TONY CHANEY
Contributor
Care to part with where you gained that knowledge? Mine is over two years without a leak other that the time I did not dock properly.
TiZIP
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Care to part with where you gained that knowledge? Mine is over two years without a leak other that the time I did not dock properly.
Bruce Justinen
Contributor
Hi, this is Bruce from SEASOFT. I wanted to again, educate everyone who reads these posts to realize that there are actually 3 different zippers that Ti Zip sells to diving manufacturers. They are:
1. The SUPERSEAL - this is the one that SEASOFT SCUBA uses. It is a drysuit zipper (sealed at both ends) that pulls two strips of rubberized plastic together (one strip on the inside and one on the outside). We were the first company in North America to use this zipper. Because the teeth are between the two strips you can close the zipper yourself even though it is across the back. Very durable, tough and long lasting, we have had suits with more than 800 dives but the typical drysuit zipper is replaced after 500 dives depending on how it is taken care of.
2. The WATERSEAL - the same as the SUPERSEAL except it is open at one end for use on semi-dry wetsuits. Everything else is the same.
3. The MASTERSEAL - this is Ti Zip's version of a Brass zipper but done with plastic teeth. It is less expensive and we chose not to use it. Our feeling is that the individual teeth could possibly wear down over time and leak. We have no knowledge of that happening but we have heard rumors of these zippers not lasting as long as the SUPERSEAL Drysuit Zippers.
So, anyway, when you hear Ti Zip, they could be talking about any of the above so always ask for clarification so you know which one they are referring to.
Bruce Justinen
SEASOFT SCUBA
1. The SUPERSEAL - this is the one that SEASOFT SCUBA uses. It is a drysuit zipper (sealed at both ends) that pulls two strips of rubberized plastic together (one strip on the inside and one on the outside). We were the first company in North America to use this zipper. Because the teeth are between the two strips you can close the zipper yourself even though it is across the back. Very durable, tough and long lasting, we have had suits with more than 800 dives but the typical drysuit zipper is replaced after 500 dives depending on how it is taken care of.
2. The WATERSEAL - the same as the SUPERSEAL except it is open at one end for use on semi-dry wetsuits. Everything else is the same.
3. The MASTERSEAL - this is Ti Zip's version of a Brass zipper but done with plastic teeth. It is less expensive and we chose not to use it. Our feeling is that the individual teeth could possibly wear down over time and leak. We have no knowledge of that happening but we have heard rumors of these zippers not lasting as long as the SUPERSEAL Drysuit Zippers.
So, anyway, when you hear Ti Zip, they could be talking about any of the above so always ask for clarification so you know which one they are referring to.
Bruce Justinen
SEASOFT SCUBA
I have changed the zipper on my suit to a tizip and would like to know what the lubricant is. The website says "Please use the original TIZIP lubricant or other available zipper lubricants." Is it a normal silicone lubricant?
Exactly, about 70-100 dives. I make 200-250 dives a year and have more than 1 suit. In 1 of my suits I have had 4 zips in 3.5 years. Now I have a normal brass bdm zip and I am dry.
Bruce Justinen
Contributor
Germie:
Was it a Masterseal or a Superseal? My bet was that it was a Masterseal. How did it fail?
Bruce
Was it a Masterseal or a Superseal? My bet was that it was a Masterseal. How did it fail?
Bruce
manni-yunk
Contributor
Which one does Bare use?
Jak Crow
Contributor
I have had a Mares Isotherm semi-dry suit that comes with a TIzip zipper on the back for 4 years and the zipper has worked perfectly. The best thing is its self repairing if it splits for some reason. I should have gotten the TIzip on my new drysuit.
I see your post now. It ws de Masterseal. The first one leaked at the docking end, regardless how much grease I putted on. The second one same. The third one same. The first one sometimes flooded totally, and it was absolutely closed. I haven't tried the second and third one till I had totall floodings and asked for replace earlier. It is not nice to have 80 minutes of deco left in 4 degrees water.
The first dives you are dry, then you get some moisture, maybe sweating you think. Then it get's more and more.
I don't know if the YKK plastic zip holds longer. It looks same as the tizip. Has anyone experiences with that?
Stoo
Contributor
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The one that leaks...
Just to add to this old thread, I am of the belief that Tzips are either good, or not! I have a year old Santi suit which I use as a travel suit (My other is a VIking ProTech). I have about 70 dives on the Santi, and the last 15 or so have left me soaked. The zipper is useless inspite of proper lubrication and cleaning.
I canvased my FB dive group and there were a number of people that had about 200 dives on their T-zips and they were fine. Then there's a bunch of us that have had problems at the 50 - 70 dive mark.
I've been in touch with the Halcyon rep (who distributes the suit in Canada) and he has given me the address of their repair facility but I've not yet sent the suit in. He assures me that the zipper will be covered by warranty, but I'm not holding my breath. Even if it is, I'm very tempted to have them put a brass zipper in, based on my experience. (I have owned 7 drysuits, all with traditional brass zippers, except the Santi). In all of my previous suits, I generally logged about 600 - 700 dives in them without issues.
I should add that two people who responded to my FB inquiry have T-zips in DUI suits. When they sent the suits back, they were told by DUI that the zipper wasn't covered by warranty since the zipper manufacturer hadn't extended a warranty to DUI. That sounded fishy to me, but if you're considering a DUI, it might be worth asking about warranty coverage.
Anyway, I'll follow up here after Halcyon has had a look at my suit!
Oh the reason for my shot at Bare was that my main dive buddy has a new Bare with I would guess less than 40 dives on it... T-zip leaks... His previous Bare which looks like it's been worn in a bullfight, but has a brass zipper, is still dry.
Dimitri M.
Registered
DUI is recommending the metal YKK zips again since June 30th 2015. They have seen inconsistencies with the plastic zips, but they still offer them for light recreational use.
Source: Waterproof drysuit zippers
So, it's a shame for everyone how bought an (expensive) suit from DUI and now have a suit with a plastic zip that might or might not work as it should.
It is after reading this article from DUI that I decided to get a metal zip on my drysuit. I wanted a plastic zip at first.
Source: Waterproof drysuit zippers
So, it's a shame for everyone how bought an (expensive) suit from DUI and now have a suit with a plastic zip that might or might not work as it should.
It is after reading this article from DUI that I decided to get a metal zip on my drysuit. I wanted a plastic zip at first.
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