Kinco Pigskin Leather Review

The Pigskin Leather Glove by Kinco is a great option for those seeking a glove that will perform well on warm, dry days. In addition, it's very affordable.

Performance Comparison

Simple, great materials, and super affordable. What else could a penny pincher ask for?

Photo: Amber King

Warmth

As one of the colder contenders tested, this glove is best used in warm weather or aerobic endeavors on cold days. Many of our friends and family members love this glove because it breathes incredibly well, especially while skinning uphill in the backcountry. The polyester insulation, in addition to its 'Heatkeep' thermal lining, is actually pretty warm itself and does a great job of wicking away moisture from the skin.

The Heatkeep insulation is soft, fuzzy, and warm. However, the cloth exterior allows heat to escape way too fast, making this one of the coldest gloves tested.

Photo: Amber King

The cloth material on the back of the hand, however, is what makes this glove cold when the wind is ripping, or when the mercury dips into the double negatives. The cotton is porous and doesn't provide much in the way of wind resistance. That's why it's best for more aerobic endeavors. There are many types of Kinco gloves online, like the Pigskin Leather Gloves, that do not have the breathable cloth back but are instead completely leather. Based on feedback from friends and online, this type of glove is far warmer, but not as breathable. It also has a similar low, low price.

Water Resistance

To be quite blunt, this glove is not very water-resistant. It does wonders on warm, dry days, but in cold, wet climates, it's not the best option. In our at-home dunk tests, this glove was instantly flooded in just two squeezes. In addition, the glove held 14 oz of water after the 100 squeeze test, which is a lot!

Here we see the water draining from the Kinco glove after the squeeze test. This was the most absorbent glove tested and the least water resistant. Water seeped in through the cloth fabric on top, not through the actual leather textile.

Photo: Amber King

In the field, we noticed that when sweating, the cloth held moisture, and when the snow started falling, the glove eventually became saturated. The big reason this glove failed in this metric is because of the absorbent cotton knit cloth on the back of the hand. The pigskin leather, on the other hand, always did a great job of keeping the water out.

The cloth exterior fully absorbed water after just a squeeze or two, completely soaking the glove. No other product performed this poorly.

Photo: Amber King

Dexterity

Providing better dexterity than most of the mitten options in this review, this is a great glove if you want something that performs simple tasks — like zipping up a jacket or taking off a pair of skins. Ensuring that you have the proper fit really impacts the dexterity of the glove. It features thick insulation in both the fingers and palm. As a result, it's not as dexterous as other contenders that are built with less insulation in the palm with a female-specific fit. We found it did the job when we had to switch our ski & splitboard set-ups from touring mode. As a result, we'd recommend it for both resort and backcountry skiing.

Amber on a cold day, putting skins away before descending down Browns Gulch. The Kinco Pigskin gloves provide good dexterity, but at this point Amber can't feel her fingers due to the cold, windy conditions (despite her smile).

Photo: Amber King

Features

As one of the most featureless gloves, this contender really is no-frills. It only features an under the coat cuff and an incredibly small glove clasp that we were unable to use.

This glove has a no-frills design. We do appreciate that the cuff fits nicely under jacket sleeves, but we found the glove connectors (pictured on the right) too small to be of use.

Photo: Amber King

The single glove construction doesn't integrate a detached liner, adding to its minimalist design. That said, if you buy a larger size, you could probably fit an additional liner underneath as the cuff is quite elastic. If you're in the market for something with bells and whistles, this is not the glove for you. But, if you're all about simplicity and don't have a ton of cash to drop, you may have found your match.

Durability and Construction

When kept properly maintained, we've seen this glove last for years. The pigskin leather in the palm and fingers provide great durability over the years, as long as the gloves are kept moisturized with the proper treatment. This is a big reason its a top choice among penny-pinching guides and mountain people. It's a workhorse that can really stand up to tumultuous and consistent abrasion.

The pigskin leather is fairly durable, providing good protection from the elements at the palms. Be sure to treat the leather consistently to avoid the leather from cracking and losing its water-resistant properties.

Photo: Amber King

Even though it has a track record of glorified resilience, this glove earns a fairly low score in this category because of its lesser craftsmanship. When looking closely, we see thread fly-aways and widely spaced stitching. The cloth material on the back of the hand showed some abrasion and wear after our three month testing period. While it doesn't have the best craftsmanship, we have seen these hold up over the years.

Here we note a widely-spaced stitching pattern with a couple of fly-aways.

Photo: Amber King

Value

This glove isn't the highest performer and doesn't compete with other gloves in specific categories, but it is a favorite amongst ski guides and ski bums. It is cheap, offers okay performance, and is easy to replace. There are many options out there, but none with a durable outer like this, for such a low price. Those that will find the most value will appreciate a single-glove design that is breathable and dexterous.

Conclusion