Looking to buy my first drysuit: DUI vs Seaskin

[Dimitri M.]

Hi,

I want to buy my first drysuit so that I can extend my diving season and dive more comfortable in cold water and weather. It is a big decision because of the price. I am currently giving it a lot of thought, but I can use some help.

Currently I am in doubt between two trilaminate drysuits, the Seaskin Nova with all bells and whistles and the DUI FLX Extreme with zipseals.

The shop we most often go to to get our gear only sells drysuits from DUI. The setup they recommend is the DUI FLX Extreme with zipseals, DUI Powerstretch Polartec Pro undersuit and DUI rockboots. This setup is used by the owners themselves and by 4 members of our club. Three out of four are pretty happy with their suits, one guy had a lot of leaks in the beginning, but this seems to be resolved now.

The other suit I'm thinking about is the Seaskin Nova MTM with almost all the options they offer on their website: SiTech valves, SiTech replacable neck seals, neoprene socks, Kubi dry cuff system (rings glued to the suit), Kubi dry gloves, warm neck, kevlar kneepads, expedition pockets and some other small things. I think I would also get the 250grm thinsulate undersuit from Seaskin and their Tech Base underwear because it looks like a really good deal.

I would like to be able to dive in water that is 4C and maybe even a bit colder, I don't think the 250grm thinsulate suit on its own will be warm enough for this. The Fourth Element arctic undergarments (top, pants and socks) look like something I could use the be able to stand 4C water. Most people here use 400grm thinsulate and they say the Artics compare to 200grm thinsulate, so combined the two undersuits would give me a 450grm thinsulate equivalent (in theory). I am not somebody how gets cold easily, but if I was to get cold I could still suplement this with a Sharkskin suit that I already have and normally use in combination with my 7mm wetsuit. Do you think I will be warm enough with these undergarements?

The rock boots from Seaskin don't look that good, but I like the ScubaPro Fjord boots and would get those instead.

I have read and heard a lot of good things about Seaskin, so I'm feeling pretty good about them.

The pros of the DUI setup are that I know people how dive it and are happy with it, I would support a local business and I know I will get good after sales support. The cons are that it is expensive and that zip seals are really expensive when they need replacing.

The pros of the Seaskin are that it is made to meassure, that I can customize it the way I want and the suit plus Fourth Element undersuit and rockboots is cheaper than the DUI (about 2200 EUR vs 2800 EUR). For that price difference I could buy myself a good tank (or two) -that I also want to buy- and still have some pocket money. An extra pro is that I could mix and match under garements depending on the temperature. The big con here is that I would be on my own when it comes to support and that the suit will have to be shipped from Belgium to the UK when something needs fixing under guarentee. This is not something I am afraid off, but I could be a hassle. Also making a mistake when measuring could mean a big disaster!

A guy from our club told me to not get the replaceable seals to keep things simple, he would just go for the Kubi system that you attach to your existing seals. I understand why he says that, I would be be more flexible, there is less chance of failure and it would also be somewhat cheaper. My problem with this is that I heard this dry glove system could reduce the lifespan of your seals. Also I like the idea of being able to replace my seals at the divesite when needed and save the dive. Doing the replacements myself would also be cheaper then having it done a shop. He also has 4 other drysuits and always carries a spare, so when he rips a seals he just puts on another suit (that's no option for me at the moment :cool2.

I know that this is not an easy question and that the ultimate dessision is upto me, but I would like the hear about other peoples toughts and experiences. I am also open for some completely other suggestions, but it has to be a trilaminate suit, because of the extra flexablity and easier storage.

Should I get a P-valve? Currently I don't do long enough dives that I need to pee that often. Most dive are less then an hour. The P-valve could be handy in the future, but I could also get it fitted later if it turns out I need it.

Regards,
Dimitri

 

[KevinNM]

I can tell you from personal experience, "saving money" by buying an inferior and/or poorly fitting drysuit is a false economy you will regret. So don't do that. I did that and now I'm looking at buying a Santi E.lite/E.motion or DUI FLX in a few weeks.

Buy from someone who has a track record of selling properly fitting drysuits. They need to understand how to measure you and be willing to do whatever is needed if the suit that shows up doesn't fit.

I'm not at all familiar with seaskin, but the DUI FLX extreme has been recommended to me by a bunch of people. Zipseals are really convenient to replace, but are expensive when you need to replace them. But they should last a season or so if you are reasonably careful. (I've also heard that if you buy the latex ones and are handy with glue there are completely unauthorized ways to reduce the cost.)

 

[Dimitri M.]

I can tell you from personal experience, "saving money" by buying an inferior and/or poorly fitting drysuit is a false economy you will regret.

I know, that's why I'm doubting so much. But, I also think that those DUI suites look to be overpriced. The DUI FLX Extreme is almost 800 EUR more than the Santi E.motion and 700 EUR more than the E.lite.

What suit do you have now? What was it that you regretted about it?

Do those Santi's have replaceable seals, I can't find it on the website, it looks like they don't.

