Gloves and cars both have been around for a long while. And they are here to stay. Opening this article means you understand that they relate. If you have any doubt or just want to make it clear, let’s see what is the point of driving gloves.
Cars made our lives easier. They’re everywhere. Some people even have more than one. They’ve also become one of the easiest and most reliable modes of transportation.
When it comes to driving, car manufacturers have become more and more interested in what makes for a comfortable drive. It’s amazing, these companies think of anything and everything. All the way from the comfort of your seats to the sound of the engine that reaches the cockpit.
Some companies even have experts to judge the smell of leather. Yes, that’s a thing!
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How awesome can Driving Gloves be?
Having a good pair of driving gloves can be quite an upgrade to your driving experience. Whether to give you more control of the car or to keep your hands warm. When you’re driving, you need to be comfortable but at the same time have a great grip on the steering wheel.
Whether taking on long driving trips or just out for a joyride, driving gloves provide all the comfort you need.
Driving gloves are designed in such a way as to provide both functionality and comfort for the driver.
Functionality for the best driving gloves in the world would include some features of the driving glove that make it functional and stylish.
Features to look out for
Let’s look at some of those features that should be looked out for in a good pair of gloves.
Type of leather
Most driving gloves are made of leather. Leather provides more grip on the steering wheel and lasts longer. The type of leather used is also quite important as it determines the quality of the driving gloves.
There’s a range of different types of leather to choose from. Ranging from deerskin leather to lambskin leather, the types of leather are usually soft and allow for maximum grip on the steering wheel.
Premium quality leather is great for driving gloves because it is soft and durable.
This increases sensitivity between the driver’s hands and the steering wheel. It’s not just about comfort. This will result in maximum control of the car.
Because if a driver feels every bit of feedback from the car’s steering wheel, then it becomes easier to adjust your turning and control the car.
Touchscreen capability
Another feature of modern driving gloves is the addition of touchscreen capability. Gone are the days when you had to take off your gloves just to operate touchscreen gadgets. In fact, many cars for a number of years now have been featuring touchscreen displays.
Modern driving gloves now allow you to have full functionality when operating your smartphone or GPS unit. No need to take off your gloves anymore.
The driving glove is designed with a layer of conductive material on the fingers area, allowing for the touchscreen to respond to your inputs.
This is a feature that the best driving gloves will most certainly have, and one that is very useful to look out for. Nowadays you just can’t ignore this feature, whether you’re driving or not.
All these features combine to give you the best comfort and fit to keep your hands happy on the steering wheel.
Knuckle holes
Leather can become tight around the hands, so knuckle holes are made to give you that extra bit of flexibility and breathing room for your fingers.
These are simply just perforated openings on the glove on the knuckles area. Unlike perforated skin with very small holes, knuckle holes are a bit bigger. Those allow for better movement and hand ventilation.
In our driving gloves reviews, we will cover both types of driving gloves. With and without knuckle holes. So, if knuckle holes aren’t on your priority list, you can opt for gloves without the knuckle holes. You choose what’s best for you.
Size
Driving gloves will come in different sizes to accommodate almost any size of hands. That’s key for maximum comfort and best fit.
You might be wondering how will you find the right-sized glove? Measuring your hand is a safe bet. Take a measuring tape and measure around the hand right across your knuckles in inches.
Try and measure your dominant hand. This means if you are right-handed, measure your right hand, and left hand if you are left-handed. This will give you your glove size.
Driving glove manufacturers often have size charts that you can refer to for the right size. This will help in finding your hand size and getting the best fit for your hands.
The best fit is one where your hands and fingers have enough flexibility and are not too loose either. If the gloves are too tight, they might constrict blood flow to your hands.
If it’s too loose, driving won’t be comfortable because when you move the steering wheel your hands will move and the glove will stay behind, creating an awkward feeling on the steering wheel.
What you need is a fit where the glove feels like it’s your skin, and is so comfortable that you even forget that you are wearing driving gloves.
