Ready to order my Signature DUI suit BUT WAIT!!!!

[jroy017]

Funny I ordered mine Saturday:
CLX 450
I chose cordura all black top and bottom (was hesitant about pinstripe though but decided on black
2 bellows pockets
longer kevlar knee pads
zipseals on wrists (option wich costs more $) one set for dry gloves one set for wetgloves.....
latex neck (not zipseal)

I did not have dui install the p-valve they charge 200$ more and use the exact same p-valve as ee or fith-d( i dont remember wich)will have it installed myself when it comes in ..


I got a wheezle extreme with that ???


OKay so now i have ot wait 6 weeks .....

 

[BlueDolphin]

Jroy017,

Where did you order from? PM me and let me know what you ended up paying.

Too bad you did not go for the pinstripes, all those lady fishies will be hangin on me much to your envy.

Did you wear the wheezle when you were measured?

 

[BlueDolphin]

Uh oh....

After making a visit to my local dive shop..... and speaking with the owner of the shop, I am now going to switch my purchase from DUI to Diving Concepts. What next??

He was very opinionated and insist that a trilam is not the way to go. He thinks I would be much happier with the compressed neoprene suits. His dog n pony show consisted of him showing me the differences between the two materials. He laughed at the manufacturers touting that trilam has stretch, and said that was a joke. He said that if I want a form fitting, stream lined, flexible suit, that the Pinnacle 200 is the suit to get. He showed me his suit, and made some pretty impressive arguments. His fit like a glove (well was very streamlined), and yet had more than enough mobility/stretch. He also said that the rock boots are a pain. Making note that his buddies who have them complain about lacing them up on a rocking boat, and that while he would gladly order the suit with socks, so that I could wear the rock boots, he again felt I would be very happy if not happier with the boots built into the suit.
He also practically insisted that I get the cuff ring system, as it will make replacing the wrist seals a real snap! He showed me the different dry gloves that are available if I should decide to use them.

One other thing he noted is that he DOES NOT LIKE the self entry front zipper designs as they leave a pouch up front that traps air and is not as streamlined as the rear entry suits. He believes the rear entry is the way to go.

What is really getting my attention is the ability for Diving Concepts to customize my suit for me.

Get this....

After taking my measurements and ordering the suit.... Diving Concepts will then return my suit "shell" to my LDS for me to then see how it fits, AND THEN we can make any adjustments to the fit as we feel is needed. This can be done as many times as I like! My LDS owner will chalk in where exactly we want the hip pockets, and the inflater valve and dump valve. My LDS owner says that we can adjust the fit of the shell until we are absolutely happy with the fit. The shell is then completed by Diving Concepts into the final suit. Pretty impressive. This is only for a mere $100 more.

For around $1800 with all the extras I will be coming in about a grand less than DUI. It was never about the money, but I will gladly keep the grand for a suit that is arguably equally as good as the DUI.

So...... look for my post on more regarding my change of plans!

 

[BlueDolphin]

I was all set on ordering my new dry suit from DUI. Until I decided to look at the Diving Concepts.

It looks like Diving Concepts will be getting my money. Here's why.

After making a visit to my local dive shop..... and speaking with the owner of the shop, I am now going to switch my purchase from DUI to Diving Concepts.

He was thorough and I'd say leaned towards being very opinionated. He however did say that he would order what "I" wanted, but first to listen to what he had to say.

First off I was pretty set on the CLX450 trilam suit from DUI.

The owner of my LDS started off saying the he strongly felt that a trilam is not the way to go. All drysuits "puncture". While trilam suits can have more abrasion resistive characteristics, he did not feel it made up for the negatives of a trilam, and that they "punture" just as easily as other materials. And in fact the repair of a trilam is many times difficult due to the triple layers used. It can be very tricky to find a leak on a trilam when there is one..... as the water can make its way between the layers and where the water actually enters the suit inside, may not be where the actual puncture is located. He thinks I would be much happier with the compressed neoprene suits. He showed me the differences in the materials. Noting the stretch qualities of the compressed neoprene material. He laughed at the manufacturers touting that trilam has stretch, and said that was a joke. He said that if I want a form fitting, stream lined, flexible suit, that a compressed or crushed neoprene suit like the Pinnacle 200 is the suit to seriously consider.

