Honest thoughts on Fourth Element Argonaut 2.0???

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Looked at it in search for a new suit. Very fine made, very flexible also. I have questions about longevity of the suit compared to a Santi E.Lite. The fabric feels somewhat thin. I have not made my descision yet between Santi and FE).
 
There are 3 versions of the Argonaut. Which one? (Stealth, flex, and hydrid)

The stealth fabric, I recall that is the same as the Ursuit BDS. A Kevlar infused fabric. I have been running that material for a couple of years now. Been completely happy with it. But you might want to check availability on it. At DEMA this year I stopped by the Ursuit booth and they didn't have and BDS on display. I asked about it and they said the material supplier isn't making it anymore. Fourth element may have found a new supplier, or changed materials. It was also know that this suit was built by Ursuit for Fourth Element. Don't know if that is still true?
 
The old Argonaut is a completly different suit than the new one as far as I can tell. The old one was made by Ursuit, the new one I don't know.
 
I think it is the same suit as a Ursuit except it is the breathable Kevlar version. The problem is that durability of breathable kevlar is not as good as their "soft-dura" and if you decide to buy the same suit as the soft-dura then you will have to go outside of 4th Element. You will either have to purchase Ursuit soft-dura or Deep6 which is the same suit except it is sold for 1400 USD. If you decide to go with Deep6 tell Chris that you would like to have it without the Kevlar add-ons that came with their initial suit. Deep6 are good people to deal with.
 
Too add a little more to that, the Ursuit BDS had 2 versions as well. The early version had a very bad reputation for leaks that could never be stopped. That carried into the Fourth Element line as well. But that changed, problems quietly fixed, and all was good. The thing is they were a little too quiet about it. Everyone remembers the bad, no one remembers the good ones.
 
The stealth fabric, I recall that is the same as the Ursuit BDS. A Kevlar infused fabric. I have been running that material for a couple of years now. Been completely happy with it. But you might want to check availability on it. At DEMA this year I stopped by the Ursuit booth and they didn't have and BDS on display. I asked about it and they said the material supplier isn't making it anymore. Fourth element may have found a new supplier, or changed materials. It was also know that this suit was built by Ursuit for Fourth Element. Don't know if that is still true?
The Stealth isn't a kevlar-based fabric; it was the discontinued Hybrid that had that.
 
The Argonaut has had a few changes in the last couple of years, so some of the info in this thread is definitely out of date.

I don't think they offer any kind of Kevlar any more. They had issues with its durability when used in salt water.

One of my friends here locally just got a brand new Argonaut about 2 months ago. He got what I think is their hybrid offering that is now a combo of their heavier and lighter materials (but none of it is Kevlar).

I can say that he got measured using the local dealer's Biomap setup and the suit appears to fit him very well.

I got my new Seaskin Nova drysuit about a month before he received his Argonaut. Comparing them, it seems to me that the heavier duty parts of the Argonaut are directly comparable to my Seaskin's material. The lighter duty areas are, well, lighter duty. I also have a Waterproof D9X suit and the lighter duty panels on the Argonaut seem more comparable to that.

To me, it really depends on what you want. If you want something a bit thinner, lighter, and more flexible, the hybrid Argonaut seems like a good way to go. If you want a suit that is a bit more robust all over, well then to me, I would go for the Seaskin all day. They seem pretty equal on quality, to me, and my made-to-measure Seaskin fits me just as well as my buddy's Argonaut fits him. And my Seaskin was less than half the price. Also, Seaskin offers more options. For example: I like my Kubi dry glove rings and you can't get those on the Argonaut. Also, I opted for zippered thigh pockets (after having velcro pockets on my Waterproof suit) and I like them much better than velcro pockets, now that I've had them for a few months.
 
I'm bumping this thread to see if there are any new reviews or developments out there. :) I'm looking for a new drysuit as a present for my wife (she will be involved in the choosing, rest assured) and my LDS pushed the Argonaut 2.0 as the latest hotness. (We would otherwise go for a Waterproof D7X which I have and like.)

There doesn't seem to be too many reviews of the Argonaut suit, and Fourth Element are not one of the obvious drysuit manufacturers that spring to mind around here...
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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