dui drysuits

hey im looking at my first drysuit, mainly for cold water, but im sure ill njoy it in the summer too, untill its too warm, but im caught up with a question, it seems to me that once im spending the money on a drysuite i might as well get the higher quality, or more durable i should say. im looking at dui my LDS sells them and ive only heard rave reviews fo their customer service. but my question revolves around the model, i cant decied between the TLS350 or the CLX450, the clx seems to be a better value, but ive noticed my dive budies with the tls have far less trouble with the zipper, than my friends with the clx. it seems like the heavier material of the clx causes more wear on the zipper than the light nylon tri-lam of the tls, and therefore the clx has to get its zipper surviced more often? has anyone else seen this or do my friends just not take care of their zippers? any segustions between the two suits, honestly the CLXse seems like a nice choice too, but ive only been turned away from the shoulder entry models ?
thanks

I dive the TLS350 and it holds up to what I'd call "light" wreck penetration fairly well. Sixty dives on NJ wrecks in 7 months and it's still like new, with the exception of a smallish tear on one of the knees. Fortunately it's right on a spot where the material is doubled, or it would have gone right through.

I would say to get the CF200 kneepads on whatever suit you go with.

I enjoy my clx 450 a lot. it is very durable and i have the kevlar knee pads which are insdestructable. as far as the zipper, if you maintain it well with wax, it flies open and closed , no problem .....good luck

I was also debating between the 350 and 450 when I purchased my drysuit. I am not aware of any zipper problem differences (but one has to take a bit of care with any drysuit zipper, eg when storing the suit etc). I would suggest you ask your LDS if they sell a lot of both suits and if so, is one model's zipper serviced more often than the other.
In the end I went with the 350 because it is lighter, dries faster, and therefore is better for my travel needs. I dont do wreck penetration dives (yet?) but if I did I would have gone with the 450.

The zipper on the TLS 350, and the CLx450 is the same. Any differences in durability relate to proper maintenance, such as lubrication.

The CLx is slightly more abrasion resistant and may be more durable. But, it is not impervious to punctures. The CLx is also stiffer and some divers feel that this is a negative point. The TLS fabric is more flexible and many divers feel that this makes the suit more comfortable in the water and out.

I have a CLx 450 and like it. Knee pads are a good idea. Of course in the water you should not come in contact with the bottom, but out of the water you will sometimes find yourself on your knees as you get the air out of the suit before you jump in the water. You may also discover that your knees get more wear and tear as you come up a ladder and on to a swim step on a boat.

I have CF200 knee pads, pockets, and zip seals on my suit. The options you get or don't get are up to you. Remember that the underwear will be as important to the proper fit, and warmth of the suit so choose your undergarments wisely.

Have fun,

Mark Vlahos

I chose TLS over CLX. Those were the two I was concentrating on, and after Demo dives I decided on TLS with some reinforcement. You can get the European style add-ons on your butt and lower leg (not talking about butt pad but actual garment reinforcement). I also took the tough duck shoulders.

My concern was that if I go to rougher environments, maybe I should have taken CLX. It looked like all the guys chose CLX, and TLS was a women's choice at my shop but on light wreck dives I have seen both in various stages of wear. Maybe even more of TLS. However, after diving them I had a clear favourite and went with TLS. It is way more flexible and comfortable on me. It's lighter than CLX, and nearly dries on the way from shore entry to the car. As has been mentioned these qualities are great if you travel with the suit, and that was one thing for me too.

Zippers - I have not heard what you say. I can say though that there has been a great difference between my zipper and buddy's (TLS bought same time) since the first time used. Mine is way more fickle/stiff, when buddy has a smooth-operating one that rarely needs waxing. I think it might be just up to luck - or body contours how the teeth line up when pulling it?

thanks guys, i was only concerned with the zipper issue because they are the same zipper on the two suites and the clx has much heavier material, and it the issue might have only been brought up because i am working at my LDS this summer and was there everyday last summer and we have a relativly small dive group with our shop in northren WI, so its very possible that the idea of this zipper issue is just in our heads, so i wanted to see if any one else had this problem. i plan on attending the dog rally days before i purchase the suite, so well see what product i choose.

I found the so called self donning diagnonal zipper on the front not self donning at all. Iam a very flexible girl, but I prefer should zippers, and DUI has that available on their CF2000 suit.