Tried & Tested: ORORO Heated Gloves Review

When you ride in the cold, and that winter wind bites at your fingers, you tend to understand the importance of heated gloves. ORORO is a brand that understands the importance of heated gear all too well. And, it shows with their rechargeable electric heated gloves. While they are not armored, nor do they provide the recommended abrasion protection required for motorcycle gloves, they do keep your hands warm for winter riding. That is a much-needed benefit that cold-season riders can appreciate. My review is based on the experience of riding in 30°F winter weather at both local street and highway speeds.

As soon as I took them out of the box, I knew these gloves would keep my hands warm on the road. They are big and bulky, like typical winter gloves. I also realized that these gloves greatly reduce the feel of throttle. And they make it difficult to press buttons, let alone tap out a sentence on a phone keyboard. However, they are touchscreen-compatible and are capable of providing basic touchscreen functionality.

These gloves are also easy to set up. There are very few moving parts and components to deal with. They provide simple and no-hassle functionality that can easily be used on a motorcycle without needing to install additional electrical gadgets. They are easy to power on/off and changing through the three heating power modes is as simple as the press of a button. In cold weather, they take about as long to warm up as the average motorcycle engine—which is a few minutes. Once these gloves are on your hands and warmed up, they’ll provide more than a few hours of heat for your winter rides.

To give you the most genuine and unbiased review possible, every product we review is tested daily throughout the normal course of day-to-day life for no less than one week.

ORORO Heated Gloves First Impressions

I’m amazed by how simple and easy it is to use these heated gloves. They come with a sleek carrying bag big enough to hold the gloves as well as all the accessories with room to spare. When the gloves are powered on, they light up on the back of the hand ala Iron Man style. These are technically portable heating hand energy on the go.

Not only do they heat your hands, but they also keep your forearms warm too. The forearm cuffs are big enough for winter jacket/coat sleeves to slide right into. This ensures that there are no air gaps for cold wind to sneak up your arms and hands. The gloves also come equipped with adjustable velcro straps with enough flex to wrap around your arms snuggly and securely. In addition, there are also adjustable wrist straps for an even tighter fit to adjust comfort and lock in heat.

Features

These gloves provide heat to the fingers and both the front and back sides of the hands. Utilizing 3M Thinsulate Insulation, the glove design traps generated heat while allowing unwanted moisture to dissipate. Each glove also has a zippered wrist pocket for holding the rechargeable 7.4V batteries they are powered by.

The interface system is simple enough to use, with one button on each glove. There is also a light indicator system for heat settings and power modes. When the gloves are first turned on, they enter an initial warm-up mode. Afterwards, there are three power modes available: high, medium, and low. According to the manufacturer, high mode provides 3 hours of heating, medium offers 4 hours, and low extends to 6 hours.

Conveniently, each glove comes with an attached wristband for secure fastening, ensuring you don’t lose them. I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve lost an expensive motorcycle glove. Wearing mismatched motorcycle gloves is akin to wearing mismatched socks — not cool unless you intentionally do it with the fashionability to pull them off.

How It Feels When Riding

These gloves kept my hands and fingers nice and warm while riding on the highway on a 30-degree winter morning. They never got too hot or made my hands sweat. The comfort lasted throughout my entire ride. However, these gloves are not ideal for precise hand or finger maneuvers. Operating motorcycle lights and turn signals feels clumsy, and the feel of the throttle bar is significantly reduced. Using phones or navigation touchscreens can be frustrating due to the size of the glove fingers. It’s best to use touchscreens minimally with these gloves.

ORORO Heated Gloves Performance And Protection

These gloves have one job: to keep your hands warm. The ORORO heated gloves excel at this task. For the average commuter, this gear will keep your digits toasty on both the outward and return journeys, and even beyond. For longer trips, any duration beyond 3 hours requires strategic power management. Staying in a high heat mode for extended periods will deplete the glove batteries more quickly. If you plan to ride for over 4 hours, you’ll most likely need to use medium or low heat mode. Charging the batteries takes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the battery level. If there is any damage or malfunction, ORORO is quick to send out replacements. There’s also a 1-year limited warranty on the batteries and the heating elements.

