Although heated gloves have been around for some time now, the things are generally pretty thick and bulky – best-suited to activities such as skiing. Vancouver-based Candle Apparel has designed a more dextrous alternative, in the form of its “city-oriented” Candle gloves.
The basic gloves themselves are made of a sleek, stretchable, breathable, water- and wind-resistant blend of milk silk, neoprene and lycra. Their fingertips are touchscreen-friendly, so wearers don’t need to take the gloves off in order to use their smartphone.
Embedded inside of the base material, along the perimeter of each finger and thumb, is a continuous-strip carbon fiber heating element. Powered by a removable lithium-polymer battery located on the back of the glove, it’s reportedly capable of warming the wearer’s hands up to a maximum temperature of 50 ºC (122 ºF).
Users can choose between three heating levels – the highest is good for a claimed three hours of use per battery-charge, while the lowest will last for six hours. Once the gloves start getting dirty, they can simply be tossed in the washing machine (after their batteries have been pulled out).
Candle Gloves are presently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign, where a pledge of US$99 will get you a pair – assuming they reach production, that is. The planned retail price is $160.
Phone-friendly heated gloves are made for urban use [New Atlas]