The Five WFX Tech winter glove is an ideal choice for cold and wet riding. Review: Kris Hodgson
We’re still in autumn but the Five WFX Tech gloves have so far proven great, with limited wet weather. Stay tuned for an update once we reach full on winter weather!
If you’re like me, you may hate being stuck wearing heavy gloves in winter, especially in the wet, and I’ll often just use summer gloves. Over the years I’ve found a few solutions that do a good job in winter without taking away all feel.
The Five WFX Tech gloves have just been added to that list, and they are my favourite so far.
Leather palms offer good protection and a carbon-fibre palm heel armour help protect this area.
The WFX Tech features leather palms with Digitial Pittard reinforcement, with the additional protection provided by leather extending up onto the ends of the fingers, and the outsides of your hands. The non-leather areas are Nylon/Neoprene, with knuckle and finger joint armour incorporated into the fabric and leather, where applicable. There’s also a carbon-fibre palm slider that protects the heel of your hand in an off.
The double cuff, or glove within a glove design.
Internally there’s a Hipora waterproof and breathable membrane, with Thinsulate lining for warmth, while the double closure system can be seen when putting on the gloves, with what looks like a ‘glove-within-a-glove’ design.
There’s just two straps, one at the wrist and the other at the cuff, although the cuff doesn’t offer a heap of adjustment.
Five WFX Tech Impression
The WFX Tech gloves aren’t super light, in fact they give a similar feel to most of the track gloves I’ve used in the past, in which you can tell there’s a reasonable amount of material (leather) between your hand and the grips.
But I still rate the WFX Tech well, as there’s good feel and the design of the gloves ensures you aren’t cramping your hand, or ending up with clumps of material under your palms. Precurved fingers help, and the armour in the knuckles and finger joints (on top of the fingers) isn’t something you can feel while wearing the gloves.
Coming into winter we’re finally getting a bit of rain and the gloves have so far proven waterproof, but that’s been mainly in rain showers, not extended downpours, but is still a good start. Warmth also hasn’t been an issue on the crisp mornings, with the gloves retaining heat well and providing good protection from the wind. The gloves can be a little on the warm side with the cool mornings that turn into 30-degree days we’ve been having, but they breathe relatively well for a winter glove.
I’ll be using the WFX Tech gloves throughout winter and they’ll be getting a fair bit more wet weather riding, as well as longer rides in the cold, so I’ll provide an update in a month or two, once the gloves have been put through their paces long term, to see how they’ve fared.
Check your local Five Advanced Gloves stockist for availability. $159.95 RRP.
Special Thanks: Moto National Accessories. motonational.com.au
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January 15, 2017
Good review Kris. How’s the update coming? We’re in the middle of our winter up here in the Great WHite North and I’m looking for a good pair late winter/spring gloves. I’m interested in the Five WFX Tech gloves, but can’t find many reviews. How did they hold up to real wet weather? How is wear and tear getting through one of your winters?
Looking forward t the update you promised. 😉
January 18, 2017
Hey Kent! Thanks for reminding me about the update!
I got through the wet weather very well with the Five RFX1’s, they got drenched on a number of occasions through winter and just letting them dry naturally, often while worn they stayed supple with minimal wear on the leather. Only the Five logo across the armour behind the wrist on the gauntlet is showing any wear (it’s just decoration), with all the seams in very good shape. The Velcro across the wrist and behind/under the wrist are both also in great shape too and haven’t lost their strength. We’re back into 40-degree (104°F) heat now and they are continuing to be my every day option.
They’ve got great breathability, so the only downside in winter is they can be quite cool, even though we have very mild winters.
Probably the main difference from when originally pictured is that they are looking a little dirty on the white leather sections.
Let me know if you’ve got any other questions!
January 19, 2017
Kris, thanks for the quick response, but I was interested in an update of the Five WFX Tech winter gloves. 😉
Are they reasonably waterproof and do they stay reasonably warm during steady rain and lower temps? Does the glove have the Thinsulate lining on the palm and if so, is the lining bonded to the palm to reduce grip slip and improve control/feel? How are the palms holding up to control rub in wet weather? You have many glove options available, are they still your favorite/go to winter gloves?
Thanks for your reviews. I also enjoyed reading about your Triumph Daytona.
Keep up the good work.
January 19, 2017
Hey Kent,
Sorry about that! The Five WFX gloves I wear a lot less – normally just in either really cold or really wet weather. They are noticeably thicker than the type of glove I prefer (I like thin gloves and often wear summer gloves even in winter), but they are also not so thick as to take away from throttle feeling to a huge extent like many of the winter waterproof gloves I’ve used. So they are a good compromise for me and I’ll happily wear them.
They remained warm on the occasions used through winter, with temperatures around 10-degrees C, which you can add wind chill too.
The only time I ever had any issues with water ingress was when I hadn’t secured my jacket cuffs and the glove properly to make sure water wasn’t running down my arm into them, which is entirely my own fault. Worn properly they were very waterproof in my experience.
The lining was also a standout, unlike other winter gloves I’ve used the lining didn’t seperate from the glove interior and stick to my hand or pull out of the fingers after extended use. There was no discomfort across the palm from bunching either. Putting them back on damp (when I was lazy and had them on the outside of my jacket in the rain), or sweaty is easy thanks to the lining staying in place. I haven’t got them with me right now but I’ll take a close look tonight and let you know how the palms and overall glove are holding up.
I have to admit I normally run the RFX1’s in most conditions for longer rides, with the WFX being my wet weather option. They are definitely my favourite winter glove so far though. Normally I wear winter gloves through necessity, where with the WFX I don’t feel like it’s a chore. My only real criticism is that the velcro adjuster behind the wrist could allow for a tighter fit, but I also have skinny forearms, so that’ll vary from person to version.
I’ll go through my winter notes and add anything else I can think of though!
Glad to hear you like reading about the Daytona too!
Thanks,
-Kris
January 19, 2017
Thanks Kris, that’s great information. Looks like the Five WFX Techs would make a great winter glove, but you have provided a new wrinkle for me. I have heated grips and have been trying to decide whether or not I really need winter gloves. I’m just getting back into motorcycles and just discovering my riding habits. With heated grips, a good pair of WP gloves like Five’s GT1 WPs may be more versatile and from your description of preferring the RFX1s, more useful for my type of riding. Your description of the Five WRX Techs was useful, but the information about your preferences for and use of the RFX1s may have been the most useful.
Thanks again for your quick response and all your information. Keep enjoying your Daytona, I look forward to reading more about it and the other gear you will be testing.
Kent
June 5, 2018
I brought a pair today then did and hour in pouring rain. The outer gloves were soaked by the time I got home but my hands stayed completely dry.
These gloves are very impressive in the wet.