I wouldn't say I hate my Fusion. I'm just realizing that I've come to the limit of what I can do in it. When I got it used, it had the Tech skin. Fast forward a couple of years and I replaced it with the Bullet. And that led to a revelation about the design -- its greatest advantage is also its greatest flaw. And that is: you're essentially wearing a large garbage bag to stay dry. Naturally that's not going to conform to the shape of your body, so you have to wrap the garbage bag in spandex. The spandex is what keeps the suit streamlined and close to your body. And when you're in and out of chlorinated swimming pools or getting a lot of sun, sooner or later the spandex skin loses its elasticity and its ability to hug you closely so the inner layer doesn't go flopping around.
That's what happened to my Tech skin. Couple of years after I got it, the skin was hanging off me like a cheap motel curtain. It was already thin to start with -- basically a Sport skin, but with pockets -- so it got worn out pretty fast. I replaced it with the Bullet skin, which is supposedly more robust, being thicker, better reinforced, and more abrasion resistant. (I got one of the old Whites design, before they were bought by Aqualung.)
But here's where I'm not happy with it. Somebody upthread mentioned it being difficult to self-don, and I have to agree. Not just a question of struggling in and out of the legs, either. For the moment I still have the flexibility to reach over my left shoulder with my right hand and vice versa, but in all honesty I'd rather just do it up 80% of the way and tap somebody nearby to make sure it's closed properly. And another comment mentioned having trouble controlling the bubble -- I understand what you mean, and I'm bothered by the same thing. IIRC, the OP said he had a Sport skin, so I'm not really surprised. The Sport skin is light, flexible, and dries quickly, but it's also thin and lacking the elasticity to truly pull the inner core close and conform to the body. I have the same problem, although not nearly to the same extent. And don't get me started on the pockets.
In sum, the Fusion is a good recreational drysuit for divers on a budget. When you want to take your diving beyond that, the limitations of the design are revealed.
That's what happened to my Tech skin. Couple of years after I got it, the skin was hanging off me like a cheap motel curtain. It was already thin to start with -- basically a Sport skin, but with pockets -- so it got worn out pretty fast. I replaced it with the Bullet skin, which is supposedly more robust, being thicker, better reinforced, and more abrasion resistant. (I got one of the old Whites design, before they were bought by Aqualung.)
But here's where I'm not happy with it. Somebody upthread mentioned it being difficult to self-don, and I have to agree. Not just a question of struggling in and out of the legs, either. For the moment I still have the flexibility to reach over my left shoulder with my right hand and vice versa, but in all honesty I'd rather just do it up 80% of the way and tap somebody nearby to make sure it's closed properly. And another comment mentioned having trouble controlling the bubble -- I understand what you mean, and I'm bothered by the same thing. IIRC, the OP said he had a Sport skin, so I'm not really surprised. The Sport skin is light, flexible, and dries quickly, but it's also thin and lacking the elasticity to truly pull the inner core close and conform to the body. I have the same problem, although not nearly to the same extent. And don't get me started on the pockets.
In sum, the Fusion is a good recreational drysuit for divers on a budget. When you want to take your diving beyond that, the limitations of the design are revealed.
