Drysuit advice and Hydrotech extortion

[Jimmy Blake]

It is time for me to purchase another drysuit, my preferred one would be a DUI TLS 350 but since Hydrotech have taken over as disties for the product prices seemed to have jumped from £741 to £1020, nearly 30% not bad compared with the rate of inflation (lets hope even more retailers like Anne-Marie from Aquarius take a stand and drop DUI. I love their suits but someone needs to send a clear message to the manufacturer that their distribution channel are taking the p-valve contents)

My main reason for looking at the TLS 350 is that I'm a padiwan DIRista and it is one of the preferred suits. The other alternative is a Gates Hunter VSN 1100 TEK, the reviews are always seem to be good and they mount their bellows pockets on the side so they pass the DIR test.

I'm after any views on the VSN 1100 TEK, especially if anyone knows a retailer for them that accepts Amercian Express as I'd love to buy one before pay day ;-)

Alternatively, does anyone else have any any other suggestions for a good suit? I had a very bad experience with Otter when I had my last custom suit made by them, so I probably won't go back to them.

Regards




James

[Scuby]

Got a different Gates suit to the one you're looking at, but I don't think you can go far wrong with it from my experience. The suits seem very well made, I don't think you'll ever see a seam leak... ever! Mine's remained watertight for well over 2 years now - the only thing i've had to change was the neckseal because it started to go sticky... everything else has been fine - they come with good heavy duty seals, not the cheapy thin seals you get on some suits.

Service is very good too - when I needed my neck seal changed I tried to put it into Stoney (Hydrotech!) but was told it would be 3 weeks to get it done... after a lot of looking around I talked to a nice lady from Gates in Scotland who said if I needed it for next week she would make sure it was done in time and posted back. Me being cheap I paid £10 for 3-5 day postage up to Scotland, they got it, fixed my neck seal, gave the suit a full once-over and pressure test, and was back in the post within 2 days of them having received it... all (including postage) for £5 less than it would have cost at Stoney, and 2 weeks quicker! Was very impressed with them, to the extent it will likely go back to Gates for any other servicing it ever needs!

David

[Garf]

I have the VSN 1100 Tek.

I absolutely love it, it's bulletproof. Try Wittering divers in east wittering or at the diveshow as they stock them.

[J.D.]

I would consider a Polar Bears Explorer. I saw it at the last London show, and it's very similar to the TLS350. And I think the lighter material is the same thickness as the TLS350

[parahandy]

[quote=)My main reason for looking at the TLS 350 is that I'm a padiwan DIRista and it is one of the preferred suits.[/QUOTE]

Jimmy "Preferred" eh think you've outlined some of the reasons why the purchase of this particular make's encouraged. I'm always a bit guarded and sceptical when orginisations rather than individuals start recommending particular brands as to their motives. Isn't /wasn't DUI a US company ie strong US DIR following. I'm not suggesting anything wrong with that of course.

No dispute the TLS range are good, have to say though personally I can't see where that price is justified!!!Sorry you had a bad experience with Otter

[Jimmy Blake]

Originally Posted by parahandy

Jimmy "Preferred" eh think you've outlined some of the reasons why the purchase of this particular make's encouraged. I'm always a bit guarded and sceptical when orginisations rather than individuals start recommending particular brands as to their motives. Isn't /wasn't DUI a US company ie strong US DIR following. I'm not suggesting anything wrong with that of course.

No dispute the TLS range are good, have to say though personally I can't see where that price is justified!!!Sorry you had a bad experience with Otter

Is it at all possible to have a post that has DIR somewhere in the text without someone trying to pull the thing off topic? I really appreciate your helpful comments in the second paragraph but the first one didn't really answer the posed question!

I'm just keen that this thread stays on the topic of equipment rather than diving methodologies, I just happen to have a kit requirement that should conform to DIR without opening a debate on DIR.

Answers like this are rather like going into a tailor and saying "I'd like to buy a suit for church please, most people in my church wear black or blue suits to church - could you recommend a nice one in one of those colours?".

The tailor says "Are you a catholic, methodist or a Jehovah's Witness? The catholics all wear blue because it is a conspiracy - THEY OWN ALL THE BLUE DYE IN THE WORLD, they have a crackpot religion - Virgin Mary, HAH!!". To a man who is obviously devout enough to be purchasing a suit to help him in practicing his faith, the worse thing you can do is belittle his choice of deity ;-)

Regards


James

(George Irvine or JJ, where for art thou in my choice of equipment?)

[Brian of Aquanauts]

James,

I can also give a big thumbs up for the www.polarbears.co.uk explorer suit. One of my team got one when he bought a new drysuit recently, and it's sweet. Good design, well thought out, and Made to Measure.

Big plus is they're a british company, and one of the few that still makes their suits in their own UK factory based down here in Pasty Land.

Brian