“At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple, like bread, or wine, a fine marriage, or air. It is also a free pass to friendship.”
~ Benjamin Cheever, Strides

Friday, January 13, 2012

Product Review: Saucony Ulti Mitt II

These are by far the most expensive gloves I have ever owned.  I don't typically buy pricey things that I can take off on a run and lose.  (Just ask my husband about me and sunglasses!)  Before these, the most expensive running gloves I'd owned were $10.  (These gloves were $45 before my discount at Fleet Feet).  Right now, though, they are on sale direct from Saucony's website for $34.


Meeting a running group in a running store pre-run can be a bad thing.  You get tempted to buy all kinds of running items that you might not have bought otherwise.  These gloves were one such item.  They are pretty snazzy.  They are reflective and come in different colors.  I've been into pink running gear lately, so I got pink.


They come with a rechargeable light, which can shine or flash.  (It recharges by plugging into a USB port).  Very handy for looking at your watch or anything else on dark runs.
As you can see in the first picture, they are both gloves AND mittens.  There is an outer portion the slips over the fingers.  They are actually quite thin, which is a good thing, in my opinion, for a running glove.  Because of how thin they were, though, I didn't originally think they'd be super warm.  They have a little opening in the forefinger of each glove, so that you can operate you touch iPod or iPhone.  I actually used that feature with great success during my run last night to check messages on my phone to double-check who in my running group was coming.
These gloves are AWESOME.  They are warm, moisture wicking and very functional!  The mitten part protects well from wet conditions.  (I ran with them in freezing rain once, and they still worked perfect).  They even have a thicker softer portion of the hand that my old NOBO coach insisted was a snot-spot.  HA!
The only downside of these gloves is the amount they cost.  They keep my hands warm enough that during last nights run (that occurred during a winter weather advisory) I took them off.  Unfortunately, I wasn't wearing my jacket with the convenient pockets.  I tried to shove them in a small rear pocket...and apparently failed.  When we'd finished and were standing around stretching and talking, my hands got cold again.  So, I pulled out my gloves glove.  I'd dropped one on the trail!  My group was nice enough to accompany me back on the trail to look for it.  Not only did I drop one, but I dropped the one that had the snazzy light on it!  Luckily, it was only 0.39 miles from the trailhead.


For someone who gets REALLY cold running, the thinness of the fabric might be a concern, but I had no problems at all.  I actually super heart these gloves.


Bottomline:  If you don't lose little things easily like I do - these gloves are worth every penny!  (And even if you DO lose them - they cost enough that you'll earn extra miles going back out for them!  HA!)

5 comments:

  1. Wow, those gloves look amazing! I'm like you-- try not to spend too much on the running "extras". Having recently moved south, i don't think I'll need them this year, but they would have been perfect to get through last year's winter!

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  2. I love glove mittens! I had a great pair, but they are for skiing, not running. I get hot hands when I run, so I use thin gloves. Is hot hands a thing? :)

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  3. Those are bitchin. Also, that is definitely a snot spot.

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  4. I had the Brooks gloves, but went ahead and bought the Sauconys and LOVE them oh-so-much. They kept my hands warm and I'm lovin' the happy little light that I can recharge!

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  5. Great review! I will have to look at them - I do NOT like thick gloves so these look perfect, and I love the pink too!

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