Who hates their White Fusion Dry Suit?

[TSandM]

I dove my Fusion Tech today, for the first time in quite a while. It was a bit of pain to get on over my Santi undergarment, but once I got into the water, I realized I had forgotten how nicely the suit dives. My friend from Florida, who was borrowing a suit from us, commented that he couldn't "park" air in his arms and shoulders, as he can with his laminate suit at home, but at the same time, observed that the suit was very easy to vent and control the bubble. Honestly, at the price point, this is still a very nice suit.

 

[tridacna]

Hey, enough Whites fanboy stuff. See OP. This is a thread in which to biyatch about this POS.

No more compliments. Start your own thread.

 

[ajduplessis]

Sell your POS and move on . I LOVE my Fusion Bullet :love2:

 

[a878bob]

I have been following this thread as I considered replacing my DUI suit. I was able to get a fusion at a good price. But had reservations.
I have half a dozen dives on it and thought I would put my 2 cents in.
I would of picked l/Xl but the rep convinced me to go next side up. Thank goodness. With my fusion thermal I can get in and out with no problem. I did watch the videos prior which was very helpful. All in all, I think easier than my Cf200.

I bought with the fusion boots. Total crap. So flimsy, I walk right over the soles. With the weight of doubles and a short walk in and out, I couldn't wait to get them off. Size 12 if anybody wants them at a good price. Back to my rock boots.

I couldn't believe condensation could cause my underwear to be so wet. I never had this issue in my DUI. So I tested both sleeves by turning inside out and filing with water. Dry! Don't know how I feel about this yet, maybe I can live with it, but not ideal.

The wrists being cut small, so frustrating trying to get my DC rings in. My fingers sore for days. I thought I may have pulled apart the seams to cause them to be wet inside vs condensation. So I had to check.

But it does dive without a problem, except the deflation valve being farther back on my shoulder making it a pain to reach.

good and bad I guess.

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

I hate mine with a passion. Bought the damn thing two years ago, and although it has its positives, they are far outweighed by the negatives.

- I personally have had pretty consistent problems with leaks, despite having sent it back for pressure testing and doing my own checks. Maybe I just got a dud - it happens.
- Mine came with the Apeks low profile exhaust valves, which I am not crazy about - I had a lot of water coming through when I was in a head-down position. The little rubber thingamy inside has been known to pinch a little in that posture and let water in, so I swapped it out for a SiTech, which was a huge improvement.
- The ridiculous "U" shape of the zipper makes me feel very "chesty", for want of a better word. It sucks looking down and getting a lovely view of my chest sticking out like the prow of a ship. I like having a very lean profile in the water, and that is a decided disadvantage - all the more so when I went sidemount and tried fastening my chest-strap. It was like holding a tape-measure over a speed-bump.
- The pockets aren't brilliant, either - put anything heavier than a bolt-snap into it, and everything sags like hell. I've gotten used to the crotch of my outer skin polishing the walkway at Peacock, but it's not a pleasurable sensation, and everyone else thinks you just crapped in your drysuit. That's nice if you want to be left the hell alone, but if you're a sociable sort and like chatting to strangers - which I do, sometimes - it's not easy if they think you have a load in your pants.
- It also takes a surprising amount of time to dry. My husband's Santi (he has the E.Lite, I think) seems to dry in just a few hours, but mine is always still damp when it's time to pack and leave for the airport. And you know what the airlines are like about extra luggage weight these days.
- Never had a problem donning it, as I had a thorough demonstration by a Whites rep. at BTS. He said, "Grab the crotch. That's the first step. If you don't do that, you will be miserable, just like everything else in life. Then thread your legs in and make as if you're donning panty-hose".
- I hate not being able to zip myself up easily. There is something to be said for the diagonal zippers of a DUI and a Santi etc, I think.

If I had to do it over, I would probably go for a Santi suit. My husband adores his, and can't find a fault with it.

 

[decompression]

I hate mine with a passion. Bought the damn thing two years ago, and although it has its positives, they are far outweighed by the negatives.

