Why You Can Trust CNET The $22 Snapback Glove is a novel way to keep from touching the novel coronavirus
Save 40% on this clever clip-on mitten that helps you stay at arm's length from stuff when you leave the house.
Welcome to a world in which we strive to avoid touching things when we leave the house. I've run across a handful of gadgets that try to help you keep at arm's length from the coronavirus, but this one seems perhaps the most practical. The Snapback Glove lets you open doors and handle stuff outdoors without coming in direct contact with anything. Basically, it's a mitten that you clip to your belt and hangs from an automatic retractor, sort of like what you'd use on a hike or while scuba diving. Need to open a door? Slip your hand into the mitten that hangs near your waist, do your thing, and slide back out again. The retractor extends as needed when you're wearing the mitten.
When I first saw this gadget, I was intrigued, but put off by what seemed like an egregious price tag: $37. So I reached out to the manufacturer and got an exclusive deal for Cheapskate readers: Now through the end of the month, you can get a Snapback Glove for $22 using code CNET at checkout.
The glove is made from 70% SilverFlex fibers. Silver has antiviral and antimicrobial properties, and it may help limit the transmission of viruses and bacteria -- though I wouldn't be too sure about that without a good peer-reviewed study demonstrating its efficacy. For me, the real value here is that there's always a nearby mitten that you can don and doff one-handed, without needing to touch its outer surface. If it is somewhat antiviral or antimicrobial, all the better.
Of course, you might want to just make something like this yourself. That occurred to me, and I did a quick exercise to see what that would cost. You need an inexpensive D-ring retractor like this $12 model and some sort of oversized glove or mitten. You could use an oven mitt, like this $15 pair. In the end, you wind up with a DIY contraption that isn't as elegant as the one from Lambs. Nor does it include the antiviral silver fabric. And you'd be hard-pressed to do it for under $22 anyway. So, it turns out this is a pretty solid deal if you want the peace of mind that comes from a mitten that hangs from your belt.
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