Rofos RS 450Cave VS Santi E.Lite

[VikingScuba91]

Hello everyone!

I just got into scuba diving, and I'm thinking of buying my very first Dry Suit. And I was wondering if any of you fine folks have any experience with any of the below mentioned dry suits?

My two LDS carry Rofos and Santi, respectively. As well as ONE. But these two caught my eye:

These two suits are around the same price point here (Oslo, Norway)

Rofos RS 450Cave RS 450CAVE - Rofos

vs

Santi E.lite E.Lite

I'm still fresh, so I would like a dry suit that I can "grow" into. I realize that there are cheaper options out there, but I'd rather buy a good one right away and not having to worry about upgrading it for a while.

Any input and/or personal experience with any of the two would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I made about 20 dives in a demo Rofos rs350?(breathable fabric) before deciding on the Santi eLite. The Rofos was extremely well made and very comfortable. I liked it quite a bit. My concern was they were saying there was a 50% chance it the breathable material could delaminate after 500 dives. I dive a lot so that's too much risk for not very long.

The eLite fits great and has been durable.ive had some issues that were quickly taken care of under warranty. Wrist leaked when new, zipper failed, heel leaked. Again everything repaired without issue under warranty. Otherwise it's taken a lot of abuse and I'm overall very pleased with it.

I think youd be happy with whichever best fits you.

 

[VikingScuba91]

I made about 20 dives in a demo Rofos rs350?(breathable fabric) before deciding on the Santi eLite. The Rofos was extremely well made and very comfortable. I liked it quite a bit. My concern was they were saying there was a 50% chance it the breathable material could delaminate after 500 dives. I dive a lot so that's too much risk for not very long.

The eLite fits great and has been durable.ive had some issues that were quickly taken care of under warranty. Wrist leaked when new, zipper failed, heel leaked. Again everything repaired without issue under warranty. Otherwise it's taken a lot of abuse and I'm overall very pleased with it.

I think youd be happy with whichever best fits you.

Awesome! Thank you very much for your input. It's very much appreciated. I've heard lots of good feedback about the Santi eLite, but I've barely seen any feedback or reviews about the Rofos RS450.

I'm leaning towards the Santi myself, but I guess I should try both of them on, if possible, and see which one fits better?

Again, thank you for the feedback

 

[taimen]

RS450cave is not made of breathable laminate and should be durable. Also probably slightly heavier than E.lite. RS350 is closer to e.lite.
On most markets Rofos is significantly less expensive than Santi.
Rofos doesn't use breathable laminates any more so also RS350 is different.

 

[ericfine50]

Not to hijack, but does anyone know which ring system is pictured on their site?

 

[taimen]

It is probably Sitech Quickneck.

 

[ericfine50]

It is probably Sitech Quickneck.

Sorry, was looking at the wrists.

 

[taimen]

Well that looks like qcs oval and Antares to me.

 

[VikingScuba91]

RS450cave is not made of breathable laminate and should be durable. Also probably slightly heavier than E.lite. RS350 is closer to e.lite.
On most markets Rofos is significantly less expensive than Santi.
Rofos doesn't use breathable laminates any more so also RS350 is different.

They're quite similar as far as weight goes. The Santi suit is actually about 1lbs heavier than the Rofos suit according to their websites.

If I can get the Santi eLite for 100$ less than the Rofos, then the Santi deal is probably an overall better option, I would assume. Either way, they both look like fantastic suits.

 

[VikingScuba91]

And thank you all for your experienced and educated feedback. It's very much appreciated!