So this is a pretty strokey question...

[rjack321]

My wife has a 7yo TLS350 which has never leaked. And I have a 1yo CF200 which has never leaked either. I have had at least 5 other suits in the past and from a fit and leakage perspective the CF200 is by far the best so far.

They could still be improved by 1) not using Apeks valves at all, I replaced the Apeks exhaust valve almost immediately because I know they suck. 2) using a rubber gromment as a base for the valves instead of glueing them to the suit fabric (cheesy).

 

[Stoo]

Thanks for all of your comments... For the most part, you have confirmed my own feelings... Nice features, great fit (assuming the person doing any measuring if custom knows what they're doing) and so on, but as many of you said, if they aren't dry, none of the other stuff even matters.

I use my suit in the Great Lakes, with Tobermory being home base. I rarely dive shallower than 110' so bottom temps are rarely higher than 39-40F. I really don't want to get wet. When I started to consider other options to the Viking, I was amazed to hear all of these people sending suits back... a lot of DUIs, but others as well. It was just not something I EVER had to do with my Vikings, until they were very old and had hundreds of dives on them. The only reason I am considering changing is for great mobility, and less weight.... But I'm just not sure at this point that I'll bother.

Anyway, thanks again. I'll have a look at Santi and Bare, and keep you posted! (I can get keyman on Bare, so that's going to be tempting!)

 

[Superlyte27]

Keyman on Bare is very good.

I wish someone would talk Viking into making custom suits. I'd never buy anything else.

 

[Stoo]

I'm fortunate that I fit into a 03 Viking very well...

 

[Stoo]

In case anyone cares, I ordered a Viking Pro-tech. I was able to get keyman. It's just being fitted with cuff rings, pockets and a smaller hood... Ships next week.

I really hope it's as good as my current one!

Also, my friend with the 104 day old suit... the knee pads are delaminating. She says they've never touched the ground/bottom. She is an unhappy camper.

Thanks again for your input!

 

[lv2dive]

In case anyone cares, I ordered a Viking Pro-tech. I was able to get keyman. It's just being fitted with cuff rings, pockets and a smaller hood... Ships next week.

I really hope it's as good as my current one!

Also, my friend with the 104 day old suit... the knee pads are delaminating. She says they've never touched the ground/bottom. She is an unhappy camper.

Thanks again for your input!

Has she talked to her dealer? If she is not getting support there, she really should talk to DUI. They do try to work with people. As new as that suit is, there is no reason for the knee pads to be delaminating, I'm sure they'd make it right.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have a Bare and a Santi. If I had it to do over ... knowing what I know today ... I would own two Santi suits.

I ordered my Bare XCS2 suit last February (2012) ... it came in April, and even though I ordered a custom cut suit which was measured properly, it was cut for someone about six inches taller than me. Bare initially told me to just go ahead and use it while they figured out what to do about it. Six weeks went by, and they said I needed to send it back. Six weeks later I was still waiting for a suit that fit me properly. It came in July. Four months later I had to send it back to Bare ... every seam in the suit was leaking ... literally, a leak test would show bubbles along the edges of every single panel. The suit was gone almost two months before I got it back. Being an instructor, and really needing my suit, I had offered to pay extra for expedited service. The answer I got from Bare is that they don't do that ... every suit goes to the back of the line, and they get to it when they get to it.

Overall, I like the suit ... but to my concern, Bare has some real customer service issues they need to address if they want to attract serious divers who rely on their gear regularly.

As for DUI ... in the past I've owned a TLS350 and a CLX450. Both were nice suits, and the TLS350 was overall the best fitting, most comfortable suit I ever owned. But I doubt I ever got more than 15 dives out of it before having to find and patch a leak somewhere. Because I otherwise liked the suit so much, I was willing to put up with it. And DUI does have excellent customer service. Unfortunately I think it's because they get so much practice ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[GDI]

For years I have dived Whites Started diving in Canada so it made sense and the price was right since I bought it direct from the factory. I loved my Whites can't complain for a neoprene suit It lasted nearly 10 years of wreck diving. When I started cave diving it had enough and let me know it. So I went to a Otter suit (sold by Zeagle in North America) otter are rugged suits of commercial grade. I have had them since 2001. I own two: a front entry and a back zipper. I have changed the seals out over the years but the suits keep going. The valves: I have found the Sitech work best over the Apeks. Now as a point of comparison, My first suit ever was a used Viking so I can understand the issue you have in wanting to get another one, I loved that suit. I tore it once on the Wolf Islander, man that was cold, really f (bleep) ing cold. Nice thing though was I took it to the local Canadian Tire store and got a vulcanized rubber patch put on, just like a tire The suit was as good as ever for another few years, After that suit was completely done was when I bought the Whites suit. I get good time out of my suits I must say as it has been 12 years on the Otters. I believe that DUI was a good suit in its day. Many like them because they are lighter then most suits and easy to move in but as some have pointed out on this thread their quality has dropped off. I have field repaired a good number of my students DUI suits, enough that I would say I do not see me getting a DUI anytime soon. There are many suits out there and some fair better in certain environments then others. I like a good rugged suit, one that will last, is comfortable and best bang for my buck.

 

[LiteHedded]

I'm a little late to the party but will add my two cents here.

the DUI issues seem to be just with the tls350 suits. That material just isnt tough enough for an everyday suit. I've had my cave cut flx extreme for about three years now (maybe two years-ish?) and have dived it pretty hard in some tough spots.

my suit has not leaked a drop. I haven't had to patch it once in the whole time I've owned it.


every santi suit I've seen fits like a trash bag relative to the fit of the DUI suits. And that's not just to trash santi. I own a ton of santi gear and love it but I would not own one of their dry suits.

Dui gets my vote hands down

 

[ucfdiver]

I'm going on 2.5 years with my FLX and have yet to have a leak. I've traveled out of country, cross country, and done a few difficult entries into caves here in FL. My TLS350 leaked every other dive.

It seems like all your friend's problem with her FLX are related to valve/seals, which are basically made by a couple of manufactures and shared by almost all drysuit manufactures-- so switching from DUI wouldn't really help.