Confessions of a former Fusion hater

[Marie13]

Zef's reply seems to be right on. I'm at about 250 dives in a Fusion Tech with the old Dry core, and the only leaks it's ever had were around the ankle join where my Evo3 boots rub. I dive BP/W, so after 250 dives, there's a slight wear point at the bottom of the plate, and a little discoloration from the crotch strap. I also dive doubles and sidemount, and have never noticed any issue with tech dives other than the lousy Fusion Tech pockets. It's probably due a new skin, and overall, when it's time to replace, I'd probably look at a new Bullet. The Aircore is supposedly easier to pull on, the ankle zippers allow easier entry of feet, much better pockets, and the outer skin is more flexible than the previous Bullet (I'm told).

I had about 3 weeks of diving an older Fusion Sport DryCore suit before I got my Fit with AirCore.

AirCore is much easier to pull on. It's also easier to get off! My Fourth Element Arctic socks would stay in the DryCore when I tried to take it off. They stay on my feet when I take off the Fit with AirCore liner. The ankle zippers really help, too!

 

[Marie13]

My Fusion has been getting quite the workout the past few weekends with 6 dives total over each weekend.

I’ve found the trick to drying the outer neoprene skin overnight is to set up a fan blowing on it. I hang the suit from the closet door in my bathroom on the HangAir fan drying the inside of the suit (condensation) and a fan directed on the outside of the suit. It dries pretty quickly that way. Maybe not 100% but it’s definitely much drier than it would have been otherwise.

Suit is dry when I dive it. Yesterday the air temp was colder than the water temp. Pretty chilly on the boat. I unzipped and popped the top off. Looks like you’re being eaten by a shark! It was more comfortable as I was feeling slightly queasy from the 3 footers yesterday morning on Lake Michigan.

 

[Zef]

I’ve found the trick to drying the outer neoprene skin overnight is to set up a fan blowing on it. I hang the suit from the closet door in my bathroom on the HangAir fan drying the inside of the suit (condensation) and a fan directed on the outside of the suit. It dries pretty quickly that way. Maybe not 100% but it’s definitely much drier than it would have been otherwise.

I have one of those hangers that holds the suit by the ankles....I have my fusion boots semi-permanently attached. With the arms of the suit hanging straight down the wrist rings are about 2.5 inches off the floor. With the suit unzipped the flap hangs about 6 inches off the floor. I let it drip/air dry hanging.

I have a floor fan that can pivot to blow straight up. I use that to blow air into the suit and any that does not contributes to drying the outside.

The setup is in the center of the garage which gets quite cold in the winter....not sure how this will work out as the temperature plummets.

My issue is not the suit drying overnight/between uses, it is when I get out of the water the outside of the suit is soaking wet which means I can't sit down without getting what I sit on wet too....one of the dive sites I was at last weekend had a trailer turned into a changing/locker room....my suit made the floor wet around where I took it off....this meant I had to hop over the wet spot to keep my socks dry as well as find a dry spot to peel off my under-suit as we did a 2nd dive at a different location a few hours later.

If is just not that much fun to wrestle a soaking wet suit into a bag on a cold day.

So far that is really the only complaint I have about my suit. I want to test out others to feel how different a normal tri-lam suit feels/dives in the water.

I find it interesting that among the negative comments that folks have about the Fusion suits this issue is not articulated more.

-Z

 

[Marie13]

Just for fun. Someone took this of me on the boat a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Dogbowl]

 

[Marie13]

I have one of those hangers that holds the suit by the ankles....I have my fusion boots semi-permanently attached. With the arms of the suit hanging straight down the wrist rings are about 2.5 inches off the floor. With the suit unzipped the flap hangs about 6 inches off the floor. I let it drip/air dry hanging.

I have a floor fan that can pivot to blow straight up. I use that to blow air into the suit and any that does not contributes to drying the outside.

The setup is in the center of the garage which gets quite cold in the winter....not sure how this will work out as the temperature plummets.

My issue is not the suit drying overnight/between uses, it is when I get out of the water the outside of the suit is soaking wet which means I can't sit down without getting what I sit on wet too....one of the dive sites I was at last weekend had a trailer turned into a changing/locker room....my suit made the floor wet around where I took it off....this meant I had to hop over the wet spot to keep my socks dry as well as find a dry spot to peel off my under-suit as we did a 2nd dive at a different location a few hours later.

If is just not that much fun to wrestle a soaking wet suit into a bag on a cold day.

So far that is really the only complaint I have about my suit. I want to test out others to feel how different a normal tri-lam suit feels/dives in the water.

I find it interesting that among the negative comments that folks have about the Fusion suits this issue is not articulated more.

-Z

My previous suit was much stiffer and heavier. Harder to roll up to put into its bag.

 

[Marie13]

It’s either that or I look like I’m in the jaws of a shark!

 

[RVBldr]

@Marie13: the flap will roll back, just reach up and basically turn it inside out. Just make sure it's unzipped all the way.

 

[Dogbowl]

I think it looks cute like a shark!

 

[Marie13]

Question about p-valves for other Fusion owners. I have a Halcyon p-valve (unused) that I’ve been planning on moving from my previous USIA suit to my new Fusion. I know the valve is installed under the skin (doesn’t go through the skin). The Halcyon outer portion seems pretty high profile to me, but I have no experience with other p-valves. Are there lower profiles valves out there I should consider? And, no, I won’t be doing it myself. That’s what the shop is for!