I have two dry suits, an "off-the-shelf" trilaminate one made in the UK under the Oceanic name that I then had modified by the manufacturer to fit me exactly, and a fully tailored O-Three crushed neoprene suit also made in the UK.
The O-3 took an age to make, with four or five fittings during construction, and is absolutely bullet proof. The interior is lined with a sort of velvet to make getting it on and off easy (though it's so stiff it still isn't easy) and the exterior is covered with Kevlar. I've had it 12 years and it is still exactly as it was when it was new. I cannot conceive of the suit ever being damaged underwater - I have brushed against jagged wreck edges and the wreck breaks long before any damage is done to the suit. It is very heavy and clumsy out of the water, but once in the water it's almost like a second skin. Whenever the water is cold enough for a drysuit I always use a heavyweight Thinsulate undergarment, but even in ice diving I don't wear anything else and I've never been cold. I use a weight harness, mainly because the suit's exterior is so slippery I'd be afraid of a weight belt slipping off. This suit is made of 3mm crushed neoprene (3mm after crushing) and is the only such suit O-3 ever made. They broke so many sewing machine needles that they changed to 2.5mm thereafter. Seals (wrists and neck) are neoprene, and the original seals are still comfy and totally waterproof. I hose the suit inside and out after every dive trip, and hang the suit upside down from the boots. I don't know how long it takes to dry, but it's always dry by the following weekend when I want it again.
The O-3 weighs 30lb+, so I don't take it on trips where I have to fly. For those I use my Oceanic trilaminate, to which I had O-3 fit neoprene seals once I realised how good they were. I'm still using the seals fitted over 10 years ago. This suit is stretchy and sometimes leaks in the crotch, where the fabric is under the most stress. I had it resealed the first couple of times it did this, but then realised this was pointless so now I'm prepared to get a bit damp around there. I'm used to the comments about peeing in my suit now! The suit has nowhere near the integrity of the O-3 but equally is far lighter and more flexible, and is great for lightweight diving in cold water. I wouldn't trust it for serious wreck penetration though.
The O-3 was made in the same way a bespoke tailor makes a business suit, with them making all initial measurements and then fitting the suit to me several times during construction. It was priced accordingly, but is a good example of "you remember the quality long after you've forgotten the price". I have had other drysuits, most notably two DUI CF200's, one made in the UK, the other American. Because of the system of measuring yourself and then having no fittings until you're presented with the finished article, neither really fitted me properly and I wasn't happy with either. The first was English, and after I had decided that was a bit of a disaster I believed people who told me that the original American ones were better. No it wasn't. I sold both on to people they just happened to fit reasonably well, and went to O-3 as they were suit makers to the most serious dive expeditions I had come across. If I were buying again I'd again look for a small local manufacturer with an impeccable reputation, and I'd ignore all national brands. I see it as being like beer - if you've heard of it steer clear of it!
The O-3 took an age to make, with four or five fittings during construction, and is absolutely bullet proof. The interior is lined with a sort of velvet to make getting it on and off easy (though it's so stiff it still isn't easy) and the exterior is covered with Kevlar. I've had it 12 years and it is still exactly as it was when it was new. I cannot conceive of the suit ever being damaged underwater - I have brushed against jagged wreck edges and the wreck breaks long before any damage is done to the suit. It is very heavy and clumsy out of the water, but once in the water it's almost like a second skin. Whenever the water is cold enough for a drysuit I always use a heavyweight Thinsulate undergarment, but even in ice diving I don't wear anything else and I've never been cold. I use a weight harness, mainly because the suit's exterior is so slippery I'd be afraid of a weight belt slipping off. This suit is made of 3mm crushed neoprene (3mm after crushing) and is the only such suit O-3 ever made. They broke so many sewing machine needles that they changed to 2.5mm thereafter. Seals (wrists and neck) are neoprene, and the original seals are still comfy and totally waterproof. I hose the suit inside and out after every dive trip, and hang the suit upside down from the boots. I don't know how long it takes to dry, but it's always dry by the following weekend when I want it again.
The O-3 weighs 30lb+, so I don't take it on trips where I have to fly. For those I use my Oceanic trilaminate, to which I had O-3 fit neoprene seals once I realised how good they were. I'm still using the seals fitted over 10 years ago. This suit is stretchy and sometimes leaks in the crotch, where the fabric is under the most stress. I had it resealed the first couple of times it did this, but then realised this was pointless so now I'm prepared to get a bit damp around there. I'm used to the comments about peeing in my suit now! The suit has nowhere near the integrity of the O-3 but equally is far lighter and more flexible, and is great for lightweight diving in cold water. I wouldn't trust it for serious wreck penetration though.
The O-3 was made in the same way a bespoke tailor makes a business suit, with them making all initial measurements and then fitting the suit to me several times during construction. It was priced accordingly, but is a good example of "you remember the quality long after you've forgotten the price". I have had other drysuits, most notably two DUI CF200's, one made in the UK, the other American. Because of the system of measuring yourself and then having no fittings until you're presented with the finished article, neither really fitted me properly and I wasn't happy with either. The first was English, and after I had decided that was a bit of a disaster I believed people who told me that the original American ones were better. No it wasn't. I sold both on to people they just happened to fit reasonably well, and went to O-3 as they were suit makers to the most serious dive expeditions I had come across. If I were buying again I'd again look for a small local manufacturer with an impeccable reputation, and I'd ignore all national brands. I see it as being like beer - if you've heard of it steer clear of it!
