Used DUI TLSse -- Would you buy it?

[DCBC]

So, a few questions:

1) Is $450 a good deal for this suit? If it's merely an OK deal, I'd rather wait, but if it's a good deal, I'd do it.

2) What suit would you buy for $450? Would you prefer a beat-up suit and underwear for the same price--or a beat-up suit without underwear for even less--and save up for a nice suit in a year or two, especially after gaining some more drysuit experience? Or is there a better suit than the TLSse that could be had for the same price?

3) What do you think about the fit of the TLSse for me, with the long torso? Like I said, the TLS 350 fit is fine, but with the telescoping torso girth size is meaningless. Am I going to have a problem?

Thank you very much for any help or advice you might be able to give me! I am really excited to be able to do more local diving, and a drysuit is really going to be a necessity for this, whether I buy or rent. Right now, I would just like to get by with the reasonably lowest cost.

> $450 is a reasonable price for a used dry suit if it's in good condition. Many divers buy these suits and they are seldom used or are underused. For example, I bought a almost new Viking from a commercial diving student who quit the course because he decided it wasn't for him. I saved 60% because he just wanted to get rid of it; it had 9 dives on it. Personally, I haven't had good luck with DUI suits, so I'd stay clear; other people swear by them. It largely depends on your expectations.

> Me, like most commercial divers I've known use Viking when wearing a dry suit. They are easy to repair and the material is unaffected by oil, grease, or other chemicals. As long as the zipper is good, everything else is relatively minor to repair. One way of telling how much it has been used is by looking at the amount of wear on the bottom of the feet. I don't much care what the suit looks like, as long as it's going to keep me warm and maintain its watertight integrity.

> Try it on and ensure that you have amble space for heavy underwear. Be sure to do some deep knee bends and make sure the material is not binding, check the arms by lifting your hands straight over your head vertically with your hands together and then touch your toes with your arms and legs straight, reach across with one arm and touch the wrist of the other while that arm is level and extended horizontally. If you can't do these things, it doesn't fit.

Good luck.