Black Diamond Mercury Mitts extremely warm
Black Diamond Mercury Mitts
- Pros: Incredibly soft interior; Durable leather palm/finger tips; Very warm
- Cons: Cuff cinch cord hard to use; Bulk limits dexterity; Shell not waterproof
- Bottom Line: Though not inexpensive by any means, the Black Diamond Mercury Mitts are worth the price if you need to keep your digits warm in nearly any condition.
- MSRP: $86
When Black Diamond created its Mercury Mitt, it must have had two things in mind: durability and warmth.
In my roughly three months using Mercury Mitts, touted as one of the company’s warmest mitts, my hands were always comfy and toasty.
The super soft fleece-like interior was one-of-a-kind and my hands were instantly happy once inside.
Black Diamond incorporated its “trigger finger” into the mitt liner so your index finger is separated from the rest of your digits in an effort to make the mitts more dexterous. But I found that it was less-than-helpful.
Black Diamond Mercury Mitt
Having my index finger separated didn’t add much dexterity, as the mitts are pretty bulky, and it made my pointer colder than the rest of my fingers.
However, the mitts have enough room in the main compartment that I could easily slide my index finger from being separated to cozying up with the rest.
The mitts are rated from -20° to 10° Fahrenheit.
While, admittedly, I didn’t have them in temperatures this low, I did have them in temperatures around 10 degrees. Each time my hands and fingers were incredibly warm.
Whether snowboarding, snowshoeing, or simply walking around outside, the mitts, with a waterproof liner, wrist strap and cuff cinch cord, kept out the cold and wind.
But the cuff’s cinch cord was the worst part about the entire mitten.
Located on the outside of the mitten (it’s located on the left side of the left mitt and the right side of the right mitt), it is incredibly hard to both pull and release with one hand and pretty difficult with two hands.
But for an $86 pair of mittens, which is on par with other well-made mittens and gloves, the Mercury Mitts are some of the warmest I’ve tested in that price range.
