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If SANTI would get the price a bit lower on the heated vest (especially the suit penetration connection!), I'd pick one (or tow) up. As is, just not worth the price of admission for us...
Originally Posted by Wayne at DiveSeekers
Not sure I would trust those wetsuit heaters. specifically question Burn Time.
Although the motorcycle vests are cheap, they have not been working great. UTD (motorcycle vest) didn't even have them in their booth at DEMA and product is no longer on their website.
All though it may be out of your budget at the moment, a lot of other divers have been buying the vests/full suits and loving them so there is clearly a market for it. Start saving and maybe one day you'll enjoy the heat like the others have been.
Lol, it's not a budget issue as much as a perceived value. $300 for a suit penetrator is just dumb money. It's a few dollars in parts. I have much less issue with the cost of the actual vest.
Yeah, I'm interested in the Thermalution shirts too. I figure putting one of these under a 5mm semi-dry would have me set for the coldest water I'd ever consider going into. A local shop is selling them...I figure by next year there should be some reports as to how they work out.
I bought the Thermalution 70M for a liveaboard trip in the Caymans just before Christmas. I got to wear it once before my wife snatched it for the rest of the trip: I became the support crew for my shirt I wasn't wearing. After every dive I disconnected the batteries and let them charge, just to be certain she wouldn't run out of juice during the next dive. I missed a few chargings but the shirt always lasted her 2 50+ minute dives. Note to Thermalution: how about induction charging so the batteries can be charged without disconnecting from the shirt?
The only problem after 20+ dives is something has poked two tiny holes in the shirt just above each of the battery pockets.
My wife was diving with her new LavaCore full suit under a Henderson H2 3mm full. Contrary to other posts, she didn't feel the LavaCore was keeping her any warmer than just the H2, but she was too concerned about being cold to take off the LavaCore. Once she got my shirt, she was layered with my shirt, then the LavaCore, then the H2. What worked best for her was to put on gear with the shirt on low and to bump the temperature up as needed during the dive. She generally finished night dives on the high setting. Meanwhile, my son was happily swimming next to her in just a rash shirt and board shorts and I was feeling a bit chilled in my H2 3mm. The one time I wore the shirt under my wetsuit, I noticed I didn't have to turn on the shirt to notice I was already warmer than if I had worn a rash shirt under my wetsuit (for some reason, a rash shirt under my wetsuit usually makes me feel less warm).
LavaCore and H2, my wife wanted out of the water after 20 minutes. Add the shirt and she lasted as long as our air supply.
My wife now wants her own Thermalution heated shirt (sleeveless, in her size) and a 5mm wetsuit, in that order. Mine is the version with short sleeves and she is hoping the sleeveless will be free of underarm odors.
If the price was $200, I think every guest and most of the crew would have bought one. As much as my wife wants a heated shirt of her own, the $500 price tag has her looking at 5mm wetsuits first. If Thermalution lowers the price, I know my wife would buy the shirt before gettting a new wetsuit.
Thermalution has added to the line but details of each model are scarce. Before we experienced the 70M, we thought the cordless would be an improvement, but now we'd rather have the corded model and not worry about losing the remote control.
My friend just got done doing a tour of dui last week with dick and they are wanting to finish there heat suits and are working on voltage, i could say more just not knowing if it is a secret.
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Originally Posted by Wayne at DiveSeekers
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snatched it for the rest of the trip: I became the support crew for my shirt I wasn't wearing. After every dive I disconnected the batteries and let them charge, just to be certain she wouldn't run out of juice during the next dive. I missed a few chargings but the shirt always lasted her 2 50+ minute dives. Note to Thermalution: how about induction charging so the batteries can be charged without disconnecting from the shirt?
