Gear Closet: 180s Foundation LED Gloves

With winter now firmly set in, the cold temperatures and short days sometimes make it a little more challenging to get outside and maintain our normal workout routines. But if staying warm and visible are your goals, than an innovative pair of gloves from 180s is about to take away all of your excuses. The new Foundation LED gloves cleverly integrate a bright light right into the design, providing comfort and convenience in one great package.

Made from comfortable and durable  QuantumHeat fabrics, the Foundation gloves provide a snug, yet non-restrictive, fit that feels great on your hand.  They are also a surprisingly warm considering how thin and lightweight they are. If I were simply judging them based how they perform as gloves, I would give the Foundation LED's high marks for protecting my hands from the elements, while still allowing me to accomplish basic tasks that require manual dexterity. It is refreshing to have a pair of gloves that allow you to tie your shoes while out on the run, without having to remove them from your hands.

As with most of the gloves from 180s, the Foundation LED's also feature ALLTouch technology. This allows the wearer to interact with his or her touch screen devices – such as a smartphone or mp3 player – while still wearing the gloves. This is another handy feature to have when the temperatures turn cold, and you don't want to take the gloves off just to select a new music track or respond to a text while running. The snug fit of the gloves also helps to ensure accurate use of the touch screen as well.

The feature that really sets these gloves apart from the competition however is the integrated LED lights that provide quite a bit of illumination without adding undue bulk. Each glove has a small lightbulb stitched into place just above the forefinger, with an on-off button situated on the wrist. When turned on, the two lights give the person wearing them a set of headlights that not only make them more visible in the dark, but also allows them to illuminate their way while running, walking, or taking part in any other outdoor activities.


I am very impressed with how much light the tiny LED's in these gloves manage to put off. During the day, or in a well lit room, they don't seem all that impressive, but out on the road in the dark, they are very effective. So much so that I wore them to my weekly running group one evening, and had several members comment on them and inquire as to where they could get a pair. It was immediately apparent to my companions that this was a very useful piece of gear that could make an evening run much safer.

It is clear that 180s has put a lot of thought into the design of these products, and that they had outdoor athletes in mind when they created them. The Foundation LED gloves will impress you with their integrated lights of course, but the fit and feel of the gloves will be what keeps you wearing them. The fact that you can interact with your tech gadgets without having to take them off is simply the icing on the cake.

If you're looking for a great pair of gloves to wear on your outdoor workouts, I can't recommend these gloves highly enough. They are warm, comfortable, and dare I say even stylish. The addition of the integrated LED lights is perfect for those evening runs, helping to keep you safe out on the road. 180s has priced the Foundation LED's at $55, which is a price I find to be fair considering the level of performance they provide. At the moment, they also happen to be onside for just $22, which is an incredible bargain. Take advantage of this bargain while you can.