The SolaFlex - I am very happy with the suit so far. Let me tell you a couple of events with the suit; When I don't do regular sport diving, I go metal detecting in water ranging to about 20 ft, FW. The air temp was 19 degrees F, the water temp was 37 F. 10 ft - 14 ft depth. I was in there for an hour, at 45 min my hands started to get cold first, I wore the gauntlet glove, then my feet. Booties were the Aqualung 6mm. I wore a lycra rash guard under all. My body never got cold except at the inital walk into the water, it came up my legs very - very slowly, there was no shock like I hat with my henderson 7mm jump suit. The sensation was gone by the time I put my head in. With my other suits I did not want to raise my arms, the cold would always find a way to curculate - not at all with the SolaFlex. When I got out of the water the air temp improved - 20 degrees F! My regulator froze open very quickly. I did not want to change out into street clothes, I was very warm and changing was in open air.
Second story - Again search and recovery in Lake Geneva Wisconsin late fall. Water temp was 47 degrees air temp was just above freezing, clear. depth was again 12 - 15 feet. This was a dive from a boat yet near shore. Two of us were searching for 1 hour on a search patern, my partner had to call the dive on cold. He is a dive master / instructor (7mm jump suit with hood, gloves, boots & lycra rash guard). He is The shop owner that got my suit for me. Again, I was very toasty warm, his statement to me -"I am going to get one of those....(refering to my suit)".
These dives were not to neoprien crushing depth so right now I can not comment on deeper performance - but you kneed to know that in these dives I move very - very slow and do not generate much body heat at all. The second dive I removed my fins, strap them to my BC and walk or kneel on the bottom.
I also purchase two glue on thigh pockets and they turned out very well and very usefull, one pocket gets my rescue items, the other my tools, slate and what ever I can jam in there and still get to. Right now my life support equipment is out for service for the winter, I am not an ice diver yet. I expect this early spring we will dive the Wisconsin wreck at 130 feet and about 37 - 40 degrees F, this will be the real world dive test for the suit. I can tell you my 7mm jump suit kept me warm for about 15 min at 70 in 48 degree water but I did not want to move my arms at all, that rush was almost painfull.
I recomend the Aqualung Polarzip boots with this suit, 6mm! Very Very nice boot indeed. Sorry for the spelling, got to get ready for my day job now, time to reread this is just not there. I feel you can not go better unless you go dry, I do not know of a better cold water wet suit that is still in production or I would have purchased it.
and with out a thought I would recomend them as a set to anyone that can not budget a dry set up.
