Current top drysuits for rec diving

[EireDiver606]

It's impossible to say what the best drysuit is as people have different values and goals.

For me, Santi is what I'm after. Fits very well, comfortable, lightweight, very handy features like pockets, balanced p valve, great warranty, free goodies like a waterproof drybag etc. I'm incredibly happy with mine so far.

Other top brands for similar divers would be DUI (tls 350), Fourth Element Argonaut, SF Tech TNT (Pro), Ursuit. Don't really know many others so not saying there arent other alternatives.

I haven't dived some of these but I will try to say what I think to be the truth about each brand (that I know of) without trying to sell you a partiular sight. This is based from personal experience, what I've seen and heard in person and some research on the internet.

Common critiques for each brand:
Seaskin:
Cheap material
Not that durable but a good suit especially considering its price.
If you're on a budget and don't want the nice extra features a more expensive suit will offer, get this.
There is a big difference in quality but also a big difference in price compared to top brands.
Suit features are very cheap parts but the actual suit isn't bad.
Customer Service? small business - who knows.
Great value - budget suit/ backup
Small brand

Otter (Britannic/ Atlantic):
Strong suits even trilam versions are more durable compared to other brands
Well made
Mobility in the shoulders ie cut of the suit isn't great, numerous complaints of not reaching valves.
Only a couple hundred less than Santi without getting the extra quality and free goodies you get from Santi..
Many BSAC divers use them as they're a good strong " British brand - god, queen, country all that...


Santi (Elite+/ Emotion +):
Expensive
Not as durable as Otter trilam apparently (Enduro/ Elite/ Elite + is very durable though).
Had Tzip (plastic zip) problems a few years ago then switched to YKK zippers (can still order metal also) and no more problems.
Still only a couple hundred more than Otter and others and come with loads of extras like a bag, beanie, replacements and warranty.
Santi does size up by 1-2 cm (not that other brands don't)
Excellent suit however boots wear out easily enough.
See a lot of GUE, technical divers and explorers using these suits.

FE (Argonaut):
Expensive
Excellent suit similar to a Santi.
Haven't heard any complaints as not many use them- just because you haven't heard complaint doesn't mean they don't exist.

DUI (tls 350):
Most Expensive
Excellent suits.
Believed to have the best "cave" cut but the cut is so good that they leak higher than normal compared to others.
Used by some of the top explorers in the world - world record cave dive for example.
Excellent quality but you are paying for the fact they are american made everything like Halcyon. There are a lot of complaints about DUI in general - I would boil this down to the fact that a lot are bought and a lot of those divers who do buy them dive a lot so of course they will get wear and tear (same as Santi)
See a lot of explorers in the past using these suits, noyt as much now though, still highly popular in cave country and the old technical divers.

SF Tech (TNT (Pro)):
Excellent suits
Expensive
Excellent quality
Trilam version is warmest trilam according to website.
Used by top explorers, aimed at cold water (technical) divers
Neoprene suits are excellent also
Haven't heard any complaints - this might be my next suit.
Small brand

Ursuit (1 performance, softdura, cordura):
Very good quality
Good value - basically a budget Santi.
Haven't heard many issues.

Othree:
Excellent made neoprene suits - one of the best neoprene brands out there along with SF Tech and Otter
Trilam is lacking in quality and overpriced imo
Very good price range from 795 to 1295 for crushed neoprene range
Not recommended for technical diving as even crushed neoprene compresses slightly
Very durable
Many UK recreational divers use these


Suit brands to stay away from given their track record:
Hollis
Scubapro
Typhoon
Mares
Seac
Tusa


Again, there are people way more experienced than me who can chime in on these suits. Please say what you disagree on and why. Please say if there is anything missing that needs to be there. People with experience please.

 

[EireDiver606]

If I were going to spend that much, I would get an O3 over a Santi, without any question. And 10 times so, if I were in the UK. I only personally know 2 people that have ordered Santi suits in the last 3 or 4 years. Both of those people have had serious issues with their suits. Mostly issues of fit. Personally, I simply would not even consider a Santi drysuit.

I have owned a total of 4 drysuits. First was a Bare. Second was a Waterproof. I'm not really an off-the-rack body shape, so, while both suits were good quality and fit me fairly well, neither one fit me perfectly. For my 3rd suit, I took a flyer and ordered a Seaskin trilam. It fit perfectly and had every single feature I wanted. It is still my main drysuit. I since sold my Waterproof and I had no more use for it after I got the Seaskin.

So then I decided I would like to also have a compressed neoprene drysuit. Simple and basic. A suit to wear in moderate temperature ranges, where I would not need hardly any undergarments, but also would not be TOO hot. I ordered the Seaskin Ultra (compressed neoprene suit) and it also fits perfectly and is very high quality. Full disclosure: I've only had it about 4 months and it does have a pinhole leak that is getting my right heel wet when I dive. I'm still working with Seaskin on figuring that out and fixing it. No big deal, as far as I'm concerned, but I felt obliged to mention it.

