Pros / Reasons to Buy
- Low price
- Great level of dexterity
Cons / Reasons to Avoid
- Little wind protection
- Not fully waterproof
I’ve reviewed plenty of gloves that are well over $100 and plenty of gloves that are in a lower price bracket. Considering that these gloves are in the lower end I think that they are much better produced than some of the other contenders in this price area. To me they actually have a similar level of construction as a glove that would be more expensive.
For hiking to about 0°C/32F I found them a great option that gave me good level of dexterity. However, for particularly windy times outdoors they didn’t really give me much wind protection. Likewise, once wet they do take some time to dry.
That all said I do think that this is an excellent option for hikers who maybe don’t want to spend a lot on their gloves or won’t be using them all that often. They’re also perfect if you live in a climate that fits with the optimum conditions they’re suitable for.
This article is part of our series on the best winter hiking gloves, view all other articles below:
Compare to Similar Products:
Helly Hansen Swift HT Ski Gloves | Rab Pivot Gore-Tex Gloves | Hestra Heli Three-Finger Insulated Gloves | Sealskinz Waterproof All Weather Insulated Glove | Hestra Fall Line Glove | The North Face Women's Apex Insulated Etip Glove | The North Face Women's Montana Insulated Ski Mitt | Black Diamond Mercury Mitt Womens | Outdoor Research Stormtracker | Carhartt Women's Quilts | Carhartt Quilts Insulated Women's Mitts | Black Diamond Guide Gloves | Helly Hansen Men's LIFA Merino Glove Liner | Wells Lamont HydraHyde Leather Hybrid Men’s | Outdoor Research Flurry Sensor | Carhartt Men's Waterproof Insulated Glove | Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original | Arc'teryx Rho Liner Glove | Trendoux Winter Gloves | icebreaker Merino Oasis 200 Glove Liners | Cotopaxi Teca Fleece Gloves | Burton Touchscreen Glove Liners | |
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Buying Options | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Our Rating | Best Overall Winter Gloves | Warmest Winter Gloves | Best Insulated Gloves | Best Winter Gloves for Touchscreen | Best Winter Gloves for Men | Best Winter Gloves for Women | Best Waterproof Winter Gloves | Best Women's Technical Ski Mitt | Best Liner Gloves | Best Touchscreen Gloves | Best Budget Winter Gloves | |||||||||||
Type and Shape | Performance/technical/ski | Performance/technical/ski | Performance/technical/ski | Hiking/general sport | Performance/technical/ski | Hiking/general sport | Hiking/general sport/ski | Performance/technical/ski | Hiking/general/ski | Hiking/general | Hiking/general | Performance/technical/ski | Performance/technical/ski | Work | Hiking | Hiking | Work | Performance/technical/ski | General | General | General | Performance/technical/ski |
Warmth | High | Very High | Very High | Medium | Very High | High | High | Very High | High | Medium | Medium | Very High | Medium (Liner) | Medium | High | High | Medium | Medium (Liner) | Medium | Medium (Liner) | Medium | Medium (Liner) |
Water Resistance | Waterproof | Waterproof | Waterproof | Waterproof | Waterproof | Water Resistant | Waterproof | Waterproof | Not Waterproof | Waterproof | Waterproof | Waterproof | Not Waterproof (Liner) | Water Resistant | Not Waterproof | Waterproof | Water Resistant | Not Waterproof (Liner) | Not Waterproof | Not Waterproof (Liner) | Not Waterproof | Not Waterproof (Liner) |
Wind resistance | High | High | Very High | High | Very High | High | High | Very High | High | Medium | Medium | Very High | Not Windproof (Liner) | Not Windproof | Not Windproof | Windproof | Not Windproof | Not Windproof (Liner) | Not Windproof | Not Windproof (Liner) | Not Windproof | Not Windproof (Liner) |
Fit | Fits true to size/High Dexterity | Fits true to size/High Dexterity | Fits true to size/Medium Dexterity | Runs Small/High Dexterity | Run Small/Medium Dexterity | Fits True to Size/High Dexterity | Fits True to Size/Medium Dexterity | Runs Tight/Medium-Low Dexterity | Runs Small/High Dexterity | Runs Small/Medium Dexterity | Runs Small/Medium Dexterity | Runs Small/Low Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Runs Large/High Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Runs True to Size/High Dexterity | Fits Slightly Tight/High Dexterity | Fits True to Size/High Dexterity | Fits True to Size/High Dexterity |
