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3 finger or dry gloves?

3K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  stacyhoffman 
#1 ·
Its that time of year again. My hands are getting numb and painful in my 5mm semi-dry gloves and im not sure i can face another winter of this.

Ive heard fairly good things about the 3 fingered mitts - anyone on here use them and any idea of what makes and who sells the things in the uk ?

As for drygloves it seems people love or hate them with no in between. Are the ring systems irritating if not wearing the gloves and is there a set yet thats easily self donning ?

What would people recommend for the winter months?
 
#2 ·
hi ya string just want to recomend the posiodon 5mm pro gloves which are the mits and always had no problems with diving in them over the cold months :teeth: although it does take a few dives to get used to the dexterity and the feeling of the gloves as for the dry gloves ive never used em so cant comment best wishes leigh :D
 
#5 · (Edited)
I used to hate drygloves, so I wore 3-finger mitts all winter up until now. I found they kept my hands warm under water. It was not until I took them off after the dive that my hands felt (very) cold - it gets pretty cold in February here on the west coast of Sweden. The solution is to have a towel ready so that you can dry your hands immediately and put on warm gloves. I wear warmly lined heavy duty plastic gloves, as worn by building workers etc, to strip down my kit after the dive. My favourite 3-finger mitts are Mares 6 mm as they are more supple than other makes and at least as warm. I found Poseidon hard to put on and take off. Waterproof are good but not as good as Mares, in my opinion.
However, I decided to give drygloves another try, so I had Viking rings fitted to my drysuit and gloves earlier this week and tried them out on a night-dive last Wednesday. I loved them. They make it very easy to put on and take off your gloves and they are warm. They have a bayonet fitting and you don't have to glue them to your suit, so you can easily switch them over to a new drysuit. I put the inner gloves on before putting my arms in my drysuit sleeves, thus avoiding glove squeeze. I tried Ro-Lock first, by the way, but didn't like them. They are so smooth you can't get a proper grip and I found it impossible to put my gloves on or take them off without help.
 
#6 ·
dlegros said:
I'm currently awaiting a set of 7mm 3-finger mitts from Waterproof, to give them a try.

Dom
I used these with great success last winter. At the end of the dive the small amount of water they contain is warm which can then be poured on the hands of the poor souls who don't have them!

This year I am going to try dry gloves because any form of signalling requiring all 5 fingers cannot be done in mitts, obviously!

Rgrds
Mal
 
#7 ·
John I would be interested to hear how you get on handling a camera wearing dry gloves.
My UK dive season only runs from April to end of October and I never wear gloves. As most of our dives are for at least an hour my hands do get very cold at times. I have tried neoprene gloves but just can't get on with them.
 
#8 ·
ericdv said:
John I would be interested to hear how you get on handling a camera wearing dry gloves.
My UK dive season only runs from April to end of October and I never wear gloves. As most of our dives are for at least an hour my hands do get very cold at times. I have tried neoprene gloves but just can't get on with them.
No problem! Once you've got used to them, you can do almost anything in thick 3-finger mitts or drygloves that you can do with bare hands. I can imagine that it might be harder operating a small digital housing, with the buttons close together, than an amphibious camera but I've never had any problems manipulating my Motormarine II or Nikonos V with any type of glove.
 
#9 ·
Dry gloves

I use some very simple dry gloves, that have seals that butt up to my wrist seals. The gloves are a little bulky-with all that insulation, but keep the hand sufficiently warm for winter channel and puddle diving, I have used them down to 3c on 60 minutes dives.

The fun starts when I try to remove them. I usually end up sticking a screwdriver inside the seal to prise the glove off my hand. Always good for a laugh.

I have enough dexterity to press valves, clips, etc, can't comment on cameras.
 
#10 ·
We have three-fingered mitts (7mm) made for our hand size by Ben Wade of Scapa Scuba. You do have to get used to the lack of dexterity but it is quite possible to send up DSMB's etc without too much difficulty! Much warmer too.
Spike tried out some dry gloves, but hated them so much he gave them away. :present:
 
#11 ·
Ian@1904 said:
I use some very simple dry gloves, that have seals that butt up to my wrist seals. The gloves are a little bulky-with all that insulation, but keep the hand sufficiently warm for winter channel and puddle diving, I have used them down to 3c on 60 minutes dives.

The fun starts when I try to remove them. I usually end up sticking a screwdriver inside the seal to prise the glove off my hand. Always good for a laugh.

I have enough dexterity to press valves, clips, etc, can't comment on cameras.
That's why the ring system was invented. :teeth: Get some Viking rings!

 
#12 ·
Thanks for those replies, i'll probably see if i can find a supplier for 3 fingered mitts to give them a try.

Ive got a set of simple non-ring dry gloves but after fitting the first one getting the other glove on and the seal flattened is a nightmare and just about impossible. Getting other people to help dress you isnt that convenient especially if theyve already got gloves on as well. As a result i often find the second glove i put on leaks.

Getting more urgent i get them after today. Despite the sea itself being about 11 degrees the close to zero air temperature mixed with a force 5 wind and much rougher than expected sea resulting in lots of spray and water on the rib meant hands were so wet and cold BEFORE diving that even kitting up was difficult. Nice thick skiing gloves onboard to keep hands warm only work if theyre kept dry which wasnt an option today.
 
#13 ·
String said:
Thanks for those replies, i'll probably see if i can find a supplier for 3 fingered mitts to give them a try.

Ive got a set of simple non-ring dry gloves but after fitting the first one getting the other glove on and the seal flattened is a nightmare and just about impossible. Getting other people to help dress you isnt that convenient especially if theyve already got gloves on as well. As a result i often find the second glove i put on leaks.
If you already have drygloves, I strongly recommend you get a set of Viking rings. Mine only cost about £55, including thick latex gloves and warm woollen inner gloves. Three-finger mitts are going to cost you about £25-30.
 