Why buy a suit now with an expectation of buying a new suit in a year or two, when you can just buy a "proper" drysuit now, that will fit right and that has all the features you want? AND is actually within your stated budget?

So apparently because you know 2 people who owned them and had issues, they're bad suits right?

 

[Efka76]

It's impossible to say what the best drysuit is as people have different values and goals.

For me, Santi is what I'm after. Fits very well, comfortable, lightweight, very handy features like pockets, balanced p valve, great warranty, free goodies like a waterproof drybag etc. I'm incredibly happy with mine so far.

Other top brands for similar divers would be DUI (tls 350), Fourth Element Argonaut, SF Tech TNT (Pro), Ursuit. Don't really know many others so not saying there arent other alternatives.

I haven't dived some of these but I will try to say what I think to be the truth about each brand (that I know of) without trying to sell you a partiular sight. This is based from personal experience, what I've seen and heard in person and some research on the internet.

Common critiques for each brand:
Seaskin:
Cheap material
Not that durable but a good suit especially considering its price.
If you're on a budget and don't want the nice extra features a more expensive suit will offer, get this.
There is a big difference in quality but also a big difference in price compared to top brands.
Suit features are very cheap parts but the actual suit isn't bad.
Customer Service? small business - who knows.
Great value - budget suit/ backup
Small brand

Otter (Britannic/ Atlantic):
Strong suits even trilam versions are more durable compared to other brands
Well made
Mobility in the shoulders ie cut of the suit isn't great, numerous complaints of not reaching valves.
Only a couple hundred less than Santi without getting the extra quality and free goodies you get from Santi..
Many BSAC divers use them as they're a good strong " British brand - god, queen, country all that...


Santi (Elite+/ Emotion +):
Expensive
Not as durable as Otter trilam apparently (Enduro/ Elite/ Elite + is very durable though).
Had Tzip (plastic zip) problems a few years ago then switched to YKK zippers (can still order metal also) and no more problems.
Still only a couple hundred more than Otter and others and come with loads of extras like a bag, beanie, replacements and warranty.
Santi does size up by 1-2 cm (not that other brands don't)
Excellent suit however boots wear out easily enough.
See a lot of GUE, technical divers and explorers using these suits.

FE (Argonaut):
Expensive
Excellent suit similar to a Santi.
Haven't heard any complaints as not many use them- just because you haven't heard complaint doesn't mean they don't exist.

DUI (tls 350):
Most Expensive
Excellent suits.
Believed to have the best "cave" cut but the cut is so good that they leak higher than normal compared to others.
Used by some of the top explorers in the world - world record cave dive for example.
Excellent quality but you are paying for the fact they are american made everything like Halcyon. There are a lot of complaints about DUI in general - I would boil this down to the fact that a lot are bought and a lot of those divers who do buy them dive a lot so of course they will get wear and tear (same as Santi)
See a lot of explorers in the past using these suits, noyt as much now though, still highly popular in cave country and the old technical divers.

SF Tech (TNT (Pro)):
Excellent suits
Expensive
Excellent quality
Trilam version is warmest trilam according to website.
Used by top explorers, aimed at cold water (technical) divers
Neoprene suits are excellent also
Haven't heard any complaints - this might be my next suit.
Small brand

Ursuit (1 performance, softdura, cordura):
Very good quality
Good value - basically a budget Santi.
Haven't heard many issues.

Othree:
Excellent made neoprene suits - one of the best neoprene brands out there along with SF Tech and Otter
Trilam is lacking in quality and overpriced imo
Very good price range from 795 to 1295 for crushed neoprene range
Not recommended for technical diving as even crushed neoprene compresses slightly
Very durable
Many UK recreational divers use these


Suit brands to stay away from given their track record:
Hollis
Scubapro
Typhoon
Mares
Seac
Tusa


Again, there are people way more experienced than me who can chime in on these suits. Please say what you disagree on and why. Please say if there is anything missing that needs to be there. People with experience please.

I have Seaskin drysuit. Unfortunately due to this Covid 19 I was not able to do a lot of dives in it, however, I do not agree that ''suit features are very cheap". My suit comes with Kubi glove system (as far as I understand they are market leader in drysuit gloves). My suit is made to measure and fits me very well. It has repleaceable neck seal, Si-tech valves (did not know that they are considered cheap). It has trilobite attached to hand, all possible druisuit reinforcements. Also, its price is more approximately 2.5 less than Santi equivalent. It does the job, diving is dry. I prefer not to overpay for drysuit to have posh logo on it.

 

[stuartv]

So apparently because you know 2 people who owned them and had issues, they're bad suits right?

Where did I EVER say they are bad suits?

What I said is that 100% of the people I know PERSONALLY, who have ordered custom Santi suits in the last 2 or 3 years have had problems. Both got suits that didn't fit right. One even had to go to the trouble of being re-measured on video camera to prove to Santi that the measurements provided were correct before Santi would admit that they screwed up and made his suit too small and agreed to make him a new one. The other had fit issues also and then, after only 80 or so dives, and 14 months of ownership, the boots were leaking. Santi has a "great" warranty - except for the bits that are crappy. The warranty on the boots is 12 months, so they told her to go pound sand. Their boots wear out way too quickly. So, do they made better boots? No, they just make the warranty on the boots shorter than the warranty on the rest of the suit. That is some great customer service right there.

