Xcel semi-dry 8/7/6 vs. Xcel 7/6/5 (not "semi-dry")

[sdawson42]

I had a mix-up at my LDS. I intended to order an Xcel semi-dry 8/7/6; what arrived was an Xcel 7/6/5 (not semi-dry). Of course, this saves me
about $150 (and I'm an impoverished graduate student). Should I save the money and count the mistake as a blessing? Or is it really worth it to add one millimeter of neoprene plus the features of a semi-dry suit (whatever that means)?

For the record, I'm a relatively new diver (OWC, then about 10 cold water dives and 10 tropical dives). This is my first non-rented exposure suit, and I intend to use it for recreational diving on the California coast (water temperature, say, 50 degrees).

 

[magic_johnson]

Welcome to the site!

I just bought an XCEL 7/6/5 hooded suit from my LDS. After reading your post, I called him to confirm that mine was indeed a semi-dry. He said that the 7/6/5 has seals at the face and all extremities, which makes it a semi-dry. The 8/7/6 is the exact same suit, with 1mm more neoprene. Other than that, they're the same suit. They simply reserve the term "semi-dry" for the 8/7/6 suit for marketing purposes (so you'll throw down an extra $150!!!).

I live in the Bay Area as well (Danville). Shoot me an email and maybe we could dive Monterey. I know a few divers, but the more, the merryer (spelling?).

Jason Smyth
jsmyth99@yahoo.com

 

[astrofunk]

Hi Jason -

(Don't be confused by "astrofunk" -- I just replaced my boring "sdawson42" with something with a little more color.)

My LDS said much the same - that Xcel's arbitrary use of "semi-dry" for the 8/7/6 was simply window dressing to get you to buy their latest model, and that prior suits had the same (or virtually the same) seals.

Nonetheless, when I went and visited the 8/7/6 in the shop, it was such a thing of beauty that I plopped down the extra dough and took it home. A hundred bucks for an extra millimeter? I'm using it for the first time this Sunday in Carmel, so I'll let you know if it was worth it...

best,
steve

 

[astrofunk]

I did three dives with the Xcel 8/7/6 this weekend (one at Coral St. in Pacific Grove and two in Whaler's Cove in Pt. Lobos). I can't say enough about the suit!

Granted, I have only me experience with two-piece rentals for comparison, but this was the first time I've done cold water dives and not been limited by how chilly I got. The seals seem to work very well; I never once felt the shock of cold I'm used to as the ocean streams into the rental suit. This time it was just a slow bleed of water at basically body temperature, as I *gradually* got wet. And having only one piece to deal with (rather than a separate farmer john, jacket and hood) REALLY streamlines the dive experience, with is worth a lot to me.

The final perk is that the interior dried very very quickly, so there wasn't the pain of climbing into wet neoprene after the surface interval...

Great suit. I'm totally pleased.