Dry Gloves

[Raiderswim]

Looking for a new Dry suit and glove options for a DUI suit. 

SI-5 Glove System Suit Integrated or SI-TECH Glove Systems

What has been your experience? 
Or and the Zip Gloves OK?

Help!

[LKunze]

I use the Diving Concepts glove/ring system.  They have worked out ok for me for the most part over the past 4 years.  I have had some flooding issues when using the wool liners because they shed real bad and have a tendency to leave behind little fibers that stick to the inner o-ring on the glove ring which I suspect was causing some of my leak issues.  I now use fleece liners instead.  As far as gloves go I am currently using the blue Atlas 495 gloves (the ones without the fuzzy yellow liners in them).  They work alright but the con is that they are bulky and can be a pain to work boltsnaps with.  I've also used plain rubber gloves that are less bulky and have much better dexterity but they don't seem to be as durable as the blue pvc coated gloves.  I've holed a couple pairs.  I'm still in search for the perfect glove.  : Some people really hate the rings as they are kinda bulky but I don't mind that so much. 
On a side not, a dive buddy of mine made his own ring system using PVC that was turned on a lathe.  The rings are not as big in diameter as most rings I've seen on the market.  It's a similar system to the Viking system (not the bayonet system) but rather the one where you just pull the gloves over the plastic suit ring.  The rubber gloves used have a built in o-ring at end of the cuff and it seals over the outer plastic ring.  What's different about my buddy's system though compared to the Viking system is that the ring inserts inside the sleeve rather than being on the outside.  It goes in just past where the wrist seal meets the suit.  The rubber glove then is pulled over the top of the wrist seal onto the pvc ring and the o-ring on the glove cuff seals over the wrist seal.  Because the pvc ring inside the suit has a slight groove notched out in it the o-ring does not slide off of the wrist seal.  It's a pretty slick system in that you still have the wrist seal intact but you can very easily remove the rings out of the sleeve after each dive just by pulling it straight out.  You do not have to turn the sleeve inside out to install the suit sleeve ring and there are no rings needed to be installed on the gloves. 

[matt t.]

I use the Si-tech system. It's reasonably priced if you shop around (E-bay), and most any glove can be used with them. At this point we're using the blue Atlas gloves purchased on-line from some fishing supply place for $7 a pair. Easily patched (if you like to touch thinks underwater) with PVC cement. Most any rubber or PVC glove will work and can be purchased for $5-$10 a pair. The Diving Concepts Neoprene dry gloves are expensive and prone to leaking. I'd stay away from them. Look for a "system" that will allow you to retain your wrist seals in case of a flood. No wrist seals=wet arms. There is usually a learning curve when starting out with dry gloves. Stay with it, you'll love them in the long run.

[Swimjim]

I own the sci-5 glove system and its a leaker.  Too many failure points.  Its also very tough to don if you have big hands.  Thats been my expereience with it.  Good luck with it.

Jim

[MikeS]

I use the old Viking system.  No o rings, just two wrings per wrist.  They're pretty big, too, and I use cheap Home Depot rubber gloves over them.

[Swimjim]

I went with the Viking system, which I purchased from divebum.  As mentioned, they work well with my rather large size hands. The gloves are inexpensive and easy to don and doff and they don't leak.  The system is dead simple and easy to use.  No picky orings to leak, the gloves are easy to get over the rings to create a seal and no unlocking ring to jamb so you can remove them easily.  I can also retain my wrist seals as you can with the sci-5's.  I haven't found it neceassary to use a tube to equalise the glove.  I dove the Wisconsin today.  42 degree bottom temp and no surprises or problems.

Jim

[Vtach]

I have had the SI-Tech system on my Bare drysuit.  It works well if you are very meticulous with keeping the o-ring clean along with care during "docking" and removal.  I had a couple of episodes where I probably hurried a bit with docking and pinched an o-ring and ended up with cold wet hands.  I ended up switching to a rubber glove and pulled it over the outer docking ring and it sealed just fine.

I just picked up a DUI TLS 350 and put zip zeals on it and use the old Viking system with the same rubber gloves and it works great.  For myself, I would not use the zip gloves primarily because there is no wrist seal.  Another reason is that the zip gloves are always on the suit.  I like the flexibility of being able to take the gloves off while still in the suit.