I’m not sure if you care, but there was never an Air Stream I glove. No, I do not know why. Because Germany, OK?
The Air Stream II is the replacement for the hugely popular warm-weather uber-glove, the Held Air Hero.
And if you live where it’s hot, and most of you do (except those frozen unfortunates in Moe, Cape Barren Island and Tasmania, for whom nothing can or even should be done), you need to consider these gloves.
It has already been established the Germans in general, and Held specifically, make superb gloves. Arguably the finest in the world. But you won’t be convinced of that until you try them for yourself. So that’s on you. I just want to tell you about these Air Stream IIs because it’s hot and you may be keen to explore some very serious warm-weather gloves.
This is them.
Superb protection in a glove so beautifully and effectively vented, the cool styling is just an added bonus.
So this is what’s going on here…
The unlined palm is made from our very own home-grown kangaroos, and we all know how well those bastards resist abrasions, even when they’re dead.
The rest of the glove is a combo of supple and heavily perforated cowhide and a polyester mesh fabric. It is lined on the back of the hand with Kevlar, and DuPont COOLMAX, and carries big hard-plastic knuckle protection.
The Air Stream II, like all of the Held gloves, is step-seamed, which eliminates pressure points forming on the inside of your hand, and you’d be hard pressed to find a glove with more feel. Just as you’d struggle to find one that’s better-made. All the seams are double-stitched, and the stitching is Germanically neat and precise with no loose threads or wonky bits.
There’s even a fancy bit of thick, stingray-like leather on the heel of the palm, which is probably not stingray, but could well be – and for my dark and sexy purposes it surely is.
There is only one Velcro strap at the wrist and above the elasticised bit, so it’s easy on and off, but the glove will still stay on your hand if you’re sliding down the road, and the outside wrist area is also where the glove faetures more armour.
But of course, the Air Stream II is all about the air and the streaming of it to your hands. Which is does with superb aplomb and efficiency. It’s truly a great glove for hot days due to the huge amount of perforations – the entire palm, each finger, and every one of the lovely car-widow-removing knuckle-protectors, has holes to let air through.
It’s sweat-proof and colour-fast – and I’ve yet to find a set of Held gloves that dye your hands for you when they get wet or soaked in perspiration.
For a sub-$200 glove, it’s nigh on unbeatable. 
And, I am pleased to report, there has been some excellent progress with the face-slasher on the left forefinger.
Each pair of Held gloves has a visor wiper on the left forefinger. It’s essentially a four-centimetre-long piece of rubber that will whisk the water off your visor. Or, if you have an open-face helmet like me, it will slash the bottom of your nose open when you go to scratch it.
At least, that’s what used to happen. In this iteration, the rubber wiper-blade has had its sharp, nose-slashing edge removed, and is now a beaut addition to the family.
Happily, the Air Stream IIs only come in one colour, which is black, so you don’t need to stress over matching them to your eye-colour or your lipstick. Black goes with everything and is very slimming.
HOW MUCH? $190
WHERE CAN I GET IT FROM? Go and order them HERE. They are available in every size from seven through to 12.
https://heldaustralia.com.au/shop/air-stream-ii-mens-glove.html
Words by Boris Mihailovic