I have been sent a pair of Ororo Amsterdam Heated Mittens 2.0 to test. I get cold hands yet I enjoy outdoor activities. I rely on a range of different gloves and mittens to keep my hands warm year-round but there are times when only heated gloves can help. This I have discovered over years of testing and searching for the right gloves to cope with my cold hands and Raynaud’s Syndrome.
Features of Ororo Amsterdam Heated Mittens 2
- Taslan fabric exterior
- Soft goatskin palm exterior
- Water-resistance
- 3M™ Thinsulate™ insulation
- Inner fleece glove liner
- Velcro wrist
- 2 B22A Lithium-Ion Batteries (2000 mAh, 7.4V)
- Five sizes: S to 2XL
- Price: £121
To buy:
See: Ororo and Amsterdam mittens (includes a dual battery charger with USB)
My thoughts: Ororo Amsterdam Heated Mittens 2.0
The mittens feel lightweight yet still warming and that is without the heating turned on. I have the size L as I have long hands but I think I could also wear the size M.
The inner is a lovely soft fleecy style fabric while the outer fabric is part man-made and part goatskin. There will be people who do not like the idea of goatskin, although it is hard wearing.
The wrist collar is long and wide enough to fit over my jacket sleeve. This is helpful for keeping the cold off my wrist and hands.
You might be worried that the batteries, which fit into a zipped pocket in the inner wrist area, make the gloves heavy but I honestly do not find this to be the case. I didn’t even notice the weight while hiking or skiing.
To switch on the batteries, you have to hold down the button on the outside of the hand. This takes a few seconds to switch on. This is a positive because I have another pair of heated mittens and the buttons can be too easily pressed on by accident in my bag. Too many times with the other mittens I have gone to use them and the batteries have de-charged.
Once switched on, the Ororo mittens show you how much battery charge there is. Three red lines is maximum. As the batteries fade the number of lines reduces. It’s good to be able to see how much battery life is left.
Press the button once for the warmest heat setting, which is red. Press it again for the medium setting (white) and the third time it turns to blue for the cooler setting. To switch off you need to hold the button for a few seconds.
When I need some heat in my hands, I switch them to the warmest setting then decrease the setting to “blue”. The battery life is longer when there is less heat being generated but, mostly, I find it to be enough heat to take off the chill on my hand.
The most the battery will last is up to 8.5 hours on low heat setting, four hours on medium, three hours on high. This will depend how cold the air temperature is as well. I think the timins are quite accurate, although maybe a little less duration.
The heat warms my fingers and thumb, as well as my palm and rear of hand. I find the heat to be excellent. It’s great for times when my hands have become really cold on a mountain because he helps to thaw my numb fingers. Once my hands have warmed a bit, I turn down the heat so it lasts longer.
This is a product that will be tucked into my walking and skiing rucksack most of the winter.