Review of Mechanix Winter Armor insulated winter gloves

At the beginning of autumn, the Mechanix Wear brand once again updated its very popular model of Mechanix Winter Armor winter gloves, the first model of which appeared in mid-October 2011. For a full three years, the gloves have changed in design, the level of protection against mechanical damage and wear has increased by adding additional layers of protection, and the functionality has also expanded, based on modern requirements for gloves.. The last significant change was the addition of special overlays on the fingertips that allow you to control mobile devices with touch screens.

Despite all the modifications, what remains unchanged is what this model of gloves is intended for, as well as the type of heat-insulating insulation and its overall density. The Mechanix Winter Armor model belongs to the Cold Weather winter gloves series and is positioned by the manufacturer exclusively as a pair of durable work gloves with the necessary level of protection against cold, wind and possible mechanical damage.

Despite the fact that the Mechanix Winter Armor gloves came in my usual medium size (M, Medium), in fact they turned out to be larger than expected, the width of the fingers was especially surprising. Gloves do not fit tightly enough to the hand, the sensitivity is not above average. Perhaps the «oversized» was given taking into account the use of internal gloves-liners, which allow the use of gloves at lower temperatures. With liners, they seemed more comfortable to me, but the sensitivity decreased even more.

The outer side of the gloves is formed using at least five materials. The back of the palm is made using different nylon fabrics that differ in overall density and elasticity, for example, the knuckle and finger guards use more elastic material than between the fingers and around the cuff. On the palm and partially on the first two fingers, the nylon is protected by two layers of rubber, with a rough textured surface that «clings» really well. To increase the flexibility of the thumb, an elastic material resembling neoprene is partially used. In addition to several layers of nylon, the back of the palm is protected by flexible EVA foam inserts.

Another external material worth mentioning is the so-called AX Double Connect, which allows you to operate capacitive touch screens without taking off your gloves. The material is placed only on the index and thumb. The pads work without problems, but because of the large fingers, it is only convenient to accept or reject a call in such gloves.

To create the required level of thermal insulation, the manufacturer used 3M Thinsulate C40 synthetic hydrophobic insulation, which is complemented by a soft fleecy lining. Gloves were used in the temperature range from +5 to -12C degrees, naturally, the hands did not freeze both during active movement and during static. At temperatures above zero, the heat was felt, but the hands did not sweat, there was no feeling of the greenhouse effect, as sometimes happens with insulated winter gloves.

The cuff of Mechanix Winter Armor winter gloves is elongated, has a small elastic insert under the base of the thumb. The volume of the cuff is regulated by a wide and dense nylon strap with a fringing, which is fixed with Velcro. Luckily, the strap is conveniently placed on top, something that the Mechanix Wear military tactical line lacks. On the inside, near the cuff, a nylon loop is provided for the possibility of attaching gloves to a carabiner.

The overall quality of Mechanix Winter Armor insulated winter gloves is very high, the firmware is almost perfectly even, all materials used are without visible flaws. The gloves were ordered from the Tactical Gear online store, with an estimated ordering cost of around $43.