warmest wet suit gloves???

[digigirl]

Hello fellow divers!

I am looking for some insight on an issue that I think we can relate to and an issue that I believe we feel is important to remedy the best we can --- COLD HANDS ---

I am looking for recommendations from you experienced cold water divers on the warmest 5 finger wet suit gloves that provide some dexterity in cold water (40 - 50F).

There is so much manufacturer marketing hype on whose gloves are the best/warmest (i.e. titanium, gold core, 5mm, 7mm, etc. etc.), it's a little overwhelming. (At this point, I'm only focusing on the 5 finger gloves and am not interested in non-5 finger gloves or dry gloves).

I figure the only way to really know which ones really give you an advantage in the warmth department is to talk to divers who have actually tried them in cold water and see which ones they like the best.

I greatly appreciate all advice/recommendations.

 

[SubMariner]

digigirl,

I guess I have to ask you what thickness of exposure protection you will be wearing. And how cold you get.

For example, In Canada I always wore full 1/4" neoprene (about 5-7mm) in gloves while some people could get away with 3mm or even reef gloves. Remember, as the thickness of the neoprene goes up, your dexterity level will go down.

If the water was cold enough for me to be wearing my gloves (I always wore a hood) then I wore long 1/4" neoprene gauntlet-style gloves. They came up to about mid-forearm (about 1/2 between the wrist & elbow) and had velcro straps that encircled the opening that you could cinch to retard water exchange, thus keeping my hands warmer longer. They also had grippy textured kevlar palms.

They were manufactured by Wenoka, but since I have not worn them in about 5 years (change of location) I don't know if Wenoka still makes them.

BTW, they are still in good shape & I could wear them if I wanted to!

Hope this helped,

~SubMariner~

 

[srkdvr]

We don't need no sticking gloves Kidding... I dive year round here in Virginia Beach..... the water temp gets into the low 50's and high 40's in the winter.... so...... the gloves I wear are 5 mm Havery's titanium and my hands stay good and warm..... Hope this helps.

Rich :mean:

 

[Hawk]

I use 3mm ScubaMax gloves. I have used 7mm gloves and they were colder and had less movement than these. I think what has happened with these gloves is that they fit so well with no extra space for cold water, that they insulate better. Most of my diving is between 38 to 50 degrees F. My hands never get cold, even at
38 degrees now.



Later, Hawk.

 

[jonnythan]

I wear a pair of ~ 3mm gloves I found at Wal Mart. They're black, have a blue strap, and the index finger and thumb have slits in the center so it's very easy to pull out those to fingers to do something that requires dexterity.

They keep me plenty warm and I love having my fingertips accessible.

Oh yeah, and they were $7.95

 

[Dryglove]

Get a hold of bob3 from this board.He sells some gloves called endurotech.They are 5mm thick with a kevlar coated palm and fingers.The best part is that they have a neoprene seal like on a drysuit that almost completely seals the cold water out of the gloves.And if your really cold blooded fill the gloves with warm water and the seal will help hold it there.

I purchased a pair from him and they are great.They are made to last a very long time.I mostly dive in mid 50 degree water and have yet to get cold hands with these.Hope this helps!!

 

[art.chick]

I don't HAFTA have that much warmth most of the year, but I like to have my 5mm Seasoft TiPro Kevlar-palmed gloves for the days when I am diving by big rocks to protect my hands. They are quite warm, but it takes time to break them in to get the dexterity you are talking about. Even so, they are not as finger-friendly as 3mm. Invariably, a student asks me to adjust his equipment just after I have put them on, & I must take them off to make it possible.

 

[Tibbs]

I can second the recommendation of Endurotech Gloves.

I got a pair free by subscribing to a Dive Mag over here and they are very VERY warm.

They can be a bit of a pain to get on, especially with latex seals, as I find that the act of getting them on can dislodge the latex seals a bit. A friend of mine has cut the seal out of his and dives them as full wet gloves. He seems perfectly warm.

For me they are actually too warm most of the year. As soon as the water temperature gets much above 10 degrees C, I swap them for Typhoon 3mm Kevlar Jobbies, which I also like.

I have also found that tight gloves make my hands colder than slightly looser gloves. I think it's because a pair of 5mm gloves I owned reduced the bloodflow to my hands, making them colder. I swapped to 3mm and suffered less!

HTH,

Chris

 

[Bob3]

http://comdive.com/endurotech.htm

3-finger mitts are not only warmer, but also have better dexterity than 5 finger gloves of the same thickness because there is less material on the sides of the fingers going into tension & compression.

 

[wackodacko]

gloves are what I use.. My hands are warm in there.. the only problem is i wish i got the titanium, cuz its a bit easier to put on when the gloves are wet. Water temp around here is about 50-60