I've been using a finger spool for shooting an SMB. Once deployed, I clip the double ender onto the line and then, when I want to hold a depth, I clip the same end that's around the line through one of the holes in the side of the spool. That acts like a brake to keep it from unrolling any further. It won't keep tension on the line, though, but as long you're hanging on it with a bag on the surface, you keep the tension required to prevent the line from jumping off the spool.
For reeling it up, even with gloves on, I keep the double ender clipped onto the line and hold the double ender, using that to wind the line back onto the reel. No rope burns. Doesn't matter much if I'm wearing gloves. If the hand holding the spool itself has a thick glove on, it makes it a tiny bit more challenging because you can pinch the tip of a glove finger in the line. But, I did it the other day after being in 40 degree water for a while, with 3mm neoprene wet gloves on (i.e. my fingers were effing COLD) and it still wasn't very hard.
That said, my instructor told me I really need to use a reel in the future because my spool doesn't hold enough line for if I have to shoot an SMB from depth when diving some of the wrecks I will go to. He recommended a 200' reel. I was looking at the DR Sidewinder with 180' of Hi-viz on it on the DGX site. Now somebody here said the DR reels have issues. So, what are the issues with the DR Sidewinder Safety reel? Or are the issues with the Classic reels and the Sidewinders are okay?
My instructor has a LM 200' which he likes, but I like the price on the DR Sidewinder better. I also like that the brake is on the back side of the DR, where the brake on the LM is on the front (i.e. the same side as where the line comes out).