Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Sealskinz Women's Winter Gloves

8
£40.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Thermal excellence with gel padding, but they come up small so buy bigger
Weight: 
105g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

Sealskinz winter gloves are everything you'd expect them to be - waterproof, warm and very comfortable to wear.

Last winter I wore these gloves out every morning at around 6am, and my usually chillblain covered fingers were kept toasty warn while riding out in between -2 and 3 degrees. I suspect that with a thermal guide of 4/5 they will keep the heat in at lower temperatures too - I'm just awaiting a further drop in the mercury to prove this.

Buy Sealskinz Women's Winter Gloves
Find a Sealskinz dealer

Beans meanz Heinz and Sealskinz meanz waterproof. Rain beads off the top of these gloves, and even full immersion to retrieve keys from a puddle didn't soak through to my fingers thanks to the inner membrane.

These winter gloves have three gel pads positioned over the palm of the hand. These provided a good level of comfort on longer rides. The soft wrist elastic which is buried in between the inner and outer fabric layers also adds to the overall comfort. The wrists are finished off with a neoprene cuff with a well-designed velcro tab. The tab is attached to a stretchy triangle of material, so it does not fold over or wrinkle when pulled tight against the wind.

>>Read more: Buyer's guide to winter gloves

The thumb and first finger of the gloves have touchscreen friendly pads. While the pads themselves operated my iPhone fine, the positioning of the forefinger pad was marred by the seams at the top of the finger. Extending this pad over the fingernail would have allowed for easier operation of touchscreen devices. The several seams meeting at the top of the fingers was one of my few niggles with an otherwise excellent glove. Four parts join over the top of each finger with an additional two on the inner layer, so this adds bulk and reduces nimbleness when using on-bike tech.

I tested a medium, which should have been the correct size for my hand. While the gloves fitted well on the width, they could have done with being a good inch longer, and I found the gel pads were situated as if for a much smaller palm. The padding was also better suited to flat rather than drop handlebars, as the area between the thumb and forefinger was unpadded. The sizing is the only aspect of these gloves which differentiates them from the men's version, with the medium suiting a hand diameter of 7in for the women and 9in in the equivalent men's size chart. I would recommend going up a size if buying online, or trying them on first if buying from a bike shop.

Verdict

Thermal excellence with gel padding, but they come up small so buy bigger

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Sealskinz Womens Winter Gloves

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

These rugged, technical gloves are designed and engineered for riding in cold and wet conditions.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Totally waterproof, breathable and windproof

Soft, durable synthetic palm with gel padding for increased grip and comfort

Added insulation & extended stretch cuffs for additional warmth

Feature on index finger & thumb allows use of touchscreen devices

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Still going strong after a lot of use.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Wind, water and even putting up the Christmas tree proof.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Starting to look scruffy, but lasting the winter so far.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

Snug as a bug in a cycling glove.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

£40 is a good price considering the brand's excellent reputation.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The comfort factor.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Sizing being rather small.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 5'7  Weight: size 16

I usually ride: Trek 7.5 WSD  My best bike is: Turquoise Cruiser

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Novice

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, general fitness riding, Leisure

 

Add new comment

3 comments

Avatar
Yorky-M | 8 years ago
0 likes

'Womens' gloves!! Do they come with an extra finger to push a lipstick in? Marketing gone mad

Avatar
jacknorell replied to Yorky-M | 8 years ago
0 likes
mylesrants wrote:

'Womens' gloves!! Do they come with an extra finger to push a lipstick in? Marketing gone mad

No, but women do have different proportions... given that I can only fit in a few brands / models well, there's definitely a need to match those proportions for women.

Avatar
Yorky-M replied to jacknorell | 8 years ago
0 likes

MADDNESS! 4 women in this house, all human, with human, child bearing hands. Love to know what specific difference there is to MAN glove?

Female specific Shorts Definitely ,
jerseys probably,
helmets possibly,
gloves NO.
Marketing Sexism

Latest Comments