Who hates their White Fusion Dry Suit?

[broncobowsher]

Since this thread is so old, I will date myself...
I remember when they were Whites. Aqualung bought them. They were aggressive in getting them in the market. I wish I could have been at that DEMA where they were making deals with every dive shop they could. So many shops suddenly had loads of Fusion rental drysuits. Nearly as fast were the complaints of quality. And the complaints were not corrected with good customer service. The quality, or lack of, continued. And that resulted in nobody wanted anything to do with them.

 

[buddhasummer]

This:

"...there, if something acts up and takes my attention it will be either fixed or eliminated for the next dive."

Ditto, I'm ruthless when it comes to gear, one issue and unless I can prevent it from ever happening again, it's gone.

 

[Ana]

This:

"...there, if something acts up and takes my attention it will be either fixed or eliminated for the next dive."

Ditto, I'm ruthless when it comes to gear, one issue and unless I can prevent it from ever happening again, it's gone.

I've lost count of people I've seen fiddling with their gear for just about their whole dive. Then I ask topside what was the issue, not to be nosey but maybe I could help. "Oh no it's the such and such I'm used to it, you can't expect everything to be perfect"

Defineyly not me, I DO expect things to be just right during every single dive. Then again I do the same topside, any item of clothing that tries to take my attention away from whatever it is I'm doing will no longer have a space in the closet.

 

[Polarorbit]

Up late at night wandering through 10+ years of hate for the Fusion… May as well add mine too. I despise the Fusion. I probably have a dozen dives in one (yes, back when it was Whites) and it never got more enjoyable. The shell gets twisted around and you feel like you’re diving in a trash bag. I have hundreds of dry dives and currently dive a Waterproof D7. The Fusion doesn’t come close in any way other than being lighter and packing smaller. To each his own, but I think there are many better drysuits that don’t cost much more than the Fusion. Just like I won’t recommend the AIR2 or i3, I won’t recommend the Fusion for my students or friends.

Cathartic moment over. I no longer feel weighted down by hatred of the Fusion.

 

[Zef]

At the risk of sounding like an Aqualung/Fusion apologist, I think that for this thread, it is important to note there is a huge difference between the Fusion Drycore and the Fusion Aircore.

The Drycore suits had the garbage bag sound and feel, were difficult to get on and prone to puncture.

The Aircore are made of a gore-tex like material that is more robust, has a different feel, no garbage bag sound, and a bit less fuss to put on. It is much less susceptible to puncture damage.

It is also important to note that the Fusion suit cores are cut oversize....the original design was based on an idea to allow flexibility in sizing. To my knowledge the suit was born from the struggle to accommodate divers learning to dive in the cold waters of Canada...having enough of a particular size for all participating divers was and could be a problem...Whites solved the issue of putting a diver in a suit too big or uncomfortably small by making a the core of the suit big enough within each labeled size to fit a range of body sizes/types and let the flexible outer skin adapt the entire package to be streamlined to the individual.

The suits are not perfect, and they are not for everyone...but that is true for most any piece of equipment. They are very good for anyone who's body morphology fluctuates as a standard drysuit will become too spacious if one loses some weight, and will be too restrictive if one gains weight. In both cases, the diver would be dealing with an I’ll fitting suit and looking to purchase something that fits. The Fusion suits fill a particular niche of the diving community. Like I said, they are not perfect nor are they for everyone.

I agree with comments on Aqualung's lack of customer service with regards to addressing issues with both the the Drycore and the Aircore. While they did, and will, replace Airecore model cores that were made in Mexico due to seam issues, they did this rather silently for those who experienced issues instead of conducting a recall. They also did not pull stock back from their dealer networks and those affected suits could still potential be sold today by a shop with overstock.

-Z

 

[Rollin Bonz]

Just got back from the quarry after 2 pleasurable dives (100 mins and 62 mins) in my fusion. Damp, but with a good wicking layer, I couldn't really tell until I was done for the day and changing clothes. Think I'll stick with it for now.

 

[undrwater]

I really like mine (White's). Just plain easy all around. I do understand the hate. The quirks were not easy for folks to work around.

 

[Results45]

I remember trying on a Fusion Drycore suit at a used suit shop along the marina just north of Downtown Seattle and it did indeed feel like getting into a sweaty trashbag though I was impressed by the slim fit. I am familiar with many waterproof membranes and how they behave in all kinds of weather conditions & climates (i.e. PTFE-based like Gore Tex, laminate-membrane-out like OutDry, and air-permeable like eVent/Future light) so I can definitely imagine the breathability of AirCore being a noticeable improvement.

A few questions for those of you that dive in AirCore suits regularly:

1. Does the "custom" slim fitting nature of the suit allow for more optimal buoyancy management at the start of a dive as well as adjusting buoyancy during a dive (and air supply usage indirectly from not needing to add/purge air excessively)

2. Is are suit modifications as easy or viable compares to other types of drysuits?

3. How does the durability hold up? The stretchy outer material seems thinner and potentially more less abrasion resistant than trilaminate or neoprene.

 

[runsongas]

1. not really unless if you are comparing only stock suits. a customized suit should give you the same feel. and since seaskin is pretty cheap, there really is no reason to get a non-customized drysuit.

2. as viable as other trilam suits. arguably easier to add pockets because you can just swap the skin instead of having to glue them on.

3. the mexican ones had problems. my old drycore suit made in canada is over 10 years old at this point. i've only ever done wrist and neck seal changes about once every 3 to 4 years. i've had terrible luck with the silicone wrist seals though (but mainly also because they don't come in L/XL sizing).

its not an ideal suit and definitely not something I would pay full msrp for. but i got it used for way less than even what a seaskin would cost.

 

[Results45]

Thanks for the FYI! Very informative.

Spied this Whites Fusion on Marketplace just now for 200 bucks but what seems to be extensive patching around the knee is a potential red flag to me (the age too of course).

Not that I'm in a position to buy as I cannot see myself returning to regular diving until at least a year or two out.

Do think a used suit at this price given a better condition would be great snag whenever I do get back to diving?