Ocun crack gloves are a great tool to add to any crack climbers arsenal. They are durable and nicely padded for cruising through long cracks, even with sharp crystals and other sharp features.
Ocun makes two different versions of their popular crack climbing gloves: the crack gloves and crack gloves lite. The lite version has a bit stickier rubber. The different versions of the gloves have different sizing so make sure you are ordering the correct size for that glove. Please see the sizing guide below. You can recognize the difference from the colors of the gloves as the lite versions have red color at the finger loops and the basic version has black finger loops.
I have climbed with tape gloves and I even laser cut some faux leather crack gloves to protect my knuckles, but after I tried the ocun crack gloves it is unlikely that I will go back to even taping and I am definitely done with the lasercut gloves. That is if there isn’t special route that will be just too thin for my hands with the ocun crack gloves.
ocun crack gloves -Specifications, pros and cons
Specifications:
- Weight: 2 oz / 57 grams
- Materials: Suede and rubber
- Anatomical shaping for added protection and comfort
- velcro closure that is protected with rubber
Pros
- The newer versions of the ocun crack gloves have a concealed velcro to protect it from opening up.
- The anatomical design fits many people quite well
Cons
- Sizing issues with larger fingers
- Might warm up on really sunny days
Ocun crack gloves 
Ocun crack gloves lite Ocun Crack Gloves Sizing
The sizing is quite easy for the ocun crack gloves, you just measure around your hand (circumference) and then check from the sizing guide below. If you have thicker fingers or larger hands in general and you are between sizes it is usually better to go up the size. If the gloves or individual finger loops are too tight the gloves can restrict blood flow.
Size guide ocun crack gloves
Size guide ocun crack gloves lite
The best prices for the Ocun crack gloves :
The benefits of using crack climbing gloves
Start climbing faster with the ocun crack gloves. You wont need to take five to fifteen minutes taping up your fingers before starting a route.
Besides protecting the backs of you hands the crack gloves also keep them warm when climbing during colder seasons.
Save money on tape and produce less trash by using gloves that you can use for a lot more times than tape gloves.
Proper crack climbing gloves wont come apart as easily as tape. Tape can also get stuck more easily and you are likely to leave more trash behind if your taped gloves come apart during a climb.
If you like to climb different kinds of routes and in different climbing disciplines then it can be a lot faster to have gloves. If you climb a few crack routes and a bunch of sport routes before hitting the boulders its likely that you don’t want to hassle with making tape gloves all the time.
The benefits of using tape
Variable thickness. You can make your tape gloves as thick or as thin as you want depending on how much padding you need or how big the crack is.
More precise. The less tape you use the more you will be able to feel the rock. At the same time the more your hands might hurt.
Using less tape or climbing without can make your hands tougher faster. There is of course a chance that they might get injured faster too.
Taping up can be a little bit cheaper if you rarely climb cracks. If you rarely climb cracks you might get by cheaper by making some tape gloves and using them a couple times, but this is really not an issue as the ocun crack gloves are quite cheap.
Ocun crack gloves vs black diamond crack gloves
The Black Diamond crack glove is thinner, which makes it more like a tape glove and you can fit your hands into smaller cracks. The thinner material is also less durable.
The BD crack gloves are made with white and because of this they can stay cooler when climbing in the sun. They are also more like the tape gloves in appearance if that is important to you.
Unlike the ocun crack gloves, they don’t have a hiding spot for the velcro. This can cause the velcro to come open when jamming the hand into the crack or when removing it. On the other hand the BD has tried to make the velcro as thin as possible to avoid it snatching.
You can read our more in-depth review of the Black Diamond crack gloves here!
Ocun crack gloves vs Outdoor research splitter gloves
OR splitter gloves are a common option to the ocun crack gloves, especially in North America. The Or Splitter gloves are a bit thinner than the ocun ones. This means they can be inserted into smaller cracks, but a lot of people have had some durability issues with them.
Especially the older versions of the OR splitter gloves have had issues with the laminates coming apart, but there seems to have been some development to the right direction.
What people are saying about the Ocun crack gloves
We searched the reviews and forums to get a larger number of different opinions. Many people seemed to have found the same result for sizing as we did. Its good to go for the larger size when close to the middle.
Some people have had issues with the fastening system. Either with the velcro coming off from the strap or the strap being cut. We have found our gloves to be quite durable and we have used both the older version that has the velcro out and the newer version that has a secured spot for the velcro. Some people need to tape up the velcro if it is worn or if the hole where the velcro loop goes through is broken.
conclusion
If you climb any cracks the ocun crack gloves might be a good choice for you! Whether you use them for doing laps at the gym crack or at the crag you will save a lot of time compared to taping up and they are quite a durable option.
Remember that if you are between sizes or if you have larger hands or thicker fingers it might be a good idea to go up in size.
The best prices for the Ocun crack gloves :
Red Chili Jamrock Crack Gloves – review
The Red Chili Jamrock Crack Gloves offer climbers a comfortable and versatile option for crack climbing. With good padding and coverage despite their thinness, these
Wide Boyz Crack Gloves Review
The wideboyz have become the poster boys for crack climbing and especially off-width climbing. Therefore its great to get a pair of crack climbing gloves
Black Diamond crack gloves
There are only a few manufacturers for crack climbing gloves and Black Diamond is one of the newest companies to enter this market. The Black
