With December well and truly upon us, many will be struggling the keep the winter chill at bay, especially amid the rising cost of heating bills. As somebody who gets very cold hands and feet, especially at this time of year, I wanted to see if a pair of heated mittens could help in some way.
I work from home most of the time, and in the current economic climate, don't want to put the heating on any more than I can afford. I wanted to get a pair of heated fingerless mittens I could wear while still typing away, and hoped they would also be ideal for frosty walks to the shop on my lunch hour.
I ordered a pair of Yinuoday USB Heated Gloves, picking a sweet grey and pink pattern. At £14.99, they were a fair bit pricier than the sort of regular, non-heated gloves I'd pick up at Tesco, but I was excited to give them a try.
These double-sided heating gloves have a heating pad on both sides, meaning the palm and hand can be warmed simultaneously in a way that allows for an even distribution of warmth.
When my gloves arrived, I'd assumed they'd include a set of thorough instructions about how long to heat them. Unfortunately, I only received a small card warning me to keep them out of reach of children and to take the chip out before washing them.
Left to figure things out on my own, I attached the USB cable to my laptop, keeping a careful eye on the gloves as I got back to work. There were no beeps or tell-tale lights that they were ready, so I worried whether I'd even done it right. Then I felt a patch of warmth in the centre.
I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly and evenly they warmed up, without getting too overheated. According to Yinuoday, these gloves have a temperature range of between 38 to 45°C, the 'comfortable range for the human body'.
When it was time to pop the gloves on, I was a bit confused on how to do so. After a bit of investigating, I twigged that the heated pads inside were attached by Velcro and could be carefully unfastened and taken out with relative ease.
Putting the hot pads to one side with the USB cable, I popped the mittens on for the very first time, after first making sure they weren't too hot. My immediate reaction was that of sheer bliss. The gloves were heated well on both sides and soothed aches I didn't even know I had.
I hadn't yet whacked the heating on, and so the sudden blast of warmth on a bright, cold November morning was very welcome. The gloves were also quite wearable for indoor use, and I found that I could still drink a cup of tea and send a few emails without too much faff.
I did find however that the gloves lost much of their initial heat within the first ten minutes. I popped outside to the car park to sort some recycling, and by the time I returned, my gloves had reached a comfortable but notably cooler temperature.
This was certainly very pleasant but wasn't exactly the energy-saving blast of heat that could help me save money on central heating.
The gloves helped keep my hands at a nice temperature as I worked away, with some of the warmth spreading to my arms. Being in want of something a bit stronger though on what was a very cold day, I found myself charging them a second time after about 40 minutes had passed, longing for that initial toasty blast.
For those wanting to keep warm at home this winter, I'd say these gloves make for a very decent addition to your existing stash of hacks. When paired with my Primark Oodie dupe and fluffy slippers, I was able to get very cosy indeed.
Overall, I was impressed by the mittens, but wouldn't go as far as to say these could keep your body temperature up by themselves. I also wouldn't say these could in any way replace the benefits of central heating, or that you could go about doing any old household task while wearing them. I did, for example, have to take them off to eat lunch.
With October's price hike, I now pay around 26p an hour for heating, but as I live in a flat, I only usually have it on for one hour a day. I had fork out an upfront cost of £14.99 for my gloves, which I charged via my laptop for around 40 minutes in total. Although I can see myself getting a fair bit of wear out of them, I don't think they'll save me money in the long-run.
As a comforting extra, however, I'd definitely recommend this nifty item, especially for those who still have energetic dogs to walk on icy winter evenings.
Do you have a cost of living crisis story to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
