Best thing about an eBay suit is you'll learn all about finding leaks, patching holes and replacing zippers and seals...
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Regardless of material, check out having a custom drysuit cut to fit your precisely. The difference will be noticeable, and the cost is not much more than buying off the shelf. Dry suits are very labor intensive and setting up special size material cuts is easily done. It's the seams where the real costs are.
Not all manufacturers offer this, so you might need to shop around a bit.
It seems the trilam suits seem to be the best all around suits. Do these hold up well for caverns?
My experience with Northern Diver was a nightmare. I purchased a made to measure Cortex suit from them a few years back. Waited four months ... when the suit arrived, it was a complete disaster. I have no idea who's measurements they used, but they weren't mine. When I tried the suit on I looked like a little kid dressed in his daddy's clothes. Furthermore, I'd ordered pockets, which did not come on the suit ... and I had NOT ordered a relief zipper ... which did. When I contacted their customer service rep in England she explained that "pockets don't look good on that suit" ... and I still don't know why they thought I wanted a relief zipper. After another two months, and a bunch of exchanges between the USA and England, I finally got another suit. This one was also not right ... although I could at least wear it. After a handful of dives I sold it to a friend who was 6 inches taller than me and about 40 lbs. lighter ... and it fit him much better than it fit me.I was just about to change from rubber suits to something more modern, so tried a Typhoon (did not like it...no stretch, and the "bib" style wrap-around of the front entry suit was unconfortable to me). Tried a DUI CF200. Great suit but needed much more weight than with my old Viking. Find DUI a bit expensive but great suits.
Then found a cheap new Thor rubber suit from Northern Diver on eBay for only $800. Very stretchy, tough, and a large range of sizes to fit 99% of divers. You can also get them in the "heavy duty" weight and front or rear entry. Can still wear same amount of weight on my drysuit as I wear with my wetsuit. Tough boots on the suit, but comfortable.
Yes...I'm probably too vintage...but it works for me.
Fits fairly tight around the legs so very little baggyness or drag, does not hinder swimming very much at all. All come standard with suspenders from memory. That is the one must-have feature for me on a suit.
Best advice is...try as many as you can before you buy. Yes, that will take a few months, but at least you will buy what YOU like.
ALternatively, buy a couple of second hand ones on eBay, use them for a while, and then you can pretty much sell them again for the same money if you keep your eyes open and don't pay too much when you purchase. When you find one you like, keep it, or sell it and buy the new version of the same.
Too much choice and too little time to try them all!
ND makes a good suit ... if you can fit an off-the-shelf size. Otherwise, I'd look elsewhere.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
My conclusion was that ND has a hard time with M2M suits