What you have specified is exactly my point- 100% is.... what? They are giving you the time the battery lasts, based on percentage of output but not the actual output....
I went to the web page and poked around and came up with this from their spec. page: 7 volt, 2.2 amp hour battery, the gloves use 1.1 amps of power for 7.7 watts of energy delivery. That is too low to be useful in my opinion, or at least useful in a situation where heated grips and hard guards are proving to be inadequate. And because it is a 7 volt system you do not have the option of ever plugging them into the bike and so there is no 'Plan B' if (when) the battery(s) are dead.
A better option would be the 12 volt hybrid gloves shown here:
http://gerbing.com/products/Gloves/hybridGlove.php These gloves both produce more heat (given the information on that page, a 1.1 Amp-hour battery lasts one hour at full power, therefore the gloves use 12.1 watts of power) on battery power and at least you will have the option to power them from the bike if (when) the battery is dead.
But again, compare the three figures given: 7.7 watts, 12.1 watts and 27 watts and I think you will see that the battery powered gloves are lacking heating ability. It is not Gerbing's fault. it is a matter of physics which governs how much energy a battery can hold. It is the same reason rechargeable tools produce a LOT less power than tools that plug into the wall.
As to quality, Gerbing is top notch IMO. Good stuff. I have both Gerbing gear along with some Warm 'n Safe stuff; both work but I find the Gerbing products a touch better quality.
My views and experience are based on riding all year long in pretty cold temperatures; our heated gear keeps us warm down into the mid- 20's easily and below 20 at less than highway speeds. Others needs will of course be different but you specifically mentioned below 30 F, which I consider 'cold' on a motorcycle. Someone living in Miami probably has an entirely different view of 'winter' riding and very different clothing might work out well there.
So in the end, while I am sure battery operated heated clothing does something, I am very skeptical (OK, I just don't believe) it will be very useful in tough conditions. And this stuff is expensive enough to make a disappointing decision a little bit painful. Andrea and I have a lot of heated gear, most of it is Gerbing and it was expensive. That said, I would not want the same amount of gear at, say, one- half the price that also did not meet the needs. But to both spend the full price and still have gear that doesn't do the job really sucks.
One last thought Jay, have you considered looking in the children's dept. for less expensive Gerbing gloves? <ROFLMFO>
Brian
Thanks Brian, that's good info, I do appreciate it.
From the Gerbings site it list's the battery life as:
| | Approximate battery capacity per charge |
100% | 2 hours |
75% | 3 hours |
50% | 5 hours |
25% | 10 hours |
During the winter in the sub 30 temps I'm referring to it's pretty much just being able to commute back and forth the work on dry days (which we do get some in the PNW, very nice but cold), approx 30 minutes ride to work each way, so that's why I thought these might do the trick for me.
Plus I could use them on other bikes as well, without having to hard wire setup all my bikes...
I've heard nothing but good things about Gerbings the brand, so I'd have to think that the gloves (even these rechargable ones) would be of quality though right?
Any thoughts given this info about what/how/when I'd be using them?