Arc'teryx Alpha SL and FL gloves?

Winter's finally arriving in the Northeast which means it's time to buy some new gloves! I've been looking at the Arc'teryx Alpha FL and SL gloves and they seem amazing, even tried on the FL at the Outdoor Gear Exchange and they fit like a dream. Does anyone have any field experience with these bad boys?

This review isn't great... albeit only one review though.

arcteryx.com/product.aspx?c…

If they fit well and you like them, buy them. I would never buy an Arc'teryx glove because of the stratospheric prices for something you destroy every couple of seasons (or even on one challenging alpine route) if you climb a lot.

OR and BD are much better value in in the glove realm.

Morgan Patterson wrote:This review isn't great... albeit only one review though. arcteryx.com/product.aspx?c…

I saw that review and is mostly the reason I'm asking around. Arc'teryx gloves are usually pretty high-quality and that review stands out as resoundingly negative in a line-up of highly rated gloves. There's gotta be someone else out there who has used them.

Andrew Maver wrote: I saw that review and is mostly the reason I'm asking around. Arc'teryx gloves are usually pretty high-quality and that review stands out as resoundingly negative in a line-up of highly rated gloves. There's gotta be someone else out there who has used them.

I tried a pair of the lithic's last winter. The price was right... really nice glove. Super light, highly dexterous, warm, but there was a mfg problem with the tape so first rainy day skiing gloves were soaked. They sent me new pair for this year... mfg seam welding problem aside... the're much nicer than my Hestra's.

With that in mind it sounds like the reviewer of the Alpha FL's on the official website may have just gotten a bum pair.

picked these up for the price of equivalent OR gloves, but really only had the chance to use them on one alpine ice/mixed route. they were completely function for climbing, managing gear, kept my hands warm (low 30s with wind). can't speak to durability given i've only had one day in them

From that review:

"The wind cuts right through them ..... the breathability isn't great"

What? Methinks this reviewer is just looking for things to complain about. Not a good value seems like a legitimate complaint, everything else about that review I would ignore (perhaps the gauntlet comment is legitimate).
And complaining about non-removeable liners in a technical climbing glove? Does this guy not care about dexterity?

Anyone put some more time on these? How's dexterity? Warmth? How do the FLs do as a leader glove? Found a deal on them so they are more in line with normal gloves, since that might make a difference.

I got these gloves at a really good discount after my friend bought them and sold them to me new because they were too large for him. IMO, much of what that one review on the Arcteryx site says is true.
They are not very warm in my experience and I recall thinking that they didn't feel very warm the very first time I put them on outdoors.

I have pretty slim hands and the fit is good for length but snug to the point that it borders on being too tight. Once you have sweated even the slightest bit in them and pull them off the insulation gets pulled down inside the fingers a bit as well and makes getting them back on again a pain at times, moreso if your hands are damp. On the plus side they do provide good dexterity while on lead.

In the limited amount I've used them(most times I prefer insulated leather work gloves) they have kept my hands dry. I see these being gloves for warm days with wet ice where my leather work gloves would likely wet out over time, in colder temps the leather gloves stay dry and keep my hands warmer and cost about 1/6th as much. If I had the opportunity to buy these a second time at less than half of retail I'd likely pass.

Having said that, I love all 3 of my Arcteryx jackets and my one pair of pants, nothing but good things to say about those products.