murrayp4:
Hi all,
I'm considering buying a ND Cortex and I'm just wondering is there anyone out there who dives with one and whats the general opinion on the suit???
Yes, i've got one and class it as the biggest waste of money ive ever spent on diving equipment. In short, its awful.
The fact i havent had a dry dive in about 18 months despite ND claiming to have pressure tested it is the least of the problems.
The cut of the suit is terrible, even if it fits its like wearing a straight-jacket. Very restrictive due to the seam across the shoulders. Valve drills are a distant dream, being able to touch the back of your head is a minor miracle alone.
The auto dump on the shoulder is poorly placed (partly to do with the seams that run across that area that are also responsible for making it restrictive). As a result its very poor performance and often needs rolling to coax any air out of it at all. I ended up fitting a cuff dump.
The neck and wrist warmers achieve nothing at all other than to interfere with getting gauges on and off or snagging your backup regulator.
The right cargo pocket. Myself and others have lost £100s of pounds of gear from it. As default it has no holes for a bungee loop and the velcro is so weak and flimsy the act of kicking your leg opens it.
People in my club have lost SMBs, slates, reels, tables and masks.
I personally have lost 2 masks and my 3 finger mitts and THATS just walking through waist deep water to the boat. It cant be trusted with dive gear without modification.
The zips aren't heavy duty and fail. Out of 5 people in the club here that bought a suit 3 peoples zips broke within 18 months. Mine hasn't yet but has 3 broken teeth so its a matter of time.
A group (5) of us bought the suits at the same time. ALL hated the restrictive movement and generally poor build quality and 4 sold them. I still have mine but purely because im going abroad soon and will offload it when i get back.
I love my suit so much for todays quarry dive ive borrowed a very old rubber suit with dodgy seals purely so i can be more comfortable and drier than with my ND thing.
Oh, its also very very heavy.
ND in the UK at least have a reputation for poor service as well. I know of people that have waited weeks for alterations for suits that SHOULD have been supplied correctly made. My suit i have UK size 11 feet, got a size 10 boot that is so big i need to wear 3 pairs of skiing socks AND weezle booties to keep my feet in it. Someone else with MTM took her 5 MONTHS to get the suit made correctly to the measurements.
Save your money - there are PLENTY of suits out there £100 cheap that are FAR better build, cut and supported.
