Used Drysuit Question?

[BrianF]

I am considering buying a used drysuit for sale on Craigslist near me but I wanted opinions on some concerns first. I have never owned a drysuit before and want to make sure I am not overlooking anything.

The suit is a DUI TLS 350 and is priced very reasonably. The previous owner only used it for approximately 20 dives however it is about 10 years old. He says it is great condition with no signs of damage or wear.

Are there any issues I need to be aware of when dealing with a suit this age? I am not worried about replacing seals or any routine things like that, but as far as the body of the suit itself is concerned does the material degrade over time? If it looks like it is in good condition is it safe to assume that it is?

Any insights would be appreciated.

 

[Stoo]

There are three reasons someone sells a drysuit.... It leaks, or it doesn't fit anymore, or the person has stopped diving. It sounds like the third might be the reason in that case. So potentially, it could be ok.

Having said that, all of these fabrics deteriorate to some extend, over time. You should carefully examine the suit, and especially the zipper. It's undoubtedly a brass zipper, so wear is pretty obvious since bare fabric and threads hanging out everywhere would be obvious. Ask him to lube it up, and then open and close it a couple of times. It should slide easily and not bind.

If possible, come to some agreement on the dryness of the suit. It seems that most suits these days are rarely actually dry, so it's kinda of a question of degree of dryness versus price paid. I badly leaking drysuit sucks, no matter what you pay for it. You two should reach an agreement that if you get wet, then the deal is off. Or not. It's whatever you two agree to.

However, it can work! I friend of mine bought a used Bare crushed neo suit for $500 from a friend of a friend. it's totally dry and awesome. On the other hand, I have a two year old SANTI that I paid $2500 or something for, and I haven't ever had a dry dive in it after about the first six. It's been back to their shop three times, and I am currently waiting for a decision to return the suit to Poland for assessment.

A TLS 350 is a very light fabric similar to the SANTI I have. DUIs seem to have bit of a Jekyll and Hide thing going on with their suits. Many of them are dry, many of them aren't. Most of my friends dive DUIs and most of them have more than one since one or the other is away getting fixed most of the time. My SANTI seems like it's going to be like that too.

Fit is the other issue... it shouldn't be tight, but also not too loose. Do a couple of deep knee bends and see how tight it gets... some "snugness" is fine, but it's straining, that's not good.

Good luck!

 

[pasley]

The below is IMHO, yours may differ.

DUI makes what I think is a very good suit and is IMHO at the top of its field. A new direct from your local dive shop DUI with warranty beats used dry suit any day of the week.

Lots of questions you should be asking but first one of my own....Are you Dry Suit Certified? If not take the training and you will learn many of the questions you want to ask.

Go to DUI TLS350 Drysuit and look where it says build your own at the large selection of options.

1. Size matters - does the suit fit you (height, weight, foot size etc).
2. What does the suit have on it? P-valve, Kevlar reinforcements in the crotch, knees, butt, pockets (how many 2 I would hope and what size),?
3. What type of neck and wrist seals (zip, glue on, neoprene, latex, silicone)?
4. Types and weight of undergarment included (Dry Suits keep you dry, undergarments keep you warm.)?
5. Type of zipper - metal or plastic
6. When was it last serviced? - springs grow week over time, O-rings (power inflator, p-valve) age, seals age, the rubber of the Tri-Laminate will age.
7. Where and how was it stored - dry suits as with all SCUBA gear does not like ozone (water heaters, electric motors (refrigerators), car exhaust, heat, sun etc.
8. Can you try on the suit first?
9. Will the seller have the suit serviced by DUI and then shipped to you?

Last of all, I have friends here in Los Angeles where we dive all year who will but a few years on a dry suit and hundreds of dives (they tend to dive daily before or after work). Then they sell the suit on the internet as it at the end of its life. That said, I have a new custom made DUI dry suit and a 2002 vintage CLX450 I no longer use. The CLX450 was a store display from 2002 to 2008 when I bought it from the retailer and put it into the water for the first time (after having it serviced and tested). You can score a deal, but you can also score a Zonk. I have seen more than one fire extinguisher being sold on E-Bay as SCUBA Tanks to the unsuspecting.