Durability | High | Very High | Very High | High | Very High | High | High | Very High | High | Medium | Medium | Very High | High | High | Medium | Medium | High | Very High | Medium | Medium | Medium | High |
Price | $70.00 | $155.00 | $127.96 | $73.35 | $139.99 | $59.90 | Price not available | $97.88 | $95.14 | $27.99 | $27.99 | $143.96 | Price not available | $15.08 | $31.47 | $28.29 | $32.99 | $40.00 | $7.99 | $40.00 | Price not available | $14.67 |
Analysis and Test Results
The Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original gloves are actually marketed as a work glove or mechanic glove rather than necessarily a hiking glove. However, they do work really well as a hiking glove too they have many of the same qualities that you need for the things that you’ll do in winter outdoors.
They have a faux leather underside and a soft shell style topside, this means that they are quite grippy when holding on to things. I found this quite helpful when I was scrambling and holding rocks or using my hiking poles.
Considering the reasonable price, they are constructed incredibly well and robust. Used properly and as intended, I see no reason why these gloves will not stand the test of time.
Performance Comparison
Warmth
These gloves make use of a 40g 3M Thinsulate insulation. I found that these gloves really sat on the edge of being warm or not. On one side of the gloves, the underside, you’ve got a synthetic leather. This is actually quite warm but the soft shell fabric on the back of the hand isn’t quite as good at keeping you warm.
On windy days I found that the soft shell didn’t really do very much to keep my hands warm, especially when I was using hiking poles. Unfortunately, once the cold air gets in it was fairly difficult to get my hands warmed up again.
I will add that this was mostly on testing days where the temperatures were below freezing. On days when temperatures were above this level and not too windy, they handled pretty well.
This is of course using the glove as hiking glove. As these gloves are also intended to be used for heavy work, I’m not entirely sure how comfortable I would be recommending them for anything other than a general day-to-day glove for when things get a little bit colder.
Water Resistance
The Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original gloves marketed as being water resistant. From my tests, I would say I agree with this statement. They are handy for keeping snow flurries or light rain out. Anything further than this they do reach their saturation level.
For example, if you need a glove that will allow you to de-ice your car or operate winter machinery, you will be likely finding that these gloves don’t quite give you what you need. If this is you I would recommend you look at fully waterproof gloves. We have all of the waterproof glove options we’ve tested listed in our overall best winter hiking gloves round up.
Wind Resistance
I did find the Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original good for day-to-day use. As a general hiking glove I really did enjoy how much dexterity they offered me, especially for the price.
However, as soon as things became windier outside, I did find that unfortunately these gloves didn’t offer much by way of wind resistance. The soft shell outer on the upper of the hand does feel quite thin and this does lead to your hands getting colder.
You could very easily look at pairing these gloves with a thicker liner which would obviously help here, and this would allow them to be taken through into colder temperatures. That said if you live somewhere where it doesn’t get particularly windy, and you just need a general basic winter glove then for the price these gloves are perfect for that.
Comfort and Fit
I ordered a medium in the Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original gloves and I think that they fit relatively true to size. I usually order a medium and I didn’t find them particularly different to a lot of other gloves I’ve tested that fit on the slightly looser side.
With this in mind though, I didn’t find that they were particularly loose in such a way that they stopped my dexterity, and I was still able to complete any tasks I needed with them on. In terms of their fit the only area that I would really improve is that they are a little short around the wrist.
