Ultima dry-glove system....ARRGGGG!!!!

[davehicks]

This can be very easy to install the gloves. I do it all the time in 2-3 minutes with Shows 720s. I bought a second dry suit and new set of Ultima rings just this week and installed the gloves.

The trick is to get three spring clamps to hold the glove and orings in place. Put one the first one, the a second about 60 degrees around, then a third. At that point you just stretch the remaining part over the ring.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073XGGG4V/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fHMcFbV0X62P8

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I've found that the 720s stretch easily enough that you can install them with just a little stretching.

 

[Zef]

I must be missing something too. The video makes it look like you managed to do it successfully.

I dont recall posting a video of me mounting gloves but I will tell you that I have figured out a technique that works for me...once you crack the code on this it becomes much easier to to mount the gloves. Here are a couple of tips:

1. Warm up the o-rings that secure the gloves on the rings in hot water for a few minutes...this helps make them easier to stretch.

2. Don't think of the mounting procedure as stretching the glove and o-ring over the ring...instead think of it as pushing them over and around the ring....every time I try to stretch them over the tendency is to lift up while pulling and this causes the glove and o-ring to pop off the area started. Think of it as more of a mauling motion than a pulling/stretching motion.

3. Expect your hands to hurt until you figure out the technique.

Since I started this thread I have used the si tech virgo, 4th element elipse, and si tech glove lock. For reliability I prefer the Ultima DGS despite the initial issues with getting gloves mounted.

If I was entering the dry glove market all over again, I would seriously consider the new Rolock 90 system.

Good luck.

-Z

 

[TM_NW]

I found it to be a major pain but was able to get the gloves over the rings with help. However, diving with this system & my Fusion drysuit is fabulous. Normal my hands cramp up after diving from the cold but not anymore!

 

[Zef]

Update:

I found the glove retaining o-rings from another glove system (fourth element ellipse) worked just as well to secure the gloves on the rings but made the job of mounting the gloves on the rings much much easier.

After measuring and then comparing to standard o-ring sizes I found that the one from the fourth element is roughly 6mm larger in diameter and approximates a 341 o-ring.

The o-ring from the ellipse system is also a bit stretchier, perhaps that is due to the larger diameter or perhaps that is due to a lower material hardness (durometer/shore). I believe the 4E o-rings are either 70A or 75A durometer.

If one cannot locally source a pair of size 341 70A o-rings locally, then a pack of 25 can be purchased from Amazon.com at the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/341-Buna-N-R...eywords=o-ring+size+341&qid=1604996575&sr=8-3

At $13.28/pack of 25 that comes out to $0.53 per o-ring, and should be enough o-rings to last nearly one's life time for the intended purpose.

-Z

 

[Zef]

Follow-up:

Although it took nearly forever, the size 341/70 durometer o-rings I ordered off of Amazon finally arrived.

When I measured the o-rings from my Fourth Element Ellipse kit, I made an educated guess comparing my measurements to those in a standard o-ring size chart...in actuality the 341 o-rings are slightly larger in diameter compared to the o-rings that I was playing with from the 4th Element Ellipse system and the 70 durometer is also slightly more stretchy than the Ellipse o-rings as well. This makes using the 341/70 o-rings a DREAM when it comes to mounting gloves on the Ultima DGS glove side rings.

I test fitted with a SHOWA 720 glove size XL and a SHOWA 495 glove size medium. Even the not as stretchy PVC dipped 495 glove in size medium was a breeze to put on the Ultima ring.

The o-ring stretchiness made it slightly easier to pull the gloves off the rings but it still required a deliberate effort to get the gloves to come off. I also tested the security of the glove on the ring using a 2nd 341/70 o-ring on top as a backup similar to what the Ultima branded silicone protective covers provide and that made it nearly impossible to get the glove to come off without removing the 2nd/backup o-ring first.

I would highly recommend anyone with the Ultima DGS to pick up a few 341/70 o-rings...you will not regret it and they will make the Ultima system that much more of a pleasure to use as one will no longer need to cringe when thinking about mounting gloves.

-Z