Got Gloves?

Its the time of year (for those of us in the Northern hemisphere) for shoveling driveways and sidewalks, scraping ice off of car windows and generally freezing our butts off.  The older I get, the more Florida sounds like an awesome place to live. :)  That being said, we have to deal with the cold and for most of us, that means bundling up with multiple layers, wearing heavy coats and hats, and donning the ever fashionable snow boots, but what about those hands?

I for one, absolutely hate wearing gloves.  You can't do anything that requires delicate touch with gloves on, nor can you really feel anything.  But this year, due to the extreme cold we've experienced (some days the highs were below freezing), I've had to re-think my opinion of gloves.  My long, skinny fingers and hands have froze to beyond numbness on more than one occasion so I broke down and bought yet another pair of winter gloves... where do they all go?  I know I've had several pairs over the years, the glove fairy must be swiping them!  This time however, thanks to my friend Chris at Outdoor Photo Gear, I got an awesome pair of gloves that solve a lot of problems for me.

These gloves are the AquaTech Sensory Gloves, and they are called that because on the index finger and thumb of each glove, there is a hole that you can slide the tips of your fingers and thumbs through, giving you the ability to have touch and feel again with your finger tips!  When you're not using the holes, there is a sleeve inside that you put your finger and thumb in to keep them warm.  You can see how this works in the photo below.  As always, you can click on any pic for a larger view...

Not only do these gloves have holes for your fingers and thumbs, they also have a really good grip thanks to all those little nubs on the palm sides.  They're also light weight, bend easily and are incredibly warm!  Another cool little bit is that they're water proof as well.  They have velcro straps on the wrists to give them a secure fit and lanyards so that you can attach them to a coat and to each other.  (Honestly though, the lanyards get in my way so I think I will be cutting them off.)

I have to say, for photographers, these are an absolute blessing!  I don't shoot in the frigid cold often, but when I do, my hands immediately go numb and I have a hard time fiddling with the shutter button and dials, but not anymore!  These are perfect for photographers because you can actually feel the shutter button and your dials with ease, all while keeping your hands toasty warm.  You can see in the shot to the right how these really help.  They also help you to maintain a better grip for zooming and focusing with your lenses.

So maybe you're not a photographer, or at least one who shoots in the cold, but there is probably something else that these gloves can help you with.  Have you ever tried to use a smart phone with a pair of gloves on?  Its maddening to nearly impossible!  Its like trying to play a piano with mittens on.  Well, with these gloves you can easily operate a touch screen smart phone (or any other phone for that matter) by having your index finger exposed.  I was even able to play a little Angry Birds with these things on... not that I'm very good anyways, but you get the point!


Again, I just wanted to say that I absolutely hate wearing gloves, but I'm wearing these now every time it gets cold out and I'm in love with them.  Also, just for the record, nobody asked me to review these and I'm not getting paid to review them.  I simply needed a pair of gloves and on my friend's suggestion, these are what I bought.  I've had them for two weeks (which is why they don't look brand new) and they are without a doubt the best pair of winter gloves I have ever owned.  Hopefully, the glove fairy won't carry these off too. ;)

Oh, they're also very affordable for the quality of the product, and you can get these online (or in the store) at Outdoor Photo Gear!  If you're a photographer, you'll love them!  If you need to use your phone in the cold, you'll appreciate how easy it is to do with these.  I wish I had a pair of these years ago.