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There is a lovely little brand in Norfolk, UK called Hy Athletic who are coming up with some of the most interesting sports products. This time we are investigating their Flux Running Glove range with three of our ambassadors: Zoe Lennon, Tracy Moore and Emma Smith.
The Hy Athletic Flux running glove is unique in that it can be rolled easily into a running belt (such as a Flipbelt), are only 7g each, and have holes in the palm to stop sweaty hands.
They are so different to other running gloves on the market, that they have yet to hit the big time, but we love them. Hence getting our customers Zoe and Tracy to review them independently.
If you would like to learn more about Hy Athletic's Flux glove then watch their official kickstarter video below:
Now onto the Hy Athletic Flux glove review:
When I initially looked at the gloves I was struck by how tiny they were. They are also very, very light, I thought they looked unfinished! I pulled them on and they stretched to a tight fit, a bit long and pointy on the fingers. I found them comfortable after a few minutes and headed off for a run.
My first run with them was about 4 miles and kept my hands warm throughout without overheating. I did not need to remove them as I do with others as the mesh provided ample ventilation. I had wondered if they would still be warm with this ventilation and the answer is definitely yes.
My second run was about 6 miles and again I kept the gloves on for the duration.
On this run I noticed the wind cooling my hands more that on previous occasions which was quite pleasant. There was also a spot of rain and they were fine, they didn’t really hold the water and my hands didn’t become noticeably colder.
I also wore them again at a track session, because of stopping and starting I didn’t know if they would be suitable but again they were comfortable without needing to remove. I showed a couple of the other runners who were quite intrigued because of the mesh.
I have since worn them a few times and its telling that I haven’t returned to my previous gloves!
Easter weekend I cycled on Westport Greenway, about 20 miles at a leisurely pace, and put them on under my normal fingerless cycling gloves as it was around 3 degrees. They are fine enough to do this comfortably and again my hands were toasty.
On one occasion I took them off and they slipped easily into my flip belt.
My overall impression is that I really like the gloves and found the breathability great. What I didn’t like is that they are black but that’s just me, never do black or white kit, and that I need to remember to pull them off by the fingertips if stopping for coffee out cycling or it takes ages to get them on.
They don’t work for operating the touchscreen on my phone but I use my watch for tracking distance so that is not an issue for me. I think they would be very easy to lose as they are black and so light and tiny but I have managed to hold on to them thus far. I got them slightly too late to try in the really extreme cold but will be holding on to them for next year.
I would probably give them 8 out of 10. I have given that because although I really like them and found them adaptable for other sports, I think they are slightly overpriced.
Thanks Zoe, now onto the second Flux Glove Review...
The Product comes in a very slim cardboard package, allowing for easy postal delivery. I had been sent a medium and when I opened the packaging and saw the tiny gloves, I wasn’t sure the right size was in the right packaging.
One of the selling points is these gloves are “super compact” and “easy to stow in a pocket or belt”. I would worry that they would be easy to misplace as well. They are small and black and at the bottom of a kit bag or chucked in the back of a car, I would worry they would disappear quickly.
When you open the cardboard packaging, there is a size chart that indicates which size you should buy for your palm size. I was correct in choosing the medium size, but was still dubious looking at the product. This size guide should probably be on the outside of the packaging, so you don’t have to open it to see what size you are.
The gloves came out with a slight smell of, what I can only describe as, camphor. Not sure if this was supposed to be the case, but it is a reassuring “exercise” smell! More exercise products should have smells!
The gloves are smooth with complete fabric on the back of the hand and a web-style mesh on the palm and inner fingers. They felt very tight and I’m not sure if I would rather wear a size bigger. I do not consider myself to have large hands, and certainly not fat fingers.
I tested them out on a particularly cold and windy day. The temperature was around 2 degrees celcius and there was a significant wind chill. I found them to be sufficient in keeping my hands warm and dry, but I did have to keep my hands closed to warm them and that is an unnatural running style for me.
While some may describe these gloves as a “second skin” I do not find the feeling of tightness comfortable for me. I felt the elasticated web palm aspect was “pulling” my fingers in and I didn’t enjoy that feeling.