Getting the right fit for you
Another thing to look out for is different sizing charts. You might measure your hand against a certain glove chart from a manufacturer only to have your hands not fit the glove.
To remedy this if you are not entirely sure, it’s just recommended to rather go a size down. That’s because leather stretches to your hands and contracts around your hands when used repeatedly. A smaller size is better than a bigger size because a snug fit is better than a loose fit which just feels weird.
This is just a side precaution to take if you are not entirely sure of the glove size chart or your hand measurement appears in between two measurement points on the chart.
As said before, you don’t want to go for a very small size. It’s uncomfortable and bad for blood flow. But it can also end up tearing the seams of the glove with repeated use.
When you first try on a pair of good driving gloves, you will instantly know if it’s the right one.
For added comfort and that full-glove feeling, most driving gloves also come with wrist straps.
Wrist straps
If you find your hands are just a little bit too small or you don’t get that full-glove feeling yet, most manufacturers now design their driving gloves that have wrist straps.
Because wrist straps can give that snug glove feeling by securing the glove at your wrists. Driving gloves are even more exciting when they fit well, and wrist straps help with that.
Modern wrist straps are now fitted with snap buttons. This helps keep the glove in place and decreases unwanted motions when the glove is worn.
Snap buttons essentially secure the wrist straps and they also come in different materials.
Plastic and Velcro snap buttons have been shown to perform poorly after several uses. So, metal snap buttons are best in this case.
Not only do they do a solid job of securing the wrist straps, but they also last longer and look more reliable.
A quick word of caution; if the snap buttons are pulled too much to secure the wrist straps, they can also seize to function.
In simple terms, if the driving gloves are too tight on the wrists, try not to use the snap button.
The snap button is just an added feature to give a secure fit, it will not help if you have the wrong size glove.
Lined or Unlined
Yet another choice to make regarding your chosen glove is whether you want lined or unlined gloves.
Lined gloves essentially have material inside the glove to keep hands warm during driving.
You don’t want those during hot summer days. This is because the lining is made to keep your hands warm and comfy. The lining, just like the type of leather, comes in different types of material depending on the level of warmth you need.
The material ranges from cashmere all the way to wool, which is known to be quite warm.
On hot summer days, your hands will sweat buckets if you have lined driving gloves. It will be uncomfortable and will interfere with your driving. Not in a good way.
Were lined gloves shine is during the winter months. That’s when you want to keep your hands warm.
Unlined gloves are the opposite and provide the most ventilation. The airflow of lined gloves which sometimes have knuckle holes will provide the most ventilation.
This will assist in keeping your hands cool and alleviating sweaty hands.
Both unlined and lined driving gloves are designed for great comfort while driving and will do a good job of keeping your hands cool or warm as required.
Now you know the advantages of wearing driving gloves
A huge mistake that drivers make is thinking that all driving gloves are the same in every feature. This is not only untrue but it can leave you regretful after choosing the wrong driving gloves. Or at least driving gloves that don’t fit you right.
A bit of research can go a long way. To make it easier for you, I’ve come up with a list of driving gloves that you’ll suit your needs.
Each driving glove will have several features. Overlooking them might be the difference between hating or loving your new driving gloves.
It’s no secret that every product under the sun has both its advantages and the not-so-good aspects of the product. Knowing about the features and disadvantages puts you at a great advantage when it comes time to choose your pair of driving gloves.
For each product you consider, take into account the features explained in this article.
This will help you tick off some of the features you want and give you a full picture of what kind of quality you will get.
Keep in mind your personal preferences when it comes to what you need to make your driving experience that much more exhilarating.
When you have a clearer picture of what you need in your perfect version of driving gloves, you can be confident that you will choose the best driving gloves for yourself.
We all have different tastes, and by choosing the right driving gloves, you can be confident not only in your driving but also in your personal sense of style.
Go get your new driving gloves and happy driving.
