USER REVIEW - Joe Rocket Ballistic 5.0 Gloves

The following a a Motorcycle jacket review by the BBM user Budd.

Fall is upon us and those mesh gloves just aren’t cutting it in these cooler temperatures. I went out looking for gauntlet style glove that could offer me some warmth in these cooler fall months. The Joe Rocket Ballistic 5.0 gloves were on sale at KneeDraggers.com for $36, so I thought I would give them a try.

The Good

The glove fits very well. I guess you could say that it fits like a glove. I wear a medium and usually the gloves have a bit of room at the tips of the fingers left over, but these were spot on. If you have longer fingers you may have to go up a size. These gloves are 100% waterproof and have a thumb wiper blade on the left side. The gauntlet covered my jacket and stayed over the jacket while riding. There is no need to break these gloves in as they come soft and pliable. The glove looks a lot better in real life and has a lot of reflective piping.

The Bad

The hook and loop wrist closure on these gloves is horrible. It is too short, so when you are putting on the glove the strap pops out of the buckle. This isn’t a problem if the other glove is off, but If you have both gloves on, it is a pain in the butt to feed the strap through the hole. Located on the top part of the hand, the strap is uncomfortable when bending the wrist. The strap can be loosened for comfort but I am not sure how well it would stay on in the event of a crash if I did so. The material seems really thin and the glove did not give me confidence that it would hold up in a crash. This glove has no insulating liner and does not keep the cold out. The liner itself isn’t tacked in and can pull out when taking off the gloves making it hard to put them on the next time.

Overview

I wore this glove in temps of about 40 degrees and at about 80 degrees. At 40 the glove was not insulated enough to keep my hands warm for more than a few miles at speed. At 80 the glove was almost too warm. The glove probably works best at temps in the 60s. The glove is completely waterproof. I probably won’t be wearing these gloves very much but will keep them around for when it rains and isn’t too cold. At $36 it is your call if they sound like something you need in your glove arsenal.

Pros

• Great fit (for my hands at least)
• No break-in needed
• Thumb wiper blade
• Gauntlet style
• Looks nice
• Reflective
• 100% waterproof
• Price

Cons

• Strap isn’t comfortable and isn’t long enough
• Not comfortable in weather that is too warm or too hot.
• Very thin layer of protection

Specifications

• Rock Tex 330 outer shell
• 100% waterproof Dry Tech mid-liner
• Drum dyed leather knuckles
• Shield wiper on thumb
• Double leather wrap around palm
• Reflective stripe
• Available in red, blue, and black