OR Splitter crack gloves: anyone tried them yet?

Hey folks,

I'm interested in trying out some crack gloves, and also maybe getting a pair for the GF for this next trip out west. I've heard good things about the Ocuns, but am also curious about the new Outdoor Research Splitter gloves. Anyone had a chance to try them, or better yet, compare them to the Ocun?

And yes, I know about tape and have used it a lot, and have never loved it. Looking for an alternative that's easily removable for cracks and face where it's not needed, that's thin and durable and stays in place.

Thanks

Daniel Chambo wrote:Looking for an alternative that's easily removable for cracks and face where it's not needed, that's thin and durable and stays in place.

You can get any two: thin, durable *or* stays in place, but there isn't a crack glove or tape glove design that does all three.

Honestly, I'd be concerned about cramps since you'll be countering tension applied across your hand all day.

The OR Splitters are really thin. No padding. The back is faux leather, not rubber like Ocuns, Singing Rock or Hand Jammies... so likely not as sticky. I was thinking of doing a side by side comparison with Ocuns and Singing Rock in a couple of weeks... if the weather holds.

Dave Schultz wrote: I disagree ... I find that my ocuns are thin, durable, and stay in place ... I usually wear them on all pitches, unless its entirely face and single pitch. I've used them primarily in WA (probably 30 or so days), plus a few days in YOS, 4 days NC, 7 days NY, and 2 in WV and they appear to be in just as good of shape as when I got them I bought a size L and XL and ended up using the XL. If your in search of a size L, I can do 50% of whatever you find them for sale elsewhere. Dave

Have you spent any days on Rocky Mountain granite, or JT's quartz monzonite?

I've put in close to 500 days at Vedauwoo over the years. I quickly abandoned reusable tape gloves since, to make them stay in place, you had to layer on as much tape as you used to make them. Hand jammies had the same problem.

If these things are tight enough not to slip, then there will be tension across the back of your hand, and you'll be flexing to make a cripple-fist jam all day.

Dave Schultz's opinion pretty much mirrors my experience with the Ocun gloves.

I've used other brands (Hand Jammies, Climb X, and another brand I can't remember) Ocuns are more comfortable, stay in place, and are durable. I've had the issue of the tension and discomfort with other gloves (Climb X were the worst) but none at all with the Ocuns. I happily leave them on all day long, and don't even notice I'm wearing them. Will they last forever? No, but I've been resoling my rock shoes faster than I wear out my gloves.

Dave Schultz wrote: I disagree ... I find that my ocuns are thin, durable, and stay in place ... I usually wear them on all pitches, unless its entirely face and single pitch. I've used them primarily in WA (probably 30 or so days), plus a few days in YOS, 4 days NC, 7 days NY, and 2 in WV and they appear to be in just as good of shape as when I got them I bought a size L and XL and ended up using the XL. If your in search of a size L, I can do 50% of whatever you find them for sale elsewhere. Dave

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. Brian, I've had that constrictive issue sometimes when I wrapped my take gloves a little too tight, definitely annoying! It Sounds like the Ocuns are worth a shot, jury still out on the ORs. Dave, I'll send you a PM.

I had a small part to play in designing the OR crack gloves, as did many far-stronger climbers than myself. It was cool to see the product design include everyone from dirtbag climbers to the owner of the company.

We nearly all agreed that the Ocun models were good (the best thing out there), but not quite perfect, and also hard to find in stores. We hoped to make small improvements to the Ocun models without ruining the good things. The general idea was to keep them light and simple, creating a "second skin" but not adding too much bulk/weight/expense.

I used the OR gloves for the first time today at Index and was impressed with the final product. They weren't so big and bulky that they got in the way on thin-hand cracks, or got stuck when dipping into the chalkbag. They also come off and on very quickly and have very little weight/bulk so I could see easily just taking them off/on mid pitch and slipping them into a pocket.

In testing various existing and prototype models, we found that the inherent "stickiness" of the material on the back of the hand isn't really very important. Tape, for example, is not very sticky relative to vibram rubber, same with human skin. It's more important to find a material with the proper rigidity/durability/sew-ability than being "sticky".

So are these things already sold out? Can't add XL to cart. Ready to try gloves again after a bad date with Jammies 15 years ago... Tired of the the tape for all but the most tech thin hands.

Blake, good to hear your experiences with the OR gloves. Curious if you found them to be an improvement over the Ocuns, and if so, in what ways?

Of the three crack gloves that I've tried, the Ocuns were the best for crack climbing @ J. Tree. They tend to run a bit small so I suggest that you go up a size. They're thinner than the Singing Rock gloves and almost as thin as using tape but they've been durable. Either campsaver.com/ocun-crack-gl… or blicard.com/products/crack-… are relatively easy to order from online. If you order from blicard, just be aware that the company is in Canada so there may be a delay in receiving them. Campsaver is currently out of stock and I think they may actually get theirs from blicard.

The Singing Rock gloves are thicker with the rubber sewn onto a leather backing. The biggest disadvantage with using them is that there's a design flaw in the wrist velcro strap. Under certain situations that stress the strap will cause the strap to loosen from the velcro and pop open. To prevent this, you'll have to tape over the strap. Because it's also thicker than the Ocuns, they're more difficult to place in more narrow cracks. The Singing Rock Chocky Jamming gloves tend to run true to size.

