interesting did not know...
SEAL Drysuit brand, info
- Thread starter gdxopc
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So Bare is owned by Huish Outdoors USA based which own the other known brands and production is elswere.
Jens Bölte
Contributor
Jens Bölte
Contributor
I find it really difficult to determine the quality of a drysuit. What are your criteria? Why is SF Tech better than Santi. BTW, I do not dive a Santi.
Best wishes Jens.
Look it up. Excellent built quality and cut. Available in full Kevlar. If you're diving caves/overhead, that's the suit to have. Costs a few hundred $ more than Santi.
Jens Bölte
Contributor
Everybody claims to build excellent quality. That does not proof anything. The cut looks rather bulky when I look at this photo. Kevlar/aramid makes a suit rather stiff. It might be ok for overhead but for open water? gdxopc never mentioned what he needed the suit for, did he?
An Avatar suit, for instance, would be ok in open water but I would never expect it to last as long as a Santi/Rofos/Ursuit/Bare (to name a few) because of the material and the way the seams are sealed.
Ursuit, for instance, make very robust suits but their cut is, at least for me, horrible. Much too bulky.
Best wishes Jens
That's why you need to examine gear, including dry suits, in person. I don't have access to Santi now and I am too lazy to take pictures of the SF Tech, but I'll give you a few pointers.
SF Tech uses top quality neoprene and Kevlar covering is quite soft but sturdy. Imagine the softest cashmere sweater that does not exhibit wear. When I touched an SF Tech for the first time, I did not believe it was a dry suit.
If you drag the suit on rocks, sharp surfaces, the Kevlar shell will stand up to abuse. Don't ask him how I know that ;-)
The stitching and the seams are top notch all around the suit. I know quite a few folks who dive these suites and none had issues with leaks, etc. (unlike cheaper offerings on the market).
The cut is "cave cut" which means close to the body or almost wet-suite like. Bubble management is almost non-existent.
These three attributes is why SF Tech is popular with cavers. It works for open water/wreck diving, too. I know people, myself included, who dive SF Tech in the tropics. If you spend a lot of time in warm water, you'd opt out for the TNT offering. You can also get "less Kevlar," but why?
So what's up with the pricing? Well, in the US, SF Tech will cost you around $4,200 last time I checked. The cost includes yearly review/service. Santi will cost you probably $3,800 if you go semi-custom with a few alternations and $4,200 for a full custom suit, but Santi won't be nearly as bulletproof or warm as SF Tech. For example, Santi does not offer a neoprene option.
TL;DR - Santi are good suits but there are better alternatives in the true made-to-measure, high-end dry suit range.
marc.collin
Contributor
quality of the textile, durability of the textile
when you touch it you see difference like
genuine leather and imitation leather
and like everything... marketing is king...
more and more people see a brand, people know who use it... people will think that the product is of quality
iliketopetsharks
Contributor
Does anyone happen to know if the Fourth Element drysuit are true made-to-measure? The measurements are taken with the BioMap system, but i don't know if that is precise enough to actually make a custom-tailored suit.
Good thread.
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