Remembering all the time used on googling drysuit reviews, I think I'll give a short contribution to everyone wondering what to get - from my point of view.
This is primarily a comparison of the Santi E-Lite Plus, and the Ursuit One Endurance.
The use is cold water (including Ice diving) and light tech diving (70m, rebreather) in Norway.
I own and dive both the suits, and have also owned and dived Waterproof (d1), One Performance and Ursuit RedQ.
All good suits (but the D1 is not my cup of tea)
First: No. There is no "one suit to rule them all". They are both great, high quality drysuits with a good cut for tech diving (but with room for undergarment).
No matter what you go for, you will probably be happy. But there are differences, and personally I know what to go for in my next drysuit.
Cut and design:
Both have good and functional cuts. No problem with valve drills or movement. The One suit is slightly tighter in the lower leg, but we do talk about minor differences.
There are design differences though.
The One suit is much easier to get in and out of than the E-Lite Plus. This may wary from person to person, but the zipper placement and design is slightly different.
The One suit has a very different solution to "warmneck" with a large overlay down to the protective zipper. That design is brilliant. You can choose to have the chest valve over or under the zipper (pros and cons here, I've tried both) - and if you have it under, you can just fold the whole thing over your head after taking on the hood. The Ursuit One has a elastic band in the back, and that is a good detail and keeps it looking "less baggy".
Both my suits are adjusted to fit me, and both Santi and Ursuit do a good job on modifications.
Both suits look good, but it is no denying that the Santi will take top position on a catwalk..
The crotch on the One is not close to the quality and design on the E-lite Plus. The E-lite having a better clip, better straps and an overall better solution on this.
Both suits have similar valve placements, and work brilliantly in trim.
The inside bracers are good on both, but the chest piece on the E-lite gives a better quality feeling. That being said -it is a bit in the way when using a heated west with a split to gloves, but not a big issue.
Both have good tech-boots, but expect to use aquaseal from time to time.. Small details matter, and with the Ursuit One you can get in and out of the boots with the fastening velcro closed on the "furthest out position". On the Santi, you have to keep it open when taking them on and off, causing the velcro to get stuck to everything close by
.
Pockets are one of the more important elements of the drysuit. I think both Ursuit (in the One line) and Santi have some of the best pockets available - but here the Santi is the winner. Small design differences makes it easy to get things into the Santi pocket with legs bent and in trim, but on the Ursuit One I have to straighten the leg slightly to put things inside. The Santi also got a nice and bright color on the bungee straps. That said -both are great, with zip-pockets on the "flap", separate room for wetnotes etc.
Fabric
There is a big difference in fabric. The Santi has a new, almost elastic, material on parts of the design. Combined with classic tough materials on parts of the suit, this gives a high quality feeling. It is really, really nice - but in the water you really do not notice any difference.
The One Endurance is built to last. Solid materials that is tried, tested and really works.
Surprisingly there is next to no difference in weight, but the Santi feels much nicer and it dries up quicker than the One suit. There is a downside though. There seems to be a lot more condensation inside the Santi. That might be a result of the thinner and smoother fabric. The One suit is more coarse, and with dual layers on the chest. Have in mind that this is diving in 2 C water, with heating. In warmer water it does not matter.
They are both great - but I actually prefers the One Endurance because of the rugged feeling and less condensation (or perhaps the condensation water is sticking more to the inside.. who knows) As a little note, I've also owned a One Performance (with the smoother fabric) and that has the same condensation issues as the Santi.
Durability:
The Santi is not yet retired, so I can not conclude on this.
That being said, both suits are high quality and will last a long time.
The Ursuit is a double layer (and not glued) on the front and with thicker materials, and going into caves or wrecks it is probably more resistant.
But the Santi is easier to patch with its smooth fabric, and is also a very sturdy and rugged suit.
Every suit will leak at some point though..
Ring system:
Yes.. this is not really the suit, but I have the Santi system for drygloves on the Santi suit, and a Ultima system on the One Endurance (factory installed). Both are great systems. The Utlima system feels more rugged and solid, but I think that is just an illusion following with the clear and loud "click".. The Santi system is "soft" witout the rigid plastic ring, but I do not see any pros on this in practical use -with the exception on changing seals (easier on the Santi).
Both are great - but I actually prefer the Santi system here. It is easier to get off, and has never failed. That said: The Ultima is also good.
Conclution:
As I said before - both are great suits, with good details and a really good cut.
All in all they are side by side, but the Ursuit One Endurance costs a bit less and feels more rugged.
It is a bit like comparing a 4x4 and a sports-car. What is best?
For my kind of diving, my next primary-suit will probably be a Ursuit One Endurance.
It is a 4x4, built to last, and costs less.
