Kinco Work Glove/Mitt

Haven't been able to get my hands on one of the 901 gloves/mitts from Kinco.   But, if I sized a pair of each (mitt & glove) large enough to fit a mid-weight wool liner glove when needed, how do you think that would perform - similar to a leather guide series from BD or Rab, etc.?

Kinco are great. You can usually find them at a local truck stop or ranch supply store depending on the climate you live in. Otherwise you can get them on Amazon.  

Kinco's are great for skiing and regular use, but not sure I'd want them on ice or alpine climbing, mostly because of the wrist closure. Would rather have an overlapping wrist w/ closure when my arms are up and water/ice is falling down them

Ian Lauer wrote:

Kinco's are great for skiing and regular use, but not sure I'd want them on ice or alpine climbing, mostly because of the wrist closure. Would rather have an overlapping wrist w/ closure when my arms are up and water/ice is falling down them

Also use them for skiing and other stuff, but i think they’d be sorta thick for ice climbing, especially if he’s putting them over a liner.  Unless he’s talking about a belay glove maybe?

F Wheeler wrote:

Also use them for skiing and other stuff, but i think they’d be sorta thick for ice climbing, especially if he’s putting them over a liner.  Unless he’s talking about a belay glove maybe?

Possibly both a belay glove and a climbing glove.  Are they much thicker than BD punishers?

Lion Forest wrote:

Possibly both a belay glove and a climbing glove.  Are they much thicker than BD punishers?

They’re thicker, not that much thicker, but enough that to me they’d feel sloppy if I was trying to lead with them.  There’s also less of a natural curve to the glove (if that makes sense) and you’ll lose some dexterity.  YMMV…

Lion Forest wrote:

Possibly both a belay glove and a climbing glove.  Are they much thicker than BD punishers?

Yeah, I have both and the Kinco's are definitely bulkier. Kinkos are definitely on the more durable, bulky, industrial use side of gloves. Sometimes that's what you want, sometimes not. For ice climbing, I find I'd rather have much thinner gloves and not have to grab my tools so hard to prevent them from rotating

F Wheeler wrote:

They’re thicker, not that much thicker, but enough that to me they’d feel sloppy if I was trying to lead with them.  There’s also less of a natural curve to the glove (if that makes sense) and you’ll lose some dexterity.  YMMV…

I've got a pair of BD torques and Showas for leading.  I found that the punishers didn't fit my finger length (meaning they were a bit clumsy for me) and wetted out too soon/weren't warm.  I guess the 901 Kincos would just be a cheap workhorse/extra glove for me (belay, skiing, and leading in colder temps).  Those are my thoughts anyways.  There is also a thinner version of the Kincos, the 94HK, which is presumably more dexterous and only like $10 online.  After some snoseal, Kincos seem like a great way to go compared to some of the crazy prices for name brand gloves that just let me down.  

Lion Forest wrote:

I've got a pair of BD torques and Showas for leading.  I found that the punishers didn't fit my finger length (meaning they were a bit clumsy for me) and wetted out too soon/weren't warm.  I guess the 901 Kincos would just be a cheap workhorse/extra glove for me (belay, skiing, and leading in colder temps).  Those are my thoughts anyways.  There is also a thinner version of the Kincos, the 94HK, which is presumably more dexterous and only like $10 online.  After some snoseal, Kincos seem like a great way to go compared to some of the crazy prices for name brand gloves that just let me down.  

Same here - solid combo!

Lion Forest wrote:

 After some snoseal, Kincos seem like a great way to go compared to some of the crazy prices for name brand gloves that just let me down.  

You should buy/borrow a pair and do some leading in them before you go too far down this road, they're cheap enough.

I love Kincos for the low cost and high durability, but there is no way I would want to lead anything difficult with them on.  They are great belay gloves and excellent for general winter use (skiing, installing snow chains, drinking a beer).

(I also can't stand the Showas for hard leads, so I might be pickier about gloves than the average person).

Edit: Lead gloves I do like: Camp Geko Lite (discontinued), OR Mixalot, OR Alibi II (discontinued), Arcteryx Alpha SL.

ive led WI/AI 3 in them. they are fine. just give it a shot they are literally $20.

I've led up to WI4+ in Kincos. I've found if I size down and then let them punch out to my hand size after a few rounds of warming, sno-seal, and then just general use they break in to be a  totally adequate custom fit, moderately insulated leather glove.

Kyle Tarry wrote:

I love Kincos for the low cost and high durability, but there is no way I would want to lead anything difficult with them on.  They are great belay gloves and excellent for general winter use (skiing, installing snow chains, drinking a beer).

(I also can't stand the Showas for hard leads, so I might be pickier about gloves than the average person).

Amazingly, Kyle and I are aligned on this one.  For easy ice leads you can use whatever is cheap and comfortable, but once you start going north of 4’s, I get really particular about my gloves.  Finger fit and   Texture/dexterity become key for satisfying smoothness of handling the rope, screws, and clipping gear etc.  

I keep Kinco’s in my truck for general purposes and handling the solo stove for après climbing fire tending, but for actual ice climbing, I really love the “ergo grip” Hestra’s.  Worth the money in my book.  The large range sizing numbering system allows for an almost custom fit after break in.  No finger tip slop, and butter smooth pre-curved leather for perfect grip on things.

if you stay with the Kincos, do what was suggested by Matt Z above and go a bit snug with liner glove, get em wet, then wear em while they dry (ideally while doing hours of ice axe pull-ups, lol)  and then treat them for water-resistance.  After break in, they’ll be the next best thing to Hestra’s at a fraction of the price. 

Mark Pilate wrote:

I really love the “ergo grip” Hestra’s. 

Mark, any warmth in those Hestras? They don't look like it. Perhaps they're fine in balmy MN but here in the Northeast my hands are cold just thinking about it. 

Charles Iguana wrote:

Mark, any warmth in those Hestras? They don't look like it. Perhaps they're fine in balmy MN but here in the Northeast my hands are cold just thinking about it. 

The Ergo grip pre curved style have several grades of insulation .  I have two pairs in increasing thickness/warmth typically used with liner gloves as base layer.  The one shown is good to about 15F.   Then I bump up to the thicker version for below 15F.   If it’s below 0F I pretty much stick to easy ice and ski combos to maximize movement and put an old BD lobster mitt over it all with a shake-n-warm thrown in.

I’ve been reasonably “comfy” with liner, Hestra, over mitt + heater system down to -25F.   After that it all sucks.  Could do same “system” with Kincos but without the better insulation and goretex.

The holy grail is snug -but not constrictive- fit especially in fingers.  If you have that, it’s a great glove regardless. 

Matt Z wrote:

I've led up to WI4+ in Kincos. I've found if I size down and then let them punch out to my hand size after a few rounds of warming, sno-seal, and then just general use they break in to be a  totally adequate custom fit, moderately insulated leather glove.

Are you punching out the 901 or thinner 94HKs?

Lion Forest wrote:

Are you punching out the 901 or thinner 94HKs?

No clue. Whatever's at the hardware store on the day I go buy them.