Sense-check my heating setup

[ChrisMBC]

Accu Hi all,

I'm looking at diving headfirst into the world of heated undergarments, and I'm looking for a sense-check on my decisions before pulling the trigger.

Some background: I dive in the PNW, mostly around Vancouver Island. Recreational dives for the time being, but I did Fundies earlier this year and I'm aiming to do Tech 1 within the next 12 months. So, definitely buying with an eye towards longer dives and a DIR-compliant setup.

I've been diving a Fusion Tech + Fusion undergarment (200g Polartec) for the last two years, and I've finally realized the Fusion undergarment is a little too small (makes valve drills hard) and not warm enough in the winter. So, a new undergarment is in order (and a new drysuit, but that's a whole other thing).

The undergarment: Santi Flex 2.0 ($600 USD) Given the somewhat variable water temps here (40-50 in winter, 50-60 in summer) and my desire for maximum flexibility, I'm thinking a heated undergarment may make the most sense. From what I can tell, the Flex 2.0 has about the same insulation as my Fusion undergarment, but with the addition of 110W of heating. I can stand an approx. 40-60 minute dive in the winter with my Fusion undergarment at the moment, and it's toasty in summer, so I think this would be ideal for year-round diving.

My questions:

• Are there any disadvantages going with an all-in-one suit, compared to a new undergarment + heated vest? All-in-one suit is the cheaper option, and keeps things simpler for me.
  
• Is it worth waiting longer for the M2M option? According to the size charts, a Santi SL should fit me perfectly, and solves my usual problem with drysuit/undergarment sizing, where I'm too tall for a Small and too skinny for a Medium.
• Are there any other all-in-one heated undergarments I should consider?

Heating system option #1: Accu Thermo 24Ah

Pros:

• Relatively inexpensive for an all-in-one system
• Has some kind of in-built power controller, unclear how it functions

Cons:

• Still a little pricey
• Unknown company, no North American support
• No details on how the controller functions, how it regulates power, or what the efficiency is like running on 50%

Heating system option #2: Light-For-Me battery canister + Light-For-Me controller + DIY battery pack

Pros:

• Cheapest option (somewhere around $500 for battery canister + controller)
• I like the in-line power controller
• Easy to add a light head down the line

Cons:

• Homemade battery go zap
• No details on the controller
• RCA connector/in-line controller all add bulk

Other options I've looked at but not considering currently:
UWLD heating controller + battery canister: Painfully expensive for battery + controller. I also don't love the design of the controller, where it needs to be clipped off to something. The controller design seems intelligent though, and if the price was closer to the other options, I'd probably consider it.

LightMonkey battery canister w/Pitkin controller: More expensive than other options, have seen middling reviews of the reliability. Tempting for a North American option though.

Apologies for the long post, and advance thanks to anyone who weighs in!

 

[grantctobin]

See post 3 in this thread: Bottoms of feet cold (drysuit, 39F / 3.9C water)

 

[DiveClimbRide]

I think @lermontov has the Santi flex 2. He might be able to help

 

[_Ralph]

I have a flex190 and a Santi bz200 vest.

I consider your PNW waters ‘warm’


Having said that, I regularly dive my 190 till around 4C, then bring out the bz400.


The flex 2.0 also comes wired for the gloves, no annoying splitter and running wires every time you gear up.. they’re just there!

I also run a 20aH battery, haven’t killed it yet on a ‘day of diving’... ie 3 boat charter dives/day running the vest only.


Only issues I have had with the Santi system, was an issue with the old style gloves (whole wiring harness came out during a dive), bad wire on an old E/O, and a cold solder on the vest connection..

Halcyon service is top notch, and took great care of me at their expense. None of these issues were at once, and were 10’s to 100’s of dives of use... ie, definitely Wear&Tear than DOA product.


If I had to purchase it all again today.. I’d probably just go with the 2.0 over the 190&vest with gloves... but still with the 20aH battery... better to have way too much battery, than not enough.


