Review: eGlove Sport
It’s got bloody cold over the last few days and, especially running along the coast where there’s a bit of a breeze, my hands really suffer. Everything else warms up but, on a cold day, it’s hard to keep your hands warm. A good pair of running gloves is vital, but getting the right product is hard. It has to keep the wind at bay, but anything too heavy will quickly become uncomfortable. I always used to run in a pair of lightweight full-finger cycling gloves which were decent enough, although still sometimes a bit too warm. I’ve recently, however, been sent a pair of gloves made by eGlove, a company that makes touchscreen gloves tailored towards a variety of sports. These are the running gloves, a hi-tech, lightweight pair of breathable, close-fitting gloves made mainly from lycra. Like all eGlove products, the index finger and thumb on each hand have touchscreen tips, but they’re durable enough to handle a hard training session with a rucksack.
The gloves are lighter than any others I own, which is a really good thing – when you’re running you barely notice they are there, but they are just enough to keep the cold air and chilly breeze at bay. Although the site says they’re suitable to 3°C, I found that even on a near-freezing day with a coastal breeze, I was totally comfortable running in them. Of course it depends how hot you run and how warm or cool you like to be.
Obviously one of the key features is the touchscreen compatibility, and this is better than most gloves I’ve tried (and definitely better than my previous ones) though it’s always a bit more clunky than using your bare finger, and harder to get fine control – that’s just the nature of using a touchscreen while wearing gloves. The pads are a bit smaller than many, though, and fit closer to the finger, which is a good thing as it makes control slightly easier. It’s certainly enough to answer calls or navigate maps, though sending a lengthy text on a smallish keyboard might start to get frustrating.
The palm of the gloves has large grippy areas in the centre and along three fingers, making it easy to hold your phone without dropping it. They’re nicely designed using the logo and a simple geometric pattern, but cover the necessary large area, and are small enough that they don’t make the glove feel any heavier or thicker.
The other nice feature is the microfleece strip on the back of the gloves, for wiping away sweat. I can definitely see that being useful.
