Hello All,
Thank you everyone who has either made inquirys regarding the Fusion, or given feedback on thier individual experiences. I would like to take this oppurtunity to answer a few of the questions I have seen, and reply to some of the concerns regarding certain aspects of the Fusion.
All of the zippers used on the Fusions are manufactured by YKK, which is considered a leader in zipper quality. The "fraying" that some people are noticing is simply a result of the amount of extra material that YKK has extended past the zipper teeth, and does not affect the zipper quality or performance in any way. Granted, it does give the perception of deterioration, but all you need to do is gently burn away the extra fraying with a lighter, and problem solved. Also, proper zipper maintenance using a high quality wax on both sides of the zipper helps to conditon the material and prevent this fraying from occuring.
From my experience being on the road and conducting Fusion demos across the Western USA, I can tell you that the first thing people ask about the Fusion is "how durable is that?" There are a few things to remember on the durablity issue. First, the skin not only streamlines the DryCore, but it is also acting as a protective layer guarding the diver from punctures or tears in the DryCore. Remember, the DryCore is what is keeping you dry so even if you managed to tear the outer skin, you would still be dry and could easily repair or replace the skin. The other point is that since the skin is independent of the DryCore there is a "shearing" or slipping effect if the skin is snagged on something. So instead of catching and tearing, the skin slips and pulls off. Again, one of the great things about the Fusion is it's modular capabilities in switiching out the external skins.
The Fusion does not come with hard Kevlar style knee pads because that would take flexibility away from the suit. The whole idea around the Fusion is the mobility, stremlining and flexibility. If we added a hard knee pad, the diver would lose stretch in that area and defeat the purpose of the suit. Instead a "Tough Coat" was put on the knees for abrasion resistance and it works very well in that regard. Having said that, we value the feedback of eveyone out there who dives the Fusion and are always looking for ways to innovate and improve our product. When an upgrade is available as Fusion owners you simply need to buy a new skin and you have a brand new suit. So as the technology improves you can keep up and not be stuck for years with an out of date drysuit. Remember, the DryCores all stay the same and only the skins are changing!
The pockets on the Fusion are attached to the skin and are a bellows style pocket that expands out if you need it, and contracts if you don't. There is an easy to open velcro flap, gromets installed for bungee attachment, and a drainage vent on the bottom. My experience with the pockets has been nothing but positive, however we realize that some divers are used to different systems so we will continue to use your feedback in our future endavours.
Once again, thank you to all Scubaboarders who have taken the time to answer thier fellow divers questions and provide us here at Whites with invalubale feed back. Keep it coming!
Cheers,
Justin Balaski
Regional Sales Manager
Western United States
Whites Manufacturing Ltd.
...hahaha
