Bare drysuit zippers

[Fin Finder]

I dont think that the HDC tech.....has been made for 10 years.

Sorry for the error. Yes, you are correct, it's not an HDC tech. It's a codura Trilam HD TechDry with a metal zipper and a lot of miles. Thank you manni-yunk.

 

[freename]

Thanks, all, for your replies. I've checked, and it turns out that I have the TiZip.

Just bear in mind that they aren't "Bare zippers"... the zipper is supplied by another company and it might change from time to time.

While you raise a valid point... and though I understand as much... I can't help but view the suit as a "whole" product. For instance, just as I know the valves are si-tech, my initial thought isn't to view them in isolation from the suit. Presumably it was Bare who made the decision as to which valves and seals and zipper to use... unfair or not, I can't help but get frustrated with them when it fails. Still, it's probably premature to get upset with them; we'll see how they respond when I send it out for repair.

Hi. This is Kathy with DUI. I came across the thread. Great discussion. I appreciate what Stoo says about zippers. On the DUI website we have some information up on plastic and metal waterproof zippers. It's at Waterproof drysuit zippers in case you want to view. It lists pro's and con's of each type. Thank you.

That was a great read, thanks Kathy! It seems that I'm in good company indeed, with the slider derailing. I guess there's no panacea here. It is some comfort, at least, to know that I'm not just particularly unlucky.

 

[Stoo]

While you raise a valid point... and though I understand as much... I can't help but view the suit as a "whole" product. For instance, just as I know the valves are si-tech, my initial thought isn't to view them in isolation from the suit. Presumably it was Bare who made the decision as to which valves and seals and zipper to use... unfair or not, I can't help but get frustrated with them when it fails. Still, it's probably premature to get upset with them; we'll see how they respond when I send it out for repair.

Well you are free to do that of course, but respectfully, you would be wrong. It would similar to blaming Lexus for the flat tire made by Michelin (or whoever...) that came installed on the car. ;-) Which is not to say you wouldn't go back to the Lexus dealer to complain about the bad tire that came on it, but it's hardly the fault of Lexus.

Apart from that, if you place blame for what are clearly bad zippers on BARE then you are pretty much eliminating every brand of drysuit out there... As already mentioned, SANTI, DUI and most others tried the T-zips and all of them came to the same conclusion... that they sucked! I can only speak to SANTI's response and they replaced the zipper with a YKK plastic zipper without hesitation. Perhaps Kathy will chime in about DUI's response. I "heard" (about third hand) that they didn't warranty T-zips, but I am doubtful only because I know DUI to be a stand-up company with a rabidly-loyal customer/fan base.

As for BARE, I can only tell you that in my experience, they too are a stand-up company. My only concern about your case is that you complain about the zipper "breaking" and not just leaking. I've not heard of others with that problem unless "abuse" or at least rough use was involved. I was in BC two weeks ago and one of the people in my group mangled the T-zip in her SANTI, but watching her yank it over her shoulder, it was just a matter of time. Her suit was too tight on her, and she should have had assistance getting the zipper over her shoulder. This girl is pretty hard on gear... watching her assemble her camera made me cringe. This was a replacement for her flooded previous system, and she partially flooded this new system in her bathtub when she got home! You need to treat this stuff with a little care!

But you are right... take it back to the dealer. They will likely get the BARE rep in and figure out the best course of action for you.

 

[freename]

Well you are free to do that of course, but respectfully, you would be wrong.

Oh, I agree completely... I'm just acknowledging the emotional element here. Alas, people are most certainly not perfect creatures and, as much as I'm embarrassed to admit it, I share many of our typical faults! To use your car example, however, the difference is that if my tires fail I don't have to send the car back to the manufacturer to replace them... but who knows, maybe I won't need to here either. To get back to the original point of my post, I was (/am) merely looking to get to understand the issue better and to gain some appreciation of whether mine is a known problem rather than to ascribe blame. (For full disclosure, this is also me trying get information to help decide what my best route of action for getting some redundancy in my gear... so next time I'm supposed to take people out on a dive, and my drysuit zipper decides to pop out, I have a Plan B - whether it means a second drysuit or a 7mm wetsuit. To make an educated decision, I figured it's important to find out more about what appears to be my Achilles heel...)

You are also right about Bare... in my last interaction with them, they were very fair in repairing the zipper. True they sent it back to me with a pre-broken zipper the last time but, again, to err is human and they were more than accommodating in remedying the issue.

My only concern about your case is that you complain about the zipper "breaking" and not just leaking. I've not heard of others with that problem unless "abuse" or at least rough use was involved.

Well, I *think* I am treating it with care. My drysuit is not too tight, it's a front zip with everything in easily reachable distance for me, and I don't try to force things if they don't cooperate. That said, I'm sure most people don't believe themselves to be abusive; I can let you know the next time I'm planning on diving up in Tobermory, and you're more than welcome to make the assessment yourself! Ha!

 

[Stoo]

Based on how my friend trashed her zipper, you would know "rough" if you were doing it.

The big dilemma with these zipper problems is in knowing what to replace them with. I don't think there's much point in putting a new T-zip in again but if they do, it would be good to know what the warranty will be. 'Cause odds are, that one is going to fail too.

I went with the YKK plastic zipper and it seemed ok but I'm not sure any more. I am currently waiting for a response from the Halcyon rep about next steps. If it is pooched, I will replace it with a metal zipper as I typically get 5-700 dives out of one of those.