Who hates their White Fusion Dry Suit?

[sfdiver140]

I've just gone to an FLX after almost six years in a Fusion. I'm still getting used to it -- buoyancy, weighting, trimming out, dumping gas, etc. -- but whoever compared getting into and out of the Fusion to a WWE match, be assured that's still the case with the FLX. But that's just me. YMMV.

Is the FLX that difficult to get in to? DUI right?

 

[Marie13]

Is the FLX that difficult to get in to? DUI right?

I disagree. I used to have to do what I refer to as the “pantyhose dance” (if you’ve ever watched a women struggle to get into pantyhose you know exactly what I’m talking about! ) with my Fusion. Absolutely not with the FLX Extreme.

 

[Sol]

Is the FLX that difficult to get in to? DUI right?

Ya, DUI FLX Extreme.

I have trouble with the legs -- they're harder to get into than the Fusion because it's difficult to grab onto the material and pull them on. That's easy, though, compared to taking them off. With the Fusion, you can grab the toe and pull them straight off, but when you're sitting cross-legged it becomes frightfully awkward. Ideally your buddy can stand in front of you and pull while you lean back and straighten your leg. Easier to put the legs on with the Fusion, but a nightmare to get them off. If your buddy's not there, you're stuck doing it on your own, which is a real PITA. FLX: harder to get the legs on, but the stiffness and resilience of the material makes the legs easier to take off.

And the upper half? Kind of a saw-off. I'm still getting used to the diagonal front zipper. It's better than the Fusion's U-shaped zipper, but it's got its own issues. For me the main event in the wrestling match is getting my right arm in and out of the sleeve. The end of my undergarment sleeve gets caught on the zipper when I'm putting it on and I have to go into some uncomfortable contortions to avoid "muscling" the suit on so I don't risk damaging the zipper. Similar when I'm getting out of it, although not quite as difficult. I'm sure there's a trick to it which I'll pick up as i go along.

All other things being equal, I'd say it dives better. I'm still getting used to it. I may have to add a couple of pounds to my rig, and I'm not sure the dump valve is in the same position as I got used to on the Fusion. But again, that's just me. YMMV.

 

[Sol]

I disagree. I used to have to do what I refer to as the “pantyhose dance” (if you’ve ever watched a women struggle to get into pantyhose you know exactly what I’m talking about! ) with my Fusion. Absolutely not with the FLX Extreme.

No, but now I'm intrigued.

 

[Zef]

Been diving a Fusion Bullet with Air-Core since I started diving dry a handful of years ago. While it does take a minute or so longer to get into my suit than my dive partners with other brand tri-laminate suits, I have not had any problems putting my suit on or taking it off. I use a large military flight overnight bag to transport my suit, I often stand in the bag and remove my suit directly into the bag without issue. I have the fusion boots semi-permanently attached to the suit which helps make removal of the suit quick and easy and protects the sock-feet of the suit.

The gore-tex like material of the Air-Core is surprisingly comfortable from a suppleness and breathability standpoint outside of the water. In the water, the outer skin keeps the core of the suit streamlined to my body and helps me control the movement of air throughout the suit. I can slowly roll the air bubble around whereas others describe the movement of the air in their suit as shooting across their shoulders or down their legs.

The fusion boots (first generation) are not very supportive but I added hiking boot insoles inside the feet/socks of the suit to make them more comfortable. They are however low enough profile that I did not need to invest in new fins when I switched from diving wet to diving dry, this remains a nice feature as I use a wetsuit, semi-dry, or my drysuit depending on the weather and water temp/thermocline situation...I use the same fins with all three.

While I don't believe the Fusion is the greatest suit ever invented, I don't believe there is a "greatest suit ever invented", there are pros and cons to every make and model. The major thing the Fusion has going for it is that it is adaptable to changes in body morphology...after buying my Fusion, I dropped 50lbs...had I purchased another type of suit it most likely would have necessitated me to purchase a new suit in response to the changes in my body. Then after a year of Covid-19 related lockdown and associated inactivity I gained some weight back, my Fusion suit has accommodated my body changes without zero issues.

Older drycore suits, which is what was available when this discussion thread was first started, have a very different feel than the aircore version of the suits. The drycore version was not breathable, the material was very thin, and felt/sounded like a trashbag. Lack of breathability meant sweat condensation inside the suit while out of the water, particularly on warm days. The biggest advantage to the drycore models was the material, to my knowledge was easily repairable/patchable, but a lot of folks did not like the way the material felt and had difficulty donning/doffing their suits.

