My indepth review of the Hollis NeoTek Semi-Dry

[Dive Right In Scuba]

"I was at my LDS today and asked if they could get Hollis equipment because I would really like to see and possibly purchase this simi-dry suit. The owner told me he has tried three times to be a Hollis distributer but Hollis requires him to purchase the entire line of equipment which for a small shop is not feasible. Hollis seems to want to cater to the online stores. I really like to support my LDS as do all of my diving friends. Our LDS is always there to provide support and guidance when needed. So, even though I really like this suit and the Hollis product reviews have been really good I will be going with a brand (Aqualung or Henderson) because they work with and support the LDS."


I would take that with a grain of salt. Hollis is owned by Oceanic as well, and they LOVE retailers. My guess is there is some other reason they are not a dealer. There could be another dealer in close proximity, there could be a saturation in that area, the guy might have a bad relationship with them as a whole from past ventures, there is a ton of reasons. I can pretty confidently say as a Hollis retailer it's not because they value the Online vs. Shop. There have been quite a few promotions they have done lately that were ONLY available instore. That isn't something Online shops ever get or could have advertised. My guess is there is alot more to the story. Typically, manufacturers require a buy in to be a dealer. You have to buy product, and make a commitement, in order to sell it. If he doesn't see himself selling $10k of hollis gear, why would he buy in for 1 guy wanting a semi dry? It just might not make sense in his budget, and he doesn't want to say that. Either way, Hollis is a solid company, and so are the other brands you are looking at (Aqualung and Henderson). I don't think you could make a bad choice. The difference would be the Hollis is about 30% cheaper than a semi dry with either of those other brands, and might have a a couple more useful features too.

 

[sibermike7]

"I would take that with a grain of salt."
Thanks Mike! Love DRIS. Buy from you guys all the time with good results.
Be blessed

 

[Cowtown44]

Has anyone tried this in warmer water, say 76-82?

 

[sibermike7]

Has anyone tried this in warmer water, say 76-82?

:shocked2:
Man are you crazy??!!!
i was in 70 and felt like I sweating!

 

[sibermike7]

OK the after 50 dives, almost all fresh water, is going into the shop for repairs.
There is separation at the seams of neoprene under both armpits.
Both arms have the material separating from the neoprene on the outside layers. This causes a "pruny" look like fingers that have been in the water too long.
I'll post about the repair cost when it is done.

 

[Gladio51]

hi all! i'm new in this forum and sorry for my bad english but....
as i own this product (received few weeks ago and not almost tested) and consider this 3d very interesting and full of detailed consideration (good job NJDiver_Chris) i've a pair of questions about this product. Glad to be answered and to share opinion.

So, first of all, regarding 3rd pic posted by NJDiver_Chris i noticed that mine is also printed UNISEX above size stamp in the upper section of the spine pad. Regarding 5th pic the inner vest protection attached to the bottom line of the front zip is made of some soft thin neoprene not elegible IMHO for neck seal purpouse. These what i noticed, the first of which doesn't matter cause does not make me gender confused .

Anyway the real reason of my perplexity is how to preserve hands and feet exposure without affect neotek seal system (like kindly shown in 6th pic) made of pairs of arm and leg dams and little pairs of sewing silver plasma layer like o'ring seals at wirst and ankle edges.

Maybe according to latest results of extensive researches Hollis engineers studied too much but not as i'm spending time to find out the right boots, even more you all consider (1) there's no dedicated product in catalogue for this SD suit (except for a dry suit boot) and (2) how wuold it have been much easier adopt glide skin and double cuff (like other brands do) in order to wear and close zippered "traditional" boots like a slice of cheese in a sandwitch

What abuot these solutions?
1. a pair of dry 5 mm socks inside hollis rockboot or similar
2. a pair of nowhere to be found Henderson H2 "no-zip" boots or similar (ie: XS scuba Pyrostretch)
3. a pair of double cuff Scubapro Semidry Boots or similar (ie: Beuchat Semidry Titanium Boots)
4. leave behind any consideration and buy new "lovely" henderson aqua lock

What boots do you wear under Neotek? And what about you're experiences?

__________ Thanks!!

Ps.: if i consider to wear under neotek a rashguard (useful when suit is not closed at all ie. during boat/rib ride) does a longsleeve affect its mid-arm seal system or not? i'd prefer a long sleeve (lavacore / fourth element / sharkskin)

 

[sibermike7]

First of all, welcome to the board. Don't worry about poor English, I doubt most of us know the language of ...??? Pokemon City??
It is helpful to fill out your personal information so that we can better provide you with appropriate information. Knowing your experience level can allow our assessment to be more accurate. A diver with only a few dives may be having a problem that simple experience will fix, but if someone with 1000s of dives writes about a problem, then our answers take into consideration his experience differently. This is NOT being judgmental, just accurate. Plus when we see that you are from a different country, we know the diving conditions that you will experience.

I don't worry about the water dams. I just use regular wetsuit gloves and boots. I also always wear nylon socks, so I have a layer that passes through the leg dams, much like a rash guard would. Never been an issue. Keep in mind, this is basically a WET suit, but one through which osmosis is slow! I have used boots outside and inside, but generally, my boots go inside and my gloves go outside. I switched gloves when my old Mares wore out and now have the Hendersons that you speak of simply because I got them on sale. I did not notice a whit of difference between the two as far as water movement is concerned. The Hs are softer though.

