I have the plastic zipper in my Bare SB drysuit. I know I have somewhere north of 150+ dives on it and the zipper works just as well as the day I got it. It's super smooth and makes dealing with bend over the shoulder much easier than my HD Tech Dry metal zipper, both front entry suits.
It's durable to say the least, it's been in saltwater & freshwater, inside of wrecks and down to 200ft without a single issue. Sure beats the old metal zippers for ease of use and maintenance as there's no more wax to deal with for the plastic zippers either. There's not even an zipper lubricant to use, although they recommend occassionally putting some on the zipper docking area where it seals the suit. My guess is it's just to make opening and closing a little easier.
It's durable to say the least, it's been in saltwater & freshwater, inside of wrecks and down to 200ft without a single issue. Sure beats the old metal zippers for ease of use and maintenance as there's no more wax to deal with for the plastic zippers either. There's not even an zipper lubricant to use, although they recommend occassionally putting some on the zipper docking area where it seals the suit. My guess is it's just to make opening and closing a little easier.
