Five Ultimate has yet again released new set of products this past month. These releases include something that I have yet to see specifically for ultimate: The handwarmer sleeve. Ever since I realized, my freshman year, that I would have to commit to practicing outside in the sometimes cold Colorado night, I started to look for ways to keep my hands from going numb and becoming ineffective. I would watch as other players used gloves, which helped for the warmth, but, in some cases, made throwing much more of a challenge. I looked to quarterbacks in the NFL who would wear handwarmer sleeves on their waists to keep fingers nimble. So, I thought to myself, wouldn’t that be a cool thing to use for ultimate? The thought stayed in the back of my head for a few years until Five came out with a handwarmer sleeve made specifically for the sport. I ordered it immediately and haven’t looked back yet.
Style (3/5)
Aside from being incredibly comfortable inside with the furry lining, this sleeve can be a little strange to wear. It makes you look like you’re ready to throw a nice 40-yard pass into the end zone for a touchdown, which shows how new it is for ultimate. Therefore, its style is yet to be determined (even though I have seen Jimmy Mickle sporting something similar, and let’s be honest, Jimmy’s throws weren’t suffering from lack of style). I am hopeful for this item to make it into mainstream gear for handlers, so I remain optimistic for in the realm of style points.
Fit (3/5)
The handwarmer is made of a nice waterproof material on the outside, fit with an adjustable belt. The belt is the only setback, because if you have a smaller waistline, like me, the belt may feel a little loose. The belt may only fit late high school and up players, or players with a normal to large size waist. The actual handwarmer is not heavy at all, it will not slow you down when running, and is not very noticeable with throwing or jumping.
Hat (0/5)
I hade my hopes up for this to be the one to break that non-hat curse of ultimate gear reviewed, but it turns out, much to my surprise, this is in fact NOT a hat.
Material/Comfort (5/5)
The handwarmer from Five Ultimate is very inline with Five’s style of awesome fuzziness on the inside, while durable on the outside. It’s made out of waterproof material on the outside, which I have yet to test out. The handwarmer is very light-weight and durable too.
The handwarmer has a lot of similarities to a football handwarmer, but takes into account what is necessary for an ultimate player. The openings on the sides form a tight seal around your hands so as to not let in any excess cold. The inside material is warm, yet it still has the tendency to collect excess moisture off of your hands so they stay dry in any weather. The key thing that makes this handwarmer an ultimate product is that it is much less bulky than football counterparts, which gives perfect mobility on throws and movement.
Features (2/5)
The only mentionable features besides being extremely warm and somewhat sweat absorbing is the outside being waterproof. There are no extra hand warmer pockets for your own extra hand warmers, but this isn’t really necessary, since the heat is locked into the inside by the openings wrapping around your wrists when you put your hands in. It is a great “bang for your buck” for the price, so I wouldn’t expect many other luxury features.
Price (4/5)
The price is $15 US dollars plus shipping (if using USPS ground shipping, only around $3 more), which makes it a great price for something as invaluable as warmth when throwing. I have found some other football hand warmers for around the same price (ranging from $15-$30), but this one has design features that fit well with the sport (see below).
Overall (4/5)
The Five Ultimate Handwarmer is a great new product made specifically for ultimate and may solve a problem for a lot of people who don’t like to wear gloves. Five has taken a very basic, lightweight design and put everything into it to make it a must-have for handlers in the cold.
Five Ultimate Handwarmer ($15)
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