Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Lesson Learned: Buying Expensive Gloves At The Last Minute

"Are you really taking a picture of your 
glove, Lucky?"
"Yes, Triumph, it's for the blog."
They seemed like good gloves, in the moment. Of course, in the moment, I was wondering how it was that my hands hadn't frozen solid already. This was last October, as I was trying on any gloves that looked liked they had a little less ventilation than the pair I was wearing that day.

I tried on a lot of gloves before I gave up, and settled on Alpinestars. After all, Alpinestars is a good brand, right? And they were insulated, so they had to be better than what I was already wearing. Right?

I'm embarrassed to admit, this isn't the first time I've found myself trying to buy warmer gloves because I needed them now. It didn't work out quite as intended then, either.*

It seems like finding a pair of decent gloves is as hard, if not harder, than finding a pair of jeans that fit. If I ever find a pair of gloves that I love, I'm going to order 5 more identical pairs immediately so I can keep them in reserve. In a fireproof safe.  Just in case.

Let's get back to the story. There I was, with freezing hands and a limited selection of gloves. The Alpinestars were the least-awful option, and I assumed they'd break in and I'd get used to them.

"Ooo-kayyy... Could you at least crop me
out of the picture then, Lucky?"
That was a bad assumption. They didn't and I haven't. You see, the least-worst-fitting gloves were 3XL-sized. Somehow, they're both too tight and too long. Who on Earth are these gloves made for? I can only assume the target for these particular gloves is motorcycle-riding grey aliens. Particularly tall and skinny ones, at that.

I don't want to be too hard on Alpinestars. Apart from the odd sizing**, they seem to be really well made. They're not cozy-mittens warm, but they block the wind and have decent insulation. If I had heated grips, they'd probably be just fine. Heck, if they fit right, they'd probably be perfect. They're even reasonably cool-looking.

All the same, I really, really don't like them. These gloves lightened my wallet and continue to make my hands grumpy, and I don't have anyone to blame except myself.  So, perhaps it's less that I don't like the gloves, and more that I don't like the constant, frustrating reminder that I make a bad choice when I bought them.

What I've taken away from this experience is that I need to go shopping for warm gloves before it gets cold again, and not buy any gloves I'm not 100% certain about.  Luckily, the weather here is currently warming, so I should be able to get away with wearing my summer gloves again soon.

Though, those gloves are due for replacement too...


* A word to the wise: Should you find yourself on an interstate 200 miles from home with freezing cold hands, desperate enough to buy a pair of leather work gloves and liners from a truck stop, be aware that your hands and forearms are going to hate you for the rest of the trip, and the next couple of days afterward.

** Seriously, who is the skinny-fingered giant these things are made for? I want to meet him or her and experience that handshake.


12 comments:

red said...

Have you checked out any gloves from Rev'It? I love my pair of gauntlets.

mq01 said...

enter creepy visual of handshake with a skinny fingered giant.

come on triumph, warm up your daddy! ;)

your gloves can join 3-4 pairs of mine, hehe.. maybe you should ebay them and replace some of that weight in your wallet, lucky?

Unknown said...

"If I ever find a pair of gloves that I love, I'm going to order 5 more identical pairs immediately so I can keep them in reserve. In a fireproof safe. Just in case."

This. 5 times over. Every single time I find a pair of gloves I like that actually fit they're promptly discontinued.

Aaargh.

Chris Cope said...

Take a ride up to Duluth and visit the fellas at Aerostitch. I want to know if those Roper gloves are any good. In the meantime, I can advise that Furygan gloves are generally a disappointment. I have two pair and I am constantly wondering what possessed me to purchase the second pair.

Lucky said...

Red - I haven't yet, but I'll be sure to check them out. Thanks for the recommendation!

MQ01 - Hee hee hee :) Oh, eBay is a good idea. I'll have to look into that.

H Thompson - Ouch! Well, it seems like we're not alone in our search for tolerable gloves...

Chris Cope - That's not a bad idea. I've been thinking about rolling up to Duluth at some point this year anyway. I haven't come across Furygan gloves yet, but I'll keep that in mind.

Trobairitz said...

I hate it when those types of purchases don't work out.

I am really hard to fit for gloves. Mens extra small will usually work but then can even be too big and the fingers aren't usually long enough on womens. Don't get me started on how big the gauntlets are for wrist width......

Dar said...

Lucky I feel your pain! Last Fall I thought I had found glove nirvana, they were everything I was looking for and they were supposed to be waterproof - *not. I also have trouble finding glove that fit, there is a weird thing with womens gloves they all fit weird like the long skinnied alien fingers. OY! So after much humming and hawing I plunked down $100 walked away with Olympia (Not) waterproof gloves and went on my merry way. I was riding a novice traffic course and it was torrentially raining, and of course the gloves ended up being water logged, my hands cold and 7 hours later sore. So I made due and was going to buy some water proofer. One day 2 weeks ago on my walk up from our basement parking to the elevator to my office I dropped the left glove, someone picked it up and didn't turn it in to anyone. I went around the entire building and the glove was gone, its like those same long skinny fingered aliens decided they wanted their bloody non waterproof glove back, but only decided to take the left one. So no I am on the hunt again for a pair of gloves. FRACK!

Lucky said...

Trobairitz - Hmm... Maybe the Alpinestars (in an xsmall) will work for you. At least if their sizing ratio for hand-size to finger-length is consistent. That said, I imagine you've tried them already...

Dar - Sorry to hear the left glove returned to the mothership!

Greg Prosmushkin said...
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Sash Johnson said...

Earlier this year, after about Oh, 15 pairs of gloves later, I found "The Perfect Gloves". I was just telling Steve I can wear them in any weather, except rain, which is fine because I found the perfect rain gloves at the same place.

Millers Surplus, Army Surplus Store in Tucson, AZ.

These are kidskin leather on the outside and a soft sheepskin on the inside. They are great for warm weather and cold weather. I'm surprised they aren't hot in the warm weather, but they seem great. Steve even borrowed them once!

They have wide fingers, but they are a bit long too. I have very fat stubby hands so I've only found really stretchy gloves ever fit.

Sash
Sash - The Rude Biker Chick
See Sash Videos!

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Xtreemgear

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