Ororo Twin Cities 3-in-1 Heated Gloves 2.0 review: “they're ‘The Wall’ of gloves”

RRP at time of testing: £170 | Check price at Amazon or Ororo directly

What Mumsnet users say

My verdict

If you're someone who spends a lot of winter standing on football touchlines, walking dogs, commuting, working outside or generally wondering whether you'll ever feel your fingers again, there's a lot to like about the Ororo Twin Cities 3-in-1 Heated Gloves. And while these particular gloves haven't been discussed on Mumsnet yet, Ororo's heated clothing comes recommended by Mumsnet users, with owners praising its warmth, quality and ability to make cold weather considerably more bearable.*

Yes, they're expensive - there's no getting around the fact that £170 is a significant amount to spend on gloves - but they feel suitably premium and robust. More importantly, you're effectively getting three options for your money: a heated liner, a protective outer shell, or both together when the weather really turns sour.

Everything packs away into the supplied Ororo carry case, which is useful given the number of components included 

For everyday use, my preference is the heated liner. It's warm, comfortable and considerably less cumbersome than wearing both layers, while the built-in heating gives you an extra blast of warmth when you need it. Add the shell and these become seriously substantial winter gloves. Dexterity takes a hit, but so does pretty much any chance of wind or rain getting to your hands. They're ‘The Wall’ of gloves: very little is getting through.

That does mean they're probably overkill if your relationship with the outdoors extends to walking from the house to the car. But for people regularly spending long periods outside - particularly outdoor workers, dog walkers, hikers, skiers and parents spending their weekends slowly freezing beside children's sports pitches - they make much more sense.

The Ororo Twin Cities 3-in-1 set includes heated liners, protective outer shells, two batteries, a dual charger and storage case 

Personally, I'd view these in much the same way as a good winter coat: an investment rather than an essential. They're already impressively warm without the heating switched on, making the heating something of a luxury for me, but anyone who particularly struggles with cold hands may value that additional warmth far more.

How I’ve tested

I've been testing the Ororo Twin Cities 3-in-1 Heated Gloves at home in Yorkshire, predominantly during dog walks and everyday trips outside.

In a spectacular piece of timing, they arrived for testing in August during one of the UK's warmer spells, which made meaningful cold-weather testing rather tricky unless I fancied giving myself heatstroke. I therefore started wearing them more regularly from September, testing them in temperatures of around 15°C as well as during windy and rainy weather.

I've tested the heated liner and outer shell both separately and together, assessing warmth, comfort, fit, weather resistance, dexterity, touchscreen functionality and ease of use. I've also considered the overall build quality and whether the 3-in-1 design offers enough versatility to justify the premium price.

What are the Ororo Twin Cities 3-in-1 Heated Gloves 2.0?

The Ororo Twin Cities are a modular pair of heated gloves designed to adapt to different winter conditions.

You get a heated inner liner alongside a separate water-resistant outer shell, and you can wear either separately or combine the two. The heating elements are built into the liner rather than the shell.

With an RRP of £170, these are certainly premium gloves, but the package is comprehensive. Alongside the gloves you get two rechargeable batteries, a charging cable and plug, plus a surprisingly smart carry case with separate compartments for keeping everything together. It's a little like a football boot bag and makes the whole lot easy to stash in the car or pack for a winter trip.

How does the 3-in-1 system work: inner liner, outer shell, or both?

Versatility is arguably the biggest selling point of the Twin Cities.

The heated liner can be worn independently when you want warmth without too much bulk. You can wear the outer shell alone when you want additional weather protection without heating, or combine both when it's really cold and wet.

In reality, I expect to use the liner alone most often. It's substantial enough to work as an everyday winter glove and you still have the heating element available when temperatures drop.

Worn alone, the heated liners are much less bulky than the complete two-layer setup and were my preferred option for everyday wear 

The shell is much more heavy duty. It doesn't heat up itself, but it's snug and protective enough that I wouldn't be averse to making snowballs in it when the weather allows.

Getting the shell over the liner requires a little wriggling, but it's not particularly strenuous. Once everything is on, however, there's no denying these are bulky gloves.

The protective outer gloves have long adjustable cuffs and textured palms designed to provide extra grip 

For me, wearing both layers would be reserved for genuinely freezing weather or something like skiing. But that's rather the point of the design: you can choose what you need instead of owning separate gloves for every conceivable version of British winter.

The shell gloves also have wrist straps, so you can remove them while you're out and leave them dangling securely from your wrists rather than immediately losing one.

How warm do the Ororo Twin Cities gloves actually get?

The heated liner has three heat settings - high, medium and low - controlled using a button on the top of each wrist. Red indicates the hottest setting, followed by white and blue.