The original Hand Jammies used to be awesome but a few years ago, they changed the rubber to a more flimsy material. They're now easily ripped even after a single use so I strongly recommend against using them.

I have not tried the OR Splitters so I can't give a review on them.

Tape is aid. Gloves doubly so.

^^ not my opinion but just throwing this out there to keep the conversation going :)

One thing about the ocuns is that they keep the back of you hands warm in winter

As we all know cracks in winter in squamish can get a bit damp from morning dew or drip/melt, the moisture makes things slick and yr hands lose heat fast... Or even when dry be darn cold against the back of your hands

The crack gloves keep your hands from losing too much heat on hand jams ... And even on thinner cracks/face climbs keeping the back of yr hands warm is often enough

Just make sure to have a pair of gloves that can fit over them for belays

My partner was very glad to have em when we were climbing today right around freezing

Ill put up a post about the failure points on the ocun and how to extend their life

I used the same pair for years extensively trying to get every bit of life left as they werent being imported for awhile ... Fortunately my friend owns blicard and hes bringing em in for north america ...

The moment he tells me hes gonna stop importing im stocking up !!!

;)

Brian Scoggins wrote:If these things are tight enough not to slip, then there will be tension across the back of your hand, and you'll be flexing to make a cripple-fist jam all day.

No.

I've enjoyed the Ocun gloves immensely. If you're going to tape anyway, don't. I put them on so there's moderate pressure, no slippage or cramping issues.

I am very interested in the OR version, I may buy those next. The Ocuns are great, could use some improvement, and I like what Blake's talking about.

Ocuns are available here promountainsports.com/index…

Locker wrote:"OR Splitter crack gloves: anyone tried them yet?" Man I read shit like that and all it does is fuck with my high.

Maybe you need to huff some more glue...

Daniel Chambo wrote: And yes, I know about tape and have used it a lot, and have never loved it.

Maybe you need to experiment a bit and find a better way of taping. Everytime I see somebody new to crack climbing at the Creek with that horrible tape job from John Long's book, I wanna weep.

Aren't Ocun gloves like $50 per pair? - I could buy a lifetime worth of tape for that money. The only time I could see tape gloves being useful is on alpine climbs where I have to switch between rock climbing and ice climbing.

doligo wrote: Maybe you need to experiment a bit and find a better way of taping. Everytime I see somebody new to crack climbing at the Creek with that horrible tape job from John Long's book, I wanna weep. Aren't Ocun gloves like $50 per pair? - I could buy a lifetime worth of tape for that money. The only time I could see tape gloves being useful is on alpine climbs where I have to switch between rock climbing and ice climbing.

I could buy like a... season's worth, if it was a slow season for $50.
From an environmental and economic standpoint, durable crack gloves are really attractive. You just have to be on the right kind of rock and the right kind of route for them to be worthwhile. And for the kinds of rock and routes that I consistently tape up for, I'm not convinced that they'll be helpful.

When you get really old like me, your skin spontaneously splits at the sight of a hand jam, before you even put your hand in the crack. And if you are in a face-climbing area like my home area the Gunks, you will definitely want to use hand jams, but only intermittently. (I'm always amused to watch narrowly-experienced climbers struggling to rest holding on to a horizontal that is perfect for jamming.) But these jams are often in pebbly cracks that will exact a toll on even the toughest skin, not to mention my delicate parchment-backed hands.

Whatever the relative pros and cons of taping, it doesn't make sense for three moves. I've found the Ocun gloves perfect for these scenarios. You carry them on your harness and, with a little foresight, put 'em on just for pitches or sections of pitches where you'll need 'em. No problem taking them off if, like me, you want to use belay gloves either. With a tape job, you have to size up belay gloves to get your hands in, and even then once the tape starts to deteriorate under normal wear, you get little bits of the adhesive part sticking to the inside of the gloves and adding all kinds of annoyance.

As for tape constituting "aid," that train left the station years ago. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own personal definition of "fair means" (no one is obliged to use chalk, sticky rubber or protection with multiple moveable parts either), but tape or something like it has been a standard addition to the crack-climbers arsenal for years and no one is or will be putting asterisks on the thousands of first ascents done with the "aid" of tape.

Dave Schultz wrote: I disagree ... I find that my ocuns are thin, durable, and stay in place ... I usually wear them on all pitches, unless its entirely face and single pitch. I've used them primarily in WA (probably 30 or so days), plus a few days in YOS, 4 days NC, 7 days NY, and 2 in WV and they appear to be in just as good of shape as when I got them I bought a size L and XL and ended up using the XL. If your in search of a size L, I can do 50% of whatever you find them for sale elsewhere. Dave

Dave: PM'ed you about the Ocuns

-Sandy

Old Sag wrote:Tape is aid. Gloves doubly so. ^^ not my opinion but just throwing this out there to keep the conversation going :)

If tape is aid and so are gloves what's with all that rubber on your feet?

CJC wrote: lol there it is, surprised you didn't mention chalk too is it primarily old people that use these or is it just this thread?

I spotted a couple pairs in the recent Patagucci Alpine catalog & not in the picture of Fred Becky :)