Followers of my blog and Facebook page may know
that for some time I’ve been having issues with my Si Tech Antares
system, and the final straw was a full suit flood
whilst acting as a safety diver for TEKCamp 2015. FFS!!!
As Kubi was
one of the suppliers who had a stand at TEKCamp 2015
I decided to have a look at the systems on offer. Originally my first choice of dry gloves back
in 2013, I opted against them as I didn’t like the over seals that had to be
fitted to suits to get the system to work.
Luckily Kubi
have recently launched a Fitted System to
their range, and after a long chat with Peter I decided on getting the system
fitted to my drysuit, with 80mm rings and XL gloves. Black gloves come as standard so I also opted
to get a pair of the white gloves as I feel that they will be better for teaching.
Both Peter and Martin have been excellent,
offering impartial advice and not pushing a sell, and when I had an issue with
the system on its first dive, and a few others, (see below), their response was
immediate in trying to resolve the situation.
Once I had decided I contacted O’Three to try and get a set
sorted before the summer holidays.
Unfortunately this was only 2 weeks away, however, because of all of the
previous issues I had been experiencing with my Si Tech Antares
system, Josh arranged collection of my suit, and
fitting of the gloves at no cost (I still had to pay for the Kubi's). And promised all would be done within my time
frame.
As promised, the suit arrived on time with the
work completed. The only compromise was
that O’Three
had run out of grey neoprene and had to use black on the arms, as just like the
Si Tech Antares
system, the diameter had to be altered. Personally I don’t mind and I think it looks
ok.
The first thing I did, other than try it on, was
to cut the label off the glove liners, as I had heard of leaks due to the label
becoming trapped in the o-rings. I also
replaced the black gloves for the white ones and sized them up (although it
would take a further 3 or 4 dives to get them sized correctly so that I didn’t
end up with flaps at the end of my fingers).
The merino wool glove liners are extremely effective at keeping your hands warm, even during a glove flood, and are not so thick that you lose dexterity.
On Peter’s recommendation, I went for the 80mm rings
that fit my hands (XL gloves), but it can be a bit of a squeeze to fit through. However this does mean that the rings on my
suit are less obtrusive. In transit, one
obvious advantage the Kubi
has over the Si Tech Antares
system is its size.
Effectively the system pushes flat and fits inside the red canvas bag,
and other than o-ring care there’s nothing to worry about. The aluminium rings are sturdy, and although
scratch easily; appear to be able to withstand a battering. Compare that to the plastic clips on the Si Tech Antares
system, which could, and often did break.
The only real downside at the minute is the fitted
system. As previously mentioned, I
didn’t buy the Kubi's
before as I didn’t like the over seal; however the wife did and you can see a
picture comparing the 2 systems. (Other
thank the leak – see below) I have found that if you push too hard on the
gloves when donning them it can release the O-ring that secures the cuff
quick-release. 
Despite my initial impressions that the dry
gloves feel quite soft, especially compared to the Showa’s fitted to the Si Tech Antares
system, they are actually quite robust. My wife has not managed to puncture hers in
18 months. The black standard gloves
also have extra grip on the palm and fingers.
As previously mentioned however I chose the white gloves. These are sized slightly differently to the
black gloves, so it is definitely worth trying a set on prior to purchasing
any, however I was XL in both. The white
gloves are extremely effective in poor visibility, although I have noticed that
they are quite grippy, especially compared to the Showa’s. I need to apply much less pressure onto my
spool when deploying my DSMB.
1 –
8 August 2015
My first dive in the system was 2 days later at
NDAC on a staged decompression dive, and they leaked almost immediately in the
right arm. I got out and had a play, but
they still leaked so I had no choice but to carry on with the dive. Needless to say O’Three got a stern email
that night. The next day I was diving
Mewstone out of Plymouth, and they dived dry, which was a relief, and they
continued to do so for another 3 days until they again leaked. 2 days on the trot. In either one, or both arms. After some fault finding, the ‘glove’ system
is working fine, however the ‘cuff’ system connected to the suit appears to be
the problem. More correspondence with O’Three and I find out that
this is a known issue with the sealing o-rings on the fitted system which Kubi are looking at. They have another suit in the factory at the
minute with a similar issue. To be
honest, I’m slightly annoyed as I’ve gone from one system to another, over £500
spent, and both have had faults.
Is it me?
Is it my suit? Is it O’Three suits and dry
gloves? Who knows? So where now?
Kubi
are sending new o-rings in the post, and O’Three are ringing me
tomorrow so hopefully we can move forward to find a solution. But with diving all next week, and most of the
week after, and without a spare suit, I have a feeling it’s going to be a very
uncomfortable period.
To be continued…
10
August 2015
Today I experienced another wet dive with a leaky
left arm. In the mean time I have been
in contact with Kubi
and O’Three
and both are trying their absolute best to resolve this issue. According to Kubi there were a batch of 80mm
o-rings with incorrect tolerances. Kubi are sending me a complete
new set of o-rings and O’Three
are sending me a set of cuff o-rings to the dive centre. In the immediate short term, I replaced the
offending o-ring with a spare I have from a set I bought initially with the
suit.
11
August 2015
As expected, the o-rings did not turn up prior to
leaving for diving so I crossed my fingers hoping that this new o-ring would
work. But alas it didn’t. The leak in my left arm wasn’t as bad but I
still had a soggy arm at the end of the dive.
However, on return my o-rings were waiting for me, so once the suit had
dried, both sides were replaced and fingers crossed for tomorrow.
Regarding the new o-ring, the new one (left) appears slightly smaller than the original, but appears tighter and was
much harder to get on the ring. Also,
the rings were much tighter on the suit ring when installed. 
However, when changing the o-rings I managed to
tear a wrist seal. This also happened
with my Si Tech Antares
system, but luckily due to the design they could be
changed out in minutes.
12
August 2015
So, today was the day, and...
…I was dry.
Hopefully Kubi
and O’Three
have managed to resolve this issue.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow.
13
August 2015
No dive with this suit I’m afraid. It’s a drysuit zip issue (that I had been
informed of by O’Three
when the gloves were fitted but I didn’t find time to resolve).
Summary
Over the last couple of years I’ve had a roller
coaster ride with dry gloves, especially the last 2 weeks. But I am please to say, despite only
confirming for one dive following the replacement o-rings; I believe the Kubi Fitted Dry Glove System is
the best system I have seen. Small,
robust and simple to use. But more
importantly, the customer service from Kubi and O’Three has been
outstanding. I have been massively
impressed with the prompt correspondence and the willingness to fix the fault
from both manufacturers. In fact, as we
speak O’Three
are sending out a loan suit free of charge whilst my suit is repaired so I
don’t miss any diving over the next few weeks, and a complete set of Kubi o-rings should be waiting
for me when I return home.
2 September 2016
One year later and not a single wet dive. Couldn't be more impressed and I would highly recommend Kubi.
One year later and not a single wet dive. Couldn't be more impressed and I would highly recommend Kubi.
The
boring bit!
All opinions expressed in my articles are my own
and may differ to other instructor’s and agency guidelines; by no means are
they wrong and I would not wish to disrepute any of them. This article is for information only and
should not replace proper training.
Safe diving!
Timothy
Gort
BSAC,
PADI and SDI/TDI diver training
