My indepth review of the Hollis NeoTek Semi-Dry

[sibermike7]

wow you got 200 dives on your suit.. hows it taking the wear and tear is the suit holding up well????

Last year, I had to have it repaired. I had to add some patches under the armpits as it was coming apart. The biggest problem is the forearms where the gloves cover. The thin, outside layer is separating and coming apart, looking all wrinkled. Surprisingly, the knees and elbows are holding up. The reinforcement there is doing the job.

I am hoping to milk it for one more year, maybe... I would buy it again. It is a cheap suit, and you can replace it every 2-3 years if you use it heavy. For me it amounts to about a dollar a dive. I have a brand new dry suit coming in, so, it doesn't have to be my primary suit.

Oh, yeah, I dive it mostly in fresh water. We have a quarry where I guide dives and serve as a divemaster. The dives are long, often over an hour. So I put in about 2 1/2 hours underwater each day I lead dives.

 

[sibermike7]

you'll be fine enjoy your dive.

I agree. I didn't need any extra weight with this suit coming from a drysuit. I also used the same with a 2 piece, 7mm wetsuit. I carry 3.5 kg of weights using a wing w. SS backplate, can light, and diving a Faber steel tank. (The Faber 12, 15, and 18 L tanks really don't have a large variation in buoyancy, dry weight on the surface, yes, in the water, no.)

 

[lastbreath]

really

I agree. I didn't need any extra weight with this suit coming from a drysuit. I also used the same with a 2 piece, 7mm wetsuit. I carry 3.5 kg of weights using a wing w. SS backplate, can light, and diving a Faber steel tank. (The Faber 12, 15, and 18 L tanks really don't have a large variation in buoyancy, dry weight on the surface, yes, in the water, no.)

really thats funny i also got a faber steel tank its the faber 108 lp.. and i just purchased a SEAC neoprene dry suit

 

[sibermike7]

That ought to work well in So.Cal

 

[Fredrik.Gunnesson.SWE]

So, now I ha e done 2 dives on it.

I LOVE it!

I did have some water getting in but it stayed in the lavaskin fabric which kept it away from my body.

My body heat def warmed the little Water that got in way faster then my other WS. And since there probably wherent any water exchange I stayed warm the entire dive, getting back on the boat I had to remove the hood quickly because I was to warm.

Another thing I noticed is that its super windproof, since probably could have stayed the entire surfaceintervall in the suit because it just kept warming me up on land. And on te windy boatride back to the scubacenter. The lavaskin leads the water down and out and it gets pretty much dry inside.

Also enjoyed the extra backpad on the suit. Usually feel some pain from the bottle but that just didnt happen this time.

After this I actually considering diving year around in this suit!

Picture from between the dives coffe brake

 

[sibermike7]

I only used my dry suit last year for going under the ice. Now you know my secret weapon!

 

[lastbreath]

now i know allot of divers are missing out by not investing in the hollis neotek. welcome to the club. cheers

 

[JohnnySeif]

Hello,

I am new here, my first post

I purshased the neotek and fits perfectly. My only problem is the attached hood. Its too small always pulls up making a distance between the mask and the hood.
So the forehead is always there. I am used to diving with a seperated hood.

So my question here is: is it poosible to remove the hood? Cut it off in a clean and proper way, so i can use my own detachable hood?

I know it must be a weird thing to ask. But it keeps bugging me.

 

[Birddog1911]

My Hollis Neotek came in last night, and I had to try it on. For perspective, I'm 6'0, and right now, about 215...I like good beer. Looking at their charts, you'd be led to believe that I could go between an XL, or a XXL. However, it is slightly loose in some areas. I think I'd have probably been fine with a L.

For those that have used these for a while, is it being a little loose going to be an issue? I've only ever used a 3mil suit before.

 

[stuartv]

I think in any wetsuit, "a little loose" means more water flushing through. For a 3mm, that may not be a huge deal as you'd only use that in pretty warm water anyway. For a semi-dry, I think that would kind of defeat the purpose.