Typically, on a lot of gloves I’ve tested, the gloves are longer so that they cover more of the arm and mean that there are no points where snow or water or anything that would basically make you cold can enter. This meant that whilst wearing it was very easy for parts of my skin to be exposed between my jacket and gloves.
In terms of comfort, I wouldn’t say that these are the most comfortable, cushioned gloves I’ve ever worn but they do feel pretty comfortable to wear. This is helped by a slightly softer lining that feels nice against the skin.
Ease of Use
Due to the fact that the Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original gloves fit pretty well and true to size, I was happy to see that the on any areas that particularly bunch up while wearing or any looseness around the fingers. This meant that I could do pretty much any tasks that I would do without gloves on.
I was able to make adjustments to my hiking poles, my boots and also use my phone to swipe, take a picture, and use my map to zoom in and out. For anything like text messages or more detailed things on the phone, it wasn’t really possible and became too frustrating to use.
The Velcro strap that allows you to tighten and loosen the gloves is positioned on the underside rather than the top. This seemed a little different to me than other gloves that I reviewed which mostly have this on the top. I did find this a little bit difficult to operate whilst I was wearing the gloves.
Materials
It isn’t clear what the Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original gloves are actually made of other than the information provided in their Amazon description that says ‘faux leather’. It’s very obvious when you see these gloves in reality that this isn’t the only material that is used. So, it would be nice to see more information provided on the exact materials that have been used for these gloves.
The top side of the gloves is made from a kind of soft-shell fabric and there are other areas that feel more like a fleece. Given that they use faux leather I would imagine that the materials used for the rest of these gloves are also synthetic too.
Appearance
I wasn’t a great fan of the Mechanix logo that seems to be patterned over the front hand side of the gloves. I think that if this was removed in future designs they would look a lot more sophisticated.
Though I don’t entirely think that is the point in these gloves, they are after all intended as work gloves and winter general gloves as second. If you’re looking for a pair of gloves that you can wear for everyday use too, this might be a deciding factor for you.
However, if you want a glove that is relatively cheap to buy and will keep you warm up to about freezing then you may well be perfectly happy with the way that they look.
Features
The Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original gloves don’t really have any specific features other than the fact that they have 40g 3M Thinsulate to help keep you warm when you’re wearing them. They also have a soft underside which helps with dexterity when using.
They also have a clip on each glove which allows you to keep them together when not using. This is a fairly standard feature on a lot of gloves now and I think it is a good one as it’s so easy to lose a glove!
Durability
An area where I really think that the Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original gloves come into their own is in terms of the durability that they offer. They seem to be really well made and rugged.
A lot of the stitching is double stitched, and they seem to be very well put together. I think that with some care and attention, and if you keep them washed and clean, they should last you a good few seasons. However, this will depend on how much you use them.
Sustainability
There is little to no information given when it comes to the sustainability credentials of this brand on Amazon. Therefore, it’s going to be difficult to comment on the specifics here.
What I will say is that if you only need gloves that will take you through to freezing about then these may well be the only gloves that you need they are likely to last you a good few seasons and they do feel like they’re built to last, especially where the price point is concerned.
Price
Considering we’ve also reviewed gloves that go well over $100, I’m pretty impressed with what you get for the $32.99/£33.25 spend. I’ve tested out gloves that are around this price point from other retailers and they’re not half as well constructed as these.
I think with this in mind, they are worth the money if the way that you will use them fits their temperature range. They’re a good, basic option.
Conclusion
Considering their price point, I was actually really impressed with the Mechanix Wear Coldwork Original gloves. They are well made, well stitched and built to provide rugged protection.
Up to about freezing temperatures, I did think that they gave good warmth and the dexterity that they offered allowed me to do pretty much everything I would do normally without gloves on. If you hike in temperatures like this then I would have no problem recommending these gloves to you as likely the only pair that you’ll need.
However, for much colder temperatures than this where you are likely to experience wind chill or any kind of wind, heavy rain or heavy snow then I would recommend looking for a pair that provide greater protection from the elements (see our main best winter hiking gloves round up for more options). These gloves sadly do have a limit to them.
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