#14 ·
Thanks John and others re comments on dexterity I obviously didn't exercise enough patience before and will certainly be trying them again when UK diving which will start for me again in April. The upcoming months diving in Malta certainly won't give me any problems.
 
#17 ·
Any good?

Hi String, I got a pair of Endurotech 3-finger mits that are semi-dry with kevlar fingers/palms from a guy on eBay. Used them a couple of times last year and I got on with them really well, seemed a lot warmer than "ordinary" 5mm ones but the lack of fingers feels a bit weird at first.
He's still got some for sale it seems try here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ENDUROTECH-DIVING-GLOVES-3-FINGERED-KEVLAR-MANY-SIZES_W0QQitemZ7197607768QQcategoryZ29574QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

HTH
Steve
 
#18 ·
John Gulliver said:


If you already have drygloves, I strongly recommend you get a set of Viking rings. Mine only cost about £55, including thick latex gloves and warm woollen inner gloves. Three-finger mitts are going to cost you about £25-30.
Ive had a look around the usual online suppliers and unless ive missed someone obvious cant actually see anyone selling viking dry gloves/system so does anyone know of a UK supplier.

Also looked at the manual for them and it states the suit part ring needs to be fitted by a dealer. Is if possible to fit these things without having to send a suit away?
 
#19 ·
String said:
Ive had a look around the usual online suppliers and unless ive missed someone obvious cant actually see anyone selling viking dry gloves/system so does anyone know of a UK supplier.

Also looked at the manual for them and it states the suit part ring needs to be fitted by a dealer. Is if possible to fit these things without having to send a suit away?
The dealer did fit mine but he did it while I waited and watched and it looked easy enough. Whoever is the Viking agent in the UK should be able to point you at a local Viking dealer, I'd have thought.
 
#20 ·
Looking at the manual for attaching to existing latex seals it doesnt seem to need glue or sending away:

http://www.trelleborg.com/protective/item.asp?id=517

I've been googling but so far unable to find anyone listed as a UK dealer for viking in the UK. Some anecdotal claims from elsewhere seem to hint the viking gloves are the same as the SI-tech ring system gloves but i cant prove that.

After another painful weekends diving ive got to get something done about this soon or winter diving is going to be miserable again.
 
#21 ·
In my experience, dry gloves are the warmest of the options I have tried BUT they are a PITA to get on (esp with wet hands) and apart from at a certain depth range you either have sausage fingers or crushed gloves (when thermal properties drop dramatically).

I have some 3 finger mitts (thanks to John Gulliver and Frogman) in 5 and 7 mil. These are better than "normal" gloves IMO but it awkward manipulating things with 2 fingers and a thumb (effectively).

If I bother doing much pond diving this winter I may look into the ring wrist seal option.

I have seen a Scubapro glove (I think) that is at least a semi dry and was supposed to be quite warm in cold waters?
 
#22 ·
"When the water is too cold for a Seatex suit, buy a pair of skates." - which I thought was "cool" (www.sea-tex.no) I had this company in Norway make me a few pairs of gloves from 6mm neoprene - I imagine lots of other places could do it for you. The design was "fingerless" ie a thumb bit separate and the other 4 fingers all together in a mitt. I have found them to be very good. My hands and fingers are no longer the weak link. Make sure that the thumb is cut sufficiently large to enable good circulation. I have used these with housed cameras and stages and it is fine - not the same though. You need to be patient and be prepared to be a bit more thoughtful in your movements and be familiar with your kit - and your buddies kit perhaps more importantly. I strongly recommend such a design for cold water.
 
#23 ·
String said:
Some anecdotal claims from elsewhere seem to hint the viking gloves are the same as the SI-tech ring system gloves but i cant prove that.
That's because they aren't :) The Viking rings are made for Viking (Trelleborg) by SI-Tech but they are NOT the same as the SI-Tech rings - they are much better, in my opinion.
 
#24 ·
tonhil I had this company in Norway make me a few pairs of gloves from 6mm neoprene - I imagine lots of other places could do it for you. The design was "fingerless" ie a thumb bit separate and the other 4 fingers all together in a mitt. I have found them to be very good. My hands and fingers are no longer the weak link. Make sure that the thumb is cut sufficiently large to enable good circulation. I have used these with housed cameras and stages and it is fine - not the same though. You need to be patient and be prepared to be a bit more thoughtful in your movements and be familiar with your kit - and your buddies kit perhaps more importantly. I strongly recommend such a design for cold water.[/quote said:
If you want mitts with a thumb and the other four fingers together, Viking make them, mainly for the commercial diving market. They are considered to be warmer than 3-finger mitts but you do lose some dexterity.
 
#25 ·
butter fingers

Hiya String,
I also use the Poseidon 3 fingered mitts and find my hands do not get cold with these; they normally turn to blocks of ice with 5 mm 5 fingered gloves! I have no problems with the dexterity side of things, but one disadvantage though, cannot give dive buddy 'the bird'. So the modified 'OK' signal (above head and wave hand) will have to suffice!!!! :zip:

Happy Diving
 
#26 · (Edited)
Its that time of year again. My hands are getting numb and painful in my 5mm semi-dry gloves and im not sure i can face another winter of this.

Ive heard fairly good things about the 3 fingered mitts - anyone on here use them and any idea of what makes and who sells the things in the uk ?

As for drygloves it seems people love or hate them with no in between. Are the ring systems irritating if not wearing the gloves and is there a set yet thats easily self donning ?

What would people recommend for the winter months?
half finger gloves
Anybody ever use these





I'm tempted to purchase them, but would like to know more about its strengths and weaknesses.


Can anybody out there help?

Thanks in advance
 
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