Savior Heat Heated Gloves Review: Cold Mornings on the Road

I've been riding long enough to know what cold hands do to a trip. By mile 200 on a spring morning, numb fingers stop being a discomfort and start being a safety problem. You grip tighter, you shift later, and you start thinking about the nearest exit instead of the road ahead. That's why I bought the SAVIOR HEAT Heated Motorcycle Gloves, and why I've spent the last two riding seasons testing them on the kind of days most riders just stay home for.

I'm Hank, 61, a retired steelworker and union pipefitter who lives outside Pittsburgh. My bike is a 2019 Indian Chieftain, dark blue, and every year I ride it down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, about 600 miles each way with an overnight stop in Virginia. My wife Linda rides pillion on shorter rides, but she takes the car for the long haul. The SAVIOR HEAT gloves have been on both kinds of trips, and they've been in my saddlebag for a couple of Myrtle Beach runs and a lot of weekend rides.

How I've Used It

I bought these at the start of last season, so they've been through fall mornings, a wet April, and one long day where the temperature never got above 45 degrees. I've worn them with the battery on a lower setting for a full tank of gas and on the highest setting for the first hour of a cold start. I've also worn them without the battery, just as a windproof layer, on days when the afternoon warmed up. That flexibility is the first thing that sold me on them.

On the long haul to Myrtle Beach, I keep them on for the first hour of the morning and the last hour of the evening. That's when the wind chill is worst and when these gloves earn their keep. Last April I left Pittsburgh at 6:15 with the thermometer showing 41 degrees and the gloves on high. I crossed into West Virginia and had to back the heat down to a middle setting because my hands were actually warm. That is a good problem to have at mile 90. By the time I stopped for breakfast in Virginia, my hands were warm enough that I didn't even think about them. On shorter rides around home, with Linda on the back, I usually leave them unplugged until the temperature drops below 50. Then I plug in and forget about it.

I've also used them in the garage on a cold morning, just to see how fast they warm up. The listing says the battery heats your whole hand in seconds, and that's not an exaggeration. By the time I've got my helmet on, my fingers are already warm. That quick heat is what makes them feel like a piece of gear, not a gadget.

I should also say that I've loaned these gloves to a couple of riding buddies on cold mornings. One of them rides a sport bike and was skeptical about the bulk, but he came back after an hour and asked where I got them. The other one rides an adventure bike and liked them so much he ordered a pair for himself. That's about as good a review as I can give.

What the Battery Life Really Looks Like

The battery is the part everyone asks about. The 7.4V rechargeable battery is enough for a solid morning ride if you're smart about it. I start on a higher setting while I'm still in the driveway, then back it down once my hands are warm. That routine gets me through a full day of running errands, and it charges back up overnight. One morning last October I left the house at 7:10 with a full charge, ran the gloves on high for the first 20 minutes, then dropped to a lower setting for the rest of the morning. I rode about 140 miles that day, stopped for coffee and a sandwich, and the battery still showed enough life when I got home that I plugged it in out of habit rather than need. I've never had the battery die on me mid-ride, but I also don't run it on high all day.

If you run it on the highest setting the whole time, you'll get less. That's true of any heated glove, and it's not a knock on these. The adjustable thermal control is there for a reason. Use it. There's no point draining the battery in the first ten minutes when a lower setting will keep you comfortable for hours.

One thing I appreciate is that the battery doesn't get in the way once I'm riding. I worried it would feel like a lump at the cuff, but it stays put and I forget it's there. Charging is simple: plug it in the night before, like a phone. Just don't forget, because a heated glove with a dead battery is just a heavy glove.

Water, Wind, and the 40% Lambskin Question

The shell is 40% lambskin and 60% polyester, and the listing calls them waterproof and windproof. In practice, I'd call them water-resistant for a light shower and genuinely windproof at speed. I've ridden through a couple of spring mistings and my hands stayed dry. One of those mistings was a stretch of I-79 north of Morgantown where the rain came and went for about 30 miles. The gloves beaded the water off the back of my hands and my fingers stayed dry the whole way. The cuffs did their job too, which surprised me, because a lot of gloves leak at the wrist before they leak anywhere else. I wouldn't take them into a heavy downpour, but that's not what I bought them for.

The windproof part matters more to me. At 70 mph, even a thin layer of wind steals heat fast, and these gloves hold it back. The difference between a glove that blocks wind and one that doesn't is the difference between arriving with warm hands and arriving with numb fingers. On a long interstate day, that's the whole ballgame.

The 100% cotton jersey lining is comfortable against my hands, and it doesn't bunch up when I'm gripping the bars. I've machine washed them following the care instructions and they came out fine. That's more than I can say for some gloves I've owned, and it means I don't have to baby them when the weather turns messy.

