Looking for opinions on drysuits

[Pullmyfinger]

SANTI is the only way to go imo

I'd choose that, a hundred out of a hundred times.

Among Natedawg's finalists....I'd get the CLX450.

Does DUI still charge for all the extras? The retail on that suit is $2,738
Crotch reinforcement (cloverleaf they call it), pockets, etc.? I don't think it includes a neoprene hood; not sure on that one. When it's all said and done....the Santi and DUI are the same price, once you equip the DUI with the options that make it comparable to the Santi.

Add two Halcyon Exploration pockets; the only thing comparable to the Santi pockets. Those pockets are $90 each.
That brings the price to a little over $2,900.
Which is the same price as the Santi eMotion.

In fairness....they are comparable suits; and are the same price. When looking to drop that much cash on a suit...you might as well take the time to compare the best ones.

If you're dead set on your 3 finalists....then I would choose the CLX450.


Cheers,
Mitch

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

A shell suit is a shell suit is a shell suit. As long as it fits it will do what it is meant to do i.e keep you dry. Everything else is marketing and brand loyalty BS. I have test dove a number of suits in pool and quarry and when it came to shells, USIA could do a custom suit that would be equal if not better than these high end ones.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

That is largely true. There are difference in the details, fabric choices, and "extras"......there are reasons why some suits cost $2,900 and some cost $1,500.
Whether those differences are worth the cost, is up to the owner.

You are correct....if it doesn't leak, and it fits......then it's a perfectly serviceable suit.

There is definitely brand preference at play....myself included.
That's the case with just about every product.....which often makes it so difficult to choose.

Cheers,
Mitch

 

[Superlyte27]

A shell suit is a shell suit is a shell suit. As long as it fits it will do what it is meant to do i.e keep you dry.

Really? Okay... Fair Enough.... I counter your argument with Hollis Biodry, Bare NextGen and the Dive Rite EXP905. There's three bag suits with TERRIBLE seam issues.

Not to beat up DUI, but it's ironically coined Dry Until Immersed.... and it's true. The TLS350 is aptly named The Leaky Suit. I know half a dozen people who have multiple DUI suits so that they always have one just back from repair to dive while the other two are in for repair.

You want the real scoop on DUI, talk to Steve Gamble who now insists on a FULL LEAK CHECK for ANY service issue on a DUI suit, check his website, it's on his top page. Steve Gamble is in the top 3 repair guys in the US and he says DUI is garbage. I gotta stick with the expert.

It's not brand loyalty and marketing. I've owned all the suits I just mentioned. And if they didn't suck, I'd still own one them.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

That's funny!
One of my dive buddies dives a TLS350.....it does have a lot of aquaseal applied throughout the inside of that thing!!
In fairness, I have read that the new TLS 450 and TLS 350 is much improved over the old TLS 350 fabric.

He sent his TLS350 to Steve Gamble last season.....what you say, is true about his leak check policy.

I don't really have to worry about it....I decided to just get a Santi and go diving.

A few of us have Santi suits......he now wants one.

Until then.....he keeps aquaseal on hand.

---------- Post added November 24th, 2013 at 04:10 PM ----------

A shell suit is a shell suit is a shell suit. As long as it fits it will do what it is meant to do i.e keep you dry. Everything else is marketing and brand loyalty BS. I have test dove a number of suits in pool and quarry and when it came to shells, USIA could do a custom suit that would be equal if not better than these high end ones.

Until it needs repairs. I asked a repair guy about making repairs to bi-laminate suits; USIA, specifically.
They are more difficult to repair, due to the fabric and how the seams are made.
This can be confirmed by emailing Superior or Gamble. That was a major reason why I didn't give the USIA further consideration.

For the price....they are good....and they will probably last their owner a long time before ever needing a repair.
Pay your money, and take your chances.

For me....I live outside of the US....so I would prefer to have something that I can repair myself.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Really? Okay... Fair Enough.... I counter your argument with Hollis Biodry, Bare NextGen and the Dive Rite EXP905. There's three bag suits with TERRIBLE seam issues.

Not to beat up DUI, but it's ironically coined Dry Until Immersed.... and it's true. The TLS350 is aptly named The Leaky Suit. I know half a dozen people who have multiple DUI suits so that they always have one just back from repair to dive while the other two are in for repair.

You want the real scoop on DUI, talk to Steve Gamble who now insists on a FULL LEAK CHECK for ANY service issue on a DUI suit, check his website, it's on his top page. Steve Gamble is in the top 3 repair guys in the US and he says DUI is garbage. I gotta stick with the expert.

It's not brand loyalty and marketing. I've owned all the suits I just mentioned. And if they didn't suck, I'd still own one them.

