Gordini Gore-Tex Down III Women's Review
Cons: Few features, less breathable construct, poor dexterity
Manufacturer: Gordini
Our Verdict
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 This Product
Gordini Gore-Tex Down III Women's | |||||
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| Awards |  | |  | ||
| Price | $89.95 at Amazon | $199.00 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $169.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $109.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $69.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Great warmth, durable construction, water resistant, high value | Warm, lightweight and packable, breathable, waterproof, single construction, dextrous | Super warm, removable liner, durable construction, weather resistant liner | Very warm, dexterous for a mitt, durable shell, waterproof, removable and water resistant liner | Warm, versatile, dexterous for a mitt, touchscreen-compatible liners, excellent value |
| Cons | Few features, less breathable construct, poor dexterity | Expensive, won't fit super small hands | Bulky, difficult to get liner back into glove, expensive | Liner packs out after a season, split finger design leaves index finger cold, no leashes included | Not a lot of extra insulation |
| Bottom Line | A down insulated ski glove ready for the coldest days on the chair lift | The best all-around unisex ski glove that you'll find on the market | A durable, warm, and comfortable glove | A versatile mitten with dexterity that's perfect for all types of winter activities | A high quality and fairly priced double-construction mitt that'll perform at any of your favorite winter locales |
| Rating Categories | Gore-Tex Down III Women's | Arc'teryx Fission SV Glove | Black Diamond Guide - Women's | Black Diamond Mercury Mitt | Gore-Tex Mitten |
| Warmth (25%) | |||||
| Water Resistance (25%) | |||||
| Dexterity (25%) | |||||
| Durability (15%) | |||||
| Features (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Gore-Tex Down III... | Arc'teryx Fission... | Black Diamond... | Black Diamond... | Gore-Tex Mitten |
| Waterproof Material | Gore-Tex waterproof/windproof membrane | 84% nylon/16% elastane, Gore-Tex | GORE-TEX waterproof insert | Pertex Shield | Dry-Ride Two Layer & Gore-Tex Insert |
| Insulation Type | 600-fill of 70% goose down 30% waterfowl feathers on back of hand, Megaloft on palm side | 200g PrimaLoft Silver and 133g Gold synthetic fibers | 170 g PrimaLoft® Gold insulation | 340-grams Primaloft Gold w/ high loft synthetic insulation | ThermaCore Synthetic Insulation |
| Palm Material | Goat skin (leather) | Goat leather | Goat leather | Goat leather | Leather, Sticky Icy Grip Palm |
| Inner Glove Material (if applicable) | Polyester fleece liner | Octa Loft | Boiled wool and 200 g fleece palm lining | High-loft fleece | Fleece |
| Double or Single Construction? | Single | Single | Single | Double | Double |
| Gauntlet or Cuff Length? | Medium cuff | Medium Cuff | Medium cuff | Gauntlet | Gauntlet |
| Special features | Adjustable wrist closure, nose wipe, pocket for handwarmer on the top of the glove, removable leash | Unisex fit, kevlar stitching, removable wrist leash, carabiner loop | Nose wipe, knuckle padding, no leash, kevlar stitching | Nose wipe, trigger-finger liner, carabiner loop, no wrist leash, foam padding on knuckles, kevlar stitching | Nose wipe, leashes, warmer pockets, wrist cinch |
| Sizes (Women's) | S, M, L | XS, S, M, L, XL | XS,S,M,L | XS, S, M, L | XS, S, M, L |
| Fit | True to size | Fits large (unisex sizing) | Fits small | True to size | True to size |
| Treatment Required? | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Warranty | 1 year | Lifetime | 1 year | 1 year | Lifetime |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Gore-Tex Down III Glove by Gordini is perfectly suited for ladies who want a warm glove at a great price. The down insulation will keep you warm during the coldest days at the resort, while the gloved design offers more dexterity than you'd get with any mitten.
