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Kinco Pigskin Leather Review

This pigskin glove is perfect for the penny-pincher looking to explore the mountains in dry, warm conditions.
Kinco Lined Grain Pigskin Leather - Women's
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Price:  $16 List | $11.20 at Amazon
Pros:  Incredibly affordable, durable leather, no-frills design, decent dexterity, cool points
Cons:  Cold, absorbs water, unisex and limited fit, few to no features
Manufacturer:   Kinco
By Amber King ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Dec 18, 2019
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OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#12 of 12
  • Warmth - 25% 3
  • Water Resistance - 25% 3
  • Dexterity - 25% 7
  • Durability - 15% 4
  • Features - 10% 3

Our Verdict

Looking to pad your wallet? The Kinco Pigskin Leather Gloves maybe your best option. With a super low price tag, it is inexpensive and built with high-quality materials. Featuring a pigskin leather outer and a cloth-knit material on the back of the hand, this glove is fairly warm and quite breathable. It features a polyester knit cuff that slips under jackets nicely. Not only is it perfect for skiing on warm days at the resort or hiking uphill in the mountains, but it also doubles as a great yard work glove. However, we weren't too impressed by its warmth or water resistance. The knit cloth on the back of the hand provides a place for heat to easily escape and for water to absorb readily. Because of this, we can't recommend this glove as cold weather or wet climate option.


Compare to Similar Products

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Kinco Lined Grain Pigskin Leather - Women's
This Product
Kinco Pigskin Leather
Awards  Editors' Choice Award  Editors' Choice Award  
Price $11.20 at Amazon$199.00 at REI
Compare at 2 sellers		$198.95 at Backcountry
Compare at 3 sellers		$79.95 at Amazon
Compare at 2 sellers		$84.95 at Backcountry
Compare at 2 sellers
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Pros Incredibly affordable, durable leather, no-frills design, decent dexterity, cool pointsWarm, lightweight and packable, breathable, waterproof, single construction, dextrousSuper warm, water-resistant liner, insulated shell, weather-proofVery warm, dexterous for a mitt, durable shell, waterproof, removable and water resistant linerGreat value, durable, breathable, protective from water, simple features, smartphone compatible liner
Cons Cold, absorbs water, unisex and limited fit, few to no featuresExpensive, won't fit super small hands.Expensive, too warm and bulky (overkill?) for the average skier, large fitLiner packs out after a season, split finger design leaves index finger cold, no leashes includedNot the most dexterous option out there
Bottom Line This pigskin glove is perfect for the penny-pincher looking to explore the mountains in dry, warm conditions.Our favorite ski glove tested with a unisex fit. Despite not being gender-specific, this glove is off the charts for any adult, noticeably feeling different (and better) than other gloves on the market.Built to wear on the tallest mountains and coldest places.Our favorite all-around mitten for backcountry and resort skiing.A high value glove that excels in most of our metrics.
Rating Categories Kinco Pigskin Leather Arc'teryx Fission SV Glove Alti Mitt Black Diamond Mercury Mitt Deluxe Gore-Tex
Warmth (25%)
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Water Resistance (25%)
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Dexterity (25%)
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Durability (15%)
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Specs Kinco Pigskin... Arc'teryx Fission... Alti Mitt Black Diamond... Deluxe Gore-Tex
Waterproof Material Leather outer 84% nylon/16% elastane, Gore-Tex GORE-TEX 2.5 Layer/Leather palm Pertex Shield DryRide w/ Gore-Tex
Insulation Type HeatKeep Thermal Lining (polyester) 200g PrimaLoft Silver and 133g Gold synthetic fibers PrimaLoft® Gold Insulation 170g in shell, 340g in liner 340-grams Primaloft Gold w/ high loft synthetic insulation Thermacore
Palm Material Grain pigskin leather Goat leather Pittards® Armortan® leather Goat leather Gnar Guard
Inner Glove Material (if applicable) n/a Octa Loft Moonlite Pile™ fleece High-loft fleece Brushed Microfiber
Double or Single Construction? Single Single Double Double Double
Gauntlet or Cuff Length? Gauntlet Medium Cuff Long cuff (shell) Guantlet (liner) Gauntlet Medium Cuff
Special features None Unisex fit, kevlar stitching, removable wrist leash, carabiner loop Kevlar stitching, carabiner loop, removable wrist leash Nose wipe, trigger-finger liner, carabiner loop, no wrist leash, foam padding on knuckles, kevlar stitching Touch-screen compatible liners, removable wrist leash, nose wipe
Sizes (Women's) Men's S, M, L, XL, XXL XS, S, M, L, XL S,M,L XS, S, M, L S, M, L
Fit Fits large (unisex sizing). Fits large (unisex sizing) Fits large Fit true to size Fit true to size
Treatment Required? Yes Yes No No No
Warranty n/a Lifetime Lifetime 1 year Lifetime

Our Analysis and Test Results

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

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.
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.

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.
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.

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

Dexterity


Since this glove has a unisex fit, make sure to order it in a smaller size. For example, if you normally fit a women's medium, be sure to order a Kinco small.

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).
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).

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.
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.

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


To ensure this glove maintains its water resistance and durability, be sure to treat it at least three times a season with a leather sealant.

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.
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.

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

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


This glove is perfect for the penny pincher that loves to ski on a bluebird, warm, clear days. We like it for both the resort and backcountry. However, as soon as the skies darkened and snow spat down, we left these gloves at home and exchanged them for a warmer, more water-resistant option.


— Amber King