To all the Fusion owners out there...

[mathauck0814]

I know there's a fair few of you who own this suit. Mine is one of the Fusion Bullets and I've got a couple of quick questions.


a. Has anyone swapped the skin? I thoroughly dislike the bullet skin. On top of being heavy, it takes two days to dry in full sunlight and is a pain in the arse to travel with. I'm thinking of switching to the LE tech skin and gluing pockets on as a possible fix to this. Anyone have a similar experience or can comment knowledgeably on the drying time/flexibility of the tech skin vs. the bullet? Also what considerations in affixing pockets to the tech skin (do I need to anchor it to the core, etc).


b. Replacing the wrist seals. I have seen several of the youtube videos that detail the seal replacement though I wonder if I have a slightly different suit than most (perhaps it's a first run vs. follow up models or something). My wrist seals seem to have a skirt sewn in at the base of the wrist, which makes me wonder how exactly to remove them as the typical "hit it with a heat gun" approach won't likely work. Any DIY'ers out there have this same stitching and have a solid solution to replacing the seals?


c. Any of you get thoroughly fed up with your suit enough to dump it altogether and get another? I'm nearly there. For the years I've had this suit and the hundreds of dives I've put on it, I've spent more mental energy managing the suit than it's worth. I guess I fall into the small group of folks that just don't love this thing. If you have, what did you switch to? Looking at some of the Santi suits as a next step...


Thanks for your observations and feedback.

 

[TSandM]

Before you buy a new suit, get a new skin.

I have dived all three -- the Sport, Tech and Bullet. The Sport is delightful, the Tech is very liveable, and the Bullet simply negates many of the good features of the suit.

My Tech skin came with pockets, so I can't address putting pockets on a skin. When I used the Sport skin (for about three years) I used X-shorts.

I have not replaced seals on my own Fusion, and I'm not sure why. I have done seals on other suits. I had the SiTech neck ring put into both of the suits I now have, and I have discovered to my chagrin that it precludes me reaching my isolator in cold water gear, so I guess I'll have to learn how to do the neck seals, as I go through one every six months.

There has been a rare day when I've been so mad at the thing that I've considered dumping it for a Santi -- but that's only while getting dressed. Once I'm in the water, I love the suit -- and I love the fact that it's light and easy to pack for travel, and that it dries quickly (Bullet skin excepted) and that you have to work REALLY hard to get a leak in one -- which is an unusual and adorable feature in a dry suit!