Heated Gloves
Cold hands are one of the curses of winter. It's not just a matter of
discomfort (although that's bad enough) - cold hands reduce the ability to
manipulate objects. Operating a computer keyboard can be
difficult, and operating tools can be dangerous.
The extremities - the hands and feet - are affected more by the cold weather
than other parts of the body. That's because the cold temperatures can cause the
blood vessels in the fingers and toes to narrow, reducing blood
circulation.
If the blood circulation is restricted the tips of the fingers
and/or toes may become white - a condition known as Raynaud's Syndrome. This can
also be caused by emotional stress.  Raynaud's Syndrome
Heated gloves and mittens are ideal for keeping the hands and fingers warm
and supple. Some heated gloves are designed for motorcycle or snowmobile riding,
but other types are made for everyday use while working or playing.
The power source for heated gloves can be electrical (AD or DC), chemical, or
stored. Motorcycle gloves are usually designed to draw power from the
motorcycle battery, but other types of heated gloves use batteries or plug into a power
source such as an AC outlet or even the USB port of a computer!
Heated gloves that use stored heat are usually heated up in the microwave for
a few minutes before use. These heated gloves contain a gel that retains the
heat for up to two hours.  Heated Gloves
Battery powered heated gloves may use D cell batteries or rechargeable NiCad
batteries. Heated gloves which use D cell batteries tend to be heavy and bulky
and the battery only lasts about 2 hours.
Heated gloves for motorcycle or snowmobile use can be hooked up to the 12
volt motorcycle battery. Heated gloves by themselves usually don't put too much of a strain
on the motorcyle battery but if the rider also has several other types of heated clothing the
power drain can be significant.
Finally, USB powered heated gloves are ideal for the office worker. Simply
plug them into any USB port - a universal feature of modern computers. USB ports
are also found on gaming consoles such as PlayStation
or Xbox 360. These gloves have a cut-finger design so that you can easily use
the computer keyboard or game control.
Available from: exo2 The Heat Inside
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