Over the years my dives have been mostly bone dry. A leaking dry suit is still warmer than a wet suit. Leaks that I experienced were mostly neoprene socks leaking at the heel where it rubbed against the rock boot when I put it on an off and in the crotch where the crotch strap of the suit and the crotch strap of my back plate and wing rubbed. The zipper also leak after several years and a simple replacement at the factory fixed that. Neck and wrist seals will leak if you don't size them right and over time will age and or stretch and need replacement. Annual maintenance on a dry suit will run you about what a modest wetsuit cost.(zip Neck seal $185, zip wrist seal $140).

Others will chime in below with various opinions of what is good what is not and what to ask. Just remember it is Buyer Be Ware and As is, Where is market.

 

[Sekeli]

I've purchased multiple used drysuits from craigslist, in my experience, neoprene holds up well and if it leaks, you dont freeze, it's easy to find a leak, and it's easy to repair.

Trilam, quadlam, nylon, etc. I seemed to have leaks in the krotch or along seams which if not repaired properly, won't go away and you'll want to resell the suit or maybe just throw it away.

If it's a steal or you won't miss the money, I'd say go for it. but if you can afford a newer drysuit, I would just put up the extra money. That's just my general dive gear rule with craigslist.

 

[KevinNM]

I have been told that DUI had a supply chain issue a few years ago and the TLS suits built then had a lot of issues with leaking due to fabric or sealant issues. One suggestion is to look at the inside of the suit when it is in bright light and see if there are any pinholes.

In addition, a poorly fitted drysuit is going to be really annoying. so unless you understand how to measure (or can get someone who knows how) yourself and ensure that the suit will fit I'd hold off. Best would be if you can do a dive in it to ensure it fits and doesn't leak.

 

[eelnoraa]

I have owned 2 TLS suits. I like both them, but when buying TLS used, you need to be careful. TLS material while very comfortable, it is not the toughest, especialy again abrasion. So pay specially attention to these area:

1. under arm area. Due to contact with BC straps, these area tent to have wear. The stitch in under arm seam can come lose. Both mine happened.
2. if the suit has thigh pockets, check the material near the edge of the pockets. One of mine has the outter suit fabric wore through by the pocket edge. I can see the inner frabric from outside.
- both 1 and 2 didn't cause leak, so lea test won't catch
3. crotch area. Mine haven't had issue there, but I can see it is a wear spot.

Issue 1 and 2 above were fixed by DUI at no charge. They apparently admit this could be a suit design issue. In fact, they did a really good job. Now, know what I know now, will I buy another TLS? I would say YES if the price is right (good margin lower than FLX) because it is such a comfortable suit. I do wish the material is tougher.

A 10 year suit with a few dives, the fabric should be in very good condition. The seals will most likely need replacement. Factor that cost into the suit as well.

As standard used drysuit check, leak test if possible, and check zippers.

 

[KathyIGH]

Hi BrianF. This is Kathy Long with DUI. I came across your thread. First off, DUI did manufacture a few TLS350 drysuits with a bad batch of material. We have information up on our website regarding this at TLS Information - DUI Online - drysuits. You should be able to determine if the suit you are looking at could be one of these.

We post DUI DOGs of the Week (DUI Owners Group) with TLS350 that have been actively diving their drysuits for 10 years. The material holds up.

If the suit looks like it has been stored outside - I would pass on it.

The drysuit zipper is the most expensive thing to replace. Look this over very carefully. When lubricated it should zip easy. Look for fraying on the tape.

The seals will have to be replaced.

If you are at all concerned it is a stolen drysuit we keep track of serial numbers when they are reported to us. Just email support@dui-online.com the serial number and they can check.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Kathy