I don't think that dry socks are a good idea, but ?? who knows!

"Like" if helpful.

 

[Gladio51]

Ok !! let's give up my language talent and tks for "welcome" and quick reply. Actually i live in southern Italy where i made bubble up to latest 15th dec wearing a wet 5mm scubapro steamer under a 5mm hooded scubapro shorty and 5mm soft sole scubapro booties as well.

"... just accurate" .. i'll try. i'm PADI and after OWD certification and some AOWD recreational experiences i acheived these specialities: DEEP diver, EAN diver, Emergency Oxygen Provider, BLS-d and now i'm finalizing RESCUE certification. Hoping to start Tec40 on March/April.

Sometimes i wore drysuit that i definitely hate even thought consider easier neutral buoyancy. That's why Neotek compromise!! Hoping the right choice for 1.4+ normosic dive limits in local weather condition all the year and hooded/pockets integrated as well.
You know, my priority has ever been training (obviously enjoy dives too). Now it's time to dedicate "minutes" to renew and choose equipment for my needs halfway the same surgical care i've used every increase of atm on my firsts stages.

As your appreciated advices maybe i'll find out other 3d otherwise start new one about bootie's experiences browsing news 'n technologies. Hope to meet you again.

 

[lamarpaulski]

A little background first, I have been diving for about 3 years, all my diving is done up here in the lovely north east where water temperatures can reach a scalding 55*F at depth in August! I have been diving a Neosport 7mm farmer john, it kept me alive but not very warm at all. I wanted to get warmer because let's face it, the beginning stages of hypothermia get old after a while. My only problem is I am a broke 24 year old just out of college and a dry suit is just not in the cards for me so I decided a semi-dry should serve me well. Routine dives for me are around 90-130ft with 5-20ft vis and average temperature is about 50*F.

Ok, so before buying this I looked high and low for any indepth reviews on this suit or maybe even some pictures of it but alas, there was nothing, so I took a plunge (diving pun intended) and bought one of these off leisure pro for $329.99. It seemed like the best bang for the buck, it is fairly new to the market, reputable manufacturer, lots of awesome new features (including Lavacore but i'll touch on that later), and above all IT HAS POCKETS!

Alright, so for all the features (remember I said I would touch on them later, well, it's later...) It is not one thickness neoprene, the "core" of it (shoulder to shoulder, down to the crotch area) is all 8mm, the arms and legs are 7mm and the back of the legs and inside of your elbows is 6mm which helps with mobility, all the neoprene is compression resistant which is a nice feature if you are used to thick suits. The suit is a one piece with a zipper in the front for entry. The zipper is the same quality as that of a dry suit zipper, has a good tough bulky feeling to it. The knees, elbows and butt all have a tough liner feeling material for durability, there is also a built in spine pad which is quite noticeable in a good way, definitely makes you improve your posture. There is also a built in hood with a good seal around the face. All seams on this suit are stiched and glued, amazing seams, better than some thousand dollar suits i've seen. As for the most important part, the pockets, because let's face it, you can NEVER have too many pockets and these bad boys are great. They are very large pockets, I didn't measure them but you can easily fit two masks in each pocket, there is an internal d-ring inside of each pocket, the velcro is a bit tough to open which is a good thing, you don't want your pockets flying open while diving.


Onto the inside, The arms and legs have a water damn around 8inches from the opening for the wrist and ankle, it is an inch piece of neoprene. The neck area inside of the suit has a built in damn as well, same thickness as the ankle and wrist damns that you must done before closing the top. Inside of the suit is Lavacore, a joint effort by several big names in the industry (one of which is Hollis, shocker that it found its way into their only wetsuit), The description of this suit leads you believe that the Lavacore only covers the core area but truth be told, it runs from the ankles to the wrists in sections to keep you warm. It is a very nice feeling material, sort of a fleece feel which is comfortable. Overall this suit is very warm, from other reviews I have read, people have stayed warm in this down into the low 40s on long dives. I am trying to think of anything that i may have missed but I think I covered most of it, if you have questions ask away, and if I think of anything else I will update it.

I took a bunch of photos, most importantly of the inside so people can see what it looks like.

Without further adieu:

Out of the box, looks like a wetsuit in a bag, no surprises


First time out


A look inside at the Lavacore liner and the upper section of the spine pad, also if you couldn't guess, it's made in China


Close up of the zipper


Neck damn


Arm damn close up, also note how far down the Lavacore goes, remember how I said its not just the core, one other thing, check out the seams.


One of the pockets



Thanks for the review. You might add your physical stats and the size you ordered. Gathered it fits you well. Looking for something like this too.

 

[sibermike7]

Sometimes i wore drysuit that i definitely hate...

Me too! Well actually, what I found is that drysuits can be awful or pretty nice depending on material, fit, and a variety of other factors. It is possible that you simply have not had the experience of using a really nice drysuit.

On the other hand, a really nice drysuit is a bit pricey, so it is probable that you won't bother to TRY a really nice one!
I have owned a couple of drysuits but I don't use one unless I know that the water is going to be below 6 degrees. When we go through the ice, I use my drysuit, but otherwise, I stick with semi-dry. So I think that you are on the right track. Hollis semi-dry is a good compromise.

Hope to meet you again.

Come on up to Estonia and we can do some diving!