Taping hands vs crack gloves

I am skeptical of the crack climbing gloves but also am tired of taping up and spending money on tape. Pros cons of both tape and gloves would be great and if you prefer gloves, what brand? Thanks! 

Gloves take up more space, essentially making your hand bigger. Some types more so than others.  This can really suck or really help.  If it becomes a finger crack at any point, you'll still need to tape up your fingers.  I go back and forth between tape and gloves depending on the climb, it is certainly very nice to throw on the gloves and run up a crack quickly and therefore I tend to lean towards the gloves more often.  I have the Ocun's and am quite happy with them, they are quite low profile.

Haven't been climbing long, but after a few times taping up, it got old. Picked up some ocun gloves and have been 100% satisfied. They widen your hand a bit which can be a good or bad depending on the route.

This is the sort of dilemma one must figure out for oneself, Grasshopper. Do not consult the Internet for such a deeply personal question. Soul-searching and deep introspection will bring you the answer.

Peter Brown-Whale wrote: Gloves take up more space, essentially making your hand bigger. Some types more so than others.  This can really suck or really help.  If it becomes a finger crack at any point, you'll still need to tape up your fingers.  I go back and forth between tape and gloves depending on the climb, it is certainly very nice to throw on the gloves and run up a crack quickly and therefore I tend to lean towards the gloves more often.  I have the Ocun's and am quite happy with them, they are quite low profile.

People habitually tape their fingers if they anticipate climbing finger cracks? News to me. I'll tape my fingers if a particular crack has made me bleed in the past, or to address an open wound, but never as a general prophylactic. Maybe Vedauwoo finger cracks aren't that sharp?

I think the best argument for crack gloves is routes like Gambit in Eldo, where the crux is a sustained hand crack, but is face climbing for a bunch of other pitches. So you put 'em on for the crux, but stay in a pocket the rest of the time.
As said elsewhere, crack gloves can slip and can be bulky. So, for really tight jams or for scenarios where you need really secure jams (basically any scenario where even a little overjamming will cost too much endurance to send), I would tape up.
That insecure feeling is why I never even reuse my tape gloves. My sweat makes them too sloppy even by the end of a single day, let alone upon reuse.

I got a pair of ocuns last season and was pleasantly surprised they work as well as tape for me - but less effort, less waste, and perfect fit every time. For me they really shine on multipitch that isn't exclusively crack climbing - I wouldn't tape up all day for a pitch or two of crack but these are easy to clip to my harness and throw on/off btw pitches (even mid-pitch), so my hands are protected more often than they used to be when I was just using tape. I still keep a roll of tape in my pack in case but haven't used it since getting these. 

Taping up/wearing crack gloves compensates for three things - poor technique, hot and balmy conditions, and abrasive rock types.  

I mostly wear my OR gloves for the hot and balmy conditions (i.e. the Red in the summer).  Just for kicks, I tried my OR gloves on some long trad routes within the past year (Astrodog, The Hitchhiker, Grand Wall) and they were nice to have, but I wouldn't deem them a requirement.

Indian Creek - I always wear a thin tape glove.  I believe I use Steph Davis' method? (aka Queen of Indian Creek who once said "either you tape up before you bleed, or after") She made a video on it years back.  Working .5-1 size cracks mandates the thinnest possible protection on your hands. Even the OR gloves which are thinner than the Ocuns are still too much material.

I use my crack gloves in the gym, where the cracks are consistent.  Outdoors, I tape up or go without.  The crack gloves don't give the same protection beyond the back of your hand that you can get with tape.

Splitter Gloves are ideal for multipitch where you don't want tape on all day. Like the Grand Wall where you want something for the Split Pillar pitch, then you're stoked to take them off.

Is there a difference between gloves and tape for someone new to crack climbing? Will one better support learning good technique?

Howdy:
Disclaimer, I don't use gloves, but I should, and if I ever had more than a couple days to climb I would make the effort.

BUT:  I have tried out the Ocun, Outdoor Research and Hand Jammies brands, like the hand jammies the best. Ocuns and OR shut circulation off to my sausage fingers. Hand Jammies are way too thick, but at least I can feel my fingers.

Tape:  Use either tincture of benzoine or sport tape spray from Mueller as a base on clean hands (just the backs), helps if you shaved them, up to about two inches past where you would put a watch. Only use EUROTAPE, it sticks better, two inch wide. then look up on the internet how to make tape gloves. These are disposable Tape Gloves  It is possible to make re-usable tape gloves, again, the internet will show you.

I've been crack climbing for the last 5 years, taping up. I'm getting some crack gloves this year. Life's short--buy and try new shit. Stop using it and sell or give away when you don't wanna use it anymore. 

I have used and re-used tape gloves for about 30 pitches before. If you take care to build it right the first time, and take care cutting it off, you can get a lot of life out of them. They do get pretty mangy, but whatever, they are climbing gloves.

I have the OR gloves. I won't go back to taping my hands.

I'm a beginner crack climber who lives in an area with super grainy sharp rock.  I started with tape gloves, which worked perfectly well, but were a hassle for reasons others have listed.  Got some ocun gloves, I'm never going back.  They're just so convenient, less time taping, more time climbing.  Get them.  Measure your hands, and if you're on the edge of two sizes, get the larger size.

Sam Skovgaard wrote:Measure your hands, and if you're on the edge of two sizes, get the larger size.

For the OR crack gloves, I recommend sizing down. I wear L or XL in BD ski gloves. The OR Splitter Gloves fit best in S/M. I was surprised.