- I personally have had pretty consistent problems with leaks, despite having sent it back for pressure testing and doing my own checks. Maybe I just got a dud - it happens.
- Mine came with the Apeks low profile exhaust valves, which I am not crazy about - I had a lot of water coming through when I was in a head-down position. The little rubber thingamy inside has been known to pinch a little in that posture and let water in, so I swapped it out for a SiTech, which was a huge improvement.
- The ridiculous "U" shape of the zipper makes me feel very "chesty", for want of a better word. It sucks looking down and getting a lovely view of my chest sticking out like the prow of a ship. I like having a very lean profile in the water, and that is a decided disadvantage - all the more so when I went sidemount and tried fastening my chest-strap. It was like holding a tape-measure over a speed-bump.
- The pockets aren't brilliant, either - put anything heavier than a bolt-snap into it, and everything sags like hell. I've gotten used to the crotch of my outer skin polishing the walkway at Peacock, but it's not a pleasurable sensation, and everyone else thinks you just crapped in your drysuit. That's nice if you want to be left the hell alone, but if you're a sociable sort and like chatting to strangers - which I do, sometimes - it's not easy if they think you have a load in your pants.
- It also takes a surprising amount of time to dry. My husband's Santi (he has the E.Lite, I think) seems to dry in just a few hours, but mine is always still damp when it's time to pack and leave for the airport. And you know what the airlines are like about extra luggage weight these days.
- Never had a problem donning it, as I had a thorough demonstration by a Whites rep. at BTS. He said, "Grab the crotch. That's the first step. If you don't do that, you will be miserable, just like everything else in life. Then thread your legs in and make as if you're donning panty-hose".
- I hate not being able to zip myself up easily. There is something to be said for the diagonal zippers of a DUI and a Santi etc, I think.

If I had to do it over, I would probably go for a Santi suit. My husband adores his, and can't find a fault with it.

I'll buy it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

I'll buy it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wasn't looking to sell it, as I don't have the cash for a new Santi to replace it. But I might be persuaded to part with it if the price was right. And assuming we are the same size (I'm 5-3 and about 135 lb).

 

[Sol]

Jumping in a tad late, I realize, but I'm dealing with some of the same issues people here have described.

I wouldn't say I hate my Fusion. I'm just realizing that I've come to the limit of what I can do in it. When I got it used, it had the Tech skin. Fast forward a couple of years and I replaced it with the Bullet. And that led to a revelation about the design -- its greatest advantage is also its greatest flaw. And that is: you're essentially wearing a large garbage bag to stay dry. Naturally that's not going to conform to the shape of your body, so you have to wrap the garbage bag in spandex. The spandex is what keeps the suit streamlined and close to your body. And when you're in and out of chlorinated swimming pools or getting a lot of sun, sooner or later the spandex skin loses its elasticity and its ability to hug you closely so the inner layer doesn't go flopping around.

That's what happened to my Tech skin. Couple of years after I got it, the skin was hanging off me like a cheap motel curtain. It was already thin to start with -- basically a Sport skin, but with pockets -- so it got worn out pretty fast. I replaced it with the Bullet skin, which is supposedly more robust, being thicker, better reinforced, and more abrasion resistant. (I got one of the old Whites design, before they were bought by Aqualung.)

But here's where I'm not happy with it. Somebody upthread mentioned it being difficult to self-don, and I have to agree. For the moment I still have the flexibility to reach over my left shoulder with my right hand and vice versa, but in all honesty I'd rather just do it up 80% of the way and tap somebody nearby to make sure it's closed properly. And another comment mentioned having trouble controlling the bubble -- I understand what you mean, and I'm bothered by the same thing. IIRC, the OP said he had a Sport skin, so I'm not really surprised. The Sport skin is light, flexible, and dries quickly, but it's also thin and lacking the elasticity to truly pull the inner core close and conform to the body. I have the same problem, although not nearly to the same extent.

In sum, the Fusion is a good recreational drysuit for divers on a budget. When you want to take your diving beyond that, the limitations of the design are revealed.

 

[sfdiver140]

Well......I am back at it......using polyproprylene close against my upper skin.....Fourth Element Xeotherm base layer.....MK2 Glacier jumper......over my core an additional vest using the MK2 jacket with the sleeves off. I am going to dive this suit different.....taking the advise of so many in this thread.....add just enough air to off set the squeeze....use my BC for buoyancy. I also picked up a few tips from listening to UTD (United Team Divers) podcast.....they did point out that if there is too much air in the suit, the air never gets a chance to warm up it is constantly cooled by the water. I am crossing my fingers.

 

[sfdiver140]

Well.....I gave my fusion another shot.....get this I did a weight check, added weight until with my lungs full I floated above my chin.....when the lungs empty I was floating eye level.....I was excited thought I had this.....I dropped down but every time I took a breathe I would rise kind of fast....I was not deep maybe 15’-20’. The rising was so much it disrupted the dive......I’m done, I have wasted some much time and energy trying to dive dry......it’s just not for me. I’m going to sell it and dive wet....when I begin to get to cold maybe it’s time to give up the sport I love. So White Fusion Tech dry suit and all accessories for sale. 2XL