Dry glove system for Santi smart seals

[ericfine50]

Diving this weekend with the gloves again. I don't think you can go wrong with either system.

 

[laikabear]

I have the Santi Smart seals and gloves on my E-Lite, and I have Waterproof Ultima rings on my newer drysuit. I've never tried Kubis.

The Santi system has been great for me (I've had it ever since it came out). The only downside I can think of is that you must lube the glove side of the rings with either silicone or even just water-based lube, about every 3 dives (I just do it before each dive day). The longer you go without applying a lubricant, the harder the gloves will be to snap ON. They always come off easily.

So if you can either lube them as you are packing the night before a dive day, or if you forget, at the same time you're defogging your mask or whatever on the boat, you should be a happy camper. I didn't know to lube the gloves at first when I got mine, and by the 6th or so dive, I was really struggling with getting them snapped on and I had a leak. No problems since I've been lubing them up.

Now that I have something to compare to, I don't find that the flexibility of the Santi rings really confers much benefit over the hard plastic rings of the Ultimas. And the Ultimas do not require any lubrication - they snap on easily every time. I do think that gloves with a liner such as Showa 720s are easier to mount on the Santi system since the rings are flexible.

I think if you can get the Santi system for $340 cheaper, I'd go with that. On the other hand (ha!), it might be nice if you have 2 drysuits, to have both using the same glove system. That way you don't accidentally grab the wrong gloves when going out diving. And on a multi-dive day, you can even throw both sets in your bag - in case you get a hole in one, you don't have to mount another glove on the fly.

Edit: rereading your OP, it sounds like you are getting rid of the other drysuit. Couldn't you take the Kubi rings off it and use them on the new suit? Just a thought.

 

[BFRedrocks]

Edit: rereading your OP, it sounds like you are getting rid of the other drysuit. Couldn't you take the Kubi rings off it and use them on the new suit? Just a thought.

Thanks for your input...very helpful. To answer your question above, I'd actually be keeping my old drysuit so that my son can use it if we dive together. And if I dive "temperate" cold water (not Antarctica like I'm going to do), I can probably still fit into it. Haha!! The Kubi rings on that suit are the standard ones that attach to replaceable seals (they're not glued to the suit), and it's my understanding that the standard Kubi rings do not work with the Smart Seals (there's not enough "area" to attach the seals to the rings).

 

[BFRedrocks]

New drysuit ordered. I decided to go with the fitted Kubi rings on the new drysuit because I am very comfortable with them and they work well, and as pointed out, I can use the gloves between suits if needed. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the new drysuit actually gets to me before Antarctica.

 

[Matan]

I have the Santi Smart seals and gloves on my E-Lite, and I have Waterproof Ultima rings on my newer drysuit. I've never tried Kubis.

The Santi system has been great for me (I've had it ever since it came out). The only downside I can think of is that you must lube the glove side of the rings with either silicone or even just water-based lube, about every 3 dives (I just do it before each dive day). The longer you go without applying a lubricant, the harder the gloves will be to snap ON. They always come off easily.

So if you can either lube them as you are packing the night before a dive day, or if you forget, at the same time you're defogging your mask or whatever on the boat, you should be a happy camper. I didn't know to lube the gloves at first when I got mine, and by the 6th or so dive, I was really struggling with getting them snapped on and I had a leak. No problems since I've been lubing them up.

Now that I have something to compare to, I don't find that the flexibility of the Santi rings really confers much benefit over the hard plastic rings of the Ultimas. And the Ultimas do not require any lubrication - they snap on easily every time. I do think that gloves with a liner such as Showa 720s are easier to mount on the Santi system since the rings are flexible.

I think if you can get the Santi system for $340 cheaper, I'd go with that. On the other hand (ha!), it might be nice if you have 2 drysuits, to have both using the same glove system. That way you don't accidentally grab the wrong gloves when going out diving. And on a multi-dive day, you can even throw both sets in your bag - in case you get a hole in one, you don't have to mount another glove on the fly.

Edit: rereading your OP, it sounds like you are getting rid of the other drysuit. Couldn't you take the Kubi rings off it and use them on the new suit? Just a thought.

just need to verify - are you using the Santi Smart gloves with Showa 720? can you share how did you mount them? (the manual assumes gloves with latex seals).

Thank you,
Matan.

 

[NeilUK]

I have the Santo smart glove system and use Showa (lined) gloves. The trick to making it water-tight is to turn the glove IN on itself so that no liner is exposed to the water. The o-ring goes inside the glove and the material folds inside this then is placed around the ring. The video I’ve linked to shows the process (but using a 3D printed removable ring to help). It’s possible to do it without this ring (just a bit more faffy).


next time I need to swap my dry gloves I’ll make a video of it.

 

[laikabear]

just need to verify - are you using the Santi Smart gloves with Showa 720? can you share how did you mount them? (the manual assumes gloves with latex seals).

Thank you,
Matan.

I am using the 720s. I don't use the method in the video above. I use the method in this video and it has worked for me. (Video by the same person).

Others have said the gloves leak when installed that way but mine have been dry and I've been doing it a while. I do wear a size Medium which is probably smaller than most, so maybe that is why that method works for me.

I don't have the grip strength to install them the way depicted in the video that NeilUK posted above, and I don't have access to a 3D printer to make a jig.

 

[nickbutcher]

I've been using Smart Gloves for an entire season (about 100 dives) and can honestly say that they are the best dry glove system I've used (and I've used quite a few).

I've had no more than a couple of occurrences of wet hands and those were due to an initial failure to get the right knack of donning them and one dive where I trapped the edge of the glove liner in the seal. These were immediately revealed as soon as I jumped in and a quick return to the boat for a fresh liner meant that I have never missed a dive. I've never had a failure during a dive.

They are comfortable to use and, although they are a little bulky, they don't feel that way due to the lightness and flexibility. Donning and doffing ones suit doesn't risk chipping any of the boat's paintwork or knocking a fellow diver unconscious as the suit arms flail around.

They have little in the way of raised edges, which means that sliding computers etc. onto ones wrists is very easy - they never snag. Likewise, reaching into small holes don't result in anything catching and risking them being pulled off.
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Regarding equalisation, I've tried using thin silicone tubes but it's a pain in the arse trying to put them under the seal and more than once I've done it wrong resulting it a squeezed hand on descent and a massive balloon on the end of my sleeve on the following ascent. Using the thumb loop on my undersuit has also resulted in a similar problem when it's disappeared back under the seal mid-dive.

I now use a thick cable tie that's been cut to about 3" long. I slide this under the seal on the back of my wrist and this has never failed. It also gives me the option to pull it out should I tear a glove (hasn't happened yet).

 

[RVBldr]

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Regarding equalisation, I've tried using thin silicone tubes but it's a pain in the arse trying to put them under the seal and more than once I've done it wrong resulting it a squeezed hand on descent and a massive balloon on the end of my sleeve on the following ascent. Using the thumb loop on my undersuit has also resulted in a similar problem when it's disappeared back under the seal mid-dive.

Just started using the Smart Gloves, so far so good. But for equalization, I've had good luck using fingers from old wool glove liners. Just snip off a finger and tuck it under the seal. It still allows air flow, and if you flood a glove, it minimized the flow of water. Eventually, via capillary action, you'll leak water up the arm, but it seems to work fairly well.

 

[stuartv]

I've been using Smart Gloves for an entire season (about 100 dives) and can honestly say that they are the best dry glove system I've used (and I've used quite a few).

Have you used the Kubi system?