Gear Review | Five HG Prime heated winter gloves

I’ve been wearing the FIVE HG Prime GTX heated gloves throughout winter, and after a few months of regular use, I’m convinced heated gloves are something I’ll be using from now on. I’ve got a few different heated gloves on test, and appreciate what each brings to the table…

FIVE is a specialist glove manufacturer that was established in 2005 with a very specific mission: to concentrate on motorcycle and cycling gloves.

The HG Prime GTX sits at the top of the FIVE range and comes with a premium $499.95 price tag. At that money, expectations are understandably high.

FIVE is a specialist glove manufacturer that was established in 2005 with a very specific mission: to concentrate on motorcycle and cycling gloves rather than treating them as just another accessory in a larger riding gear range. The company was founded around the idea that protection, fit and design deserved dedicated development. Its research and development is based in France, with a technical laboratory in Italy, and it works with specialist production partners.

Over the years FIVE has developed a reputation for incorporating quality materials and protective technologies into gloves across road, racing, off-road and touring categories. Its heated HG range is another example of that specialist approach.

Read our other FIVE glove reviews here...

Extra pinky finger protection.

Heat Technology
The HG Prime GTX is the flagship of FIVE’s heated glove range. The Australian line-up also includes the HG-1 EVO, which places more emphasis on leather construction, and the more affordable HG-3 EVO, with a vegan-friendly textile and synthetic leather design. The big attraction of the Prime is its GORE-TEX waterproof, breathable membrane, premium insulation and overall specification. All share FIVE’s battery-powered heating technology and Dual Control system, but the materials and construction differ.

The system offers three settings: Eco, Regular and Boost, with the heating elements operating at approximately 45, 50 and 60 degrees.

The heating elements run across the back of the hand and fingers, extending towards the fingertips, where cold tends to become most uncomfortable. There are no heating elements in the palm, allowing the rider to maintain feel and grip on the controls. The system offers three settings: Eco, Regular and Boost, with the heating elements operating at approximately 45, 50 and 60 degrees respectively. A single Dual Control button operates both gloves, while the LED indicators show the selected heat level and remaining battery charge.

The Prime GTX also features PrimaLoft Gold insulation, an aluminium insert across the back of the hand to help retain warmth, and the GORE-TEX membrane for waterproofing and breathability. Protection comes from FIVE’s ERGO PROTECH knuckle protection and palm slider, with additional reinforcement and a CE KP1 certification. There is a touchscreen-compatible index finger and thumb, a Clear Vision Pad on the left glove for wiping a visor, reflective detailing and a water-resistant battery compartment. The adjustable OverSizeCuff extends over the jacket sleeve to help keep cold air and rain out.

Eco is perfectly adequate for milder Sydney winter days, while Boost is reserved for really cold, wet conditions and early morning or late-night rides.

Living With Them
For me, the warmth is the biggest story. Having broken both hands a couple of years ago and undergone several surgeries, my hands still give me grief, particularly when the temperatures drop. Winter riding can make that discomfort considerably worse, so the ability to keep my hands warm is more than just a luxury. The heated FIVE gloves make a genuine difference to my comfort, and I have found myself reaching for them whenever the weather turns cold.

In my testing, I achieved around five hours on Eco, two and a half hours on Regular and approximately one and a half hours on Boost. Eco is perfectly adequate for milder Sydney winter days, while Boost is reserved for really cold, wet conditions and early morning or late-night rides. Regular has become my preferred setting. Charging from completely flat takes around four hours, while topping them up from one remaining battery bar takes about an hour and a half.

In my testing, I achieved around five hours on Eco, two and a half hours on Regular and approximately one and a half hours on Boost…

One thing I would change is the blue LED illumination. When riding at night, the lights are quite distracting and reflect brightly into the helmet visor. The controls themselves are easy to operate, and I haven’t found any need for a phone app. The Dual Control button handles the heating adjustments directly and it works well, just that light is a bit bright…

Eco, Regular and Boost allow riders to adjust the warmth to suit conditions, with Boost ideal for particularly cold winter mornings.

Waterproofing has been excellent, and I’ve ridden in some heavy rain without water penetrating the glove itself. However, water can still run down the jacket sleeve and into the wrist area. A little more attention to the inner wrist closure would help prevent that. The long cuff does a good job of covering the jacket sleeve, but water management at that junction is always important in prolonged rain.

I normally wear a size 10 in FIVE gloves, but needed an 11 XL to accommodate my fingers inside the lining. That then left the outer glove feeling a little too large. It took around a month of daily use before I became comfortable with the fit and could operate indicators, dash menus and my helmet visor without thinking about it. I also noticed the outer fingers on the right glove were around 5mm longer than the inner lining, or my fingertips, something I didn’t experience on the left. There is some room for improvement in fit consistency there I guess.

Charging from completely flat takes around four hours, while topping them up from one remaining battery bar takes about an hour and a half…

Once accustomed to them, the gloves work well, although their bulk makes them better suited to freeway and open-road riding than constant stop-start traffic, or scooter riding (no clutch). The zip and Velcro fastening remain in excellent condition, and there are no signs of meaningful wear after the winter. The wrist fit is snug, the cuff is generous and the overall construction feels substantial.

ERGO PROTECH knuckle protection, palm reinforcement and a substantial construction provide protection alongside the heating technology.

At $499.95, the FIVE HG Prime GTX is an expensive pair of gloves, but it delivers a genuinely useful level of warmth, excellent waterproofing and a comprehensive technical specification. Fit takes some getting used to, and the illuminated indicators could be less distracting at night, but the heating system has been excellent.

I expect these gloves to see several more winters of use. More importantly, they’ve convinced me that heated gloves are worth having, particularly when cold hands are more than just an inconvenience. For riders who cover plenty of kilometres through winter, the HG Prime GTX is a very appealing bit of kit.

Visit the Five Gloves Australia website here for full details and range…