Background
If you’ve been reading my reviews over the years, then you know I have something of a glove fetish. At one time, I had over 20 pairs of motorcycle gloves. Over the years (with the encouragement of my husband), I have thinned down the pile to one pair per season (plus a couple of pairs of waterproof gloves).
I noticed, though, that my summer mesh gloves were not holding up very well. They were starting to look quite ragged, and I determined that a new pair was in order. So it was with great delight that I found a pair of REV’IT! Volcano gloves on my doorstep.
They are listed as ADV gloves, and while my life has been something of an adventure lately, I don’t think my 2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon qualifies as an ADV bike. But I noted that they have a mix of features for on and off-road, and I’ve always been impressed with the quality and practicality of REV’IT! Gear, so I thought they would work just fine for my riding style, and I couldn’t wait to try them.
REV’IT Volcano Glove Construction
Overall construction is quite good, considering the Volcano gloves are at the lower end of the price spectrum for REV’IT!. Both the palm and pinky sides of the glove are made with synthetic suede and fortified with REV’IT! PWR Shield material that feels pretty heavy and looks to be wearing very well. The major seams and the extra layers of protective material are double stitched. The stitching is all very neatly done, with no stray threads or ragged edges.
Fingers
The fingers are pre-curved and made up of various materials that, altogether, make them flexible and protected. The palm side of the fingers are all made up of the same synthetic suede material that covers the palm and heel of the hand.
The outside of the thumb has temperfoam padding that is quite soft and covered with the suede material, while the outside of the pinkie is covered with an extra layer of suede that is attached with a neat row of double stitching.
All the fingers are formed with a ‘top’ and a ‘bottom’ and have a stretch material between them which is represented by the red material in the photos. All but the first finger have 3D air mesh on the top side. The middle two fingers also have TPR sliders that we’ll look at more closely in the ‘protection’ section. The ends of the fingers all have Connect fingertip fabric that works quite well for touch screen use – hopefully when your bike is stopped.
Short Cuff
In keeping with the summer glove theme, the Volcano gloves have a short cuff that measures 1.75 inches (4.45 cm). There is a short length of elastic on the inside of the wrist to keep them snug and a rather large loop to assist in pulling on the gloves. The loop is nice, but these gloves don’t really need them. The opening is pretty wide, and I had no trouble getting them on.
The wrist closure is accomplished with a short 2” (5 cm) strap with hook and loop fabric. There is also a small rubber tab on the outside. I’m not sure what it’s for, but it does help me find the end of the strap when my other hand is gloved.
My only nit to pick is that the cuff is just the wrong length and the strap too short to go over my smart watch on my left wrist, so I either have to remove it or loosen the watch strap enough to push it up on my arm more. A minor annoyance, but still!
Lining
Inside the glove is a black tricot lining of 100% polyester. The liner material is very soft, but unfortunately, it doesn’t cover the elastic on the inside of the wrist or the seams which does have an impact on the comfort scores in the next section.
REV’IT Volcano Glove Fit and Comfort
Well, the fit of the Volcano gloves is very good. I always wear a medium glove size, so I verified it with the size chart, and it was right on. They fit quite snug, as a motorcycle glove should, with just a little bit of room in the fingers’ ends that make it easy to wrap them around the grips. There is a smidge of extra space in the thumb and small finger but not enough to interfere in any way.
Now we come to comfort, which unfortunately is the Achilles heel for these gloves. As I mentioned in the above section, the liner does not cover the wrist elastic or the seams, making these gloves uncomfortable. I can feel the seams in all the fingers, especially my little finger. After my first ride, which was relatively short, I came home with a red sore spot on the inside of my pinkie finger and a chafed area on my right throttle wrist.
I have been riding with these for a month, and they have broken in some, but every time I put them on, the seams irritate me until I get re-used to them. I understand these gloves are built to a price point, but I’d be willing to pay a little more to get them fully lined. Perhaps ADV riders are tougher than me, but I have seen other reviews that mention this issue, so I don’t think I’m being a weeny about it. It’s a shame because otherwise, these gloves are really nice.
REV’IT Volcano Glove Protection
These gloves have quite a few protective features for a lightweight summer glove and are CE-certified EN 13594:2015. So let’s go through them. I’ll start at the fingers and work my way down.
The fingers’ ends are completely covered on the sides and bottom with the suede material, so if you go sliding down the road, you don’t have to worry about ruining your career as a guitarist. On the top of the 1st finger is a small strip of temperfoam for added padding, and the 2nd and 3rd fingers have the TPR injected protectors. The TPR strips have an odd shape and texture. Not sure if that helps with aerodynamics or sliding or if they just wanted them to look cool.
Your knuckles will be well shielded with a SEESOFT protector with temperfoam beneath. It’s soft, flexible, and unobtrusive.
The outside of the little finger has an extra layer of suede with a small amount of padding beneath, as does the outside of the thumb. There is no hard slider for the heel of the hand, but there is an extra layer of suede and it’s pretty well padded. These are billed as ADV gloves, and heavy padding may be more appropriate for a get-off in the dirt than a hard slider.
And finally, the palm of the hand has an extra layer of suede below the fingers and on the inside of the thumb for more wear protection in those areas.
REV’IT Volcano Glove Ventilation
These are billed as summer gloves, so ventilation is a very important consideration – nothing more bothersome than riding with hot sweaty hands. Well, not to worry – the Volcano gloves have you covered.
The 3D air mesh really lives up to its billing. Even at slow city speeds, I can feel the air moving over my fingers and the back of my hand. At highway speeds, they flow a ton of air. I wore them on an extremely hot, high humidity day, and my hands were very happy. The palm side of the gloves also has some vent holes to allow some heat to escape.
REV’IT Volcano Glove Specs
The Volcano gloves come in Black, Black/Yellow, Grey/Red (pictured in this review), and Sand/Black. There is also a men’s version. They retail for $69.99, which is a good value for these gloves and come in women’s sizes Extra Small (XS) to Extra Large (XL).
Branding is limited to a small blue strip below the knuckle protector with REV’IT! on it. It also appears on the pull strap. They include a stamped REV’IT! Logo on the cuff as well.
Conclusion
The REV’IT! Volcano gloves are nicely constructed light summer gloves for on/off-road use. They flow a lot of air and have good protection for the price. Unfortunately, they are not comfortable to wear right out of the box because of the stiff, scratchy seams that you can feel on the inside of the gloves. So plan on taking some time to break them in.
Pros
- Good look
- Great ventilation
- Good protection for the money
Cons
- Seams uncomfortable
- The wrist strap is too short
- No heel slider
wBW Specs
- Manufacturer: REV’IT!
- Price (when tested): $69.99 USD
- Made In: Vietnam
- Colors: Black, Black/Yellow, Grey/Red, and Sand/Black
- Materials: 56% Polyamide, 31% Polyurethane, 11% Polyester, 2% Other
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Warranty: 2-year manufacturer’s warranty
- Review Submission Date: 20 August 2021