Gear Review: Light windproof gloves from 'den Aldi'

It's time to write about a pair of gloves that's been my trusty companions for over 3 years.

The Windproof Upper

I believe that so many years of use deserve a review, even when they're not from a brand but were bought from Aldi. Sometimes, they sell something usable there, really!

Alright, time to hit the specs and what I think of them, go and read on...

What we are looking at is a great piece of kit every hiker has: shoulder season gloves that are light but give warm hands between 10°C and 2°C. The subject of my review are the Aldi Active Touch-brand gloves that are sometimes in the Aldi folder. Hence, it's not part of their fixed assortment.
The gloves themselves come in different sizes and are had for under €10, that's a bargain in my opinion, given the wealth of liners that go up to €30 or more.

The Specs:

Weight: 42 gram / pair

Colour: Black and it's black only I think

My Size: 8

Fabric: Polyester (100%)

The gloves are tight enough around the hand, allowing a good fit. They have just one elasticated band around the wrist, which can't be adjusted. 

They are 100% polyester with a windproof upper and thumb, that fabric has another look and feel as the palm of the glove. Blowing into the fabric, I'd say it's 100% windproof so it lives up to it's promise. 

Having them for over 3 years (and losing some, if anyone finds one on the Ben Nevis, it's mine) I know the pro's and cons but first let me say that these gloves have their limitations. They are not waterproof nor have a DWR treatment, so in rain you get drenched and they suck the water up. They do, however, dry quicker than cotton: I'd say 2 hours on the heating does the job if you wring them out.
For biking use, they allow for good grip and a close feel on the bars and shifters and the wind-proofing is in just the places most exposed when racing over the asphalt.
They also join me on hikes, even in conditions around the freezing point I prefer these. Here their compactness and lightness come in as strong points.

Pro's

• Light: 42 gr.
• Windproof upper and thumb
• Cheap
• Compact (rolling both up: about the size of a big clementine)
• Dry reasonably fast after sweating/rain.

Cons

• No grip
• No DWR
• Stink a bit after drenched by rain
• Cold wrists sometimes (lack of stretch fabric around the wrist)

The most important con for me is that they don't have grip. I really miss some silicone dots on there when I grip something metal (like the middle of my handlebars). I tried seamgrip but the results were nil. 

The other cons are actually something most liner/light gloves have. I accept that they're not waterproof of have DWR, they are still better when wet than no gloves. 

I rate the temperature of these gloves from whenever you feel you need gloves, until around the freezing point.

This is of course your own preference but for colder weather I have bought the Inferno Mitt from Extremities (a review is in draft, waiting for more wear-time).

The fleece inner

By far and wide, these are my preferred gloves and I love them. They are windproof but not everywhere so they breathe well and don't overheat. They are a good fit and are surprisingly warm for their size thanks to a fleece like inner. And bonus number one: the price. It's awesome that these gloves are cheap. You don't have to worry about losing or damaging one, so feel free to be careless, something I never do with other, branded gear.

Close-up of the fraying at the fingers

The piling on the palm

Life expectancy of these gloves are 5 years for me (mostly urban use) but I expect you can be happy with 2 years if you use them primarily for trekking. The palms and fingers start fraying a bit after decent usage. The upper and thumb, however, are stronger and need more friction to damage.

Disclaimer: I paid for these gloves, yes the full 7 euro's or so.