Furthermore, these gloves will not hold up if you go down on your bike. They are not designed to protect against abrasion. The fabric will rip if you slide on pavement, and the batteries, as well as the inner electrical components, can be damaged upon impact. They are, however, water-repellent. The snow-proof outer shell withstands snow and sleet. Yet, riding in heavy rain conditions is not recommended due to the risk of electrical damage or even the possibility of electrical shock. You’ll want to keep these gloves away from water. When you need to clean them, make sure to remove the batteries first and hand-wash the gloves.

Fit, Comfort, And Sizing Recommendation

The sizing for the ORORO Heated Gloves is generous. The adjustable wrist straps help tighten the fit, but I find there is still space at the top of the fingers. You may want to size down considering the extra space of the glove design. Also, when the batteries are in the glove pockets, they tend to exert a noticeable amount of pressure on the wrists. This may feel uncomfortable at first but it’s something I easily got used to feeling.

ORORO Heated Gloves Men And Women Hand Size Chart

Installing The ORORO Heating System

• 1 Pair of Rechargeable Electric Heated Gloves
• 2 B22A Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Batteries (2000mAh, 7.4V)
• 1 Dual Battery Charger with US Plug (Input voltage: 100-240V)
• 1 User Manual (English, German, French)
• 1 Carry bag

How To Install And Operate The ORORO Heated Gloves

1. Charge the batteries with the provided Dual Battery Charger until all three lights on each battery are lit. WARNING: Using any other charger with these batteries can cause them to malfunction.
2. Locate the battery pocket and the power cord inside the battery pocket of each glove.
3. Insert the glove power cables of each glove into the designated ports on each battery.
4. To power on, press and hold the power button on the gloves for three seconds. The gloves will start pre-heating with the red LED light blinking (for five minutes). When fully preheated, the gloves will automatically adjust to medium heat (the power button/logo illuminates solid white).
5. There are three heat levels. Press the power button once to cycle through each heat level. The solid red light indicates a high heat level, solid white means a medium heat level, and a solid blue light means a low heat level.
6. To power off, press and hold the power button for three seconds until the LEDs turn off.

ORORO Heated Gloves Competition

Choosing a good pair of heated motorcycle gloves comes down to several considerations. Important deciding factors include insulation, power source, protection, weather resistance, battery life, and touchscreen compatibility. Does your bike provide enough juice to power all your accessories and gadgets as well as a pair of heated gloves? If not, it’s best to go with rechargeable gloves. On the other hand, if you are going for long tour rides in the cold, it’s advisable to choose gloves that draw power from the unlimited supply your motorcycle generates. Do you need your gloves to be just snowproof, or do you plan on riding in heavy rain as well? Most importantly, at what point does the cold weather become too much for your heated gloves to function effectively? The heated glove market offers an abundance of options and features. The gloves that stand out are those that provide all the essential needs for riding a motorcycle in all weather conditions, while at the same time not restricting the much-needed functionality of your hands and fingers.

ORORO Heated Gloves Vs Merlin Minworth Heated Gloves

• 

  ORORO Heated Gloves

  ORORRO’s electric heated gloves provide a simple one-button press interface. They generate a good amount of heat to keep your hands warm in cold winter riding. These gloves are touchscreen compatible and the batteries are rechargeable. Heating power lasts anywhere from three to six hours, depending on the heating level modes used.

  Pros

  • 3 heating modes
  • Good amount of battery life
  • Touchscreen compatible
  • Easy to install and use
  • Moisture-wicking

  Cons

  • No armor protection for impact or abrasion
  • Not durable enough to withstand a fall or a slide
  • Bulky and hard to press buttons or text
  • Not waterproof

• 

  Merlin Minworth Heated Gloves

  These sleek heritage Minworth Heated Gloves from Merlin look just about as hot as they feel. Features such as rechargeable batteries, a Hipora waterproof membrane, and CE-certified armor protect against winter elements and motorcycle hazards.

