Waterproof versus Sitech silicone wrist and neck seals

[divezonescuba]

Hello Everyone:

Would anybody know if these both manufactured by one or the other or are they completely different products?

 

[aaen]

Believe they are made by the same company. Mind you i could be out to lunch on that.



Steve

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[divezonescuba]

From talking with Tom at Dive Right In Scuba, both brands are actually made by Sitech. The Waterproof seals are cast in a different mold with their name on it. Tom also mentioned that the silicone seals are being continuously developed so the failure rate is being reduced. Having had a wrist seal fail before even the first use, I am going to give them another shot with a newer batch.

 

[aaen]

Yeah I just threw a silicone neck seal out, I dove with a hole in the silicone seal the size of a pencil for a few dives until I found where it was leaking from. Now mind you would this have been closer to the sealing area on the neck I suspect it would have torn as well, same with a latex seal. They are a tad bit more delicate, but let me tell ya, the being able to swap out a seal in a few minutes for the cost of an extra seal, versus having a shop do it for you at a hundred bucks a pop is a nice feature.

Now if only they had a decent dry glove ring system, and a set of good gloves. I've tried many different types and I have to say that out of them all so far the marigolds and the viking cuff system(believe it is the classic where you stretch the glove over) is the best one on the market. I never blew single marigold in 3 years until this summer, where i went through about 8 in two months.

Anyways, get the seals the added comfort and ease of replacing the seals, although is an investment upfront if you keep the suit for a few years it more then pays for itself, and will save a day of diving if you have the extras. When I kill my santi e.space suit, I will be cutting out the si-tec neck ring and putting it on whatever my new suit i, more then likely another santi!!

regards

Steve

 

[tracydr]

When you say the silicone seals are more comfortable, what do you mean? I hate the feeling of being choked by my latex neck seal. Is the silicone seal less constricting? I always feel like I'm going to pass out when I put my suit on but I'm afraid if I trim it anymore it won't seal.
I have a very short, thick neck for a woman so I've already trimmed my neck seal more than I was comfortable with. Wondering if the silicone seal would be a good option when it comes time to replace?

 

[aaen]

Well, i have a thick neck for a male and i use to also get the choking feeling with latex as well as the dreaded hangman's neck from time to time. Since i have switched to the silicone, i do not get the hangman's neck. Sure you still feel it but it is soft and smooth. The latex to me were like sticking tape on my neck.

I no longer use talc or dry suit powder on the neck seal, i just pull it over and voila, i'm goo to go.



Steve

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[Shftrdog]

Same with a differnt name

 

[divezonescuba]

My impression is that the silicone seals are among other things more elastic. I think that is also why they are offered in fewer sizes.

To use any silicone seal, I think that you have to use a replaceable seal system such as the Sitech necktite or similar. This has something to do with the inability of most cements to securely attach to silicone.

Aside of being able to use silicone, the necktite system is also good for rapid torn seal changes, using differerent sized seals in the same suit, or if you make a mistake and trim too much off.

I am really satisfied with the QCP locking dry glove system. This is different than the semi-functional quick glove system. I use the QCP system with kevlar lined Atlas gloves. Once you get them debugged they're great. The best thing is having both or either the wrist seals and the dry gloves in use. I don't think you can do that with the DUI system.

 

[aaen]

Update, since my last tear I have blown through two silicone neck seals( that is three in two months)these are not cut or nicked, small pieces are tearing right out of them right down to the sealing gland on the quick replace system.

The seals are being treated gingerly and not grabbing at with finger tips or long nails, etc. i place the fingers down through the neck and pull out slightly turn the head and lift up not over stretching or anything. Perhaps I have gotten a bad batch? Regardless in the 9 years of diving dry i have never gone through a latex seal, silicone three in two months. I no longer can recommend these seals.

Diving regularly, and many if not all of my dives are deco obligations I cannot rely on a seal that fails this easily, if i stretch my neck to far, etc who says it will not tear at depth, last thing i want to do is try to complete 20-30 minutes of deco hypothermic.

Back to latex seals for this guy.



Steve

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[raftingtigger]

I'm using the SiTech neck tite system and love the silicon seal. Much stretchier than my neoprene seal. I do use some aqualube on my neck to prevent chafing, and it really helps. I also use the SiTech wrist rings and use heavy duty household gloves stretched over a 3" (soft) pipe connector. I really like having both wrist seals and gloves at the same time. I have recently used latex and silicon wrist seals. with the latex my hands were swelling up after the dive, with the silicon it is much more comfortable and no hand swelling.

The beauty of the SiTech system is you can use either latex or silicon seals and of course you can field replace them. Additionally I installed both the neck ring and 2 sets of wrist rings (2 suits) myself and found it easier to do than to glue in latex seals. I'm very happy with my decision to go with the SiTech products.