Scubapro S-Tek Steamer 7mil Observation/Mini-Rant

[JDostal]

I've got a little over 60 dives on my Scubapro S-Tek 7mil Steamer wetsuit. I bought it slightly used from a friend (he had about 20 dives on it) and overall I am very happy. I love the wrist and ankle "seals" - I tuck one section into my boot and glove, and the other part wraps over the top and it allows very little water to flush in and out keeping me as warm as possible.

However....that SilverSkin lining inside of it drives me nuts!! It is supposed to make it easier to put in, according to advertising claims. Have they tried putting that thing on dry???? It just GRABS onto skin, hair...it's almost a workout to put it on.

The inside of the suit isn't lined with the typical cloth that you find on the outside of the suit - it's just bare neoprene with the silverskin lining. I find this really degrades the strength of the wetsuit, especially considering how hard it is to pull on. The cloth usually adds a little strength to a suit - in my Steamer, I've got little rips all over the inside of it from pulling and tugging on it. I've gotten better at putting it on over time and really have minimized the stress I put on it as much as possible, but still...seems kind of stupid to me.

I've had the opportunity to try some of ScubaPro's other 7mil and 6.5mil wetsuits - normal ones, that have the cloth on the inside. It seems to me that these are stronger and MUCH easier to pull on - especially dry.

Just curious if anyone else has noticed the same thing....

 

[chuckrt]

I agree about the new style steamer. My dive buddy has one and I have the older style with the zipper cuffs. I feel my suit is more durable than the new one and I have never had trouble putting it on even dry. I have noticed that suits in the dive shop have had little nicks/ gouges in the silver lining after people tried them on. My dght just got certified and I bought her an older model as she is very hard on things yet. They stopped making them however and you need to find a shop that has some left overs, my shop purchased a lot of them and sold them at $180.00 for 5mm so they went fast.

chuckrt

 

[JDostal]

Yeah, kind of a bummer. I wonder where their QA guys were on that decision to cancel the other wetsuits out.

I thought though, that ScubaPro still made a wetsuit that was "normal", without the SilverSkin lining. If they don't, I can say for sure that my next wetsuit will not be a ScubaPro.

Then again...that's how I feel about more and more ScubaPro gear the more I use it..heh.

I used up almost a whole tube of aquaseal filling in all the little tears and covering all the "high stress" seams just to be sure. Hopefully that will increase the lifespan of it.

 

[wch]

My son had the similar problem with the Henderson Goldcore. It is suppose to be slick, but would just stick. He had a real problem getting his hands and feet through the sleeves and legs. I read somewhere on the board about putting nylon socks on first. We use a pair of hiking "liner" socks (thin nylon) and what a difference! He leaves the pair on his feet on under his booties, and will put a pair over his hands, slide his arms in the suit, and then pull the socks off. A great deal less pulling on the suit and struggling.
Bill

 

[Mouth Breather old]

I bought a SP Silver Skin S-Tek Steamer in 7mm from Ocean Enterprises in San Diego (just a few miles from Scubapro). There were 4 XL in stock and the first three I looked at were all ripped up inside from customers trying the suits on. You could see where their fingers grabbed the suit and simply pushed through the "Silver Skin" lining. I found one that had never been tried on and bought it. I figured that the other three were either a bad production run or were purposely damaged by a customer.

The first time I used the suit I carefully put it on being mindful of all the damage that I had seen on the other suits with the same lining. I did three dives and when I finally removed the suit I saw that the lining had about ten 1/2 to 3/4 in tears where my fingers grasped the suit to pull it on!

I called Ocean Enterprises an informed the owner. She said, "Yeah, we've been having problems with those...send it back to us and we'll give you a refund or exchange". Yet another reason to support your local dive shop. Anyway the spring and summer got a little hectic for me as I took three dive trips to Hawaii. I brought my SP 3mm Pacific Steamer with the non-Silver Skin Lining and was amazed at how much more durable the fabric lining is than Silver Skin.

Last week I still hadn't had time to ship the 7mm back to Ocean Enterprises so I took it with me to the Channel Islands. The suit fits great....it's warm...it looks great...but MAN! MORE tears! The lining is so soft...it's like having a lining made of pumpkin pie...it looks smooth and slick but it takes very little pressure to leave finger print sized tears in it. I gave the suit another chance and give up. At this rate the suit will be torn to shreads after only 2 more dive trips.

I like the idea of a slick lining for a 7mm suit...I know that it really doesn't make the suit easier to put on, rather the smooth linings act like a giant seal that keeps water out and promotes faster drying. I have pulled pretty hard on Henderson Gold Core lined suits and the Core seems much much more durable than the SP version.

 

[JDostal]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has problems such as these! I felt like I was excessively beating on the wetsuit.....made me feel kinda bad I was treating my gear so bad.

Hrmm...maybe I should talk to my LDS about getting a replacement. It's originally from there, and i'm good enough friends with the owner. We'll see...

The aqua seal did a really good job sealing up the fingerprint sized tears in the inner lining - however, after diving with it last night, now there are of course new tears in it where the aqau seal stops and the silver skin begins. The aqua seal pulled on the silverskin as I was moving in the suit and it tore on the edges....*sigh*

Oh well. I do like how goo the silver skin seals - it is very nice, and the suit does dry very fast....but I don't think the benefits are outweighing the drawbacks.

 

[Ari]

About 50 dives to it. Great suit.

On the other hand, putting it on is A PAIN. I agree. The silver lining that stick onto the skin and really does a good job sealing, just makes it impossible to put on dry.

I use one of the two methods:
1. Putting it on under running water (shower).
2. I use a mix of 50%-50% water and hair conditioner (I got the idea here in the forum). I just put some on my legs and hands prior to wearing the suit, it serves as a lubricant without hurting the suit or the skin.

But when the suit is on, it is a good one.

Ari ;-0