Ultima Dry Glove System question

[Deep South Divers]

Well... It gets confusing, because there's two websites that I know of for SHOWA - an American one (which makes sense, since they're made in the USA near Atlanta, GA) and a UK one, which appears to actually be larger - or at least better placed by Google. The information on each website does not always agree with the other. :-/

There may be a practical reason for that, though... Most of their gloves' length is dependent on glove size. The larger the glove, the longer it is.

The 660 and 720 both are listed as 300mm-320mm, which sounds about right. I measured my XL 660 at about 12.75 inches... 320mm on the dot... But it stretches considerably with little effort. 14" is not a problem.

I don't have a 720 here to test at the moment - I've used them all. :-D. But it's definitely a stretchier glove for sure and I am confident that you'll be able to use it without an issue.

Still, the 660s are available in those special lengths, too... The 330mm and 340mm... Which equates out to be 13.2" and 13.6" respectively.

The XXL NSK24s that I have measure out to be 13.75" long... And easily stretch to be 15" or more with little effort.

The NSK26s are three or four FEET long, and can be trimmed down to whatever size you want.

Call SHOWA today and ask for samples of all of the above. If the woman there asks (forgive me, I can't remember her name), just tell her that you're working on the research with DEEP SOUTH DIVERS near Savannah.

 

[a878bob]

I have the ultimate rings as well, the 282 fit easily. On my first set I cut of the border on the cuff. It is a fabric and not stretchable. I thought it would make getting the gloves on the ring easier and it did. Then cut back the inside, the ring holds the two layers in place without a problem.

I fold the glove over the oring and place on the glove ring, so the smooth part, outside, is sealed to the ring. I did this with my diving concepts and now ultima. I’ve seen people do it opposite where they seal the inside of the glove to the ring, this certainly won’t work with any kind of lining.

 

[Deep South Divers]

Good idea! Love it.

The 281s are the same as the 282s that you used, but there is a smooth lining instead of a "fuzzy" lining, and there is no seam to have to cut off. So the 281s are easier to install, but they're not going to be as warm.

I have yet to try either the 282s or the 281s... They are rather short, and are an issue for us with long arms. I'm also a bit worried about the thinness of the material that the 281s and 282s are made of, although the EN388 numbers (hazard numbers) say that this shouldn't be a concern... And that they're just as tough as the 720s and the 660s.

We'll see. I sure do look forward to your review of them! Pictures and video help!

 

[Ean86]

Damn, I just spent about 30 minutes working one 620 onto a ring and slowly tugging on the glove to remove the excess without having the glove slip off the hard ring. Man what a pain in the ass. I wish SHOWA or Ansel could just develop some glove with a built in o-ring. I'd pay for this just to make this process easy and ensure the glove was evenly around the ring on the first try.

 

[Ean86]

Got them on and relatively even all around on the fabric!

 

[Deep South Divers]

Looks really great!

I agree that the glove-loading process is a super pain. I wish there was an easy way.

I think Waterproof should make a special tool... Although I don't know exactly what that'd be. I've tried a few, but it seems the only thing that really works is time and patience.

The easiest time I've had so far is to warm the glove first and stretch it hard for several minutes... And then put it onto a wet ring or maybe even a wet glove.

Anyone tried dipping the ring or cuff in hot water first - then letting it dry?

The 720s seem to load easiest of this bunch.

Maybe the 620s have a smaller diameter cuff than the 720s or 660s?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

How soon we forget.

 

[Deep South Divers]

Best tool I've seen yet - a piece of wood.

 

[Storker]

I've never tried to put a set of 620s on a set of Ultima rings.

I use the 620s since I want a thin glove to be able to operate my camera rig, and I switched from Antares to Optima last November. It's a little bit of a struggle to put the 620s on Optima rings, but it's doable.

And I always use glove liners. Usually a pair of inexpensive thin knitted wool gloves with the cuff partly cut off.

 

[Ean86]

How soon we forget.

I didn't forget that video but correct me if I'm wrong, that tool can make it easier to get on the first time without struggling but you still may have to try to get an even amount of glove on all side by whatever means possible?