A while back I went on the hunt for good, durable gloves that would withstand the ravages of midwest tow ropes. A few searches and forums suggested the insulated Kinco 901 gloves , so I ordered a pair and put them through the ringer. After riding them for nearly an entire season, here’s how they stack up.

Update January 27, 2015: Still rocking the same pair, probably close to 65 days on them so far and aside from a few spots starting to wear through on my left palm/fingers (from repetitive tow-rope abuse) they are no worse for wear than they are in the picture below.

Durability: Hands-down the most durable glove I’ve used, probably ever. The Kinco 901 gloves are made from breathable pigskin leather, with reinforced palms and double-stitched seams. While I have not ridden exclusively tow-ropes, I ride a lot of tow-rope laps, and where most snowboard gloves start to fall apart in as little as a single day on the rope, my Kinco 901’s are still holding up really well, with only minimal signs of wear. Currently they have about 65 days on them.

Comfort: These are pretty rugged leather and until they break in, like a baseball mitt they are kind of stiff. However, the fleece lining is super soft and I haven’t had any problems staying warm even in 0-degree temperatures. Overall these are a pretty comfortable glove.

Fit: I’d say they run a little larger than true-to-size. I normally wear between an L and an XL so I ordered the XL. They’re bigger than I’d prefer, but not intolerable once they break in a little bit. Remember that these are work gloves designed to fit oversized man hands. I don’t think you need to size down with these, but I wouldn’t recommend sizing up.

Styling: OK so the Kinco 901 is not exactly a fashionista. They’re work gloves and they look like work gloves. Plain and simple. They are also available as mittens and as insulated work gloves.

Waterproofing: You’re gonna have to DIY with Sno-seal or another waterproofing product because the Kinco 901 gloves are not waterproof. A Mountain Journey has an excellent tutorial for anyone looking to sno-seal or waterproof their Kinco gloves or mitts.

Pricing: Depending on the model, you can get them for $20-30 a pair on Amazon.

Overall: This is a strong buy recommendation unless you’re a beginner who’s still spending a lot of time on the ground/in the snow, where the lack of waterproofing might be an issue. You could pay 2 or 3 times as much for gloves that will most likely fall apart on you in less than a week. Comfortable, warm and super durable, the Kinco 901 is exactly what you need if you’re lapping tow rope terrain parks, but they’d be a perfectly fine pair of gloves for just about anywhere else on the mountain, too.

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