Dry suit advice needed x2

[Jake]

Hi all-

I tried on my DUI CLX 50/50 dry suit the other day for the first time in a few years. It goes on, but it's not a great fit. My discovery of beer in the years since I bought it had some trade-offs I guess.

So, I'm looking for two pieces of advice:

First, any idea how much I should sell my suit for? It's a size large CLX 50/50 manufactured in 2007. It's got zip seals, warm neck collar, and a single leg pocket. It's got less than 100 dives on it, so is still in pretty good shape.

Second, are people still liking DUI these days? The market seems much broader now than when I bought it, so I'm at a loss on where to start. I really, really like the zip seals so that's a big plus for me with OMS and DUI. However, some acquaintances recently told me that DUI isn't the same company that it used to be, and I might be better off looking anywhere else.

Like others here I'm a fan of Deep 6, and their suit has something akin to the zip seals available so that might be a good direction to go. (That said, I'm entering the world of GUE soon; how do they feel about those forward thigh pockets?)

Thanks in advance. Sorry for yet another post like this.

 

[JohnN]

Truth in advertising, I've never owned a DUI suit, I've dived with people who do, including those with zip seal gloves

I just don't get how having bulky gloves permanently installed is an advantage. You have minimal dexterity when you're gearing up, particularly compared to SiTech or Kubi ring systems for the gloves when you gear up completely and then put on your gloves

 

[michael-fisch]

Bought a custom made TLS350SE back in 1994. Wanted another one 4 or 5 years later, and got into a pissing match with DUI.
Since I live 8000 miles away from San Diego, I lost the pissing match while learning a valuable lesson:
Never buy a drysuit from a manufacturer that doesn't make their suits within driving distance (like 2 hours).

Michael

 

[JohnnyC]

Used drysuits don't get much on the second hand market compared to new. Throw it up on here with a price. Worst case you've gotta knock the price down.

 

[ajduplessis]

As you are aware your body shape changes over time, either for the good or worse. That is why I went with a Fusion drysuit, it fits well no matter how my body shape or thermal requirements change. I cant comment on DUI, some find them excellent, others have complained especially lately.

The Fusion is the best trade-off IMO, all things considered.

 

[Jake]

Truth in advertising, I've never owned a DUI suit, I've dived with people who do, including those with zip seal gloves

I just don't get how having bulky gloves permanently installed is an advantage. You have minimal dexterity when you're gearing up, particularly compared to SiTech or Kubi ring systems for the gloves when you gear up completely and then put on your gloves

The reason I like zip seals is because the type of seal you use isn't permanent. You can easily swap between standard seals or dry gloves and if a seal rips, you can swap it out yourself. I generally dislike using dry gloves as well, but on really cold dives they're a godsend.

 

[Jake]

As you are aware your body shape changes over time, either for the good or worse. That is why I went with a Fusion drysuit, it fits well no matter how my body shape or thermal requirements change. I cant comment on DUI, some find them excellent, others have complained especially lately.

The Fusion is the best trade-off IMO, all things considered.

Which version of it did you get, and did you get Aircore or Drycore?

 

[Gjoyce3]

I cannot help with pricing, but I can expound on the zipseal gloves. The tradeoff they present is the absence of a bulky ring that can (and does) bang into things, reduce mobility, and get caught up on stuff - like pockets. This is in exchange for developing a new feel/process for gearing up.

In my case, the first couple of times I geared up I thought the tradeoff was not worth it. After a couple of more times, gearing up became second nature and I stopped thinking about it - at least until I ended up in a drysuit with solid rings, and quickly realized the benefits and looked forward to getting back to zipseals. One why to think about it is that everything that you do when gearing up is something that you should be able to do underwater - practice makes perfect

As noted above, changing gloves/seals is extremely simple. An order of magnitude simpler than changing gloves on a ring system. The balance on that benefit is cost - The cost for the zipseal gloves themselves seems out of wack. Fortunately, I was able to find a couple pairs on the cheap.

 

[W W Meixner]

Hi all-

I tried on my DUI CLX 50/50 dry suit the other day for the first time in a few years. It goes on, but it's not a great fit. My discovery of beer in the years since I bought it had some trade-offs I guess.

So, I'm looking for two pieces of advice:

First, any idea how much I should sell my suit for? It's a size large CLX 50/50 manufactured in 2007. It's got zip seals, warm neck collar, and a single leg pocket. It's got less than 100 dives on it, so is still in pretty good shape.

Second, are people still liking DUI these days? The market seems much broader now than when I bought it, so I'm at a loss on where to start. I really, really like the zip seals so that's a big plus for me with OMS and DUI. However, some acquaintances recently told me that DUI isn't the same company that it used to be, and I might be better off looking anywhere else.

Like others here I'm a fan of Deep 6, and their suit has something akin to the zip seals available so that might be a good direction to go. (That said, I'm entering the world of GUE soon; how do they feel about those forward thigh pockets?)

Thanks in advance. Sorry for yet another post like this.

Jake...

I have a DUI CF200 Signature...custom tailored...with some specifically requested options...I recently had DUI install new neoprene neck/wrist seals and extend the inseam to increase the leg length...suit came back fully tested...with alterations completed...and is perfect...

Before ditching your suit you may want to consider sending it back to DUI for alterations...and in the meantime...you may be able to drop a few poundes in the process...

Lots of new dry-suits on the market...with as many pitfalls...and as many quality and sizing issues...especially when bought sight-unseen...E-Bay's full to over-flowing with bad dry suit choices...

Slight alterations to what you have may be the simple solution...and certainly a lot less expensive...especially if your logged dry suit dives...are not in the high numbers...

My alteration costs were $450....plus return shipping...much better than $4000 CDN...for the replacement cost of a new suit...

Best...

Warren

 

[JohnN]

I cannot help with pricing, but I can expound on the zipseal gloves. The tradeoff they present is the absence of a bulky ring that can (and does) bang into things, reduce mobility, and get caught up on stuff - like pockets. This is in exchange for developing a new feel/process for gearing up.

In my case, the first couple of times I geared up I thought the tradeoff was not worth it. After a couple of more times, gearing up became second nature and I stopped thinking about it - at least until I ended up in a drysuit with solid rings, and quickly realized the benefits and looked forward to getting back to zipseals. One why to think about it is that everything that you do when gearing up is something that you should be able to do underwater - practice makes perfect

As noted above, changing gloves/seals is extremely simple. An order of magnitude simpler than changing gloves on a ring system. The balance on that benefit is cost - The cost for the zipseal gloves themselves seems out of wack. Fortunately, I was able to find a couple pairs on the cheap.

$249 for gloves that cost < $5.00

Aren't those seals glued onto the ring? Doesn't replacing them require a heat gun, glue and a dry place to do the work (eg not on a dive boat)? I hesitate to even guess what a replacement neck seal costs. . .