Viking Bayonet Dry Gloves

[Raiderswim]

Has anyone used the Viking Bayonet style dry gloves that turn and lock in?  Can they be used with a wrist seal still in place?  How'd you like them?  Pros?  Cons?  Also open to hear good points of other dry glove systems.

[arcFlash]

I use the Viking Dry Glove Cuff Rings. I chose them because they can't fail. (at least I can't see how). It's just a stiff rubber cuff ring. You stretch a rubber glove over it. Many gloves fit it. I would think a yellow dish washing glove in a pinch would work. I have wrist seals and do not vent them to the suit. I enjoy the redundancy in the seals if I hole a glove on a dive or decide at the last minute to use wet gloves or no gloves. I don't dive very deep but unvented gloves work for me at 100 feet. If I start spending a lot of time below that I may add a string to the wrist seal.

The down side to the basic ring is learing how to get the gloves on yourself. But you learn. Other then that, they are brilliant.

The wife uses the Bayonet system on her 905 suit. I like them up to a point. You still have wrist seals but the o-ring is in the bottom of a channel and it can move and prevent you from locking on the glove. Last time it was 30 minutes of poking at it to resolve the issue. I don't like anything that breaks without warning and have o-rings you can't get to easy. They are also plastic and that can crack. Sand can compromise the seal as well as prevent you from mounting the gloves. I don't like them much.

My 2 cents on the DUI ZipSeal (only used on a demo suit for 3 dives). They are great in theory but you leave the gloves on the suit so as soon as you get your arms in your stuck doing everything in gloved hands. I like putting the gloves on right before I enter the water and fin up. The neck seal is worth it but I personally wouldn't buy the gloves.

[Raiderswim]

I agree with the ZipSeals.  That is the reason I didn't get them, having to do everything gloved.

Do you or your wife use a inner glove/glove for warmth under the outside layer?  How does your cuff system seal so no water leaks in??

[arcFlash]

I still use the yellow 'wool' glove from the original set. I tried polartec gloves, they work fine. You have to use something under them. If you don't need it, don't use dry gloves.

How does the glove seal? The rubber glove is stretched around the ring like you would fill a water balloon on a hose. If you mean the rings themselves. They are two piece and do not break the seal on the suit. You put one ring on the outside just below the wrist seal then push a smaller ring down the inside of the arm until they nest tightly together sealing the suit to the ring. I can take them off at anytime, all be it difficult. They are not glued and the suit is not cut or damaged.

Bayonet press in the same way, no glue.

[LKunze]

I use the Diving Concepts glove system and it is a very easy and reliable system.  I had problems early on not with the rings but with the compressed neoprene Diving Concepts gloves developing seam failures and leaking but now I just use the cheap black Magid rubber gloves on the rings and have yet to have a single issue with them. They have better dexterity than the blue PVC smurf gloves or neoprene gloves and have held up better as well.  It takes a lot to put a hole in the rubber gloves.  I've snagged them on sharp objects to the point the glove was stretching and still no hole in the glove. I have holed the blue PVC gloves just from busting a snail in my hand...not the case with the rubber gloves. 

On the Diving Concepts rings I've heard some untrue information about this system such as the rings popping off on ascent from excess air in the gloves and/or leaks due to sand or hair on the o-ring and I do not find this to be the case at all.  I've purposely let my glove blow up like a balloon on ascent and it never came close to popping off, they are very secure.  The key with this system is good maintenance.  You need to make sure you have a thin layer of silicone on the o-ring to make getting the glove rings connected easier when you snap them together and this also makes it easier to pop them off after the dive.

I've had sand and hair/fuzz stuck to the light layer of silicone on the o-rings as well and that has never caused leaks either.  Maybe I'm lucky but I think the DC dry glove system is very robust.  This ring system is very versatile too in that you are not limited as to what gloves you can use. You can use any glove you want.  Rubber gloves, blue PVC smurf gloves, the orange nitrile gloves or neoprene wet suit gloves (provided the seams are sealed good) with a glued on wrist seal that could be stretched over the glove ring. 

