OP
LiteHedded
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opinions are like assholes, dude. why get so bent out of shape about ours?
smurf gloves
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opinions are like assholes, dude. why get so bent out of shape about ours?
PfcAJ
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Who's this "you guys"....
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OP
LiteHedded
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i just wanted to talk about blue gloves
It's simple, really ... if you need them, get some practice clipping and unclipping while wearing them. You asked how we do it ... that's how. It's not that difficult, really ... but like any other skill, it seems difficult until you get used to it. Then it's not.
Some dryglove tips ... if dexterity is an issue, don't get the blue gloves ... get the orange ones. They're a bit less sturdy, but offer more dexterity. Sturdy is only an issue if you're grabbing ahold of things, and if that's the case, then the tradeoff is to give up some dexterity for the extra layer of rubber on the glove.
Don't buy them from EE ... or any other dive shop. Order them from a fishing store like Seattle Marine. You'll pay a lot less money for the exact same product.
Don't get the lined gloves ... get the unlined and use separate liners appropriate to the water temps you're diving in. Besides giving you more options to choose liners appropriate to the water temps you're diving in, they're a lot easier to repair and dry out if they should leak. Besides, over time, the liners will start to stink and you'll want to wash them. Tossing separate liners in the washing machine is a lot easier than turning lined gloves inside out and going at them with a toothbrush and detergent.
For even the coldest temps in your area, I'd think a pair of polypro liners would be sufficient. For colder water temps, I've found the green wool liners you can pick up for about $4 a pair at any Army/Navy surplus store to work quite well. Nice thing about them is even if you flood a glove they'll keep you warm enough under all but the coldest conditions (40 degrees or less, typically).
You'll need rings. There's several on the market, and they all offer advantages and disadvantages. If you've got smallish hands, I've found the Viking bayonet style preferable ... because they're generally less expensive and the locking mechanism is more reliable than the snap-on kind. For folks with bigger hands, the Diving Concepts rings tend to work well ... but you have to be careful when putting them on to not get a piece of liner caught between the cuff ring and the sealing o-ring on the glove. None of them are particularly difficult to install or change gloves, but the Vikings and SiTechs are the easiest I've come across. Northern Diver makes a very reliable set, but it's huge and expensive ... and generally the only people I know who use them buy them more out of shop loyalty than for any practical reason I can think of.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Randy43068
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I agree with Bob 100% He's spot on about the gloves.
One mention, however, and this is only my experience, others may have better luck. Showa gloves (blue) from Seattle Marine are the most durable. They are unlined and come with removable liners (the insulator) but I haven't had much luck with the Atlas brand gloves. I've had 4 pair of blue ones, and two pair of the brown ones and all leaked almost straight away. The Showa (spelling?) gloves have been tough as nails, but thicker.
Your choice of insulator (inner glove) will make a huge difference in your manual dexterity as well as the glove thickness.
Incidentally, Atlas gloves are dirt cheap at less than 5 bucks a pair. (a couple of years ago they were that low cost IIRC)
One mention, however, and this is only my experience, others may have better luck. Showa gloves (blue) from Seattle Marine are the most durable. They are unlined and come with removable liners (the insulator) but I haven't had much luck with the Atlas brand gloves. I've had 4 pair of blue ones, and two pair of the brown ones and all leaked almost straight away. The Showa (spelling?) gloves have been tough as nails, but thicker.
Your choice of insulator (inner glove) will make a huge difference in your manual dexterity as well as the glove thickness.
Incidentally, Atlas gloves are dirt cheap at less than 5 bucks a pair. (a couple of years ago they were that low cost IIRC)
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The "brown" or orange ones are double PVC dipped while the blue ones are triple PVC dipped. I suspect that's why the brown ones aren't lasting very long for you. I have used the orange ones and they are ever so slightly more flexible, but it comes at a big hit on durability.
They are $3 a pair on Ebay. I've used them for years and never had a hole in one.
eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices
Ben_ca
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I've used drygloves for over 2 years on and off... and favor the orange ones over the blue. They are less durable but the dexterity and ease to install are worth the tradeoff.
Thant being said when I was preparing for a class I didn't have time to move the rings to my other suit and went with wet gloves and was surprised that my hands didn't get as cold as i thought they would. The big difference IMHO was a new 400 gram undergarment. I think that cold hands are a symptom of a cold core. In the PNW and other colder regions drygloves are essential... but sometimes it's just a nice thing to have to keep comfortable during long soaks.
just my .02$
Thant being said when I was preparing for a class I didn't have time to move the rings to my other suit and went with wet gloves and was surprised that my hands didn't get as cold as i thought they would. The big difference IMHO was a new 400 gram undergarment. I think that cold hands are a symptom of a cold core. In the PNW and other colder regions drygloves are essential... but sometimes it's just a nice thing to have to keep comfortable during long soaks.
just my .02$
LOL! You do eventually get use to them! But, switching back to bare handed diving is so much easier - it kinda feels like cheating!
I usually dive orange for dexterity, but last week wore one blue and one orange Atlas glove for comparison :shocked2:.
After a couple of days out, it seemed blue has noticeably less sensitivity, slightly less flexibility, no obvious added thermal protection, and the squeeze felt tighter before you equalize.
My last set of orange glove lasted a while - one glove lasted about 180 dives, the other over 100 recreational dives. But I'm not juggling all that tech gear - which I'd guess stresses gloves.
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