Alpinestars Primer Drystar Leather Glove [REVIEW]

Alpinestars – Usually, the trade-off that must be faced when choosing a pair of road gloves is between the more sporty ones, in leather and with rigid protections, and the tourist ones in fabric, certainly more comfortable but often lacking in safety. Well, this does not happen with the Alpinestars Primer Drystar, which manage to combine comfort, wearability and waterproofing with a sporty look and high abrasion resistance in the event of a fall.
Two colors available: black with white details, or black/red. In both cases, the aesthetic is embellished with Alpinestars logos on the wrist area and on the knuckle protection.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

As well as the Bogota V2 jacket (Here our review), these Alpinestar Primers also use the exclusive Drystar system, consisting of the use of three different layers of fabric. Of these, the outermost is in abrasion-resistant material, the innermost is in soft fabric to guarantee a high feeling of comfort, while in the center is positioned the Drystar membrane, whose composition allows for total waterproofing from water, leaving at the same time transpire the air.
A further feature that makes this pair of gloves truly special is the wise combination between the soft fabric and leather areas on the palm of the hand and fingers. Furthermore, the latter are sensitive to the smartphone's touchscreen.
The rigid knuckle protection is made of polymers and – obviously – CE certified (level 1). The picture is completed by the adjustable Velcro closure on the lower part of the palm, and a second zip closure on the upper part of the wrist. In this way, in addition to the fit, the width of the cuff can also be easily adjusted, which can therefore be placed both inside and outside the sleeve of the jacket, based on personal tastes. Last but not least, these Drystar Primers are also equipped with a visor wiper, which is a thin rubber appendage on the index finger that acts as a real "windscreen wiper" in case of water or condensation on the helmet visor.

OUR IMPRESSIONS

As in the case of the Bogota V2 jacket, also in the case of these stylish gloves we were able to appreciate the excellent functioning of the Drystar system. The special membrane has always insulated our hands from cold, rain, bad weather, and even from the mud of some fords. At the same time, however, we have never noticed any problems with perspiration, with the relative annoying sweating that is usually caused by common gloves waterproofed by water. Furthermore, the soft leather parts on the palm of the hand always ensure an excellent grip on the knobs, certainly superior to what would be offered by a traditional touring glove made entirely of fabric.