TlS 350 signature fitting issue

[jim2386]

This sure sounds like DUI needs to do something different! The TLS 350 is on my short list, but the reason it isn't a sure thing is all the complaints I hear about the ugly fit and the number of times it has to be fixed up!

So, if I come to San Diego and get measured, do I have better odds of a correct fit? I'll be #@$% before I'll accept an ill-fitting $2500 drysuit!

Jax,

If it makes you feel any better...we had a group of 4 people order TLS 350 Signature Series last fall (including me) and every one of them came back fitting perfectly. I think you'll find, and I could be wrong, but if there is a problem with a product, the people who are unhappy will typically post about it. People who are happy with their product don't typically go posting on the internet about it. I would think not nearly as consistently as someone who isn't as happy.

-Jim
Very Happy DUI Customer

 

[Jax]

I find that is not true on the DUIs - people LOVE them, but they have to go back two or three times. These aren't people that posted about it, they are people of whom I saw pictures and I asked them.

I am super glad that some are coming through "right" the first time!

 

[jim2386]

I find that is not true on the DUIs - people LOVE them, but they have to go back two or three times. These aren't people that posted about it, they are people of whom I saw pictures and I asked them.

I am super glad that some are coming through "right" the first time!

Yes they do some through right....but without the person being there, I can see how sometimes there can be issues and really hard to make something when you don't have the person there in front of you


I suppose as long as you don't have any horrible abnormalities you'll probably be ok Get measured at a DUI demo days by the actual DUI staff....that's what we did and had excellent results.

 

[RonzoTheGreat]

UPDATE

ok... as most of you already know, i value integrity. i need to post this temporary followup from the past weekend at the DUI demo day at Dutch Springs PA. Faith was the DUI rep my buds met with about their "misfits" ;-)

she was super knowledgeable and forward with "DUI practices."
to begin, she was completely open about the information they received upfront (from their shop) being inaccurate. my buds were under the impression they would get a "custom suit." they were further informed that custom pretty much means taking the best pieces of the puzzle that they have at the DUI warehouse and bringing them together. they may shorten some things prior to stitching seams as well. the suits however, are clearly not tailored. (I am not in the least bit complaining about this, just clarifying for anyone new who may have also been mislead). Faith was super informative and took new measurements and went to painstaking ends to explain why/how my buds suits were "off." she than took their suits and said after a 2 week in house turn around, they would receive proper fitting suits free of shipping charges.

obviously this is a SUPER positive looking outcome to date. i will certainly followup when their suits are out of the water on their next dry dive. unfortunately, even though they purchased through an LDS, they will not be able to dive dry until their suits are back in (due to either the equivalent sized rentals are being used, or they do not have a size for their bodies to fit). im thinking it will more likely than not be mid to late june before this comes to fruition.

also, an interesting fact i found out over the weekend is that DUI only warranties their seams for 7 years.....

just for the record, here is an exact cut and paste from the BARE website:
Lifetime Guarantee - A Warranty Done Right
At BARE we take our commitment to product quality seriously. Our drysuits in particular are legendary for their durability and longevity with many of our customers getting a full lifetime of use out of their BARE drysuit before passing it on to a friend or family member. This has allowed us to offer something that no other drysuit manufacturer has been able to do: a Lifetime Guarantee on seams and workmanship.

BARE Scuba Diving - USA

i think this is the most interesting point to date ...

also, here is another point that sort of disgusts me ... after hearing Faith tell me and my buds that the custom suits are "not tailored" here is an EXACT cut and paste from DUIs website:

SIGNATURE SERIES™
Select one of DUI's premium drysuit styles tailored to your measurements and includes DUI's most popular accessories - Kevlar or CF200 knee pads, two pockets of your choice and a separate DUI drysuit hood. Designated by a Signature Series patch.

http://www.dui-online.com/dry_main.htm

another ridiculous point and a point of interest ...

 

[Jax]

Thank you for that well thought and researched post.

 

[jester1226]

UPDATE
also, here is another point that sort of disgusts me ... after hearing Faith tell me and my buds that the custom suits are "not tailored" here is an EXACT cut and paste from DUIs website:

SIGNATURE SERIES™
Select one of DUI's premium drysuit styles tailored to your measurements and includes DUI's most popular accessories - Kevlar or CF200 knee pads, two pockets of your choice and a separate DUI drysuit hood. Designated by a Signature Series patch.

DUI Drysuits - made by Diving Unlimited International

another ridiculous point and a point of interest ...

You are taking what she told you out of context. What she was explaining to you was that the suits are not tailored specifically to the measurements taken. Anything that is sewn and or cut when being put together is considered 'tailored'.

 

[RockinDOG]

Hi Everybody,

I typically stay off message boards as I feel it is a place for divers to exchange thoughts and ideas - it's not a place to do a sales pitch. However, when I see a place where I can help clear up some misconceptions, I just have to jump in.

Building a drysuit is as much art as it is science. That’s because it is one piece, has to give you plenty of freedom to move with lots of undergarments underneath but not be too bulky. All of that and it has attached feet as well.

When you buy a pair of jeans, they are cut off at the waist; they have a button or snap and a fly. This makes it easy to conform to the body. You don’t have that with a drysuit.

You can only tailor the waist so much because when you put the suit on, your hips have to pass through the waist area.

Tailoring can only be done so much as we keep the seams to the ultimate minimum. Of course you use more material this way but it makes for a cleaner line and a better performing seam in the long run.

An excellent example are the thighs. If you have big hips and skinny legs, the suit will be a little big in the thigh area because you can only reduce the leg dimension so fast and make the suit look good. You have to have a straight line.

