The perfect wet gloves by all accounts
One of our greatest joys when reviewing products is when we find a company or product that is so good that it is the only obvious choice in its class. To bring to you the best products and warn you against the worst is our raison d’être at Scuba Gadget. Again, as with Fourth Element Arctic undergarments, the Fourth Element 5mm wet gloves (GLO5) are a treasure in the sea of dive gear. They are basic black, but are the gold standard for wet gloves.
Quoted features from the Fourth Elements website: Stretch 5mm neoprene for fit and comfort, Thermoflex lining for warmth, Sealed seams minimise water ingress, Easy donning minimalist design, Carbonite finish for grip and durability.
During testing of these Fourth Element gloves we used the largest team of testers in ScubaGadet’s history. It was an amazing and unanimous verdict from the team. Everyone said the same thing, “these are the best gloves I have ever used.” The are five star in all categories: flexibility, warmth, comfort, grip, and price.
All tests were done on recreational dives in the waters of the Pacific Northwest with temperatures ranging from 46 deg F to 52 deg F.
Our testers even included staff from an “unnamed” dive manufacturer, experienced in exposure protection. All said they wanted to buy or steal the gloves from me on the spot. One tester, who had researched and purchased neoprene for his company, stated that neoprene in the Fourth Element gloves appeared to be the highest quality and he suspected that the retail price would top $80 USD. He was surprised because, in fact the MSRP is only $56 USD for the 5mm gloves and $48 USD for the 3mm (not included in this testing).
Just looking at the gloves you can see they are different. There are no thread seams showing. They are also formed into a shape that is the natural curve of a relaxed hand. Most testers said that they felt only very little water entering during the dive. One stated that he was at 105 feet and half way through the dive before he felt just a trickle in the gloves. All agreed that there was no noticeable water exchange.
The Europeans have been diving with products from Fourth Element (A UK based company) for some time. The divers in the US, northwest have discovered Fourth Element more recently and it is popular there. It is now just starting to spread to rest of the US and Canada. It may spread faster if they would make their website a bit more user friendly. The website currently has fine European styling; however, even with our background in web design we had trouble finding what we were looking for and contacting reps. But do not let that dissuade you. From our experience with these gloves and the Fourth Element Arctic undergarments (see review) we are expecting to see Fourth Element sweep the US dive market with their quality (and even fashionable) products.