I had no need to wash the product, but the care instructions are simple, hand wash and no tumble drying.
If I hadn’t been sent this product to review, I would probably not choose to purchase this product. I felt constricted by the elasticity, although the product did perform , technically, in the manner it was supposed to.
I do know runners with circulation problems that I would recommend this product to, as long as they are happy with the second skin nature.
I love running, but, as with anything, there are some things about it that REALLY irritate me. You know those things where it’s such an annoyance, and so, frankly stupid, that you just wish someone would come up with a brilliant solution for it?
One of those things is that on a crisp winter morning, you start the run freezing your lady nads off it’s so blooming cold. You can see your breath in front of you and you have on about a million layers, hat, gloves thermals… And then within the first couple of miles your shedding clothes like Tom Hardy just invited you to a hot tub party. I can usually get around some of this just with the knowledge that I WILL get too hot a couple of miles in, so I’ve got the body layers sorted and the buff that I can wear over cold ears or put round my neck or whatever. But the MOST annoying thing for me is the gloves conundrum. I can’t bear that stinging cold feeling in your fingertips at the start of the run, but I ALWAYS get hot hands a couple of miles in and then have to deal with what I do with the gloves. They’ve ended up stuffed down the front of my t-shirt before (not ideal, and a bit uncomfortable) and I have a friend who genuinely stuffs them in her knickers, but that kind of behaviour can really mess with your gait.
So when I was asked to try these Flux Zero lightweight running gloves out, I was chuffed because they looked like they could be the answer to this very annoying problem! Spoiler alert – THEY ARE!
The idea of these super thin gloves is firstly that they are super thin and light, but somehow warm – and the really innovative bit is that they have a pattern of perforations on the palm so that if you want to cool your hands down you just open your hands to the breeze for a bit. Want to warm them up again you lightly close your palms. Which I admit sounds a bit odd, but I thought why not give it a go!
Not a huge amount to say about the unboxing to be honest – the packaging is nice, the instructions are clear.
They look really REALLY small and thin. I wasn’t sure how warm they’d be, but as soon as I put them on my hands were warm. And when I tried the trick of opening my hands to cool them down and closing them to keep them warm I could genuinely feel the difference.
The first chance I got to use these was actually when I was doing a crazy fitness class called Fitness at the Farm, which involved a bit of running but mostly chucking tractor tyres about and lifting up massive heavy logs. So it’s possible my first use wasn’t one that everyone will relate to. But even given this non standard running situation I have to say the gloves held up well as general gloves! They look flimsy but they seem surprisingly tough. I probably wouldn’t recommend them for this activity as they aren’t water proof (although I think they must have sweat wicking properties because dried almost instantly after I’d been doing crazy planks and burpees on wet grass. I know, WELL HARD).
So really my first proper use was when I cycled down to my early morning track session – this is what I wanted these gloves for, alongside long winter runs and cross country. My hands get very cold at track, and despite the fact that it’s an oval the wind always seems to be against you. It is VERY cold at that time in the morning, but because it’s an intense session you warm up quickly, so this seemed a good opportunity. So, the one thing I would say is that they didn’t keep my hands totally warm on my bike, but this isn’t their purpose, so I’m not holding that against them.
And they are so thin that I think what I’ll do is layer them up with some thicker gloves for the bike ride bit! And I’m going to say that they were absolutely fantastic for the running bit. The trick with opening and closing your hands really does work. And they are so thin that you don’t get that clammy sweaty hand feeling, but they do keep your hands just warm enough. They fold up very small, so once you’re fully warmed up they will easily fit into the smallest of pockets on your running tights or whatever.
I've since used them on a cross country race and for a long run, and I just can't fault them. I'm going to say they absolutely do solve that annoying problem! They have become a staple in my running bag, I wouldn't be without them for the winter season.
Score out of ten These get a solid 9 from me. I just think they are brilliant. The only reason it’s not a 10 is that they are slightly too big for me, but I’m definitely going to invest in a pair of smaller ones.
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Thanks very much Zoe and Tracy for reviewing Hy Athletic's Flux Gloves. The ones on test were the Sub-zeros.
If you would like the lightest running gloves on the planet, then please feel free to purchase them below:
TAGS: Running
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