SEIRUS HEATTOUCH HELLFIRE MITTEN PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT
Skiing is cold. Hard to argue with that. We bundle ourselves up in layers of clothing in an attempt to stay comfortable while enjoying our favorite activity. Like anything else, this clothing has improved over time. Gone are the days of heavy wool garments. These days we benefit from materials like Gore-Tex and Primaloft. In addition to vastly superior materials, in recent years the heated clothing and accessory industry has really started to take off. Technology advances at an exponential rate. We’ve had heated products for quite a long time (when’s the first time you saw someone with Hotronics?), but recently we’ve seen some significant advances in this category. You may have read our article introducing the newest Lenz Heated Socks, and this article is focusing on a similar accessory, the Hellfire Mitts from Seirus.
$425 for a mitten? You’re probably scoffing at the thought of it right now. We understand, that’s a lot. You can buy a pretty decent pair of skis for $425. Most people don’t expect to drop the same amount on their mittens or gloves. It is, however, worth it for a lot of skiers. In my boot-fitting days, I used to tell people that skiing is supposed to be fun. It’s hard to have fun when you’re uncomfortable. That was in reference to the balance between a performance and comfort fit in a ski boot, but the same carries over to warmth. If you’re someone who struggles with cold hands and feet, and there are a lot of us, a product like the Hellfire Mitten can be a complete game changer. What’s the point of dropping thousands on season passes and ski vacations if you’re missing part of the day because your hands are cold? $425 is a lot, but if it increases your amount of time on snow even by, say, 20%, there’s a lot of value to that.
So what do you get with a $425 heated mitten? The first thing you’ll notice is the clean packaging. The box itself is made from high quality materials and has a magnetic closure. Open it up and your mittens will be right in front of you with some quick setup information on the side. Take the mittens out of the box and below them you’ll find a nylon and mesh bag that holds your batteries and charger. When you take this bag out of the box you’ll also notice it’s designed to carry your mittens too. Because you have 5 things to keep track of, it’s nice having this bag. Pack your mittens, batteries, and charger in it, put it in your bag, and you know you have everything you need. Examining the mittens themselves, you’ll quickly notice high quality materials. They are made from a blend of leather and polyester, with the exterior shell being 80% leather. Leather is a proven material for ski gloves. It’s durable, it traps heat well, and it’s also very supple and comfortable. The soft-touch leather reminds us of a high quality glove or mitten from a notable brand like Hestra.
Setup and use is extremely easy, which is one of my favorite things about these mittens. The batteries come with about a 75% charge, so you can test your mittens right away without needing to charge the batteries. Take your two battery packs (each “pack” actually consists of two batteries) and locate the zippered pocket on the cuff of the glove, which sits on the underside of your wrist when the gloves are on your hand. Simply plug the battery into the cord, which is really easy to find, position the batteries inside the pocket, and close the zipper. Next, put the mittens on, and locate the button on the backside of each hand. Simply hold down this button for about 3 seconds, and your mittens will turn on. The light should display green at first, indicating you’re in the lowest setting. Press it once quickly, and it will turn to yellow, the medium setting. Press it once more and it will turn red, the highest setting. Pressing it once more will, you guessed it, revert back to the lowest setting. Hold it down for 3 seconds again and it will flash a few times, then turn off. It is refreshingly simple. There’s no cell phone app to fiddle with, the buttons are easy to push, and it’s obvious what setting you’re on at all times.
So, how do they feel? The liner of the mitten is already soft, plush, and warm, so you’ll be impressed even before you turn them on. The heating element in these mittens is really big, wrapping all the way around your thumb and the back of your hand. Even on the low setting, you can feel significant heat. That low setting will last for a full 12 hours on a full battery charge, which is a heck of a long time. That’s longer than the operating hours of any ski resort we can think of (wait… night skiing…). The medium yellow setting will last for a full 8 hours, which is plenty for most skiers, and it is noticeably warmer. If it’s a cold day and/or if you’re prone to cold hands, we recommend at least using the yellow setting. The hot red setting is, well, hot. It’ll make your hands sweat if you’re inside and honestly should only be used on the coldest of days. What’s really nice about these mittens is how easy it is to switch between settings. You can put them on low while skiing, then crank it to hot when you get on the lift. When your hands are toasty again, maybe put it back down to medium for the rest of the lift ride. It really allows you to customize the warmth throughout the day, which is a valuable feature.
Seirus recommends not leaving your batteries charging for longer than 24 hours. There is an indicator light on the charger that will show when your batteries are fully charged. Seirus also recommends fully charging the batteries before putting the gloves away for storage. These simple recommendations will lengthen the life of the batteries. In general, we always recommend taking your gloves out of your pack (whether heated or not) to let them fully dry right away. Storing gloves when wet, even for a short period of time, can cause bacteria build up (smelly gloves are gross) and cause them to wear out faster. If you’re investing in $425 gloves or mittens, you should take care of them.
So, is it worth it? For a lot of skiers, yes, it definitely is. You can’t put a price on comfort. Well, I guess you can, it’s $425.
