Drysuit choice

[evandroairton]

Hi there! I am searching for a new trilam drysuit for cave and ocasional deep or wreck (i do own an old and faithfull DUI CNSE and a cressi desert)
Só for a trilam, seaskin aside, i was looking at the othree 90 90, but saw the sftech TNT at DEMA, and get very very impressed with material and craftmanship quality.
Does anyone has an opinion regarding these two Premium side suits?

 

[stuartv]

I know a few people with an SF Tech drysuit. Not sure of the specific model(s). They all say it is the best drysuit money can buy. They specifically talk about fit and comfort, as well as long-term durability.

If it were not for the price, I would have an SF Tech. The small improvements they offer, over suits that I have, would be nice, but are not worth paying 2 or 3 times as much money for - to ME.

 

[evandroairton]

Indeed, it was very well made, and the real downside on taking a decision would be price! Tks for your answer?
And about the othree 90-90? Anyone

 

[evandroairton]

Up!
Someone using othree 90-90 to give a feedback?

 

[mr_v]

I know a few people with an SF Tech drysuit. Not sure of the specific model(s). They all say it is the best drysuit money can buy. They specifically talk about fit and comfort, as well as long-term durability.

If it were not for the price, I would have an SF Tech. The small improvements they offer, over suits that I have, would be nice, but are not worth paying 2 or 3 times as much money for - to ME.

I am one of those people ;-)

@evandroairton, if you're serious about cave/wreck diving, SF Tech is for you.

Go with a PRO model - all Kevlar.

If you travel a lot, go with TNT Pro. It is light and dries fast.

If you like diving in colder waters, prefer fewer layers, and do not travel often then neoprene PRO will be good.

I have neoprene PRO and have used it in tropical waters and the Great Lakes. It is a bit heavier than the TNT model and it takes longer to dry, but I love the neoprene quality and will get another SF Tech suit soon.

You must decide if you want a dry glove system before ordering a suit. Adding a dry-glove system to a suit made with typical wrist seals may require some sleeve geometry alteration, as sleeves with wrist seals have more taper than sleeves with dry-gloves.

The suits are very much cave cut - read close to the body. You may want to add an extra layer when measuring if you like suits on a roomier side. If you want more info, please PM me. Cheers!

 

[evandroairton]

No more inputs?

 

[mr_v]

Yeah, just get SF TNT full tech ;-)

Do you teach? I am not sure about rules in Brazil, but perhaps you can use the suit as a business expense and lessen your tax burden.

I am shopping for a second suit. I looked at Santi, Argonaut, Bare, and other higher end suits that do not look like trash bags. These suits are 300-400 USD cheaper than SF Tech but nowhere near the quality. Thus, I've decided that SF Tech is it again. I will probably go with neoprene PRO model again, but with a different configuration.

A few months ago I had a video chat with a friend's kid at the dive site. The kid looked at the divers and then asked "why does your suit look so much better than the other guys'?" LOL

 

[FreqFlier]

You may want to look into Xdeep Seal suit, many have good things to say. I have no personal experience though.

 

[stuartv]

Yeah, just get SF TNT full tech ;-)

Do you teach? I am not sure about rules in Brazil, but perhaps you can use the suit as a business expense and lessen your tax burden.

I am shopping for a second suit. I looked at Santi, Argonaut, Bare, and other higher end suits that do not look like trash bags. These suits are 300-400 USD cheaper than SF Tech but nowhere near the quality. Thus, I've decided that SF Tech is it again. I will probably go with neoprene PRO model again, but with a different configuration.

A few months ago I had a video chat with a friend's kid at the dive site. The kid looked at the divers and then asked "why does your suit look so much better than the other guys'?" LOL

What’s wrong with your current suit? I.e. what are you going to do differently?

 

[mr_v]

What’s wrong with your current suit? I.e. what are you going to do differently?

I would not do anything differently with my current suit. However, I'd like two modifications for cold water diving:

- More room for extra underwear.
- Dry gloves.

My current suit configuration is excellent for temperate waters and cave diving. However, wet gloves are simply a no-no when it is below 50F. My fingers did not enjoy the last Great Lakes trip. As I plan to do more cold water diving, e.g., ice diving and Antarctica are on my bucket list, I'd like to have a dedicated cold water configuration.

Note, SF Tech is a cave cut suit - it is on a tighter side. Adding multiple layers won't work well in my current suit.