I totally believe this. Some companies turn out more lemons (faulty products) than others and DUI seems to have a reputation for that. When I purchased my first USIA aquasport I paid 700 USD for it and at the same time, my dive buddy got a DUI for three times as much. The DUI went back for repairs a couple of times whereas my Aquasport USIA never needed any customer service whatsoever. I have never been a fan of DUI and nothing that I wrote above should be seen as a defense of DUI.

I have had the chance to test dive a truck-load of dry suits from different brands in a swimming pool one after the other for two days straight. I found no co-relation between price and quality. None! If it fit well it would be a comfortable experience regardless of price range or brand. If it did not fit well it could be the Rolls Royce of drysuits and I would be miserable! The marketing slogan that "you get what you pay for" just does not seem to apply to drysuits. Manufacturers and dive shops realize this and usually tell you "Drysuit is a very subjective and personal preference." I agree but why were the same people saying "You get what you pay for?" Both slogans cant be true.

---------- Post added November 24th, 2013 at 10:47 PM ----------

Until it needs repairs. I asked a repair guy about making repairs to bi-laminate suits; USIA, specifically.
They are more difficult to repair, due to the fabric and how the seams are made.
This can be confirmed by emailing Superior or Gamble. That was a major reason why I didn't give the USIA further consideration.

For the price....they are good....and they will probably last their owner a long time before ever needing a repair.
Pay your money, and take your chances.

For me....I live outside of the US....so I would prefer to have something that I can repair myself.

USIA makes bi-lam as well as tri-lam and they offer various categories of tri-lam. Their bi-lam model was never meant to be taken for repairs. It was meant to be used and thrown after a few hundred or thousand dives. I actually like that idea more than buying a suit to last a life time.

Durability in a drysuit generally comes when you make the suit heavier and bulkier. Suits that are designed to last multiple lifetimes are being sold at a very high price but if you were to dive them along with many cheaper models then they seem to be offering the worst diving experience as well. Suits that are lighter offer a better diving experience but do not last that long. USIA designed the bi-lam as a cheap suit that you use comfortably for as long as it lasts and then you buy another one instead of taking it for repairs. Since it is 600 USD you could buy four of these for the price of one 4th element. Just hold the USIA in one hand and your super-expensive suit in the other and you will see that the expensive suits feel like armors compared to USIA. Having said that, the USIA bi-lam can also last a life time if treated well. The question then becomes .... do you want to spend over 2000 for an uncomfortable suit that would last you many lifetimes? Or would you buy 3 or 4 super light suits in the same price to last you one lifetime?

 

[Pullmyfinger]

Those are very good points in favor of the USAI suits......it's certainly did for thought.
The OP has a lot of good information to consider in this thread.

I will add that my Santi eMotion is very supple; not armor like, at all.

You are also correct about the prices of the upper end brands......they have a VERY high cost.

That high cost keeps the list of winter time dive buddies very short.

Cheers,
Mitch

 

[jhupka]

The question then becomes .... do you want to spend over 2000 for an uncomfortable suit that would last you many lifetimes? Or would you buy 3 or 4 super light suits in the same price to last you one lifetime?

Or by one great suit that is both comfortable and will last you a lifetime. E.lite by Santi

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Really? Okay... Fair Enough.... I counter your argument with Hollis Biodry, Bare NextGen and the Dive Rite EXP905. There's three bag suits with TERRIBLE seam issues.

Sh ..... Could you please keep it down!!! My six year old NexGen has not got the memo about the seam issues yet and I would rather it didn't.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

I found no co-relation between price and quality. None! If it fit well it would be a comfortable experience regardless of price range or brand. If it did not fit well it could be the Rolls Royce of drysuits and I would be miserable! The marketing slogan that "you get what you pay for" just does not seem to apply to drysuits. Manufacturers and dive shops realize this and usually tell you "Drysuit is a very subjective and personal preference." I agree but why were the same people saying "You get what you pay for?" Both slogans cant be true.

You must be pretty blind to say that there are no differences between shell suits. Put a SANTI, Hollis, Bare Nexgen and USIA side by side and pole 10 people and 10 out of 10 will pick the SANTI. That I know as fact as we see it all the time at trade shows (Beneath the Sea is in our backyard). Now of those 10 people that see the quality is better maybe 5 or 6 out of 10 will say they have the budget for it. Obviously everyone has a different price point that they are at, but that is different then saying that there is no difference in quality. Price is price but quality is the materials being used, features, functionality, options, construction etc....

This is no different then noticing that a BMW is better quality then a Chrysler. Some will be able to buy the BMW and others want to but unfortunately will have to settle on the Chrysler. This is everyday life! Don't hate the people that want the BMW!