DUI takes 21 measurements and some of those measurements are more important than others. For example, chest, hips, floor to crotch, spine to wrist and, of course, feet. Many of the other measurements we just verify that they are within a certain tolerance. We make modifications when needed. A good example would be “Popeye Arms.” If you do have those, we need to know about it in advance to get you the best fit possible.

Do we have pre-cut pieces? No way. That would just be too difficult to manage. Each and every suit is cut on its own unless it is part of a larger stock order. Very, very few DUI suits are made this way anymore. Most people want something a little different than the suit before them. So 95% of our suits are cut one at a time.

Here is a fun fact - we believe that even if we made every suit perfect, we would still have a 4% remake percentage. You know why? Because fit is a very personal issue. Take blue jeans as an example. Some wear them skin tight, others wear them so loose that they are pretty much falling off their rear end. Yet to both of these extremes, these people believe their jeans fit. It is really no different with a drysuit. Some people like a close fit, others loose. We do our best to ask questions up front to understand the fit that the customer is expecting. And when it does not meet their needs, we fix it. And when we fix it, it goes to the front of the line.

Here’s another fun fact - some suits have a higher remake percentage than others. For example - a man who is the medium to extra large range and orders a TLS350, the remake percentage is very, very low. The reason … we make them all the time. We make a bunch of those a year. If you are a small woman ordering a CF200, we only make a few of those a year. So the remake percentage will be higher.

Here’s another fact - not really fun but it is interesting - do some research and ask some questions to learn about the different fabrics and styles and what they do so we get the right suit for you. For example, don’t order a CF200SE if you like a roomy fit. This suit is meant to be close fitting. You don’t want to order a sports coupe if you want to haul lots of stuff in the back!

Those are really just some basics and I thank you for letting me share them. Bottom line, if you get a Special Production suit from DUI and you are not happy, bring it back to your dealer and your dealer will contact DUI. The three of us will work together to get you something you are happy with and can be proud to dive. The goal is to get you back in the water just as quick as possible.

I hope this helps. Now everybody - let’s go diving! That’s what I’m doing tomorrow!

Susan Long

 

[SteveAD]

Just delivered a Signature Series CLX450 to a very curvy 5 foot tall girl today. She did the "Happy Dance"

My own suit (now 4 years old) fit a bit snug in the forearms, this was noticed at last years DOG Days event by Dionne who told me to send it in and she would get it fixed for me. This was at no charge, for a suit that was 3 years old, and I fit that I had been diving.

 

[RonzoTheGreat]

Hi Everybody,

Do we have pre-cut pieces? No way. That would just be too difficult to manage. Each and every suit is cut on its own unless it is part of a larger stock order. Very, very few DUI suits are made this way anymore. Most people want something a little different than the suit before them. So 95% of our suits are cut one at a time.

Here is a fun fact - we believe that even if we made every suit perfect, we would still have a 4% remake percentage. You know why? Because fit is a very personal issue. Take blue jeans as an example. Some wear them skin tight, others wear them so loose that they are pretty much falling off their rear end. Yet to both of these extremes, these people believe their jeans fit. It is really no different with a drysuit. Some people like a close fit, others loose. We do our best to ask questions up front to understand the fit that the customer is expecting. And when it does not meet their needs, we fix it. And when we fix it, it goes to the front of the line.

Here’s another fun fact - some suits have a higher remake percentage than others. For example - a man who is the medium to extra large range and orders a TLS350, the remake percentage is very, very low. The reason … we make them all the time. We make a bunch of those a year. If you are a small woman ordering a CF200, we only make a few of those a year. So the remake percentage will be higher.

Susan Long

thank you for your comments susan...
im glad you made some of these points. especially since
A) i was told there are "pre-cut pieces"
B) as for the difference in how some people like their fit, you are 100% correct, except when a DUI rep looks at the customer wearing the suit and is dumbfounded by how poorly the "Full Custom" suit fit (or didn't) ... in other words, it was so clear that the suit didn't fit that even the baggiest pants wearing hoodlum in the ghettos of my nearby inner city would have felt uncomfortable with the fit
C) Irony.... my friends are both in the "medium to XL range" you mention that has the lowest "very, very low" as you said remake percentage when referring to the TLS350 .... and guess what, they both ordered TLS350s ...

all this being said, i am really looking forward to my friends being taken care of by your company. after all, we live in the northeast and yesterdays dives were cut short due to their needing to dive wet. the good news is that it has already been a week since the suits have been in your hands and with an approximate 2 week turn around (as per your rep), i'm hoping they'll have them back for our Atlantic dives on the 11th of june) i'm adding that extra week to be more conservative towards giving you guys a fair shot.

i'm happy you are taking the time to address these issues.

it shows you care about your business.

when you have an opportunity, can you shed some light on why DUI only stands behind their seams for 7 years?

thank you again and hope i am not coming across to harsh. i simply believe my friends deserve to get what they paid for. after all, imagine spending $5000 to dive dry (more like $6000 after their drysuit classes and accessories) only to end up diving wet anyway because of comfort?

 

[Julian55]

"My own suit (now 4 years old) fit a bit snug in the forearms, this was noticed at last years DOG Days event by Dionne who told me to send it in and she would get it fixed for me. This was at no charge, for a suit that was 3 years old, and I fit that I had been diving."

I got a signature series CLX 450 in Jan 2008 that didn't fit right, I am now looking at buying a new suit. I wasn't offered to get my suit fixed?, I even inquired about paying to get mine altered and was told that can't be done?