We had received the shorter-cuffed Darkfin Power Gloves, which was perfectly fine for evaluation purposes. The Darkfin Gloves slipped on easily, and once in place, felt like pretty much any other dive glove. Splash! In the pool, webbed hands extended…we could almost hear the screams of imaginary swimmers fleeing before our mighty talons…in short, we were immediately transported back to those Saturday Matinees watching the Creature surging across the silver screen.
Baby powder or talcum powder are recommended if putting them on in the dry. We used our open-celled wetsuit lubricant spray (1 part cheap hair conditioner to 3 parts water), but the Darkfin Gloves will slip on quite readily with just water or a little liquid dish-washing soap (we tried all three methods).
Important for users who are not used to donning latex-constructed garments, there are also instructions on how to put on the Darkfin Gloves both wet or dry. The black, latex gloves came packaged with an instruction sheet and return/exchange instructions, which included a warning announcement regarding the latex construction some people can experience an allergic reaction to latex. Many of us had childhood icons we admired from the movies…the Gill-man was this reviewer’s movie-poster hero. Thirty seconds after receiving the Darkfin Gloves from the mail carrier, we were in the pool trying them on.
Black Lagoon Products, LLC is a “small, family-owned group of adventurers, engineers, designers, and outdoor enthusiasts from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.” Their name pays homage to that popular 1950’s movie classic and their Darkfin Gloves seem to have been inspired by the Gill-man’s iconic, webbed extremities. This popular character went on to delight and scare audiences in two more films before quietly sinking beneath the waves forever. The creature’s webbed hands were the most iconic feature of the costume, allowing the creature to propel himself rapidly, make sharp turns and look awesome. In 1954, underwater stuntman Ricou Browning terrified movie-goers with his underwater portrayal of the Gill-man in Creature from the Black Lagoon.