The only reservations I would have purchasing another Fusion suit are:
1. The cost of a Fusion suit in the US more expensive than in Europe...you can just about buy a cheap flight to Europe, purchase a suit and fly home for less than it would cost to purchase in the US.

2. Current Fusions come with a plastic zipper instead of a brass zipper. For some this a non-issue but currently prefer brass drysuit zippers.

-Z

 

[sfdiver140]

I disagree. I used to have to do what I refer to as the “pantyhose dance” (if you’ve ever watched a women struggle to get into pantyhose you know exactly what I’m talking about! ) with my Fusion. Absolutely not with the FLX Extreme.

Sounds like the FLX is the better choice. The FLX is not a "bag" suit right......I have watched people get in to their DUI's and it does not look to be the chore like putting on the Fusion. Just my observation.

 

[sfdiver140]

If you are judging your latest decision on your weight check and the fact you floated up, this would have occurred in any suit you had. Also, sounds like you did your weight check wrong. When you exhale, you should sink not float at chin level. This suggests that you were underweighted.

I agree Grey Goose, I was underweighted.....but when I exhaled I floated at eye level......it was just odd.....and given all the frustration I have had it was just one more. It was just another dive standard like so many others that did not apply to my experience with a dry suit. I think that one of my issues is that in order for the suit to fit my shape I end up with far too much extra material inside the suit due to the length.....I end up with air trapped and bunched up material in areas like between my shoulder blades, around my wrist just to mention a few. In retrospect I should have gone with a DUI custom made suit specifically to me. A major issue in the drysuit world is except for a few brands it is hard to try on suits before they are purchased.

 

[sfdiver140]

Been diving a Fusion Bullet with Air-Core since I started diving dry a handful of years ago. While it does take a minute or so longer to get into my suit than my dive partners with other brand tri-laminate suits, I have not had any problems putting my suit on or taking it off. I use a large military flight overnight bag to transport my suit, I often stand in the bag and remove my suit directly into the bag without issue. I have the fusion boots semi-permanently attached to the suit which helps make removal of the suit quick and easy and protects the sock-feet of the suit.

The gore-tex like material of the Air-Core is surprisingly comfortable from a suppleness and breathability standpoint outside of the water. In the water, the outer skin keeps the core of the suit streamlined to my body and helps me control the movement of air throughout the suit. I can slowly roll the air bubble around whereas others describe the movement of the air in their suit as shooting across their shoulders or down their legs.

The fusion boots (first generation) are not very supportive but I added hiking boot insoles inside the feet/socks of the suit to make them more comfortable. They are however low enough profile that I did not need to invest in new fins when I switched from diving wet to diving dry, this remains a nice feature as I use a wetsuit, semi-dry, or my drysuit depending on the weather and water temp/thermocline situation...I use the same fins with all three.

While I don't believe the Fusion is the greatest suit ever invented, I don't believe there is a "greatest suit ever invented", there are pros and cons to every make and model. The major thing the Fusion has going for it is that it is adaptable to changes in body morphology...after buying my Fusion, I dropped 50lbs...had I purchased another type of suit it most likely would have necessitated me to purchase a new suit in response to the changes in my body. Then after a year of Covid-19 related lockdown and associated inactivity I gained some weight back, my Fusion suit has accommodated my body changes without zero issues.

Older drycore suits, which is what was available when this discussion thread was first started, have a very different feel than the aircore version of the suits. The drycore version was not breathable, the material was very thin, and felt/sounded like a trashbag. Lack of breathability meant sweat condensation inside the suit while out of the water, particularly on warm days. The biggest advantage to the drycore models was the material, to my knowledge was easily repairable/patchable, but a lot of folks did not like the way the material felt and had difficulty donning/doffing their suits.

The only reservations I would have purchasing another Fusion suit are:
1. The cost of a Fusion suit in the US more expensive than in Europe...you can just about buy a cheap flight to Europe, purchase a suit and fly home for less than it would cost to purchase in the US.

2. Current Fusions come with a plastic zipper instead of a brass zipper. For some this a non-issue but currently prefer brass drysuit zippers.

-Z

Thank you Zef, very true what you said about the DryCore material.....thank you for your advise, help and information.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I love that stretch of coast.....like many I used to Ab dive around Salt Point area and we camped at Still Water Cove regional park. Where would I look in to a commercial suit? You have been diving wet post dry suit for a while and sound like you have great knowledge of custom wetsuits.....what is your wet suit maker recommendation to have a custom wet suit made? Do they all make commercial wet suits? Thank you for your help.