From what I read and heard is that Seaskin is a pretty good brand of dry suits for their price. What I am currently thinking about the most is the undersuit (will it be thick enough), the replaceable seal system (is it worth the extra money and will I need it enough to justify the extra cost) and the dry glove system (is Kubi worth the extra money or will a Sitech system do). One big fear is getting the measurements wrong and ending up with a suit that won't fit right. The advantage of DUI is that I have peace of mind, I don't have to worry about all those things because they don't leave the option

 

[KevinNM]

I have a Bare. It hasn't leaked (unlike the 3 people who got custom suits at the same time) but wasn't properly measured. So with the midlayer on I can't reach the valves and have some other issues. Plus Bare thinks that permanent things like pockets and p valves should be attached with latex glue. Umm, no.

Santi lists, in the details of their web site, SI tech wrist rings and silicone seals. You can normally get a neck ring installed later by a repair guy if needed. I have wrist and neck rings and they are not a perfect solution. It is nice to be able to swap a seal, but I've only torn one silicone wrist seal in the year I've had this suit.

But if you have a local DUI dealer who sells a reasonable number of suits a year and their customers seem happy, that is something worth considering and paying something extra for. I'm flying to Florida for something else and going to talk to a couple of high volume dealers for Santi and DUI there because nobody here is really very good at drysuits.

 

[kwinter]

Are you sure you are pricing that Seaskin correctly? I got my Nova with just about every option available and it was far less than that, even including overseas shipping and duty.

 

[Johanan]

I don't intend to talk you out of your choices, but if money matters to you, it is hard to beat Whites Fusion Tech in the price/quality/versatility balance. Just my two eurocents.

 

[Dimitri M.]

@KeviNM, The shop I am talking about is pretty small, but they sell quite a few DUI suits/\. I know the owners personally, so I am pretty confident that I will get a good service there and that is also worth something.

Strange to hear that about the Bare, they always appeared like a reputable brand to me.

@Kwinter, The price I'm quoting is including shipping, assorted undergarments, Scubapro rockboots and Kubi fitted drygloves (those are pretty expensive). Now I'm thinking about it, I also added the price of the drysuit speciality to it because I would get that free if I buy the DUI. I made an Excel file to compare both suits and thought it was only fair to add the price of the speciality to make a good comparison. The price of only the suit with the Kubi system, shipping and a bunch more options is about 1550 EUR, with a Sitech ring/glove system it is about 1250 EUR and the DUI is 2350 EUR including drygloves. With the Seaskin I might get lucky with the exchange rate.

How do you like your Seaskin? Did you get a ring system?

@Johanan, I never considered a Whites. I just looked it up and I think it looks a bit strange, bit the price is ok and I have heard good things about the brand. I will look into it a little more tomorrow. I was also considering the Scubapro Evertec LT for some time, in that price range.

 

[kwinter]

I did get the SiTec neck ring and latex seal. They did not offer any wrist system when I bought mine, but I prefer the Viking system anyway. The rings are only $75. And my price did not include undergarments since I already have 3. I like the Seaskin suit. I have always thought DUI suits were fine, but overpriced. If you can get the FLX extreme with undergarments, zip seals and training thrown in for the same price as the Seaskin, I am very surprised.

 

[Dimitri M.]

If you can get the FLX extreme with undergarments, zip seals and training thrown in for the same price as the Seaskin, I am very surprised.

I don't think you can call a 600 EURO price difference the same price That's 680 of your bucks, I don't know about you, but for me that is a lot of money. Of course, spending 2000 on a bad suit would be a bigger waste of money.

Currently I'm leaning more towards the Seaskin without the Kubi system (because it is so expensive), but with an Si Tech seal system. I'm still not sure if I would get the Antares system or the Glove Lock QCP. The Antares system looks to be more low profile, but it gets a lot of bad reviews on the internet. The Glove Lock system seems to be more bulky, but less people seem to have trouble with it. Because of that I would chose the Glove Lock system.

Si Tech also has the Quick Glove system, they call this their first generation system. It looks like it can be fitted to the Quick Cuff system that Seaskin glues to your suit. It looks a little less bulky then the Glove Lock system and the way it works seems simpler. From what I can find on the internet is that most people are really happy with it. Seaskin does not sell this system, but I can find it online for similar prices as the Antares and Glove Lock.

I think I will not get a P valve installed from the start. If it turns out I need it in the future I will get it installed afterwards.

 

[Redshift]

I have a Seaskin Nova and have also dived for a while with a DUI and a Santi (while zipper was being replaced).

I think the Seaskin is a very good compromise between thickness and durability. Not the lightest suit, but also not the heaviest and it has been quite durable. Don't think you'd need the kevlar knee pads.
The only thing I'm less happy about is the neoprene socks. I think they are small. And have noticed the same with other people.

The DUI boots don't seem anything special, and certainly not for that price.

The DUI suit I used was lighter and was quite ok. But had many patches! I have seen many DUI suits leaking! It also had zipgloves. They work well, but once the suit is on, the gloves are on and you'll lose dexterity.

The Santi suits appear to be good (don't go for their lightest model!). The one I used was a bit big for me, but they also do MTM. Didn't like the inflation valve position that much, but it's a detail...