Which Santi to get

[rddvet]

Or an Otter Kevlar maybe

I?ve never seen a custom cut suit fit consistently as good as sf tech. Everybody I?ve seen with them has a prefect cut with great mobility. I hear sometimes the owner is a pain about the measurements and often requests re-measurements or additional meqsurements. Gamble said one of the reasons he stopped selling them was the owner is an extreme perfectionist and would drive him crazy.


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[bent]

If it's custom cut any suit should really fit well from whatever brand and I'm not sure if those suits are a bit over-hyped. When you're already paying over 3 grand for the Santis you might be over 5 grand for an SF tech in the States. I don't know what they go for but someone told me he paid oder 4000 Euros (4900 USD) for his TNT Pro. And he already had to send his suit back for service after a year or so.
Than you have to get that thing back through customs into Switzerland of all places if you want/need their service. They might be nice but all that sounds like a major PITA to me.

[rddvet]

If it's custom cut any suit should really fit well from whatever brand and I'm not sure if those suits are a bit over-hyped. When you're already paying over 3 grand for the Santis you might be over 5 grand for an SF tech in the States. I don't know what they go for but someone told me he paid oder 4000 Euros (4900 USD) for his TNT Pro. And he already had to send his suit back for service after a year or so.
Than you would have to get that thing back through customs into Switzerland of all places if you want/need their service. They might be nice but all that sounds like a major PITA to me.

Sf tech are pricey. And a custom cut doesnt guarantee good fit. I ordered an flx. It took two years and 4 suits to get one that was ?close enough?.


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[jdobbertien]

i have several friends with SF tech suits every time i ax them about them they rave about their suits. never heard a bad thing. but yes they are expensive as hell.

[Dsix36]

I know nothing about the Santi suits that are being talked about. I have an Santi Enduro and it is the most robust suit I have seen or heard of. I cave and wreck dive and the material is still intact after all the scraping of metal and crawling through rocks. I was pissed when I finally had to replace the zipper until I noted that it was over 10 years old. I got a great deal when it was a store model and they wanted it gone. I still have it and use it for my backup since I know it will always work. My newer suit will never come close so no need to mention it. I wish I could afford another Santi.

[bent]

i have several friends with SF tech suits every time i ax them about them they rave about their suits. never heard a bad thing. but yes they are expensive as hell.

Yeah, people love them. I just don't think it's even remotely good value. IMHO, SF price is just due to being made in Switzerland. If i wanted or needed a full kevlar type suit, I'd actually rather get something like an Otter Kevlar.
The Santis are already pricy, but I feel it's more reasonable for what they are.

[bent]

I know nothing about the Santi suits that are being talked about. I have an Santi Enduro and it is the most robust suit I have seen or heard of. I cave and wreck dive and the material is still intact after all the scraping of metal and crawling through rocks. I was pissed when I finally had to replace the zipper until I noted that it was over 10 years old. I got a great deal when it was a store model and they wanted it gone. I still have it and use it for my backup since I know it will always work. My newer suit will never come close so no need to mention it. I wish I could afford another Santi.

I don't think I ever seen one of those. Just looked it up... it's over 10 lbs. That's a pretty heavy suit.

[IowaCaveDiver]

if you ax me, SF Tech all the way. Unless you're on a budget. But if you're going to drop $3500 on a santi then $4K for an SF is a drop in the bucket. Best made/fit suits on the planet. you won't regret it. I'm 2+ years in mine, ZERO issues. I've got the kevlar pro (heavy suit) but my buddy has the ultra light weight trilam material... I'll ax him what he thinks of that or have him drop a post.

[AlexL]

Youre correct theres some less heavy duty areas on the + to allow better flexibility but it shouldnt be of concern

we've got about 75 dives on our suits, and so far the majority of wear and tear has been located on the heavier panels on the +. this is admittedly a lack of skills / experience related; most of the damage has been done exiting fast and low through the lips and getting hung up on that last little squeeze / ledge.

the arm / elbow areas also take quite a beating, but has held up without any visible wear aside from the outer ring having minor cosmetic abrasion.

only other areas of concern i've had is the top of the neoprene boots where your fin foot pocket sits. it's just starting to show some wear, but is easily remedied with some aquaseal and sacrificial cloth tape.

[floridabob]

Drysuits suck. I've said it a thousand times: worst ROI on anything we buy. I buy a fair priced suit and expect a couple years before it gets beyond a reasonable amount of time/money to maintain then I sell it and move on.

Santi does not fit in that category, nor does DUI. And both can be less than spectacular out of the box.
I've used Scuba Force and Otter and been satisfied with the wear. I get there can be problems with both but the price point makes it less painful to have it corrected. Plus, they were actually nice. And I have had no issues w/mine.

Fast forward 5 years. Your suit will leak. If it doesn't it's an anomaly or you may not dive it much...or both. And I'm sure people will now jump in and say their DUI/Santi/SF Tech/blah/blah is perfect after X dives, Y years and they keep it in the garage under a fluorescent light at 125 degrees and it still has the original seals. Good, I'm glad.

Back to the OP question, I cant give a lot of input into which Santi and certainly not saying dont buy one. Not sure why I bothered to interrupt the flow of this post.....CONTINUE!