Drysuit noob questions

[broncobowsher]

I've used the Antares rings and the Ultima rings. I've sold my Antares rings and won't go back to them unless at gunpoint.

Antares suck. Plain and simple. Otoh, I love my Ultimas.

I think it was the Ultimas that I was considering before the Kubi. I still think the Kubi are a good system. But I do have to agree to avoid the Antares. It has been a few years since I did serious shopping and don't remember all the options.

Another to avoid, ZIPgloves. While they do stay dry, DUI thinks there is something magical about them to command insane replacement costs for a wear item. So you end up gluing new gloves onto the old rings. And suiting up with the gloves attached to the suit is just a bastard. Might as well just glue the glove to the suit and avoid the rings.

 

[Rollin]

No company or business has a perfect reputation. Santi service is widely regarded as very good. It’s why a lot of GUE and non GUE instructors, explorers etc use their products. What is the reason of saying your point when we all know not everyone gets a perfect suit. They’re custom made by hand, a lot can go wrong with any manufacturer. Not every time it can be perfect.
Edit: we all know the E.motion was a real lemon

A lot of things can go wrong, and I accept that. I can't accept the fact that my dealer had to pay for the zipper within like a month's time. It was sent for repair to the factory in Poland, they can't blame anyone else for bad service. Expecially if you ask premium price for your product.

 

[Zef]

I love my Waterproof Ultimas but if I was in the market for a system, I would seriously look into the Rolock90 system that recently was released. It is designed for use with the Si-Tech QCS Oval PU ring. It seems to have the ease of mounting gloves on the glove side ring, like the Si-Tech systems, with the security of the Ultima system. It also looks to have a low profile.

-Z

 

[Christozs]

So from the shop i got this answer :

"It is not possible to use KUBI it must be fitted from new, KUBI can not be retrofitted. Next, KUBI is also available in several sizes and the arm on the suit must be made to the size that suits the user."

What i have from the description is this :
SI-TECH CUFF ARM RING SYSTEM

I will call to ask if it is the QCS and i guess i will go for the ULTIMA. Hope it's not too hard to change it on my own.

 

[Dark Wolf]

I am more for a trilam as it is easier to travel with. Also it is more versatile so i could use it during the not so warm summer here with less undergarment.



I have been diving for 2 months here with 3.5mm gloves. I think i am ready for the dry glove system!



"Fitting is essential", for that reason am more for the BARE suit that it is from a dive shop in a city close by. That i could just go and try it or get it and send it back (since it is just a standard ML and not custom made for me)



SANTI is indeed pricey, but getting it from Poland could drop the price to 1800 euros. Haven't heard the best about their customer service though and that concerns me a bit. I wouldn't want to be without a drysuit for months in case something breaks.

I never heard of Seaskin before entering this forum. I researched it a bit and it looks great how you can customize it and still get it in a much better price than the "popular" ones. How is it quality-wise? How is the customer service? My biggest issue is that it is in UK so i cannot try it beforehand. And if it custom made for me i guess there is no return option in case it doesn't fit or it is too baggy.

Looking in the options i could get i would get almost the same as you (except the trilobit knife that i have already two). Which zipper did you get? I am concerned about the rock boots though. I have the Apeks RK3 fins that fit my wet boots, i guess i should go one size up in fins with rock boots? Don't really want to sell those ones, it was so hard to find them in gray



I don't know where they are made, but they are also pretty popular here. I am not really a fan, they look a bit baggy and most i have seen have back entry. And they are a biiit expensive.



I still don't have the specialty. I would rather buy mine and train on it so that i am ready to go after the training. Also renting a drysuit for the training costs extra here.

Hello!

I am still diving an older Diving Concepts suit, with their dry glove system.

I have been following the threads on here in regards to the Seaskin Nova. Very competitive pricing, and most folks seem to be very pleased with them. My buddy ordered one, and it arrived last week (a month ahead of time, no less). I was able to take a look at it Friday. After seeing one in person, I can say that I am very impressed with the build and material quality. He ordered his with the Kubi dry glove system, P valve (I forget which one, will have to ask), pocket on each leg, plastic zipper, latex seals, telescoping torso, and attached boots. The fit of the suit was very nice, and the only thing that I didn't care for was the P valve (although that is just my personal opinion, not saying it was a "bad" valve just not what I prefer). Nice suit with carry bag, powder, zipper lube, and a bag of "goodies" that I did not dig through since it is not my suit.

It made my mind up for me, my next suit will be a Seaskin. For my money, I could get 2 suits and still be under what most manufacturers are asking for a single made to measure suit.

That being said, I suspect you will be happy with whichever suit you decide to go with!!

ETA-Final price for his suit (no undergarments) was just over $1,000 shipped to Kansas.

Take care,

DW

 

[Christozs]

I had never heard of Seaskin before, but researching it after the suggestions here it looked pretty good.

My problem with that drysuit is that it takes 2-3 months to arrive and i would prefer to keep diving and not have a break from it.
But most likely, if i ever need a new drysuit after the BARE i will go for a Seaskin.

 

[broncobowsher]

So from the shop i got this answer :

"It is not possible to use KUBI it must be fitted from new, KUBI can not be retrofitted. Next, KUBI is also available in several sizes and the arm on the suit must be made to the size that suits the user."

What i have from the description is this :
SI-TECH CUFF ARM RING SYSTEM

I will call to ask if it is the QCS and i guess i will go for the ULTIMA. Hope it's not too hard to change it on my own.

I call BS. Or maybe the shop is truthful in there skill level.
Kubi can be installed on a used suit. Maybe not every suit but at least the normal ones. DRIS can do the retrofit. I've had them do it before.

 

[Christozs]

I call BS. Or maybe the shop is truthful in there skill level.
Kubi can be installed on a used suit. Maybe not every suit but at least the normal ones. DRIS can do the retrofit. I've had them do it before.

My dive instructor in Greece told me exactly the same (he has the x-mission and installed the KUBI on his own).
The problem is that he's in Greece and i'm in Denmark.

 

[Storker]

I call BS. Or maybe the shop is truthful in there skill level.
Kubi can be installed on a used suit. Maybe not every suit but at least the normal ones. DRIS can do the retrofit. I've had them do it before.

Installing rings on a used suit is a lot easier if the suit cuff circumference is equal to the suit-side ring circumference. This is why the Ultimas would be the preferred alternative to Antares, as they use the same suit-side rings. Other ring systems, like e.g. SiTech Quicklock use different suit-side rings. Worst case, you'll have to modify the suit cuffs to accommodate different suit-side rings, and you're looking at a quite different type of job with a quite different price tag.

 

[drk5036]

I had never heard of Seaskin before, but researching it after the suggestions here it looked pretty good.

My problem with that drysuit is that it takes 2-3 months to arrive and i would prefer to keep diving and not have a break from it.
But most likely, if i ever need a new drysuit after the BARE i will go for a Seaskin.

If you’re open to neoprene suits, it only takes about 6 weeks to dispatch!