Hi all... I'm not sure where this belongs, but it isn't exactly a question to the manufacturer so I figured this is the place to start.
I bought an HDC Tech drysuit a little under 2 years ago. When it works, it's fine... but it seems to me that the thing has had an awful lot of issues with the zipper. Yesterday, the zipper decided to just pop off the track. No real reason for it; the zipper itself is in pristine condition, no damage whatsoever. I take great care to treat it right. It just... came off the track.
This marks the second time that the zipper has done exactly this - and will be the third time that I've had to send the zipper out for repair. In less than two years, this seems like a high incidence of failure in something that I would think should have had extra close attention paid to its design. (Admittedly, though, the second time I sent the zipper out for repair was after they returned it to me from the first repair with a broken zipper...)
I seem to recall having a conversation with someone (and I can't recall exactly who) where they seemed to suggest (if I'm recalling the conversation correctly) that the 'new' plastic zippers that Bare uses are well known for having issues. So the questions I have for those who might read this are... what have your experiences been with Bare's zippers? I'm trying to decide whether I've made a poor decision in purchasing this drysuit, and if I should just bite the bullet and a new one that may be more reliable.
... I'm more than a little irked that this means I'll be unable to dive for the... 1-2 months that it'll take to have this fixed.
I bought an HDC Tech drysuit a little under 2 years ago. When it works, it's fine... but it seems to me that the thing has had an awful lot of issues with the zipper. Yesterday, the zipper decided to just pop off the track. No real reason for it; the zipper itself is in pristine condition, no damage whatsoever. I take great care to treat it right. It just... came off the track.
This marks the second time that the zipper has done exactly this - and will be the third time that I've had to send the zipper out for repair. In less than two years, this seems like a high incidence of failure in something that I would think should have had extra close attention paid to its design. (Admittedly, though, the second time I sent the zipper out for repair was after they returned it to me from the first repair with a broken zipper...)
I seem to recall having a conversation with someone (and I can't recall exactly who) where they seemed to suggest (if I'm recalling the conversation correctly) that the 'new' plastic zippers that Bare uses are well known for having issues. So the questions I have for those who might read this are... what have your experiences been with Bare's zippers? I'm trying to decide whether I've made a poor decision in purchasing this drysuit, and if I should just bite the bullet and a new one that may be more reliable.
... I'm more than a little irked that this means I'll be unable to dive for the... 1-2 months that it'll take to have this fixed.