Regarding the Viking non-bayonet cuff ring system that arcflash is using, this is a very popular system locally but I have seen first hand several cases on dives over the years where divers using this system have had the glove pull off of the ring on a dive making for a very uncomfortable dive.  Dan G can attest to that.  Your mileage may vary but no glove ring system is perfect and I think with any of the ring types you may use, you have to make sure everything is connected securely and properly before submerging. 

[Kirk]

I am personally a big fan of the Viking Rings with the generic chemical gloves stretched over them.  And if the outer rings are permanently attached to the suit, like one of my dry suits, they function just like the zip seals, without having to pay the extra for the ziplock function.  The only downside, especially on a very warm day, is that it can be a bit of a hassle getting the second glove on.  With that in mind, when it is warm, after I get in my suit, yet prior to getting into my harness (and thus prior to putting my gloves on), if it is convenient, I go sit in the water for a while to cool off.  - Kirk

[MNDiver]

I have used several different dry gloves and can say without a doubt, that for me, dry gloves really make a huge difference. 

I use a bayonet style ring system/glove (SI tech) permanently installed on my recreational dry suit.  Like the previous post said, you can replace the wrist seal yourself in just a few minutes.  And since they pack small, I can carry spares in my save a dive kit.  I like the SI Tech quite a bit and have only had to replace the "blue smurf" gloves once and got them for $8 at Fleet Farm.  I have never put a hole in the blue glove, just wore the finger tips smooth after a few years.  They have flooded, usually because the blue gloves slips out of the glove end of the bayonet system.  They are held in place by a plastic ring that compresses the glove.  Over time I have found I need to "re-seat" this seal.  Even flooded, the gloves are quite warm.  The biggest problem I have with them is that I have LARGE hands and I have to squeeze my paw into the glove. It is not easy sometimes. The main reason the gloves come off the ring is my big hand pushing the ring and glove apart.  They are well made, have not broke them yet after several years of use and the only maintenance has been to buy replacement o rings after a few years.  Two thumbs up on this system...(if you have normal size hands).

I have seen another ring system that compresses together that seems to have a larger ring opening and uses the same blue gloves.  I think they are the Diving Concepts rings.  Would like to try, but since my rings are glued to my suit, I need to get another dry-suit first. ;D 

I have used the OS system rings and found them hard to take apart after a dive. The gloves also sealed on the inside of the glove to the ring so all the gloves had to be smooth inside.  This ruled out all lined gloves and made it necessary to buy more expensive gloves.  It became enough of a problem that I just got different rings.  The big thumbs down on the OS Systems...

On my Viking HD dry suit I use the Viking rubber ring and the pull-over Viking gloves.  Again, the rings are permanently attached to the suit, so I can change the wrist seals anytime I need, it really only takes two minutes. The there are several benefits to this system.  They are really fool/bomb/idiot proof. When the gloves are brand new, it takes some help to get them on.  Once the rubber has loosened up a bit, they are no problem.  I like that I can wear almost any thickness glove I want under the rubber glove. Even with really thick liners on, getting my big hand in the glove has never been a problem.  Only down side to this system is that the gloves themselves are pricey to replace when you tear them (say on a sharp piece of glass).  Since the cheapest I have found them is about $35, it can really add up.  I have tried lots of other "rubber" gloves, but the viking seem to be the best compromise between cold flexibility and toughness.  I even tried "Line mans electrical gloves" and once they got cold, they became too hard to move comfortably.  I am pretty sure the Viking are made by Goodyear.  So if anyone out there knows the size 12 part/model number from Goodyear, please let me know.   I want to by a dozen pairs.

I have never had any dry glove "blow off" or pull off my suit.  I am sure it happens, but I have just never seen it happen.  On general shallow muck dives I just put the glove on and go.  On deeper dives I put a pice of O2 tubing under my wrist seal letting air go into and out of the glove.  This way I don't get a squeeze from the glove.  On the odd occasion I flood a glove, I just pull the O2 tube out, and the rest of me stays dry. 

I highly recommend having your ring system permanently attached to your suit so you can change your own wrist seals.  This has saved my bacon more than a few times. 

Whatever you get, make sure you can get your hand in and out easy enough and you can lock it all up to your suit without too much difficulty before you buy.