Heat is most noticeable across the top of my hands. I could feel some warmth around my fingers, although it became more apparent when I moved my fingers and brought them into contact with the heated upper surface of the glove rather than feeling as though every finger was being heated evenly from all directions.

Even without the heating switched on, though, these are very warm gloves. The liner alone offers significantly more insulation than the cheap everyday gloves I'd normally grab for a dog walk, while adding the shell creates a formidable barrier against the weather.

Are the Ororo Twin Cities gloves waterproof or water-resistant?

The Ororo Twin Cities are water-resistant rather than fully waterproof, an important distinction if you're buying them specifically for prolonged use in very wet conditions.

I've worn them during a couple of rainy dog walks and was impressed with their performance. Rain beaded on the outer surface rather than immediately soaking in and I didn't experience any dampness inside the gloves from the weather.

Wind protection has been similarly impressive. I've yet to notice cold air finding its way through either.

Compared with my usual thin winter gloves, which get wet easily and let cold air seep through, the difference is significant. With both layers on, these feel like the Wall of gloves - reassuringly difficult for the British weather to infiltrate.

Battery life and charging: how long do they last?

Ororo claims up to three hours of heating on high, four hours on medium and 8.5 hours on low - testing has proven that’s largely accurate. Though, I’ve not exactly been out for an 8.5 hour long walk to verify the claim fully. 

The Twin Cities gloves come with two rechargeable batteries and a dual-port charger so both can be topped up together 

What I can comment on is the charging set-up, which is pretty straightforward. Each battery has three lights showing its remaining charge, which flash while charging, and the supplied cable splits into two connectors so you can charge both glove batteries simultaneously.

And - minor consumer electronics miracle - Ororo actually includes a plug. It shouldn't feel noteworthy to receive everything required to charge a £170 product in the box, but here we are. I appreciated not having to rummage through a drawer wondering which mystery USB plug I ought to use.

The battery connects inside a zipped cuff pocket, while the flexible liner offers much better dexterity than the two gloves worn together 

The battery pocket itself is less impressive. It's quite tight and doesn't seem to leave much additional room once the charging connector is attached to the battery. I found I had to position the plug end inwards and zip the pocket fairly tightly around it. It's manageable rather than disastrous, but the pocket could certainly be more generous.

Are the Ororo Twin Cities gloves touchscreen compatible?

Yes, and this is a feature I increasingly think should be standard on winter gloves. The heated liner has touchscreen-compatible material on the thumb, index and middle fingers, while the outer shell offers it on the thumb and index finger.

Using my phone in the liner alone has been relatively easy, although sizing made a difference. I tested a size L despite normally wearing a medium, leaving some excess fabric at the ends of my fingers. That fabric can bend when I touch the screen and make accuracy slightly trickier.

The heated liner is considerably slimmer than the full two-layer setup and has touchscreen-compatible fingertips 

With the shell added, touchscreen controls still work, but precision drops considerably. The best comparison I can make is trying to use your phone with long acrylic nails: you can do it, but you're not always entirely sure which button you're about to hit.

One minor aesthetic niggle is that the touchscreen material around the fingertips looks slightly crinkled on the liner glove, which detracts a little from an otherwise very premium finish.

Ororo heated gloves: comfort and dexterity

For such substantial gloves, I found the heated liners comfortable to wear for extended periods. My hands did get sweaty, although that's not exactly an unusual occurrence for me and I'd rather have slightly clammy hands than frozen fingers.

Dexterity depends enormously on how you wear them. With the liner alone, I could use my phone, hold dog leads and go about most normal activities without much trouble. Add the outer shell and you become considerably more aware that you're wearing serious winter gloves.

Wearing both layers gives you the most weather protection, while the heated liners alone are slimmer and easier to use for everyday tasks 

I could still hold the dogs' leads, but found myself consciously gripping much harder to reassure myself that I had them securely. Picking up keys is doable; anything requiring proper fingertip precision is another matter. I certainly wouldn't fancy picking up dog poo while wearing them - not least because the prospect of smearing dog muck over £170 gloves doesn't bear thinking about.

The silicone palms provide excellent grip, although the chunky Velcro wrist straps can be difficult to line up and secure neatly with one gloved hand.

Sizing: do the Ororo Twin Cities gloves run true to size?

Ororo offers the Twin Cities in sizes S to 2XL, using palm circumference and length to determine sizing.

I tested a size L despite normally wearing medium gloves. They fit comfortably around my palms and didn't look comically oversized, but there was noticeable space at the ends of my fingers. This was most apparent when using my phone or trying to pick up smaller objects, as the excess material could bend rather than moving precisely with my fingertips.