I think their suits are top quality (except for those boots) - once you get one that is made correctly (i.e. to the right dimensions). But, the customer service - well, it seems like that leaves a ton to be desired. Look up the thread about the woman on here who had the same problem with her Santi boots and got a TOTAL run-around until she posted about it publicly. Then finally the head of the US company that was supposed to handle warranty service finally stepped in and took care of her. Nobody should have to go through all that to get good customer service.

It's impossible to say what the best drysuit is as people have different values and goals.

For me, Santi is what I'm after. Fits very well, comfortable, lightweight, very handy features like pockets, balanced p valve, great warranty, free goodies like a waterproof drybag etc. I'm incredibly happy with mine so far.

[snip]

Common critiques for each brand:
Seaskin:
Cheap material
Not that durable but a good suit especially considering its price.
If you're on a budget and don't want the nice extra features a more expensive suit will offer, get this.
There is a big difference in quality but also a big difference in price compared to top brands.
Suit features are very cheap parts but the actual suit isn't bad.
Customer Service? small business - who knows.
Great value - budget suit/ backup
Small brand

"Free goodies" from Santi? You don't the price you paid for a Santi covered the cost of those "free" goodies? You could pay a couple of hundred extra bucks for a Seaskin to get the same extras. You'd still have spent half the money and have all the same goodies. Would that make them free, too?

Your Seaskin critiques say they are common.

How many different people have you seen say that Seaskin materials are cheap? I only know of one poster, here on SB, who said that their trilam material is not AS high quality as the O3 trilam material. That does not mean it is "cheap". A local buddy of mine with an Ursuit Softdura suit looked at my Seaskin trilam and said that it appeared to be identical material to the Softdura. Anyway, mainly I am curious how you can say that it is commonly said that the Seaskin material is cheap. I did a lot of research before I bought my first one and never saw that critique at all. Where did I fail to look to see it said "commonly"?

Where have you seen it posted that it is not that durable? I have not seen any posts here on SB to that effect. Or anywhere else, really. At least, not that I can remember. But, I AM getting old and maybe I just don't remember.

What "nice, extra features" can you get on a Santi that you can't get on a Seaskin? As far as I can tell, Seaskin offers more "extra" features as options that any other suit maker I have seen. Can you order a Santi with Kubi dry glove rings? Can you order it with your choice of zippered or velcro thigh pockets? Do they offer mulitple options for your choice of thigh pocket size? Can you choose whether you want the thigh pockets on the sides or more to the front to accommodate sidemount cylinders?

Have you looked at a Seaskin in person? What is the basis for saying that there is a big difference in quality? I HAVE personally looked at both in person. I don't see ANY real difference in quality. MAYBE the suit material itself is a different quality - but if so that is not something I personally am able to see with my naked eye. Otherwise, construction seems to be comparable.

And what suit parts are cheap? They offer your choice of Si Tech or Apeks inflate and dump valves. Do you get that choice with Santi? You can get Kubi dry glove rings. Are those "cheap accessories"?

I have one friend that custom ordered a Santi E.lite. Then, less than 2 years later(?), got a Seaskin trilam (because of problems with the Santi and difficulty getting them fixed - so wanting a suit to be able to use in the meantime). I think the Seaskin is now her main suit and the Santi is her backup.

 

[Bald Wookie]

Ok everyone, lets go back to RECOMMENDING suits.

 

[stuartv]

Ok everyone, lets go back to RECOMMENDING suits.

Is there an issue with seeking clarification on information that has been given?

 

[Bald Wookie]

Is there an issue with seeking clarification on information that has been given?

Nope, but why argue over something someone said over the internet when the OP is simply asking for an opinion on the "Best current Rec. Drysuit"?

 

[Danny D]

Comparatively, does Seaskin have a suit material or overlay similar to the DUI CLX / Santi Elite or is it more in line with the DUI TLS?

 

[SlawUnderwater]

Do you know that O3 makes Tri-Laminate Drysuits too now?

90Ninety | OThree Custom Drysuits

Hey Burhan,

I just ordered one from my LDS- Aquatic Adventures in Columbus, OH. They have become an authorized dealer. I was able to try on the RI-200 and the Ninety 90, as well as the undergarments. I went with the 90 because I love the ability to use it year round and alter my base layers. It's incredibly well made and just awesome to look at. I needed a bit of tailoring so it should be arriving from the factory in 8-10 weeks. I will post a full review then as well as when I can dive it. Also of note, the suit included the undergarments, attached boots, Kubi dry gloves, hood, changing mat, bag and accessories. Can't wait to dive it!

 

[BoltSnap]

I will post a full review then as well as when I can dive it. Also of note, the suit included the undergarments, attached boots, Kubi dry gloves, hood, changing mat, bag and accessories. Can't wait to dive it!

Please do as soon as you can