Heated suit options besides Santi BZ400?

[Rich1280]

I bought a Hauberk 400g thinsulate heated undersuit. Its probably not as fitted cut as the Santi, but its warm and the heating works well. They also do gloves and socks, and can come with different connectors so you can fit different components together. Might be worth a look.
Rich

 

[Wibble]

Yeah, they are warm when new.

You're not supposed to hang up to dry. Santi even say so in the instructions! And they do not wash well. Is the the first Thinsulate suit you've had?

Using a large hanger, it spreads the load and keeps the shape very well.

You do need to wash all dive kit periodically, if only to get rid of the stench of diving and removing some salt. They can be washed, but obviously not that often.

 

[mr_v]

Using a large hanger, it spreads the load and keeps the shape very well.

You do need to wash all dive kit periodically, if only to get rid of the stench of diving and removing some salt. They can be washed, but obviously not that often.

Yes to washing. Also, yes to not hanging.

In general, you want to avoid hanging all delicate items after wash. The best is to dry such items flat, on a porous surface that can let air flow through it. For example, you can extend a drying rack and put your suit flat on it with a fan set on gentle hitting the room. That way you avoid bunching up the insulation material on the inside.

 

[MattK911]

As someone who has tried a Heated Santi BZ400 and was ready to buy one, I was not impressed. I ended up going with a Rofos BZ400 and a Lola Q-vest (XXL for 2 extra heating panels). Candidly I do work for a company that sells these items, but I genuinely believe its a much better solution, as do many of our customers after demo-ing the two. It's a more flexible solution, as the undergarment will wear out before the heated vest, and allows you to mix and match layers for the environment. It's also significantly cheaper, at just over $650 for the suit and vest. That being said, a 90W heated vest definitely needs a Pitkin/heat controller otherwise you will be sweating and flipping the switch very often (found that one out the hard way LOL).

 

[berndo]

And the Rofos BZ400 is a steal compared to the Santi BZ400.

Thinsulate Undergarment - Fathom Dive Systems

www.fathomdive.com

 

[Wibble]

And the Rofos BZ400 is a steal compared to the Santi BZ400.

Thinsulate Undergarment - Fathom Dive Systems

www.fathomdive.com

To confirm, no heating in the suit, but add a heated vest? Does that heat your legs and arms as per the Santi?

Also no made-to-measure option and no pee valve openings.

Who copied who? The designs are remarkably similar even down to the two grommets on the LH shoulder, the nylon outer fabric and armpit gusset material. Where’s it made?

 

[nickbutcher]

Yeah, they are warm when new.

You're not supposed to hang up to dry. Santi even say so in the instructions! And they do not wash well. Is the the first Thinsulate suit you've had?

You've clearly got an issue with Santi. Have you had a bad experience with them? Do you actually own any of their kit or is your input to this purely anecdotal?

None of your points tally with my experience. I own two Santi drysuits and 2 heated BZ400 suits along with a heated vest from 2014. One of the undersuits was bought it 2015 and has had many washings/tumble dryings and is still in great shape.

It went back to Poland a few years ago for a service and was returned in just over a week. They replaced the main cable and both heated glove cables. They also replaced the elastic foot straps and the mesh around the wrists. They charged for return shipping, everything else was done free-of-charge (a long time after the warranty had expired). I've had similar experiences with the first drysuit (E-Lite) which has been to Poland several times and returned promptly and inexpensively.

When I buy more drysuits/undersuits, Santi will be the first kit I look at unless something amazing appears in the meantime.

 

[nickbutcher]

And the Rofos BZ400 is a steal compared to the Santi BZ400.

Thinsulate Undergarment - Fathom Dive Systems

www.fathomdive.com

My benchmark is quality and reliability rather than getting stuff cheap.

We are UK importers for Light Monkey, among other suppliers yet I choose to pay for and use Santi heated undergarments rather than LM stuff I could use for free.

I even recently bought a 28Ah Santi Blue Power battery rather than use one of the many LM packs I own because it can supply a fixed voltage (11V or 12V) throughout the dive rather than tailing off which a 3S lithium pack will do.

 

[berndo]

Who copied who?

Lol. Santi copied DUI. Santi started by selling 1000 dollar DUI knock-off suits and undergarment. At the time only DUI made diagonal front zipper with telescopeing torsos. Santi got big because they undercut the competition. Which was easy for them because making stuff in Poland is way cheaper than in the States or western Europe. (Since you're a Brexiteer I'm surprised you're in support of that).

You've clearly got an issue with Santi.

I'm not a fan. Santi is great at marketing. Their quality seems to have gone way done while prices have gone way up. If you got stuff fixed within a week, you got lucky.

My benchmark is quality and reliability rather than getting stuff cheap.

Santi is cheap stuff. It's just marktet well. Not sure why you think Rofos is worse than anything Santi makes. Have you had any Rofos stuff?

 

[Wibble]

Lol. Santi copied DUI. Santi started by selling 1000 dollar DUI knock-off suits and undergarment. At the time only DUI made diagonal front zipper with telescopeing torsos. Santi got big because they undercut the competition. Which was easy for them because making stuff in Poland is way cheaper than in the States or western Europe. (Since you're a Brexiteer I'm surprised you're in support of that).


I'm not a fan. Santi is great at marketing. Their quality seems to have gone way done while prices have gone way up. If you got stuff fixed within a week, you got lucky.


Santi is cheap stuff. It's just marktet well. Not sure why you think Rofos is worse than anything Santi makes. Have you had any Rofos stuff?

What bollocks you spout.