Considering Zip Seals for my TLS350

[chetflyer]

I use the si-tech quick glove system on my Dui suit and it works really well...but it's very important to use the correct ring on the seal...and on the glove side or it can leak. I use the green rings on the cuffs to join to the latex seal..and the blue rings to join the rings to the gloves. I hope this helps. I m considering going to the permanent sitech rings so that I can easily change a wrist seal as well. Is it difficult to put the cuffs on a DUI CLX450? has anyone done this on a DUI suit? Does the system work really well? Is the Zip neck seal the best system for replacement neck seals on a DUI suit? I cannot get any work done on my suit here in the interior of Canada..so I am considering these options to do it myself

 

[mritter]

Remember with zip seals there is no backup wrist seal if you rip a glove on a wreck, possibly flooding your suit before you can surface depending on how deep you are. Personally I would rather have a cold wet hand in this situation than a cold wet body or a bad situation. Also consider the replacement cost. A DUI neck seal is about $130.00 plus a pair of wrist seals. Cost of a latex neck seal is $30.00 plus glue. with wrist seals costing about the same. They really aren't hard to change yourself. Quick change is a nice theory but how often do you really change seals. Mine are 5 years old now and I dive every weekend.

 

[Crush]

I have got about 50 dives on my DUI TLS 350 with zip seals. I opted for wrist seals and installed Diving Concepts rings onto them so that I could dive dry gloves - I have some flexible plastic air-tubing that I use to interrupt the seal at my wrist, allowing air to flow into and out of the gloves. In the event of a catastrophic glove failure I can remove the glove (BBRRRRR) and yank out the tube to make a dry seal on my wrist.

I have a love-hate relationship with this system. When the water is very cold, I really like the dry gloves. When it is warmer I resent having the rigid DC rings on my wrists. I have ordered a second set of zip seals for my wrist so that I can swap seasonally between wrist seals only and wrist seals with DC rings for dry gloves. Having removed and installed the DC rings from the wrist seals twice, I can say that it really stretches the **** out of the wrist zip seals and I can imagine that failure would be imminent if I kept putting on the DC rings and taking them off.

Taking off the zip seals takes seconds. Putting them back on takes a few minutes + soapy water. I personally would not try this on a bobbing boat, but there are probably much more experienced divers out there that could pull that off.

 

[tstormdiver]

Remember with zip seals there is no backup wrist seal if you rip a glove on a wreck, possibly flooding your suit before you can surface depending on how deep you are. Personally I would rather have a cold wet hand in this situation than a cold wet body or a bad situation. Also consider the replacement cost. A DUI neck seal is about $130.00 plus a pair of wrist seals. Cost of a latex neck seal is $30.00 plus glue. with wrist seals costing about the same. They really aren't hard to change yourself. Quick change is a nice theory but how often do you really change seals. Mine are 5 years old now and I dive every weekend.

I would probably be changing out the between the regular wrist seals & the dry gloves several times a year. I plan at this time to get the dry gloves with a wet dam in them to prevent flooding the entire suit. I primarily dive a local quarry that get to 100+ft & the temps are in the low 40's. This is where I would need the dry gloves. Because I have not been able to get the ring system gloves to work, I currently dive wet gloves. After about 20 min. my hands are so cold that they're about useless. I also nee to switch out to wrist seals because I use my drysuit in warmer waters teaching during the summer & also cave dive in FL 5- 7 times a year. I like to have a bare hand to feel the guideline, if I must use it.

 

[Doc Harry]

Pete & Peter, right now I have regular glue- on seals. My plan is to send my suit back to DUI for the retrofit. As it stands right now, I need the dry gloves when I winter & deep dive in a quarry & need to be bare handed for cave diving & in warmer temps. Right now with the normal glue- on seals, I primarily dive with wet gloves, after about 20 min. my hands get so cold that they are pretty much useless due to numbness & cramping. I do have a SI Tech ring system, that is removable, but have pretty much given up on it, as it has leaked every time I have used it. My thoughts with the Zip seals is it will give me the flexibility to change back & forth between the Zip drygloves & the regular Zip Seals. I generally would not be switching these out several times a day like that, but more with the seasons or such.

Me, too! I am sick of all the work involved in replacing my seals and dealing with leaks.