Wetsuit Gloves - why don't more surfers wear 'em?

I'm with you. I also have the toe dragging habit and don't move to booties, even in January/February. I love the feeling of the board under my feet.

You're right tho' ... pretty much only inexperienced surfers wear gloves in NorCal. I'm not really sure why.

Funny, I never really mind wearing booties. I've found it's important to get ones that fit really well - very snug - if you do, you shouldn't find yourself dragging toes. I strongly dislike wearing gloves - My hands are more sensitive than my feet in general and I really miss the feeling of air / water on my hands. Also, if I don't wear booties in cold water, my feet get cold, then numb and then I stumble when trying to stand up, which I think is worse than the potential toe drag? I only wear gloves when it's super cold, and I think on most days SF doesn't quite require them. Although there was that really cold week a few weeks before xmas when I cranked out the gloves at OB.

I've got a problem with toe drag to the point that my 2nd toe is seriously sprained. About half the time I get some serious burning pain when I catch the toe on the pop up.

Anyone have any novel solutions besides not waxing part of the board? I have bad circulation due to childhood frostbite so I have to wear 5mil booties.

I wear gloves half the year. For some reason my fingers get poor circulation and turn into what I can only describe as wet strips of carpet- picture paddling with that for fingers.
I love gloves, and recent development in design means they are no longer so horrible to wear. In fact they strengthen my paddling and give me a notable boost getting into waves.
If you get numb fingers a lot and then get the right type of gloves you will be kicking yourself for suffering so long.
Go to aqua and get the 1.5mm xcel gloves, dreamy snug ultra sensitive condom type fit. You want em snug. There is very little noticeable drag paddling or sinking your hands if they are not holding water(proper fit), and 3mm is too buoyant.
I hated wearing gloves for shoulder strain and fatigue caused by crummy design; these gloves have doubled my water time and gently strengthen my paddling.

I'm with @Chadburn. I've been surfing for years (i.e. beyond inexperienced) but never used gloves until last year. The first pair fit great on land but got loose in the water and turned into an pound per hand of water weight. But my hands were so warm I was able to stay out for hours. I went back to the shop and bought another pair, but one size down. They are tight, warm and boosted paddling. For years I would look at other surfers wearing gloves with a bit of disdain and no small air of superiority. No longer. Glove technology has advanced and the results are fantastic. Added bonus is actually being able to turn a car key in the door after a session without relying on the old two-handed-palm-press-to-turn-the-key-because-my-f***ing-frozen-hands-don't-work-right method.

@H20MansLibrary: Yea, when my hands get to the "not working right" state, I also find I can't even paddle properly. My fingers wobble around like limp sausages tied to my knuckles. I end up coming in. I also have to confess to the "feeling superior" to the gloved, which on reflection, is pretty bizarre ... since I'm the one with frankfurter hands.

Buy gloves tight and they work great. Not sure about the posturing about gloves vs no gloves indicating not experienced vs experienced. Entered into my 33rd year of boardsurfing this week and I'm proud glove wearer (and booties as well) Being cold sucks. I don't need lobster claws out there to prove my bonafides. To each his own.

I should start by saying my main motivation for going bootyless/gloveless
(beyond issues related to feel & fashion) is that I hate
having to wash, dry, and keep track of 4 extra pieces of rubber.
I have enough trouble getting out the door for DP as it is without having to search for that missing glove!
but just curious... Those who mentioned Popsicle hands: 
how's your fullsuit set up?
Attached hood, thickness, brand, etc?
I find that a hooded 5/4 xcel (with that yellow lining) is almost too warm - but works perfect without boots/gloves cause my colder hands and feet kind of end up balancing out my overall body temp. I used to get the claw too, but this setup has been working for me for a couple of winters now.

I've tried a few different brands of gloves over the years, and they have all made me feel like I'm paddling with weights in each hand. I dislike gloves the most (more than a hood, which I dislike more than booties). But the suggestions here for a super tight, thinner glove are worth trying.

I've never had a toe-dragging problem with booties. I think that's a problem that's very particular to an individual. Similarly, in the tropics I have had a problem with traction pads cutting up my knees, while it's not a problem at all for others.

I also strongly agree with @Hasbro. Drying all the extra accessories sucks. Too bad fall only comes once a year ;-)

I like the sausages tied with string image, thanks for that. If you run out and get some, also be careful of getting them too small- the gaps where your finger web together will actually suck water into them if the finger length is too short (vs. neutral baggy space from oversized gloves, that fill as well). Ask sales staff what they wear, compare your hands to theirs and you'll be golden. They stretch out a fair bit too.
Yeah it's another extra gear piece to forget, but it's another comfortable hour+ scratching into surf with determined strokes and augmented power.
I feel sorry for people who wash and dry their gear, no offense anyone. Besides, urine rarely settles in the fingertips; though centrifugal flushings on big days may cause this to happen
When you surf without them you will feel like a roto-tiller. I feel like a man who knows what he wants when I wear gloves, so there.

The main reason I am against gloves is the scratching my eyes go through after a duck dive. I have a habit of brushing water away from my eyes and the rough texture of the gloves causes a lot of irritation.

A glove supreme

You know, the gloves do interfere with a good nose rocket launching, but the new xcel gloves have a smooth patch for getting rid of the gooey nasal drip. I have the full cold-water pussy set up with a 5/4 xcel hooded suit, booties and gloves. I can stay out for 3-4 hours and exit the water almost a touch too warm. I have fond memories of being one of those jam-the-hands-in-the-pits guys who wind up paddling in after an hour and a half. While I do feel a bit like a human tuna roll at times, the extra waves I get make it all worth while....

on the "manliness" of covering up with neoprene: Many years ago I lived in the dorms at UCSD with a guy who absolutely loved surfing, but couldn't afford the wetsuit. His solution in the 57 degree winter water (san diego) was to go out for 15 minutes at a time. He'd paddle out, stay in the lineup for 10 minutes, maybe catch a wave, then go back in, dry off and warmup. Then he'd go out again. I gotta say, I admired his manliness

I'm too much of a pussy for that kind of action. Wetsuit, gloves, and booties for me.

Your UCSD bud was doing old school SF style:

In the 1950's, Jack O’Neill opened his first surf shop in a garage across the Great Highway in San Francisco. Before opening the surf shop, on his lunchbreaks, the window and skylight salesman would brave the chill waters with nothing more than a pair of bunhuggers borrowed from a nearby pool and maybe an old bathing cap from the secondhand store. Some of the the surfers tried wool sweaters and even soaked them with oil so they'd repel water, but the comfort level was not high, and after a half hour or so in the surf, they'd gather around a driftwood-and-tire fire and listen to their teeth rattle.