TESTCENTRE
Once set up the gloves are ready to go
who wiped out half the universe with a snap of his fingers, this turns on the heated element. A bright red LED confirms the power is flowing and very quickly warmth spreads evenly across the hands. A similar gesture turns off the power. I’ ve never been a regular glove user for most of my time diving, as I’ m lucky enough not to feel the cold too badly. Having the ability to operate my camera housing unhindered is a welcome bonus. But for colder, deeper dives and particularly instances when I’ ve dispensed with the camera and my hands aren’ t usefully engaged, then my digits can
Push-pull waterproof connectors
Red LED indicates‘ on’ begin to feel the lower temperatures.
As an experiment I dived with one glove switched on and the other off. While the 4mm neoprene kept the powered-off hand relatively cosy, the other was positively toasty. Probably the best comparison is a lukewarm bath versus a piping hot one. Removing the unheated glove completely was more akin to a taking a cold shower.
The magnetic swipe feature allows the wearer to easily switch the heat on and off in an instant. If you feel your hands are in a good place then simply swipe the power off. If-and-when you feel the need for a topup, just repeat the gesture to turn it back on again.
A smile on your face
Use of these gloves is not restricted to being underwater. Back on the boat when I take the wheel of the RIB is one example of when my hands get very cold. Being able to warm them up while waiting for divers to surface or during what could be an extended journey back to shore is a boon.
Several scientific studies have concluded that for various reasons, women are more prone to feeling the cold in their extremities than men. They’ re also more likely to suffer from Reynaud’ s Disease( where areas of the body such as fingers and toes are badly affected in cold conditions). However, an individual’ s ability to tolerate low
temperatures isn’ t always down to that person’ s gender. I know of several deep diving gents who think nothing of diving sans hood but wouldn’ t contemplate the shallowest of dips without gloving-up to protect their pinkies from the cold.
So regardless of gender, if cold hands affect your diving significantly then these HydroTherm gloves are well worth considering. At £ 420 a pair they’ re not a cheap solution, but they are a very effective one. If you’ re consistently diving in low temperatures, for work or pleasure, then they will soon prove themselves a good investment. Neil Hope
SCUBA SAYS
Northern Diver’ s HydroTherm Heated Rechargeable Diving Gloves are diving’ s equivalent of Marvel’ s Infinity Gauntlet. One simple swipe and the gloves are powered-on to keep your hands warm and comfortable for the duration of your dive and beyond.
A magnetic on-off switch on the inner cuff activates the heating element when held over the white spot on its battery
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