That said; If you want something to travel with - go for something that dries quicker and is slightly less heavy
Happy diving!
This is primarily a comparison of the Santi E-Lite Plus, and the Ursuit One Endurance.
The use is cold water (including Ice diving) and light tech diving (70m, rebreather) in Norway.
I own and dive both the suits, and have also owned and dived Waterproof (d1), One Performance and Ursuit RedQ.
All good suits (but the D1 is not my cup of tea)
First: No. There is no "one suit to rule them all". They are both great, high quality drysuits with a good cut for tech diving (but with room for undergarment).
No matter what you go for, you will probably be happy. But there are differences, and personally I know what to go for in my next drysuit.
Cut and design:
Both have good and functional cuts. No problem with valve drills or movement. The One suit is slightly tighter in the lower leg, but we do talk about minor differences.
There are design differences though.
The One suit is much easier to get in and out of than the E-Lite Plus. This may wary from person to person, but the zipper placement and design is slightly different.
The One suit has a very different solution to "warmneck" with a large overlay down to the protective zipper. That design is brilliant. You can choose to have the chest valve over or under the zipper (pros and cons here, I've tried both) - and if you have it under, you can just fold the whole thing over your head after taking on the hood. The Ursuit One has a elastic band in the back, and that is a good detail and keeps it looking "less baggy".
Both my suits are adjusted to fit me, and both Santi and Ursuit do a good job on modifications.
Both suits look good, but it is no denying that the Santi will take top position on a catwalk..
The crotch on the One is not close to the quality and design on the E-lite Plus. The E-lite having a better clip, better straps and an overall better solution on this.
Both suits have similar valve placements, and work brilliantly in trim.
The inside bracers are good on both, but the chest piece on the E-lite gives a better quality feeling. That being said -it is a bit in the way when using a heated west with a split to gloves, but not a big issue.
Both have good tech-boots, but expect to use aquaseal from time to time.. Small details matter, and with the Ursuit One you can get in and out of the boots with the fastening velcro closed on the "furthest out position". On the Santi, you have to keep it open when taking them on and off, causing the velcro to get stuck to everything close by
.Pockets are one of the more important elements of the drysuit. I think both Ursuit (in the One line) and Santi have some of the best pockets available - but here the Santi is the winner. Small design differences makes it easy to get things into the Santi pocket with legs bent and in trim, but on the Ursuit One I have to straighten the leg slightly to put things inside. The Santi also got a nice and bright color on the bungee straps. That said -both are great, with zip-pockets on the "flap", separate room for wetnotes etc.
Fabric
There is a big difference in fabric. The Santi has a new, almost elastic, material on parts of the design. Combined with classic tough materials on parts of the suit, this gives a high quality feeling. It is really, really nice - but in the water you really do not notice any difference.
The One Endurance is built to last. Solid materials that is tried, tested and really works.
Surprisingly there is next to no difference in weight, but the Santi feels much nicer and it dries up quicker than the One suit. There is a downside though. There seems to be a lot more condensation inside the Santi. That might be a result of the thinner and smoother fabric. The One suit is more coarse, and with dual layers on the chest. Have in mind that this is diving in 2 C water, with heating. In warmer water it does not matter.
They are both great - but I actually prefers the One Endurance because of the rugged feeling and less condensation (or perhaps the condensation water is sticking more to the inside.. who knows) As a little note, I've also owned a One Performance (with the smoother fabric) and that has the same condensation issues as the Santi.
Durability:
The Santi is not yet retired, so I can not conclude on this.
That being said, both suits are high quality and will last a long time.
The Ursuit is a double layer (and not glued) on the front and with thicker materials, and going into caves or wrecks it is probably more resistant.
But the Santi is easier to patch with its smooth fabric, and is also a very sturdy and rugged suit.
Every suit will leak at some point though..
Ring system:
Yes.. this is not really the suit, but I have the Santi system for drygloves on the Santi suit, and a Ultima system on the One Endurance (factory installed). Both are great systems. The Utlima system feels more rugged and solid, but I think that is just an illusion following with the clear and loud "click".. The Santi system is "soft" witout the rigid plastic ring, but I do not see any pros on this in practical use -with the exception on changing seals (easier on the Santi).
Both are great - but I actually prefer the Santi system here. It is easier to get off, and has never failed. That said: The Ultima is also good.
Conclution:
As I said before - both are great suits, with good details and a really good cut.
All in all they are side by side, but the Ursuit One Endurance costs a bit less and feels more rugged.
It is a bit like comparing a 4x4 and a sports-car. What is best?
For my kind of diving, my next primary-suit will probably be a Ursuit One Endurance.
It is a 4x4, built to last, and costs less.
That said; If you want something to travel with - go for something that dries quicker and is slightly less heavy
Happy diving!