Touchscreen and Everyday Fit

The title says touchscreen compatible, and I can confirm it works well enough to use my phone at a gas station without taking the gloves off. The fingers are a little thick for fine work, so typing a long text is a pain, but tapping the map or swiping a screen is fine. That's all I need when I'm on the road.

The fit is where these gloves win me over. I have big hands from years of pipefitting, and the Large size fits me well. The zipper closure at the cuff makes them easy to get on and off, and the ambidextrous design means I don't have to think about left and right. The leather material gives me a solid grip on the bars, even in a light rain.

The glove type is listed for skiing and snowboarding as well as riding, and that makes sense. The insulation and the shell are up to the job. I've worn them on the bike and on a few cold walks, and they work in both places. Just keep in mind that they're built for cold, not for summer.

The Tradeoffs You Should Know

The biggest tradeoff is bulk. These are not thin summer gloves. The lambskin and polyester shell has some padding to it, and the battery adds weight at the cuff. You won't be doing delicate work with them on, and they take a little getting used to if you're coming from a thin riding glove.

The second tradeoff is the zipper. It's a good zipper, but it takes a few seconds to get the cuff closed, and if you're in a hurry, you'll feel it. On a cold morning in the garage, with my helmet under one arm and the bike already warming up, those few seconds feel longer than they are. I have learned to zip the cuffs before I pull on my helmet, which saves me the awkward reach across my chest. Once they're zipped, they stay put, but it's not a one-handed operation.

The third is the battery. It's rechargeable, which I like, but you have to remember to charge it the night before. There's no way around that. If you forget, you're wearing a heavy windproof glove with no heat. I keep the charger on the same shelf as my helmet so I can't miss it.

Alternatives I Considered

Before I settled on the SAVIOR HEAT gloves, I looked at heated grips and at a couple of other heated glove brands. Heated grips are great for the palms, but they don't do much for the back of your hand or your fingers. On a cold morning, that's where the heat matters most. Gloves heat the whole hand, which is why I went that route.

I also considered a pair of heated gloves with a wired connection to the bike. Those have the advantage of never running out of battery, but they tether you to the motorcycle. If you want to walk into a gas station without unplugging, a rechargeable battery is easier. The 7.4V battery in these gloves is enough for my kind of riding.

The other rechargeable gloves I tried had a similar design but a thinner shell. They were lighter, but they didn't block wind as well, and the difference showed up fast at highway speed. The SAVIOR HEAT gloves feel like they were built for touring, not just for a quick commute.

What I'd Change

If I could change one thing, it would be the zipper. I'd make it a little longer or add a flap over it, because the metal can get cold against your wrist on a really frigid morning. On the coldest morning last March, with the temperature sitting at 28 degrees, I felt that cold metal the first time I reached for the brake lever. It's a small thing, and it doesn't stop me from wearing them, but it's the first thing I noticed.

I'd also make the fingers a touch more flexible. The heat and the windproofing come from the shell, and that shell has some stiffness to it. After an hour, my hands settle in and I don't notice it, but the first few miles feel a little stiff. That's the price of warmth, and I'll take it.

The Bottom Line

After two seasons, the SAVIOR HEAT Heated Motorcycle Gloves have earned their place in my riding routine. They heat up fast, they block wind, they handle a light shower, and the battery lasts long enough for the way I ride. They're not perfect, but they're the best cold-weather gloves I've owned.

If you're tired of starting every cold ride with numb fingers, these gloves are worth a serious look. They won't turn a freezing day into a summer afternoon, but they'll take the edge off the first hour, and that's when it counts. For the money, they're a solid investment in riding season.

I've ridden through a couple of light showers and the gloves kept my hands dry. At 70 mph, that windproof shell is the difference between enjoying the ride and looking for the next exit.

Who This Is For

If you ride a touring bike like mine, or any bike, and you have cold hands on spring and fall mornings, these gloves are for you. They're also good for commuters who need to get to work with warm hands and still be able to use a phone at a stoplight.

And if you do an annual long ride like my Myrtle Beach trip, they'll make the first hour of each day a lot more pleasant. That first hour is when the temperature is lowest and the wind chill is highest. A pair of gloves that heats up in seconds changes the whole tone of the day.

Who Should Skip It

If you only ride in summer, you don't need heated gloves. If you ride in heavy rain all the time, you'll want a dedicated waterproof glove. And if you need to do a lot of fine finger work while riding, the bulk will frustrate you.

These gloves are for cold, dry riding, not for every condition. They're honest about what they are: a warm, windproof, rechargeable glove for the shoulder seasons. If that matches your riding, they'll serve you well. If not, keep looking.