, while a steel fiber heating technology runs up and around each fingertip for even heat distribution. They are also machine washable and come with warranties.
Are heated gloves worth it? Heated gloves are ideal for individuals who spend a great deal of time outside, or for individuals suffering from arthritis who need a reliable hand warming product.
Battery-heated gloves also come in a variety of styles to more appropriately match the needs of the wearer, from sports to construction.
Cons: Heated gloves come with a higher upfront price tag than disposable hand warmers. They need to be recharged once the battery runs out, or have a new charged battery put in for extended use over six hours.
Heated Hand Warmers
Pros: Disposable heated hand warmers are a quick, cheap and easy way to warm your hands. The heat in disposable hand warmers is activated by an exothermic reaction involving oxygen, salt, water, activated charcoal and vermiculite to create roughly 100°F of heat for (usually) a few hours.
Where do you put hand warmers? Heated hand warmers can sit in your pocket, fit in your glove or simply be held in your hand, and are ideal for short and infrequent stints outside in the cold. On average, you can get a ten pack of hand warmers for about $14.
Cons: There are a few cons of heated hand warmers to be aware of:
- Uneven Warmth. Disposable heated hand warmers do not evenly distribute heat throughout the fingertips and cannot be reused once the active ingredients inside the package are activated.
- Limited Mobility. Hand warmers must also be held in order to keep your hands warm, limiting the use of your hands.'
- Waste. Hand warmers can contribute to more waste. You cannot reuse them so when you are done, you have to throw them away. It’s estimated that millions of hand warmers are used each year, which means all of those hand warmers end up in our landfills.
Key Takeaways
- Price: While heated gloves cost more upfront, their rechargeable lithium ion batteries lead to cost savings by reducing the cost per use when compared to disposable hand warmers.
- Durability: Though your typical hand warmers are a quick heating option in a pinch, they must be thrown away after one use, making them less eco-friendly than reusable heated gloves. Between their efficient lithium ion batteries and the ability to replace batteries, heated gloves will last longer and deliver more consistent heat to the hands.
- Effectiveness: While heated gloves deliver heat over the entire hand, hand warmers you place in mittens or gloves provide heat in one central location, leaving fingers more vulnerable to the cold.
- Usability: Having hand warmer work gloves can make working in the cold difficult. Heated hand warmers must be either held, left in pockets, or rest in gloves, whereas heated gloves provide a “hands-free” heating source, giving you more use of your hands while keeping warm.
- Style: Lastly, heated gloves come in a variety of different styles for more specific uses in the cold.
All in all, heated gloves are a better investment for individuals spending a great deal of time outside in the cold.
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About Gobi Heat
From ultra-warm heated gloves to men and women’s heated clothing, Gobi Heat has everything you need to stay warm in harsh conditions and variable climates. Shop our large selection of industry leading heated apparel today and discover the difference Gobi Heat can make in the way you work and play in the cold.