fppf
Contributor
Ok Folks, got a chance to dive my newly acquired dry gloves today.
And the verdict is, I love them, form fit, and function.
In my opinion this system is the best design I have seen to date. The method of installing the rings onto the suit seals and the gloves is easy and secure. It does not require any special tools. They supply different color plastic rings that go on the inside of the suit and gloves. The rings are of different sizes, used for different thickness seals and gloves. A friction press fit is formed by pressing the ring that's inside the suit or glove into the ring that is the sealing latching mechanism that rests outside the seal or glove. At first installation I started with the smallest inside ring. This would give the loosest friction fit and then kept going to a smaller ring. When the rings where snug when pressing together and I could pull on the attached ring hard enough to just about rip the seal off I used that color. After knowing the correct color installation and removal takes all but a few minutes. I was a bit concerned with seal damage from this, however after inspecting the rings and a few installations I did not see any wear on the seals. Installation on the gloves went just as painless.
The locking and sealing mechanism is very well thought out. There are 3 pieces to the system. The suit side ring is one piece of plastic with external threads and a sealing surface on the ID. The glove ring has an o-ring on the OD and a groove. A "nut" snaps into this groove and has internal threads. The nut is positioned to cover the o-ring and has a rubber cover on it. They use a shallow thread type design to pull the to rings together with an axial o-ring. It takes about a 90 degree turn to lock the to parts together. At the end of rotation a small lock numb of plastic is used to prevent inadvertent unscrewing. The sealing surface on the suit side is on the ID. This provides protection to the surface when the gloves are not installed. There is a chamfer on the ID to guide the o-ring during the locking process. The o-ring under the "nut" is also protected when the gloves are not attached. When the system is assembled the rubber cover of the nut keeps any grit and debris out of the seal area.
Donning and Duffing is very easy, easier than any system to date. It can easy be done on your own, no help needed. Just slide the glove on, turn the nut until its seated. The great thing about the nut being separate from the glove is you don't need to worry about glove alignment. The glove can be turned any direction you need without uninstalling it. The rubber on the nut provides ample friction to grip and turn with, even with the gloves on.
Now I do have some concerns about the system. First is the suit side sealing surface edge. The plastic is very thin near the edge where the o-ring starts to ride in. My fear is if this edge is hit on something it could cause a burr. If the burr is large enough it could nick the o-ring. So that's something I will be watching for as I use these more. My other issue is checking and replacing the o-ring. While it's great that the nut protects the o-ring, the only way to get at the o-ring is by removing the nut. I tried this and its a little tough. You need to be very careful not to break the nut where it rides in the groove. Its not something that can be done every dive. So I guess I will do my best to keep it clean, then inspect and or replace the o-ring every few months.
The size of the ring is pretty universal unless you have very small hands like my wife's. I was able to easily fit medium to XLg atlas gloves on them. They are stamped with "XL" so I'm hoping that they come out with a smaller size. The ring is large enough to go up to my wife's shoulder. So there a bit large for her to use, she is going to try them and see.
Last there is the price, these things are not cheap by any means. Internet prices are in the $160 range. I know this is diving, and diving is not cheap, but $160 for some injection molded plastic?
In closing, this system as tons for Pro's and very few minor con's. I would highly recommend someone looking for dry gloves to check these out.
And the verdict is, I love them, form fit, and function.
In my opinion this system is the best design I have seen to date. The method of installing the rings onto the suit seals and the gloves is easy and secure. It does not require any special tools. They supply different color plastic rings that go on the inside of the suit and gloves. The rings are of different sizes, used for different thickness seals and gloves. A friction press fit is formed by pressing the ring that's inside the suit or glove into the ring that is the sealing latching mechanism that rests outside the seal or glove. At first installation I started with the smallest inside ring. This would give the loosest friction fit and then kept going to a smaller ring. When the rings where snug when pressing together and I could pull on the attached ring hard enough to just about rip the seal off I used that color. After knowing the correct color installation and removal takes all but a few minutes. I was a bit concerned with seal damage from this, however after inspecting the rings and a few installations I did not see any wear on the seals. Installation on the gloves went just as painless.
The locking and sealing mechanism is very well thought out. There are 3 pieces to the system. The suit side ring is one piece of plastic with external threads and a sealing surface on the ID. The glove ring has an o-ring on the OD and a groove. A "nut" snaps into this groove and has internal threads. The nut is positioned to cover the o-ring and has a rubber cover on it. They use a shallow thread type design to pull the to rings together with an axial o-ring. It takes about a 90 degree turn to lock the to parts together. At the end of rotation a small lock numb of plastic is used to prevent inadvertent unscrewing. The sealing surface on the suit side is on the ID. This provides protection to the surface when the gloves are not installed. There is a chamfer on the ID to guide the o-ring during the locking process. The o-ring under the "nut" is also protected when the gloves are not attached. When the system is assembled the rubber cover of the nut keeps any grit and debris out of the seal area.
Donning and Duffing is very easy, easier than any system to date. It can easy be done on your own, no help needed. Just slide the glove on, turn the nut until its seated. The great thing about the nut being separate from the glove is you don't need to worry about glove alignment. The glove can be turned any direction you need without uninstalling it. The rubber on the nut provides ample friction to grip and turn with, even with the gloves on.
Now I do have some concerns about the system. First is the suit side sealing surface edge. The plastic is very thin near the edge where the o-ring starts to ride in. My fear is if this edge is hit on something it could cause a burr. If the burr is large enough it could nick the o-ring. So that's something I will be watching for as I use these more. My other issue is checking and replacing the o-ring. While it's great that the nut protects the o-ring, the only way to get at the o-ring is by removing the nut. I tried this and its a little tough. You need to be very careful not to break the nut where it rides in the groove. Its not something that can be done every dive. So I guess I will do my best to keep it clean, then inspect and or replace the o-ring every few months.
The size of the ring is pretty universal unless you have very small hands like my wife's. I was able to easily fit medium to XLg atlas gloves on them. They are stamped with "XL" so I'm hoping that they come out with a smaller size. The ring is large enough to go up to my wife's shoulder. So there a bit large for her to use, she is going to try them and see.
Last there is the price, these things are not cheap by any means. Internet prices are in the $160 range. I know this is diving, and diving is not cheap, but $160 for some injection molded plastic?
In closing, this system as tons for Pro's and very few minor con's. I would highly recommend someone looking for dry gloves to check these out.
