Heated work gloves: what to check before a cold shift

First: a heated glove is not a safety glove

Many jobs need a glove rated for the hazard: cut resistance for blades and sheet metal, impact protection for heavy materials, chemical resistance, insulation for electrical work, or high visibility. Those ratings come from testing, and they are marked on the glove.

Our heated glove has none of those ratings. It is an everyday insulated winter glove with a heating element. The maker lists no safety certification and does not state that it is waterproof. If your job or your employer requires protective gloves, wear those. A heated glove does not replace them, and we do not sell it for that purpose.

Jobs where a heated winter glove can fit

Where no protective glove is required, and your hands stay mostly dry, a heated glove can make a cold shift more comfortable:

• Supervising, checking or directing on a cold site.
• Security, parking and gate work with long spells standing outside.
• Delivery rounds with lots of time in and out of a vehicle.
• Outdoor market stalls, events and ticket checks.
• Walking between buildings, yards or job sites.
• Light yard and garden jobs in dry cold, such as clearing a path or loading a car.

In all of these, the glove's job is warmth, not protection. If a task needs a rated glove, swap to it for that task.

A full shift and the battery

A work shift is long. Before you rely on any heated glove for one, find out how long its battery runs on the setting you need, and whether a spare pack is available.

We cannot give you that figure for our glove. The maker does not publish a run time or a battery capacity, and we do not sell a spare pack because our supplier does not offer one that is confirmed to fit. A sensible way to use it on a long day is to run the heat in the coldest stretches, like the early start and the breaks, switch it off when you are moving and warm, and charge both packs at the end of the day.

Dexterity and wet work

A heated glove is thicker than a thin work glove, because it carries insulation, the heating element and a battery pocket. Fine tasks such as handling screws, writing or using small tools will be slower. Many workers wear a heated glove between tasks and a thinner glove for the fiddly parts.

Wet work is where a heated glove that is not waterproof struggles most. Once soaked, it loses warmth quickly, and the battery and lead must be kept dry. If your work involves water, mud, slush or washing down, a waterproof work glove is the better tool.

What our gloves offer for outdoor work

Our Rechargeable Heated Gloves have three heat settings switched with a button on the back of the hand, a rechargeable power pack for each glove in a zip pocket on the cuff, a velvet thermal lining, a double-strand taslon outer, a wrist strap and cuff drawcords. The thumb and index finger have touchscreen panels, so you can answer a call or scan a message without taking them off.

They come in one size, L, in black. For a wider checklist that applies to any pair, see the buying guide. If you drive for work, the driving guide covers grip and controls.