He then showed me his suit, and made some pretty impressive arguments. His Diving Concepts Pinnacle 200 compressed neoprene suit fit him like a glove (well was very streamlined), and yet had amazing mobility/stretch.

He also said that the rock boots are a pain. Making note that his buddies who have them complain about lacing them up on a rocking boat, and that while he would gladly order the suit with socks, so that I could wear the rock boots, he again felt I would be very happy if not happier with the boots built into the suit. He also practically insisted that I get the cuff ring system, as it will make replacing the wrist seals a real snap! He showed me the different dry gloves that are available if I should decide to use them.

One other thing he noted is that he DOES NOT LIKE the self entry front zipper designs? He showed how they leave a pouch up front that traps air and is not as streamlined as the rear entry suits. He believes the rear entry is the way to go. He also thinks I should get the cuff covers (extra material to cover the wrist seal).

He also said that he is a personal friend of the owner of Diving Concepts and that he was told by the owner of Diving Concepts to NOT sell the "tech cut" suits. Something about how they end up going back in many times after they are finished due to fit problems. And to stay away from the tech cut/fit suit.

What is really getting my attention is the ability for Diving Concepts to customize my suit for me.

Get this....

After taking my measurements and ordering the suit.... Diving Concepts will then turn around and send my unfinished suit to the LDS for me to then see how it is fitting, AND THEN we can make any adjustments to the fit as we feel is needed. This can be done as many times as I like! My LDS owner will chalk in where exactly we want the hip pockets, and the inflater valve and dump valve. My LDS owner says that we can adjust the fit of the suit until we are absolutely happy with the fit. The shell is then completed by Diving Concepts into the final suit. Pretty impressive. This is only for a mere $100 more. We are only 40 minutes from Diving Concepts so the turnaround won't be a problem (and certainly worth it for the final results).

For around $1800 with all the extras I will be coming in about a grand less than DUI. It was never about the money, but I will gladly keep the grand for a suit that is arguably equally as good as the DUI.

To top it off, in the end I get a suit that I know will fit perfectly, and will have the pockets, etc., EXACTLY where I want them. After all..... this is what I am paying for!

I'd like to hear your thoughts if you are buying a new drysuit, if you own a drysuit, or if you own one of these particular suits.

 

[jroy017]

If i were you i would rent both types of suits and go diving with them. What you've heard is basically both sides of the coin. I dont think its a question of which suit is necessarily better or if rear or front entry is necessarily better but what is more adapted to you and your typ of diving.

I personnaly owned a bare cd4 rear entry compressed neoprene and am converting to a front entry clx450 trilam. The trilam fits my diving needs better and front entry is not a problem for me. Neoprene is warmer but gives less mobility in my opinion.

As for diving concepts they make an excellent suit who's reputation is just as good as DUI's now in my opinion. The added bonus is the 100$ surcharge only for a custom fit , in my parts local LDS are selling a custom DC for 1900$ canadian... so its pretty hard to get a equivalent dui for that same amount..

 

[OE2X]

I'd be very careful about the Diving Concepts suits. I know too many friends that have them that wish they didn't. One friend is still waiting to receive his back from DC after about 5 weeks of waiting for them to fix issues with it. Off the top of my head the pockets delamed and were falling off and there were some stitching issues. The suit was only about 4 months old when he had to send it in.

Another friend had a custom suit done. It took over two months for it to be done and is still ill fitting.

I have a DUI CF 200 that I bought off the rack. I've had my share of problems with it, and in one case DUI replaced it and Fedex'd the suit to my LDS. I have put a P- valve and pockets on it at an additional cost of $200. I also paid $1800 for the suit off the rack. The suit fits me like a custom suit, works well and those are the main reasons that I've put up the trials. Also the DUI latex seals are not that great. When it comes time to replace them there are other seals that more durable. I have a wrist seal that needs replacing but since I use dry gloves it's not that big of a deal.

