Scute Design Lumin8a indicating gloves

Scute Design Lumin8a indicating gloves are surprisingly well-made handwear with built-in LEDs to increase the visibility of your signals and therefore your safety. They work, but we're not convinced you really need them.

For your 40 quid, you get gloves with chevron shaped LEDs, switchgear and USB rechargeable lithium-ion cell. To activate the flashing LED, you use your thumb to press a button next to your index finger knuckle. Here's the manufacturer's video to show you how they work:

We tested the full finger version, designed for operating temperatures between 5°C and 15°C; a classic mitt version is also available. They only come in one size, which will be a problem for many people, but they happened to be perfect for my long, slender hands, although the cuff is rather shallow.

The glove aspect is unremarkable but well-executed. You get knitted polyester/Lycra backs, nylon/polyurethane foam palms and a terry towelling nose-wipe on the thumb.

I liked the neutral black/yellow colour scheme but the palm's suede texture starts looking grubby after a few weeks of daily use. Ordinarily, that wouldn't be worth mentioning as you could just put them in the machine washing but the integral electrics here prohibit that.

This is a shame given they offer excellent all-conditions grip, while providing the dexterity needed to unwrap energy bars and even take photos on the fly.

Ulnar padding on gloves often causes precisely the discomfort it's supposed to alleviate but it works well here. The Lumin8 gloves offer impressive insulation from road or trail buzz, and I had no hint of numbness or tingling even after 70-odd miles.

The electronics are almost completely unobtrusive, although I did tend to accidentally engage the otherwise carefully aligned switch when cruising on the hoods, especially on bikes with flared drops such as Midge or Major Taylor bars. That's mildly distracting when belting along.

The signalling function is straightforward to use given a bit of practice, and those little diodes certainly reinforce your hand signals, especially around dusk. They're visible to around 150 metres.

However, 40 quid is not to be sneezed at. You can achieve much the same effect with high quality day-glo or retro reflective stickers and I can't help feeling this sort of accessory subtly reinforces the perception that cyclists are problems who need singling out to myopic or just plain careless drivers.

Verdict

Surprisingly competent gloves but the electronics preclude machine washing and I'm not completely sold on the concept.