Salt Point and Stillwater are Great spots, so is Fort Ross. We have the best shore diving in the whole state.
For my next suit I’m trying JMJ in Torrance.
I’ll probably drive down there and get measured in person, then maybe hit a day boat while I’m down there like the Spectre.
You have to realize that there are dozens of types of neoprenes across probably 4-5 different manufacturers. Each manufacturer makes several different types for different applications. For general wetsuit manufacturing for basic suits like you’d find in dive shops the material is usually a basic all around blend with a considerable quantity of nylon in the compound which gives it elasticity for comfort but also makes it smash out more and prevents it from returning back to it’s original thickness if you take them too deep. So if you order a 7mm wetsuit for $199 off the internet you’ll get what you pay for, this definitely applies to wetsuits and the material will be crap even though the overall stitching and design might be great it’s all about the material.
Currently Yamamoto (the real stuff) is probably the best. For scuba it would be the denser stuff. It’s not cheap though. I had a suit made from some commercial grade stuff from South Korea and it was so dense that it was hard to break in.

The secret to ordering a suit is finding a place that knows how to make commercial suits and not just surf suits or general scuba suits. Tell them that you want a commercial urchin diver suit, two piece, beaver tail attached hood with a spine pad and Kevlar knees. See what material options they offer and go for something that’s denser and higher quality then the general all purpose stuff. Many of them will have a 3/4 zip up the front. Make this zipper as short as possible and forget ankle zippers all they do is let more cold water in. You can get a 7mm or even a 9mm.

The other thing you can do is drive to West Sacramento and go to The Freediveshop. They have all sorts of freediving suits and some are dense enough to hold up to repetitive deep diving without getting smashed out. I tried on probably a dozen suits when I went there, and picked a Yazbeck. I was only using it for ab freediving then but started using it for everything and so far it’s held up even though it’s not considered a top of the line suit. It was $399
There is also a place in Oxnard called Deeper Thoughts (I think) I heard about them from a commercial urchin diver I ran into at the dive shop.
Custom suit makers are getting harder and harder to find in CA. You have to do your homework.

 

[sfdiver140]

Salt Point and Stillwater are Great spots, so is Fort Ross. We have the best shore diving in the whole state.
For my next suit I’m trying JMJ in Torrance.
I’ll probably drive down there and get measured in person, then maybe hit a day boat while I’m down there like the Spectre.
You have to realize that there are dozens of types of neoprenes across probably 4-5 different manufacturers. Each manufacturer makes several different types for different applications. For general wetsuit manufacturing for basic suits like you’d find in dive shops the material is usually a basic all around blend with a considerable quantity of nylon in the compound which gives it elasticity for comfort but also makes it smash out more and prevents it from returning back to it’s original thickness if you take them too deep. So if you order a 7mm wetsuit for $199 off the internet you’ll get what you pay for, this definitely applies to wetsuits and the material will be crap even though the overall stitching and design might be great it’s all about the material.
Currently Yamamoto (the real stuff) is probably the best. For scuba it would be the denser stuff. It’s not cheap though. I had a suit made from some commercial grade stuff from South Korea and it was so dense that it was hard to break in.

The secret to ordering a suit is finding a place that knows how to make commercial suits and not just surf suits or general scuba suits. Tell them that you want a commercial urchin diver suit, two piece, beaver tail attached hood with a spine pad and Kevlar knees. See what material options they offer and go for something that’s denser and higher quality then the general all purpose stuff. Many of them will have a 3/4 zip up the front. Make this zipper as short as possible and forget ankle zippers all they do is let more cold water in. You can get a 7mm or even a 9mm.

The other thing you can do is drive to West Sacramento and go to The Freediveshop. They have all sorts of freediving suits and some are dense enough to hold up to repetitive deep diving without getting smashed out. I tried on probably a dozen suits when I went there, and picked a Yazbeck. I was only using it for ab freediving then but started using it for everything and so far it’s held up even though it’s not considered a top of the line suit. It was $399
There is also a place in Oxnard called Deeper Thoughts (I think) I heard about them from a commercial urchin diver I ran into at the dive shop.
Custom suit makers are getting harder and harder to find in CA. You have to do your homework.

Eric, thank you so much for the advise and recommendations. You have really helped me a lot.....I will take your advise and look in to a custom suit....thank you.....any other advise please let me know if you don't mind. Have you heard of or know about Nitrogen Cell Neoprene? Is that the Yamamoto neoprene? The wetsuit maker Wetwear talks about this stuff.....thank you again.