Apollo 'Bio-seals' - any good?

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Im sick of having to wring my undersuit out after a dive but due to the shape of my neck i ship a lot of water every dive. I've had brand new seals on and still get the problem.

Diver mag and a few places are advertising a 'Bio-seal' which apparently you put on the neck first and the dry suit will seal to those.

I want to know if its just market hype or if they do actually work so has anyone on here used them ?

[BJ]

I am a bit touchy when I see someone write that Diver Mag is ‘advertising’ something.
Advertising is bought and paid for, but the Editorial section (like wot I rite) is totally independent. I get paid nothing by the manufacturers (and precious little by the publisher too!) and I guard my integrity zealously.
I tried the Apollo Bio Seals and wrote in Diver Tests exactly what I found. As usual, nothing more nothing less.
At the DEMA show in October in Miami, I was shouted at by the bosses of three different manufacturing companies for writing things that they say damaged the sales of their products. I can understand their anger - but I get p’d off when I hear readers implying that what I write is ‘advertising’.  JB

[Phil Ennis]

<font color='#810541'>I am afraid whether you like it or not it is advertising. Just as when I wear a suit or computer etc as an Instructor I am advertising to my students.

You do give an unbiased review but you will always get people who see it in the mag and just presume you are saying it is brilliant without even reading your views.

Ah well such is life.

You don't get paid a lot but you seem to get about a bit.

[Mark Davies]

<font color='#000080'>I don't think that's quite fair, Phil. John has a well deserved reputation for giving impartial opinion on the products he reviews. There's no doubt that if he thinks it's crap then he says so.

No doubt manufacturers send their products with the hope that they will get a bit of free publicity in Diver, but they certainly need to have faith in their goods. I refer to John's kit reviews regularly on Divernet whenever I'm planning a purchase and he has never let me down yet.

I have always seen the reviews as exactly what they claim to be, honest and impartial assessments. I for one don't see them as &quot;advertising&quot;.

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (JJJJBBBBB @ Oct. 25 2003,19:00)]I am a bit touchy when I see someone write that Diver Mag is ?advertising? something.

That isnt quite what i meant, the sentence should have read &quot;mentioned in diver mag and advertised in various places&quot; meaning i have seen adverts on the internet and such for them.  Other than the write-up i dont recall seeing a mention of them in the magazine, ad or otherwise.

As for writing what you found, i have absolutely no reason to doubt that at all but with any product i try to canvas opinion from as wide a range of sources as possible before making my mind up and buying- its no personal slant on you.

Basically i have a &quot;funny&quot; neck meaning i get soaked diving and want to cure it, these may do it but what works for one person (writing as you found it) may not neccesarily work for others, hence my post on here.
Im after things like, do they hurt after wearing for say 8 hours at a time and so on.

[Gavin Yates]

<font color='#000F22'>When JB does kit reviews I'm sure there's nothing in the review apart from his opinion.

What DIVER does all the time AND the rest of the mag industry is guilty of &nbsp;- is - do a feature on say diving the GBR or Maldives and the centre that was reviewed will have a a full pager or half-pager ad to be place right next to the editorial.

Sometimes this is OK but too often I just get the feeling I'm reading advertorial.

[Phil Ennis]

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Mark Davies @ Oct. 26 2003,01:05)]I don't think that's quite fair, Phil. John has a well deserved reputation for giving impartial opinion on the products he reviews. There's no doubt that if he thinks it's crap then he says so.

Where the hell did I say he didn't have a good reputation, or disparage him in any way.

Read my post again, I think you will find that I say he does give unbiased reports.  

Just that he gets about a bit, lucky git. &nbsp;

[BJ]

Of course every magazine exists through the revenue it gets from paid advertisers. No advertisers - no magazine. And I think it strange that a dive location or centre would want to advertise in the same issue as an editorial feature about them. (If I was them I would spend my money in follow-up issues.)
However, advertisers are only there because the magazine attracts readers and a magazine which does not give the readers what they want soon ceases publication (unless of course the purchase is made by one organisation on behalf of lots of members in which case the magazine has to please only the people actually making the purchasing decision!)

[Gavin Yates]

<font color='#000F22'>John,

You know what happens tho' - the Mag's sales dept calls dive centre 'A' and says: &quot;One of of team of journos is doing a feature in your locale/with your dive centre ... this would be a great time to buy an ad ... we can offer you the solex next to the feature ... you would ... excellent.&quot;

I agree that buying follow ups would make more sense.

I agree with giving readers what they want ... less Beachcomber and Blackford please ... more UK diving and budget holidays.

I got to say with the advent of the web I find magazines less relevant than ever ... news content is out of date and features lack background or analysis due to space considerations ... I'm still a Diver subscriber tho'