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Black Diamond Legend Review

A decent performer providing a dexterous and lightweight alternative to double gloves.
The 2018 Black Diamond Legend
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Price:  $150 List | $109.95 at Amazon
Compare prices at 2 resellers
Pros:  Dexterous, lightweight, already broken in feel out of the box, packable
Cons:  Not very durable, exposed stitching on palms, leather soaks up water, large thumb
Manufacturer:   Black Diamond
By Ian Nicholson and Jeff Rogers  ⋅  Dec 12, 2018
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57
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#14 of 19
  • Warmth - 25% 5
  • Dexterity - 25% 8
  • Water Resistance - 25% 5
  • Durability - 15% 4
  • Features - 10% 6

Our Verdict

The Black Diamond Legend is an all-around performer. It's lightweight and provides a lot of dexterity. You can tie knots in these gloves, while also being strong enough to handle ropes without falling apart, although we have considerable doubts concerning the non-reinforced palm and its water resistance following results from the testing period. It wets out pretty quickly, and takes a long time to dry out. We also found the floppy thumb to diminish its otherwise exceptional dexterity. Black Diamond tends to make high-quality products in our experience with this manufacturer, but we think there are better glove options on the market for a similar design and price range. We enjoyed previous versions of this glove more than its current iteration.


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The 2018 Black Diamond Legend
This Product
Black Diamond Legend
Awards  Editors' Choice Award Top Pick Award Top Pick Award  
Price $109.95 at Amazon
Compare at 2 sellers		$199.00 at REI
Compare at 3 sellers		$424.95 at Backcountry
Compare at 2 sellers		$169.95 at REI
Compare at 3 sellers		$189.95 at Backcountry
Compare at 2 sellers
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Pros Dexterous, lightweight, already broken in feel out of the box, packableVersatility, durable palm, lightweight and packable, dexterous, ergonomic shape, freedom of movementGreat fit and dexterity, weather resistant, electrical heat works, great glove even when turned offSuper warm, extremely tough, great weather resistance, removable liners help them dry quicker, our go-to expedition gloveDexterous for its warmth, inside feels soft and cozy, durable, above average weather resistance
Cons Not very durable, exposed stitching on palms, leather soaks up water, large thumbLong gauntlet tricky to get under jacket, gauntlet can slowly open, expensiveDoesn't get as warm as other heated gloves, expensiveNot very dexterous, take time to break in, if in between sizes you should consider sizing upExpensive, leather needs to be retreated slightly more than other models
Bottom Line Very supple for fantastic dexterity, our reviewers found doubt in its durability.Top-tier performance, coupled with exceptional versatility across a wide range of conditions. Best in Class.Well-built ski gloves that perform even when the heat is turned off.If rugged capabilities and warmth top your list of importance, think about investing in the Guide.Expensive but durable, this leather all-arounder is cozy and provides sound weather resistance.
Rating Categories Black Diamond Legend Arc'teryx Fission SV Hestra Power Heater Glove Black Diamond Guide Hestra Army Leather Gore-Tex
Warmth (25%)
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5
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6
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8
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6
Dexterity (25%)
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6
Water Resistance (25%)
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Durability (15%)
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Features (10%)
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Specs Black Diamond Legend Arc'teryx Fission SV Hestra Power... Black Diamond Guide Hestra Army...
Double or Single Glove Single Single Single Double Single
Gaunlet or Cuff? Cuff Gauntlet Hybrid Gauntlet Gauntlet
Palm Material Sheep leather Leather Goat leather Goat leather Army Leather (goat leather)
Waterproof Material Gore-Tex insert Gore-Tex CZone Gore-Tex insert HESTRA Triton three-layer polyamide fabric, leather
Insulation Type 170g PrimaLoft Gold 133g Primaloft Gold Eco and 200g Primaloft Silver Eco Fiberfill polyester 170g PrimaLoft Gold and 100g boiled wool fleece lining Fiberfill polyester
Nose Wipe? Yes Yes No Yes No

Our Analysis and Test Results

Performance Comparison


The most legendary aspect of this glove is its dexterity.
The most legendary aspect of this glove is its dexterity.

Warmth


This glove is among the warmer under-the-cuff style gloves (note that this is generally the least-warm glove design). Our testers were comfortable wearing this glove in 10F - as long as it wasn't excessively storming. Compared to the over-the-cuff/gauntlet style gloves we tested, these gloves aren't that warm.

Dexterity


The Legend features some of the better dexterity among models we tested. These gloves use a sheepskin leather on the palm, which is incredibly soft and broken in straight out of the box. Unfortunately, the thumb on the Legend is huge and floppy. It was frequently caught in buckles and carabiners but still proved extremely dexterous for everyday resort skiing use.

During both real-world use and in our side-by-side motor skill comparisons, we compared each model's ability in allowing the wearer to write their name and manually unlock a car door. Comparable in performance to some of the highest performers, the Legend remains among the most nimble gloves.

The Legend handles technical tasks requiring finger mobility well.
The Legend handles technical tasks requiring finger mobility well.

Water Resistance


The Legend glove lacks in water resistance. Multiple times during our test period, the glove soaked up water into the palm, and the stitches would have a line of frost on them. The gloves were treated with the supplied leather treatment and seemed to also absorb that rapidly without increasing water resistance. The saving grace is their Gore-Tex liner which allowed them to do well in the bucket of water test and when the leather was fully soaked. We believe this glove needs some redesign as it would not be suitable for multiple days of use during a ski tour. The Legend performs toward the bottom in this category.

Wetting out in the Legend gloves after relatively few days of employment.
Wetting out in the Legend gloves after relatively few days of employment.

Durability


The BD Legend was redesigned (Winter 2018/'19) with a significantly softer and already broken in style of leather. This has also brought durability concerns with it. The glove's stitching being exposed in the high wear area of the palm is also a big concern for us. We often grab ski edges and reinforcement in the palm is standard for a glove in this price range. The Legend performed poorly in our durability testing and showed noticeable wear and tear after eight days of skiing.

Features


The neoprene cuff is one of our favorites, especially among the under the jacket cuff models we tested. It seals tightly around the wearer's wrist, with a Velcro closure keeping snow out and reducing volume. This makes it easy to pull your jacket sleeve over the top of the cuff of the glove. The nose wipe worked for our nostrils, too! Otherwise, there aren't many other features to speak of, which is welcome news to those who prefer to now have dangling straps and drawcords.

The Legend has many of the features most people look for the most in a ski or snowboard glove but the cuff is our favorite of them. Jussi Tahtinen appreciating this glove while making his way to the top of a steep boot pack.
The Legend has many of the features most people look for the most in a ski or snowboard glove, but the cuff is our favorite of them. Jussi Tahtinen appreciating this glove while making his way to the top of a steep boot pack.

Value


If our concerns about durability are not found to be true, the glove would be an excellent value. However, our test model did not hold up well during our trial period.

Especially in fair weather the Legend is equally at home ripping groomers cursing in the backcountry or attempting technical descents. Photo: Brian Muller skiing RFS in these gloves near Thompson Pass AK.
Especially in fair weather, the Legend is equally at home ripping groomers, cursing in the backcountry, or attempting technical descents. Photo: Brian Muller skiing RFS in these gloves near Thompson Pass, AK.

Conclusion


Despite loving past iterations of this model, our testers felt that the current Black Diamond Legend slightly misses the target. It is a good glove, but for a few dollars more, there are some gloves that perform better. We look forward to future versions of this historied glove.


— Ian Nicholson and Jeff Rogers