Waterproof G1 5mm Gloves & Fourth Element 5mm Gloves

If you read my review of Waterproof’s G1 7mm three-finger mitts (http://shinesdiveblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/waterproof-g1-7mm-three-finger-mitt.html), then you know I have a pretty high opinion of this company.  So I looked forward to trying their G1 5mm five-finger gloves.  As much as I love the three-finger mitts, by design, they cause some loss of dexterity and tactile sense, which the five-finger gloves, by design, won’t.  The question was, in what temperature water could I comfortably wear them.

First, a bit of background.  Over the last few years, my favorite five-finger glove has been the Fourth Element 5mm.  Not only are these form-fitting gloves virtually indestructible, they cause almost no loss of dexterity or tactile sense.  And they’re very cool looking.  If Spiderman were a diver, they’d be his glove of choice.  But the one time I wore them in 48-degree water, my hands were pretty cold.  I now only wear them when I know the water is going to be consistently above 51/52 degrees. 

Now back to the Waterproof gloves.  They’re the same high-quality construction as the Waterproof mitts, with the main difference being the lack of an inner seal to help minimize water flow.  Obviously, this means that they aren’t going to be as warm as the mitts but it does makes them easier to get on.

Waterproof G1 5mm gloves

I’ve now worn them on about a dozen dives and, of course, have found that I have more dexterity and tactile sense with them than I do with the mitts, although not as much as I do with the Fourth Element gloves.  The first time I wore them, the water temperature was 44 degrees and that turned out to be a bit too cold.  On the rest of the dives, water temps were 46 degrees and up and, on all of them, my hands were fine.  Dive times ranged from 45 to 65 minutes.  Temperature-wise, that’s outstanding.

Add it all up and what you get is a glove that I love – but not to the point of tossing my Fourth Elements.  Both of these gloves are great but have their advantages and disadvantages over each other, depending on the conditions.

With this in mind, my glove strategy going forward is pretty clear.  When water temps are below 46 degrees, I’ll wear the Waterproof mitts for maximum warmth; when they’re 46 degrees or above, I’ll switch to the Waterproof gloves to gain more dexterity and tactile sense while still staying warm; and when they’re above 52 degrees – the temperature at which I generally switch to a wetsuit anyway – I’ll switch to the Fourth Element gloves to get as much dexterity and tactile sense as possible.

Obviously, I’d recommend both of these gloves for diving in coldish water.  With the Waterproof gloves, your hands will be warmer in colder water; and with the Fourth Element gloves, you’ll have a bit more dexterity and tactile sense.   The optimum situation would be to get both and switch them out as conditions warrant.

Fourth Element 5mm gloves