If you are a cold water dry suit diver, you know the importance of having warm, dexterous hands when on a cold dive. That is why choosing a dry glove system that works for you is very important for the dive’s enjoyment and safety. I will compare two dry glove systems I have used in this article. I will point out the good, the bad and the ugly of the Kubi dry glove versus the Viking Rubber Cuff Rings dive system dry glove cuffs.
This system has a few parts, including four aluminum wrist rings and several o-rings to help hold the rings in place. The Kubi rings look nice with a reflector sticker on the cuff. Let others know you have Kubi gloves. For a full review of the Kubi dry gloves, clinic here.
Pro’s
- easy to take your glove on and off once at the end of a dive; no need for buddy help
- well-built and durable
- There are three different wrist ring sizes, glove sizes, and textures.
- A different selection of insulation liner
Con’s
- Expensive compared to the competition ($299 CND in 2021)
- It is more complicated than the competition to install the dry suit
- You need to lubricate the main o-ring with silicone grease approximately every 50 dives; otherwise, it becomes difficult to take off.
This system has been around for a long time and is regularly used by commercial divers. This system is straightforward in design. The wrist cuff has a very modest look, being rubber. This also makes this system reasonably reliable and may be why commercial divers use it so often. For a full review of the Viking rubber cuff system, click here.
Pro’s
- Straightforward design compared to the competition
- Lots of glove options of different sizes, different textures and different thickness
- More affordable than the competition ($99 CND for cuffs +$20-30 for rubber gloves)
- Lots of options for glove-insulating liners.
- Easy to install on most dry suits
- Little to no maintenance
Con’s
- Difficult to put on without the help of another diver
- Made of rubber, it is still robust and not likely to break, but it is not aluminum.
- Don’t have a flashy, expensive look.
For a full review on the Viking Cuff Rings click here.
If you looked at the list of pros and Cons for these dry glove systems, one would think that I would choose the Viking system. The Viking system is an excellent product, and it always succeeded me on a dive, but it was challenging to put on the gloves once you have the insulating liner on without help. I found this very frustrating. The rubber gloves that work with the set are very heavy-duty, so they don’t get any easier with use.
For that, I have liked using the Kubi gloves system. It has all the similar features; they are more robust, being aluminum, but they are effortless to put on and off. At the end of a cold dive, when your outdoor temperature is below zero, struggling to take your dry gloves off to open your car on a shore dive puts a damper on the whole adventure, and the Kubi gloves were my solution to that problem.
Hopefully, I was able to give you a little insight into what both systems offer and which one may work for your personal experience.