  Pros

  • Knuckle Protection and palm armor
  • Waterproof
  • Adjustable Temperature settings
  • Touchscreen compatible
  • Thin Material

  Cons

  • Not meant for extreme cold.
  • Not ideal for touring.

Compared to ORORO’s Heated Gloves, Merlin’s Minworth Heated Gloves offer more flexibility, better grip, and a better sense of touch with more accurate hand and finger functionality. They also provide CE-Certified protection with D3O Knuckle Impact armor. Furthermore, the Minworths sport a sleeker look and are waterproof, while the OROROs are bulky and only water-resistant. Both contenders offer rechargeable powered heating from their batteries and state about the same official battery life usage. However, at $289, the cost is steep and nearly double the price of the ORORO Heated Gloves. In this case, you get what you pay for, and if features like hand protection, waterproof material, and better overall hand accuracy are a must, then Merlin is the way to go.

ORORO Heated Gloves Vs Gerbing Vanguard Heated Gloves

• 

  ORORO Heated Gloves

  ORORRO’s electric heated gloves provide a simple one-button press interface. They generate a good amount of heat to keep your hands warm in cold winter riding. These gloves are touchscreen compatible and the batteries are rechargeable. Heating power lasts anywhere from three to six hours, depending on the heating level modes used.

  Pros

  • Adjustable heating
  • Easy to use and install
  • Relaible battery life
  • Touchscreen compatible

  Cons

  • No armor protection for impact or abrasion
  • Not durable enough to withstand a fall or a slide
  • Bulky and hard to press buttons or text
  • Not waterproof

• 

  Gerbing Vanguard Heated Gloves

  Gerbing is known as one of the original innovators of heated gear. These 12V heated gloves are infused with Gerbing’s leading-edge and patented thermo-technology platform. Along with protective gel and armored padding, riders can confidently embark on cold commutes or adventure tours, equipped with proven and reliable superior heating technology.

  Pros

  • Unlimited hours of heat
  • Heats up fast
  • Knuckle and palm protection
  • Bang for the buck
  • Compatable with Gerbing’s extensive heating system

  Cons

  • Not waterproof
  • Requires a separate temperature control device
  • Requires a separate harness device

Now, for the more serious rider who ain’t going to let freezing temperatures stop them from taking their bike out, Gerbing offers the highly regarded 12V Vanguard Heated Gloves. They are powered by your motorcycle’s battery to provide hours of continuous heat to your hands. They also feature reflective piping for visibility, impact-protected gel pads for your palms, and high-impact floating TPU knuckle armor. Furthermore, the Vanguard Heated Gloves utilize what Gerbing claims to be their most durable and efficient thermo-technology platform ever developed. Those are all features that I wish ORORO’s Heated Gloves had. However, ORORO has some advantages in this situation. Their heated gloves offer interchangeable heating modes, which Gerbing’s Vanguard gloves can only have if you buy a separate controller. On top of that, while the OROROs are ready to use right out of the box, the Vanguard gloves require a separate harness to connect to your bike’s battery. These extra parts and additional setups can prove to be too cumbersome or expensive for some riders.”

In any case, the Vanguard Gloves are the superior heating product, and they don’t cost much more than the ORORO gloves—$179.99. However, it gets costly if you buy the additional harness and controller. Even so, they can plug into an advanced heating system that connects to an entire body of riding gear, including Gerbing jackets, pants, and footwear. With all that said, it can be easy to see how the Gerbing heating technology and ecosystem might be too much for the casual rider. But, if you plan on riding long, exciting tours through cold temperatures and glistening snowy plains, the Gerbing Vanguards are your go-to gloves.

Are The ORORO Heated Gloves Right For You?

The ORORO Heated Gloves are good for those who don’t want to drain juice from their vehicle’s battery. However, if you are touring in all-weather adventures, they may not be able to keep up with you. But, for the average commuter, they provide more than enough warmth and heating time. On the other hand, protection-wise, it would be ideal to have some sort of armor, considering you are riding a motorcycle. But for those who ride on more snow-covered terrain and off-roads — where they don’t have to worry as much about abrasion and impact — these gloves may prove to be more than suitable.

See The ORORO Heated Gloves On Amazon