Black Diamond Guide Review

From slow chair-lift rides to the summits of some of the highest and coldest mountains in the world, the Black Diamond Guide glove is an excellent choice for anyone going out in cold weather. While some mittens we tested are warmer, many aren't – the Guide Glove just plain packs in a lot of insulation. As a result of all that insulation and the burly leather shell, it is a pretty stiff glove and takes a little longer than most to break in.

Warmth

The Guide is among the very warmest models in our review. The heated glove options we tested run hotter when powered, but are not even close to being as warm when the batteries run out. One of our testers, Ian Nicholson, used the Guide gloves to summit Denali and Aconcagua at -42°F and -25°F, respectively.

The removable liner, as an individual component, is the warmest liner among the gloves we tested. It features Primaloft One insulation on the outside with a boiled-wool blend on the inside back-of-hand.

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The wool on the inside of the liner feels nice and fuzzy against your skin. It also provides noticeable wicking, keeping your hands warmer, dryer, and, to a limited extent, offers some temperature regulation.

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The palm side of the liner features 100 grams of fleece that wicks moisture and dries more quickly than wool, helping prevent clammy hands. Though highly efficient at keeping your hands warm, all this bulk makes these gloves less dexterous than others we tested.

Dexterity

There is so much insulation in this glove – that insulation equals bulk, which reduces dexterity. In some ways, you could almost compare this model to a mitten, in the way that mittens are generally warmer and less dexterous than most gloves. In the case of the Guide, it is warmer than many mittens we tested, and slightly more dexterous than most. While the leather is surprisingly supple on its own, once it's filled with the insulating liner, it becomes stiffer, reducing your ability to perform tasks requiring fine motor skills.

The newest version of the Guide gloves features a stretchier exterior with less leather overall than previous models. While these gloves are still mega-stiff at first, they soften up quite a bit after four or five days of use. We could accomplish simple tasks, like buckling boots and unlocking car doors, but we struggled to grab small zippers. In addition, the fingertips and thumb aren't touchscreen-compatible, so you won't be able to use your phone while wearing them.

Water Resistance

These gloves feature a Gore-Tex insert, highly water-resistant leather, and a robust nylon shell for waterproofing. While several other models compare similarly to the Guide, it's certainly one of the most water-resistant gloves we tested. It's important to note that only the insulated liner features the waterproof Gore-Tex membrane. So while the glove may wet out, as long as you're wearing the liner, your hands are more likely to stay dry.

It's also important to know that the nylon shell and gauntlet are not waterproof. While they shed ice and snow easily, our dunk test showed that most of the liquid water that penetrated the shell did so through the nylon, while only a small amount came through the naturally water-resistant leather.

Construction Quality

The Guide features goatskin leather on the palm, with the same leather on the inside of the fingers and on parts of the back of the hand. They also have a small piece of EVA foam padding in the middle of the back of the hand. A stretchy woven nylon shell covers the remainder of the glove with a Gore-Tex insert inside. The construction makes them tough enough to last even for the harshest users – overall, this glove offered some of the best durability of any glove we tested.

We've tested multiple pairs of this glove over the years, and they've all held up well. One tester noted that the insulation packed out a bit after 70 days of use, and wasn't quite as warm as it once was. However, this is typical of nearly every glove we've used for long periods, so we don't count it against the Guide.

Features

The Guide features a well-designed removable liner secured with Velcro straps. The straps cinch nicely with one gloved hand but are harder to loosen. The area on the thumb to wipe your nose is soft and effective.

For resort skiers, these gloves don't include a wrist leash to help prevent dropping them from the chairlift. These gloves also don't have E-tip-compatible fingers – you'll have to remove them to use your phone screen. While the omission of these two features is annoying, we wouldn't trade the glove's durability and warmth for either. We just want to note the absence of these common features, considering the price tag.

Should You Buy the Black Diamond Guide?

While this glove is expensive, it's the best non-heated glove on the market for anyone with cold hands or for others going into super cold environments. But it's important to note that there are other good options on the market that offer a little more dexterity without sacrificing much warmth, too. Unless you are headed out on an expedition or spend every day outside in very cold temperatures, the Guide glove is likely overkill.

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