dry glove system
- Thread starter markdol1
- Start date
Dan Wright
Rebreather Enthusiast
After trying over a 1/2 dozen different types of dry glove systems in ten years, the Kubi/UTD system works like a charm! I found the 2XL gloves work best for me, as I use heated glove liners as well. Replacement gloves were cheap too, I even found spares in Scapa Flow while diving there in October, I was so happy, I bought two pair of gloves!
nickb
The JJ Kid
They're very well made but I find them too bulky, even in the 80mm size. I've gone for the Sitech Antares system which uses oval rings and has a lower profile.
PeterN
Active Member
They are the smallest profile of any ring I have seen including the Antares when measured longitudinaly on the arm.
Several people I know with the Antares report broken tabs and other problems.
I have not used the Antares, but I have used several other systems and Kubi is my favorite to date. The only downside is that they can be a little difficult to take off.
I use mine with much heavier fabric backed gloves than come with them. In order to do this I use a slightly different sized O ring on the glove side and you have to apply the fabric gloves differently so they have the rubber on the O ring side for a seal.
Peter
silentbob
Member
I tried the Antares system but I couldn't get my hands through the rings! They may be low profile but perhaps a little too low profile for some.
I'm back to the QCP setup.
I live in Switzerland so use dry gloves year round, with water temp of 4-5C below 10m even in summer. I have used (for a number of years) the ND drive glove system. They work, but are very bulky rings. I've been using the Antares system for the last 1.5-2 years. I would not recommend them. In my opinion they are a faff, unless perhaps if you have small hands.
The flimsy ring that attaches to the glove attaches externally, therefore by putting your hands in to the glove you can if not carefull push the glove off the ring. To reduce this occuring I have to wear think inner gloves , not ideal, as obviously they are what offers the insulation. The ring also has tabs that click into place, and in my experience you need to be very careful that the tab locks in place. I actually order a 2nd antares kit, pre-empting when these tabs break, so far Ive been lucky.
In short, I would personally recommend avoiding Antares. i am also not so sure they really make much of a difference in their profile.
As my suit was custom adadpted to the Antares I live with them for the moment, but may well in the future have the suit altered and go with the Kubi system.
The flimsy ring that attaches to the glove attaches externally, therefore by putting your hands in to the glove you can if not carefull push the glove off the ring. To reduce this occuring I have to wear think inner gloves , not ideal, as obviously they are what offers the insulation. The ring also has tabs that click into place, and in my experience you need to be very careful that the tab locks in place. I actually order a 2nd antares kit, pre-empting when these tabs break, so far Ive been lucky.
In short, I would personally recommend avoiding Antares. i am also not so sure they really make much of a difference in their profile.
As my suit was custom adadpted to the Antares I live with them for the moment, but may well in the future have the suit altered and go with the Kubi system.
nickb
The JJ Kid
I would suggest that you're probably using the wrong spanner ring. In my experience, once the gloves are attached correctly, they are virtually impossible to dislodge accidentally.
The breaking tabs thing is widely touted but I've only heard of a couple of actual occurrences and all were the result of clumsiness. It's yet to happen to me but a spare ring is about a tenner here, so I keep one in my bag.
"virtually impossible" is definitely not my experience, and Ive tried the various spanner rings. To me, when fully suited up, I want a robust dry glove system that goes on and clicks into place without issue. For me the Antares aint it. ND are great if they were not so bulky. Kubi looks like a good solution. A lot of divers over here use the Rolock system are are very happy with it.
nickb
The JJ Kid
What gloves are you using? I have two sets of rings with different gloves: some black vinyl ones supplied by Ursuit attached using the thicker spanner ring and some blue Showa (Smurf) ones attached using the thinner rings. Both are firmly attached and require substantial effort to remove.
I'd suggest cleaning all the surfaces with some rubbing alcohol before assembly, maybe they are a bit greasy. I can't see any other reason why your experience should be different.
The only mishaps I've ever heard of with the Antares system have been ultimately down to good old 'user error'.
Im using showa gloves. They dont detach if 1) I wear a relatively thin under glove and 2) take care putting them on. I new you'd come back with user error. How hard should it be to put on a glove ;-). Anyway it is not just potential detachment that I have issue with, it is also the clicking in place of the tabs. Sitech have come up with a fudge to fix this, an additional red ring that is placed inside the suit ring to assist in locking, as Sitech put "when using bulky undersuits". Question is who isnt wearing a decent amount of undersuit, when drygloves are required. This red ring does help with the locking, but ultimately they could be better designed. They do work, they are just not very robust/user friendly in my opinion.
Ive also had multiple people Ive met on dives over here laugh when they see the Antares, and add their own/buddies experiences.
Ive also had multiple people Ive met on dives over here laugh when they see the Antares, and add their own/buddies experiences.
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nickb
The JJ Kid
The red support ring just gets in the way for me, I don't need it.
I think the reference to 'bulky' refers to the amount of material in the wrist area of the undersuit. The DUI xM450 is thick all the way to the cuff and can make securing the glove a bit more difficult, although I always manage. The Santi suits have a much better wrist/cuff design and make kitting-up a breeze.
Maybe I have smaller hands (mine are 8.5), so thick under gloves aren't an issue. It's clear that the Antares system isn't ideal for divers with bigger hands. I don't know what the cut-off is but I guess 9.5-10 would be the upper limit. Here is where the Kubis trump SiTech as they have various sizes.
Maybe a hand size/IQ test should be mandatory before buying into the SiTech system? Fail that and you get given Kubis
silentbob
Member
Try sticking 11.5s through the cuff. :flypig: