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

[aquaoren]

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

I'm in the process of ordering my DC drysuit as well and was somewhat torn between the Ultraflex Pro and the Duraflex Pro.
What made you go with the Duraflex over the Ultraflex and what do you like or dislike about the Ultraflex?
Thanks for the feedback

 

[trob09]

I'm in the process of ordering my DC drysuit as well and was somewhat torn between the Ultraflex Pro and the Duraflex Pro.
What made you go with the Duraflex over the Ultraflex and what do you like or dislike about the Ultraflex?
Thanks for the feedback

In a word, durability. 90% of my diving is done inside a nice, rusting steel wreck. The Duraflex material is more durable than the Ultraflex.

 

[Dryglove]

The duraflex pro is definitely one heavy duty drysuit. I checked one out before ordering my ultraflex pro and it was definitely a much more durable and thicker suit. Along with the tradeoffs are a suit that takes longer to dry and also very stiff. I am sure it would loosen up with time though. The ultraflex pro fits my needs pretty good and is much thicker compared to a DUI TLS which has been proven to be a reliable material.

 

[Schwim]

I'm also getting ready to purchase a DC ultraflex pro. Can anyone speak about the difference between the nylon and poly materials available for the accents? Some colors are available in one or the other. Some colors are available in both N or P. Is one stiffer or more puncture resistant?

 

[aquaoren]

In a word, durability. 90% of my diving is done inside a nice, rusting steel wreck. The Duraflex material is more durable than the Ultraflex.

Anything you really dislike in the Duraflex?
Thanks for the replies guys

 

[koi]

Blue Dolphin:

Don't know if you've already made your decision but here are some things to consider. Some of what I say has probably already been stated by others.

Originally, i was going to purchase a DC suit. However, when I visited the dealer, he just started carrying DUI suits and recommended that I go with DUI over the DC (I won't bore you with details, but it essentially had to do with fit and service). In the end, I went with a Signature FLX50/50.

While it is true that DC may make a truly custom suit, while DUI fabricates a "custom" suit from the best fitting pre-exisiting stock pieces, I have heard that DC takes an inordinate amount of time to finish their suits. And if anything is wrong with the suits, that repairs take a while also. I can tell you from first hand experience that DUI will do everything to make you happy when you purchase one of their custom suits. I had to get my suit remade twice since my dealer didn't measure me correctly. Each time, DUI paid for the shipping back to their facilities and for shipping to me. The new suits took approximately 3 weeks to get to me. If I had any problems or questions, DUI was only a phone call away and always responded to my e-mails and concerns within 24 hours. I don't know how DC's customer service is, but I can vouch for the excellence of DUI's service (as I'm sure many others can).

Some miscellaneous notes on DUI suits:

- Rock boots are a toss up and it comes down to preference. If you want Rock Boots, and don't want to deal with laces, you can replace them with bungees. Or, you can just use a "lace keeper."
- I don't know about the telescoping torso trapping air deal. Lots of folks have a telescoping torso and deal with buoyancy just fine.
- If you want to replace seals easily, you can purchase the Zip Seals. But they come at a premium.
- For dry gloves, you could use systems from a variety of manufacturers; including DC, Viking or Skaana.
- If you want a light, quick dry, less durable suit, go for the TLS350. For almost the opposite, get a CF200.

My advice is, if the money doesn't matter a whole lot to you, then I would go for a DUI suit. You get what you pay for, and will make you happy for many years to come. I've never heard anybody complain about their DUI suits, other than about the initial cost. (Well, and other small things, like dump valve location, etc. but nothing major =)

 

[BlueDolphin]

Boy you guys are not going to make this any easier are ya! lol.

It sounds like DUI and DC are both having similar complaints against them.

I too have seen the Duraflex Tech suit. It was indeed a VERY nice suit. It was just slightly small on me in a Large. But it was very rugged. That one is still close to my gut "wants". Heck I may pick one of them up just to have it. It really was a nice suit. However, it had nowhere near the flex of the compressed neoprene Pinnacle 200.
I was originally torn between the DC Duraflex and the DUI CLX450.

I am going to try to not rush into this..... and will take the advice given here. I appreciate your thoughts and input. One of the problems I am having is that it seems that my LDS's do not keep the DC and DUI suits in stock!?

My LDS owner insists that DUI is guilty of much of the negative quotes given above aimed at DC! Go figure (horrific service from DUI, and lengthy turn around times).

I am going to try to make sure I get a chance to try the UltraFlex Pro, and a proper fitting Duraflex (may be tough to find that one), just to compare to the Pinnacle 200.

As for DUI..... I think the CLX450 is a great suit, but I could not see it being of superior quality to the DC. I think that both companies are making fine suits.

Bottom line is I am going to try to cool my jets for a bit, and try out as many as I can over the next few weeks.

Schwim.... all materials available on the drysuit bodies pretty much puncture the same. The trilams however can have better abrasion resistant qualities.

 

[Dryglove]

Tough choice huh? Its really hard as all of the suits you mentioned are great. I had a heck of a time deciding when i was shopping around.

 

[aquaoren]

It was the same with me too.
I was torn between the DUI CLX450 and the DC Ultraflex Pro (before I've seen the Duraflex Pro)
I just didn't have the warm, fuzzy feeling with the DUI dealer as they were trying to sell me a dry suit course before even asking about my experience. Beside that, the DUI dealer was badmouthing DC, while the DC dealer was much more relaxed about his suits.
I went with the shop that gave me a better feeling and will be getting a DC suit

 

[koi]

DC and DUI are both in Southern California. Maybe you're close enough to one or both of them to make a personal visit.

Dealer interaction does make a lot of difference so maybe you can check out other shops and see what other dealers have to say and how they treat you. You may even be able to cut a better deal.

DC and DUI probably make comparable suits and fit is everything. If DUI did not fix the problesm with my suit in a timley and friendly manner, I would have enevr gone back to them. But like I mentioned previously, I haven't paid a penny above what I originally paid for my original suit for all the remakes and alterations. And the suits were back in my hands in exactly the time frame they quoted me.

My money would go with the company that's been in the business the longest, makes a quality product, AND has the customer service to boot.