The outer shells have adjustable cuffs and wrist straps to help secure the gloves and keep cold air out

My husband has larger hands and the same pair fitted him perfectly, so I'd say choosing the correct size matters particularly if touchscreen use and dexterity are important to you. I'd opt for the medium if I were buying a pair for myself.

Can you wash the Ororo Twin Cities gloves?

Ororo says the gloves can be hand washed, but they shouldn't be ironed, dry cleaned or machine dried.

Thankfully I've managed to avoid covering them in anything unpleasant enough to require a proper wash so far.

Given the batteries and heating elements involved, I'd personally be slightly nervous about enthusiastically submerging a £170 pair of heated gloves in the sink even when following the manufacturer's instructions. For everyday dirt, I'd be inclined to spot-clean or wipe them down where possible and save a full hand wash for when it's actually necessary.

How much do the Ororo Twin Cities gloves cost, and are they worth it?

At £170 RRP, the Ororo Twin Cities are undeniably expensive. What helps justify that price is the 3-in-1 design. Rather than simply getting one heated glove, you can use the heated liner, protective shell or both together, giving you something suitable for considerably more weather conditions.

Build quality also feels appropriate for the price. These are robust, substantial gloves that feel designed to last for multiple winters rather than something you'll replace next year.

The Ororo Twin Cities gloves come with a substantial carry case for keeping the gloves, batteries and charging accessories together 

I'd therefore see them as an investment, much like buying a decent winter coat. If you rarely spend more than 20 minutes outside at a time, you'll struggle to justify £170. If you're outside for hours every winter, the equation changes considerably.

They're particularly appealing when discounted and would make a genuinely useful gift for someone who spends their weekends standing on the sidelines watching children's football - the sort of activity that doesn't make it into many extreme-weather marketing campaigns but can feel positively Arctic by half-time.

Who are the Ororo Twin Cities gloves best for?

Anyone spending significant amounts of time outside during winter should get the most from the Twin Cities.

Dog walkers, outdoor workers, winter commuters, hikers, bikers and skiers are obvious candidates, as are people who particularly struggle with cold hands.

But I wouldn't discount parents either. If you're pushing a pram around in January or spending Saturday mornings standing beside a freezing football pitch, the combination of substantial insulation and optional heating suddenly feels rather appealing. Never mind pram mittens.

My dad, who's in his early 60s and plays walking football several times a week whatever the weather, is another good example of someone I think would get considerably more use from the full system than I do.

For me, the shell is probably more protection than I need most of the time. For someone whose hobbies don't stop when the temperature drops, it could be precisely what makes these worth buying.

Ororo Twin Cities vs SealSkinz Stratton: how do they compare?

Our verdict: should you buy the Ororo Twin Cities 3-in-1 Heated Gloves 2.0?

The Ororo Twin Cities 3-in-1 Heated Gloves aren't something everyone needs. They're warm enough before you've even pressed the heating button, and £170 is a lot to spend if your winter outdoor activity largely consists of scraping ice off the car.

But they're exceptionally well made, reassuringly weather-resistant and far more versatile than an ordinary pair of heated gloves.

The Ororo Twin Cities can be worn three ways: heated liner alone, outer shell alone or both layers together for maximum protection 

The liner is the star for me. It's warm and comfortable enough for everyday winter dog walks, touchscreen-compatible and gives me the option of switching on the heating when the temperature drops. The outer shell sacrifices dexterity for serious additional protection, but I'd be glad to have it for snow, prolonged rain or genuinely cold days.

The heating itself feels more like a very nice luxury than a necessity for my own needs, particularly given how warm the gloves already are. For someone who spends hours outdoors or particularly struggles with cold hands, however, it could be the feature that makes them worth the investment.

Add the ability to adapt them to different weather, premium build quality and useful carry case, and I can see these lasting for winters to come - especially if you can pick them up below their £170 RRP.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts is a writer, editor, and content marketing expert hailing from Leeds. Here at Mumsnet, she brings parents content designed to make life easier. With two kids, a dog, husband and a home to run, she knows all too well just how easy it is to rack up high utility bills when you’re trying to keep everyone warm, so she’s constantly on the lookout for products that are affordable, long-lasting and cost-efficient. 

Beyond her role as an editor here at Mumsnet, Rebecca can be found balancing life as a working mum of two toddlers and when she’s not at her desk, you’ll likely find her at a local playgroup, in a nearby coffee shop, or walking the dog.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

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*Based on analysis of Mumsnet forum posts mentioning Ororo between 23 September 2024 and 23 September 2026. User discussion relates to Ororo heated gilets, vests and jackets rather than the Twin Cities gloves.