Drysuit recommendations

[EmersonNZ]

I'm currently in the process of buying a drysuit. and wondering if anyone had any experience and/or opinions on the follow:

Santi E.Lite
Santi E.Motion
Fourth Element Argonauht
Whites (Aqualung) Fusion Bullet

While cost is an issue quality is far more of a concern. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

I personally have dived both the Santi E.Lite and the Whites Fusion Bullet and can answer questions from a personal point of view. I know that all are good suits. I suggest you call the nmber below in my signature line and ask for either Chris or Mike. They know all there is to know about all those choices and can give you the best possible advice.

 

[KevinNM]

I have an e.motion and dived a bullet once. But I've only had the e.motion for a few weeks and only have 5 OW dives on it. So far so good. The bullet seemed to have less management of the bubble, but I only dived it that once.

I would urge you to buy whatever suit you get from someone who knows how to measure and size the suit. This is not as critical with the fusion but it is critical with a trilam suit.

 

[EmersonNZ]

I personally have dived both the Santi E.Lite and the Whites Fusion Bullet and can answer questions from a personal point of view. I know that all are good suits. I suggest you call the nmber below in my signature line and ask for either Chris or Mike. They know all there is to know about all those choices and can give you the best possible advice.

Thanks John, I'm actually from New Zealand and for warranty/support reasons I'l probably end up buying locally (Not to mention I bet the postage of a dry-suit from the US to NZ would be a killer). I'd certainly still be interested in any thoughts and opinions you and the team might having dealt with so many suits over the years etc

 

[sheeper]

i have used a Santi e.Motion and thought it was a great suit. well made, good set of features. can't go wrong with it.

but i have since purchased a DUI FLX-Extreme. that is an awesome suit. i had it custom made and nothing comes close to the fir and comfort

 

[Rusty Roo]

fourth element now offer this bio mapping and make it to order. i have one, love it and i bought it before the fancy bio mapping.
santi are popular here, along with o three.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

I bought my first drysuit - all I can say aside from custom is buy the one that fits. If it does not fit and it is an awesome suit - it will not matter... Sizing is King in a drysuit - wetsuits are forgiving - drysuits not so much...

 

[Brook Peterson]

I have a Whites Fusion Bullet and I have a love-hate relationship with it. The things I love: I am warm and dry. The things I hate are a lot longer, but some of those are just related to any drysuit. The Whites is a little bit difficult to get in to, and the one-size-fits-all liner inside must fold and crease to conform to your body shape when you are under water. This sometimes produces an uncomfortable crease that exerts pressure until it is painful (i.e. The foot pocket is large to fit all feet, but my feet are small, so it creases around the top of my foot and after a while that crease digs in to my skin and it hurts to fin through the water.) In addition, the collar has a hard plastic ring that lays across my neck bone in just the wrong place so I always feel bruised after a dive. I purchased this suit thinking it would give me a lot more range of motion than a tri-lam, but in actuality, I find it a bit constricting around my arms and shoulders. Those are a few things to be aware of and other than that, the Whites is a decent bang for the buck.

 

[decompression]

I have a Whites Fusion Bullet and I have a love-hate relationship with it. The things I love: I am warm and dry. The things I hate are a lot longer, but some of those are just related to any drysuit. The Whites is a little bit difficult to get in to, and the one-size-fits-all liner inside must fold and crease to conform to your body shape when you are under water. This sometimes produces an uncomfortable crease that exerts pressure until it is painful (i.e. The foot pocket is large to fit all feet, but my feet are small, so it creases around the top of my foot and after a while that crease digs in to my skin and it hurts to fin through the water.) In addition, the collar has a hard plastic ring that lays across my neck bone in just the wrong place so I always feel bruised after a dive. I purchased this suit thinking it would give me a lot more range of motion than a tri-lam, but in actuality, I find it a bit constricting around my arms and shoulders. Those are a few things to be aware of and other than that, the Whites is a decent bang for the buck.

Brook, what are you wearing for foot warmth and boot?

 

[tech3324]

I have a Whites Fusion Bullet and I have a love-hate relationship with it..... In addition, the collar has a hard plastic ring that lays across my neck bone in just the wrong place so I always feel bruised after a dive.

Brook, is the plastic ring from a replaceable neck seal system? I had to remove the SiTech Neck Tite system from my Fusion because of a similar problem with the mounting ring. The newer SiTech Quick Neck system is supposed to be an improvement.