Performance Comparison
Warmth
Of all the gloves tested, the Gordini Gore-Tex Down III Glove (rated to 10F) is the warmest. It's loaded with 600-fill goose down (75% goose down, 25% goose feathers) on the back of the palm, with a less bulky MegaLoft insulation on the palm (providing a little more dexterity). In addition to the insulation, we love the ultra-plush and soft inner liner that is sewn into the construct of the glove. This makes it a wonderful option for sitting on an ice-cold chairlift, or while hunkering down at your favorite ice fishing hole. If you run extra cold, slip in a hand warmer into the pocket to stay roasty toasty.
This glove does a decent job in the breathability metric. The Gore-Tex liner allows water vapor to escape slowly, but the loft and insulation almost do too good a job of keeping heat trapped inside. As a result, we noticed our hands getting clammy during aerobic or warm days. It's a wonderful resort option, but we wouldn't recommend it for skiing in the backcountry.
Water Resistance
In addition to providing a heap of warmth, this glove does an impeccable job of resisting water. The highly durable and water-resistant goatskin palm and reinforced thumb keep moisture out when playing in the snow. The HydroWick Denier lining keeps water out of the glove throughout the day. During blustery wintery days when the snow was wet, we skied the resort for hours, without feeling cold or discomfort. These gloves are water-resistant!
A use issue that we commonly encountered is associated with the liner. When hands get wet from sweat or damp for another reason, the liner is very 'grabby', bunching up and sticking. Getting a wet hand into this glove can feel near impossible, which lost it some points with us.
During our water dunk tests, we were happy to learn that the Gore-Tex Down III gloves did not leak, just like other gloves with a Gore-Tex insert. It also only absorbed 2.4 oz of water during our tests. We recommend this glove for all types of climates and all weather conditions.
Dexterity
This glove is not as mobile as other thinner options on the market. It does offer more dexterity than a mitt, but because it is loaded with so much insulation throughout its construction, it's harder to use for finer tasks. We do appreciate that most of the insulation is concentrated to the back of the glove, allowing for more mobility in the palm, and that the leather palm is quite buttery, which adds more to the dexterity. It's a fine glove for the basics at the resort — putting on your boots, zipping up jackets, or grasping your ski pole, but for more technical purposes, a thinner, more mobile glove would be a better option.
Features
The Gore-Tex Down III glove has all the features you need for playing in the snow at the resort. An integrated wrist leash is handy when you need to remove your gloves quickly without having to store them in a pocket. No fear of dropping a glove from a chairlift with the leash attached, the gloves just hang off the wrists. The back of the hand has a small pocket that perfectly fits a hand warmer. On extra-frigid mornings, we like the small addition of warmth.
The wrist cinch is simple, and we love the quick cinch and release around the gauntlet. There are also quick clips that hold the gloves together when not in use. The nose wipe on the thumb also kept us happy during snotty days on the mountain.
Our wishlist? With technology being such an important part of our lives these days, we wish this glove had touchscreen compatibility as well as a removable leash. A longer gauntlet would be helpful to keep snow out during super deep days in the mountains. We also like that we could use a super-thin glove liner with this glove to provide additional warmth and versatility.
Durability
We are impressed with the craftsmanship and durability of this glove. Throughout the testing period, the insulation did not pack out or lose warmth, even after washing and our dunk tests. The stitching is very precise, but not seamless.
Also, we love the goatskin leather palm — one of the most durable leathers out there. Even though it only comes with a one-year warranty, we think it will last a few seasons at the least. In general, it was more durable than most contenders.
Value
In our humble opinion, we think this glove offers some of the best value of any of the gloves in this review. It's a high scoring ski glove with great warmth and overall performance on the ski hill. It is definitely worth the value, and if you seek an affordable and very warm glove for resort skiing, this is the one to get.
Conclusion
The Gordini Gore-Tex Down III Glove offers an amazing amount of warmth wrapped into a well-constructed glove-shaped package. Its single glove-construction is simple to use, and it's loaded with useful features you'll appreciate during cold days on the ski hill.
— Amber King