_R

 

[ChrisMBC]

I have a flex190 and a Santi bz200 vest.

I consider your PNW waters ‘warm’


Having said that, I regularly dive my 190 till around 4C, then bring out the bz400.


The flex 2.0 also comes wired for the gloves, no annoying splitter and running wires every time you gear up.. they’re just there!

I also run a 20aH battery, haven’t killed it yet on a ‘day of diving’... ie 3 boat charter dives/day running the vest only.


Only issues I have had with the Santi system, was an issue with the old style gloves (whole wiring harness came out during a dive), bad wire on an old E/O, and a cold solder on the vest connection..

Halcyon service is top notch, and took great care of me at their expense. None of these issues were at once, and were 10’s to 100’s of dives of use... ie, definitely Wear&Tear than DOA product.


If I had to purchase it all again today.. I’d probably just go with the 2.0 over the 190&vest with gloves... but still with the 20aH battery... better to have way too much battery, than not enough.


_R

Thanks for the advice, it's really good to hear. For your 20aH battery, do you know what brand it is? Does it have a controller, or do you just run the vest on full power all dive?

 

[lermontov]

I have a mares vest and a santi flex 2

the vest has an internal battery and bluetooth to turn on /off - its ok and definitely works but you cant adjust heat once your underwater ( you could put the blue tooth gadget in say a go pro case with a bit of fiddling )its ok fro general diving but no fro long cold dives with 20min+ deco - a leaky suit will likely damage the battery

the flex is a warm flexible undergarment that is good even without the battery however consider the wear and tear and its better to get a summer under suit as well . Its got an external battery that is awesome and you can dial the temp up or down ( light monkey) so after your say ⅔ the way through the dive you can turn on and its a pleasure .
NB the flex is a tad bulky so makes sure you can get your dry suit on comfortably

 

[ChrisMBC]

I have a mares vest and a santi flex 2

the vest has an internal battery and bluetooth to turn on /off - its ok and definitely works but you cant adjust heat once your underwater ( you could put the blue tooth gadget in say a go pro case with a bit of fiddling )its ok fro general diving but no fro long cold dives with 20min+ deco - a leaky suit will likely damage the battery

the flex is a warm flexible undergarment that is good even without the battery however consider the wear and tear and its better to get a summer under suit as well . Its got an external battery that is awesome and you can dial the temp up or down ( light monkey) so after your say ⅔ the way through the dive you can turn on and its a pleasure .
NB the flex is a tad bulky so makes sure you can get your dry suit on comfortably

Thank you for the info! What water temps do you dive the Flex in/for how long? When you say it's bulky, is that in comparison to other similar-weight (200g polartech) undergarments?

 

[lermontov]

Thank you for the info! What water temps do you dive the Flex in/for how long? When you say it's bulky, is that in comparison to other similar-weight (200g polartech) undergarments?

diving is around 12-14º in winter or 10º if i go to an inland lake - diving has normally been 70 min but now I have the santi around 90 min and could easily go longer if situation allows - turn on the suit at around 60 -70 min -ive only just bought it so the bulk could be cos its new but its definitely thicker than a scuba force X inner I have- I should add i really feel the cold and the flex 2 with battery has exceeded my expectations

 

[_Ralph]

Thanks for the advice, it's really good to hear. For your 20aH battery, do you know what brand it is? Does it have a controller, or do you just run the vest on full power all dive?

It’s a Halcyon 20aH lithium.

No controller, as the temps I dive in, it’s either on, or on

The light monkey 20aH is friendlier to fly with (2x10aH in parallel), and the ‘Pitkin’ controller is available to dial it back a little...

Also with the Santi gloves, they won’t warm your hands up, but are designed to keep your hands at whatever temp they start at.. ie, if your hands are cold, they’re gonna stay cold with heat.... otherwise, you would be constantly turning the heat on/off...


_R

 

[Degenerate]

Could be worth taking a look at Santis 24ah battery.
Simple on/off only though, but they have worked very well for our local group of divers, all of us use the Santi vest and a few have the gloves too.