DUI zipseals pro's vs. con's ?

[jfproul]

Thanks guys ... i'll send my drysuit to DUI tomorow to have them put zipseals

 

[limeyx]

Probably the larges single obstacle to their widespread use is cost. These things are not inexpensive. My recommendation for you is to wait until it is time to replace the seals that you now have on the suit and only then consider the option. For ZipSeals to really provide you with advantages you need to get spares and carry them with you, so factor that additional cost in.
Mark Vlahos

Once you have two "zip" portions, couldnt you just get a regular neck or wrist seal and glue it on (taking the other seal off first)?

Then the replacement cost would be the same as regular seals but you wouldnt have to send in the entire suit. I bet Superior would do it for you.

My biggest concern (as well as cost) is the lack of an inner seal for the drygloves. If you tear a glove, you are going to get a *lot* of water coming in which is not good for me.

 

[Night Diver]

My biggest concern (as well as cost) is the lack of an inner seal for the drygloves. If you tear a glove, you are going to get a *lot* of water coming in which is not good for me.

DUI will now sell you a pair of zipgloves with a "wristdam" (inner seal) attached.

Of course at $248 it doesn't do much to address your other concern (cost).

 

[theskull]

Once you have two "zip" portions, couldnt you just get a regular neck or wrist seal and glue it on (taking the other seal off first)?

Then the replacement cost would be the same as regular seals but you wouldnt have to send in the entire suit. I bet Superior would do it for you.

My biggest concern (as well as cost) is the lack of an inner seal for the drygloves. If you tear a glove, you are going to get a *lot* of water coming in which is not good for me.

Superior rejected the idea when I called them with the request. Apparently it is a tricky and proprietary process to install the seal on the ZIP ring. So take the extra expense along with the extra convenience.

And another solution to the fear of a glove tear is the new compressed neoprene ZIP drygloves.

theskull

 

[limeyx]

Superior rejected the idea when I called them with the request. Apparently it is a tricky and proprietary process to install the seal on the ZIP ring. So take the extra expense along with the extra convenience.

And another solution to the fear of a glove tear is the new compressed neoprene ZIP drygloves.

theskull

not just a glove tear. What if they come off during the dive? (not sure how likely that is).
I have just got the Si-tech ring system which fits over regular seals. Not tried it yet, but it is definitely more bulky than the zipseals.

 

[SDAnderson]

ZIP seals for the wrists rule! Plus you get the ZIP dryglove option (soon to be available in compressed neoprene gloves also).

ZIP neck seals are also much appreciated by me, but some folks find them less comfortable since the hole you squeeze your head through is noticably smaller and you can feel the rigid ring around your shoulders.

If you can, try on a suit with the ZIP neck before committing to it. But you cannot go wrong with the wrists.

theskull

Agreed.

The only thing I'd add is that, if you want dry gloves, the best choice are the gloves with what DUI calls the wrist dam - a second, inner, seal that allows you to stay dry if the glove is torn.

I should add that I don't have zip seals on my suits but I've seen a mess of them in practice and on the bench and, the next time I need to change mine out, I'll be putting them on the wrists. The neck seal is too small to fit 'round my brain case, so I will have to stick with the standard latex seal at the neck.

 

[CompuDude]

I spoke with several divers wearing DUI suits with zip seals this past weekend, and only one of them was happy with them (the wealthiest one, I'll note). They each acknowledged that they had had dives saved by them a couple of times, but the expense is VERY high, and more significantly, the latex on the zip seals seems practically designed to fail. It is VERY thin and fragile. No wonder people like them so much... they keep failing, and then they get to pat themselves on the back and think they did the right thing and gee isn't it great how easy they are to replace! If they had regular seals, they would have been beefier and probably wouldn't have torn in the first place. So it's a balancing act... weigh the possible (and probable) tears and expense (but saved dives) against less likely tears and less expense, but potential missed dives should an accident happen.

 

[renpirate]

No wonder people like them so much... they keep failing, and then they get to pat themselves on the back and think they did the right thing and gee isn't it great how easy they are to replace! If they had regular seals, they would have been beefier and probably wouldn't have torn in the first place.

Wow, that's a pretty harsh statement based on anecdotal evidence, especially since there are three different types of seals that vary from light to heavy duty.

 

[Night Diver]

the latex on the zip seals seems practically designed to fail. It is VERY thin and fragile.

I have zipseals on the wrists of my CLX450, and have both the standard latex (thin) and RS-style ("RS" = rubbersuit) extra long and thick seals. The actual latex parts of the seals are identical to the seals you get glued to your wrists on the standard suit (I had my suit retrofitted for the wrist zipseals so I formerly used the "regular" wrist seals). The RS seals in particular are VERY difficult to wriggle into and out of, and I have used mine for two full seasons without a hint of a tear or stretch. So while I have no idea what seals your co-divers are using, in my experience there's no difference between the zipseals and the "regular" seals, although as pointed out by renpirate each comes in three different styles/thickenesses.

 

[Hoosier]

It is totally up to your diving environment.
Zipseals is a consumable part (wear and tear) that you have to replace it regularly. We have already covered this issue several times though. I am really enjoying the Zipseal options.

I have some issues (crack & dry rot) on the wrist seals with the OS rings (I post the picture somewhere last fall). I found that the Zipseal latex isn’t strong enough for the ring system after talking with the DUI technicians at the Demo day. It works very well, but it doesn’t last long compared to the option without attaching a ring. I was told that it is one of the most common question that they are asked at every Demo events.
Instead of the latex seal, you might ask and try the heavy duty seal unless your wrist is in the small category.

However, there are huge pros. If you don’t live in the diving friendly environment or travel a lot, it will save your dive, time, and money many times in near future. It is all cost and hassle to send a whole suit and get it back no matter how easy it is. OK, you have a back up suit, then, it isn’t an issue though. It is another investment.





I haven’t seen and tried their new Zipglove. Depending on the durability of the Zipglove, it will be a good option instead of the ring system on their wrist Zipseal.