Outdoor Research Mute Sensor Review

Performance Comparison

Warmth

The Mute Sensor gloves are one of the warmer cuff-length styles in our review. Hestra uses 266 grams of Outdoor Research proprietary EnduraLoft, which is functionally very similar to Primaloft; 266 grams of this insulation is certainly on the thicker side of similar gloves in the review, especially among cuff-length gloves. They proved to be about as warm as the Black Diamond Legend, but were not quite as warm as the Hestra Vertical Cut Freeride.

Dexterity

The Mute Sensor are incredibly dexterous. Overall, the Mute Sensor offers some of the best dexterity in our review and is on par with the most dexterous gloves — the Hestra Vertical Cut Freeride and the Black Diamond Guide.

Water Resistance

Featuring OR's proprietary Ventia waterproof-breathable insert and an extremely water-resistant leather, the Mute Sensor scored above average when compared to other models in our review, earning a 9 out of 10. As with any pair of leather gloves, you do need to re-treat them from time to time. However, we found that the Mute was noticeably more water resistant than the Hestra Vertical Cut Freeride and needed to be re-treated less often.

Durability

Crafted from goat leather and featuring polyester near the cuff, the Mute Sensor Gloves are among the most durable models in our review. They proved to be nearly as durable as the Black Diamond Legend and Hestra Vertical Cut Freeride and were even tougher than the Outdoor Research Revolution gloves.

Features

This contender offers many sweet and functional features, like its touchscreen sensitive index finger and thumb. We tested this capability in extremely cold and wet conditions and it performed fantastically. Several testers noted that when it was cold, the Mute often worked better than using our bare hand. The molded EVA panels (which cover a large portion of the back of the glove) provide a fair amount of hand protection and a noticeable amount of added warmth. Like most gloves in our review, the Mute Sensor has a softer fabric on the backside of its thumb for a nose/goggle wipe.

Our testing group appreciated the small, but extremely useful oversized grab loop that made putting these gloves on noticeably easier, especially when our hands (or the gloves) were wet. The Velcro cinch strap on the wrist of the glove was a nice added feature, as it allowed us to keep the warmth in and the snow out. It also helped to reduce volume around the wrist so that we could pull our jacket over our gloves in wet conditions. The low-profile and removable wrist leashes were among our testers' favorite features, even convincing a few non-believers of their usefulness due to their barely noticeable presence. The Black Diamond Mercury Mitt was the only contender in our fleet to score a perfect 10 out of 10 in this metric, with the Mute Sensor scoring a 9 out of 10.

Value

At $139, these gloves offer above average warmth and feature an effective touchscreen capability, proving to be a pretty good value. However, they are still almost twice as much as the Outdoor Research Revolution and The North Face Montana Mitts, which both retail for $70 and are Best Buy winners. While the Sensors are noticeably more durable, they are likely not twice as durable.

Best Applications and the Bottom Line