I don't notice any issues with a pocket trapping air on my front zip suit. My BS meter goes off on this one. So you are swiming along looking down at the bottom, you add air. Where is the air going to go? Of course it's going to go to the highest point. Unless you spend a portion of your dive on your back (like I do) then the air won't push out the chest. My backup is rear entry and my CF200 is front entry. I have to admit that it is a bit easier to get in and out of the rear entry suit. Accessing car keys in a rear entry suit is very much a pain. For that reason alone, I'll stick with front entry.

The rock boots take more time to put on, but based on my experiences with my backup suit that has boots attached, I would rather have the rock boots. My feet get floaty without the rock boots. This is a true PITA.

One drawback to owning a crushed neoprene suit is that it does take a bit longer to dry. For me that is no big deal.

BTW - as to knee pads. Are these really necessary? I have them on my CF200 (came with them) but I've never needed them. I don't kneel on the bottom. You can save yourself some $$ if you go without.

Rent the suit and try it out first.

Lastly in favor of DUI - since you live in S.Cal you are located in quick shipping distance to DUI.

 

[bedmund]

I'm not sure I would agree with everything the shop owner was stating.

He laughed at the manufacturers touting that trilam has stretch, and said that was a joke.

I'd say this is true but my suit is custom cut and I've not had any trouble or constiction.

He also said that the rock boots are a pain. Making note that his buddies who have them complain about lacing them up on a rocking boat,

This is a joke. You don't lace them you simply pull in the plastic catch and then wrap the laces around the ankle. It's very quick.

One other thing he noted is that he DOES NOT LIKE the self entry front zipper designs as they leave a pouch up front that traps air and is not as streamlined as the rear entry suits.

Not on my suit. Folding down the torso flap and clipping the crotch strap eliminates the pouch on my suit.

For around $1800 with all the extras I will be coming in about a grand less than DUI.

I can't dispute this but I'd be careful taking all the claims of the shop owner to heart and using them to decide. Jroy's idea of renting both is a good one and that's the best way to know everything for sure. If the LDS wants to make the sale they should help you be able to rent and dive both types.

Anyway that's my opinion.

 

[ERP]

I'm sure you'll get a lot of feedback, I would strongly suggest you talk to a few other LDS in your area.

If you shop around a custom fit TLS350 runs somewhere around $2000. When they make a suit you can have pretty much anything relocated, my exhaust valve is on my left forearm and I had the pockets relocated to the outside of the leg.

I've only really seen the 5thD version of the DC suits and the one I saw looked like a nice suit, but I can't comment on it any further than that.

I don't agree with the front entry comments I own one front entry suit and a rear entry suit, and never dive the latter.

I use the DC ring system on my DUI suit installed with the seals intact.

 

[trob09]

Just a few comments:
- you can get a DUI suit in crushed neoprene.
- you can get a DUI suit without rock boots (they have 'turbo soles')
- you can have DUI put other boots on their suit (including the Diving Concepts boots)
- you can use the diving concepts dry glove system with a DUI suit
- every custom DUI suit I have seen fits better than every custom Diving concepts suit I have seen

For the record, I have a DUI CF 200 custom (that's crushed neoprene) and a Diving Concepts DuraFlex Tek custom (that's courdura tri-lam). There are things I like about both

 

[Dryglove]

I just went through all of this about 4mos ago and finally get to pick up my drysuit tomorrow.

My original plan was to go with a TLS350 signature series. I did a dive with ERP way back when at breakwater and was impressed with the fit of his suit and how fast that sucker dried. By the way ERP this is Larry, formerly lal7176...lol

I ended up buying a custom ultraflex pro that arrived with the sleeves too short(see my gallery) and had to go back. The suit fit wonderful over the custom stretch undergarment that i ordered with it. I was very impressed with the quality of the suit and how well it fit. Hopefully all has been fixed and i'll have a nice suit to dive in.