|
20 DRY SUITS Aquatek X480 Aquion Pro Rear-Entry Beaver Iceberg Ultra Body Glove Pro-Lite Diamond Saxon 200 DMS Atlantis DUI FLX50/50 Gates PRO-VSN 1100 GUL Commercial Hydrotech Evolution IST Dive Team Proline Northern Diver Vortex Oceanic Flex O'Three RI 2/500 Otter Technical Superskin Poseidon Jetsuit TNG Roho Tech Seaway Arctic Pro Typhoon Nexus Viking Pro 1000 Return to GEAR Page |
Aquatek X480 First impressions A nice-looking, flexible, well-made suit, with a slightly fitted appearance. Price £468 (includes hood, hose and a very useful bag). Material and construction Tri-laminate. All seams are triple-stitched and neatly taped on the inside, with reinforcing patches at the junctions. The waist is slightly elasticated at the back. The braces' retaining clips are reinforced where they are attached at the front, and secured to the lining of the elasticated panel at the back. Boots Glued and taped on the outside of the legs, but untidily attached, and some thought the sole treads were on the thin side. No fin-strap retainer. Zip Diagonal front zip with protective flap secured shut by velcro. This zip guard is taped only on the inside. With the zip closed, it gave an ugly effect like a "garden cane up the jumper". Seals Short, parallel, latex wrist seals taped inside and out. The neck seal is of standard bellows design, glued, and taped on the outside only. Wrist seal contact length 35mm. Knee pads Extra layer of material extending down the full length of the shin, with a large drainage slot. Valves Apeks low-profile inflator valve with internal cushioning. Si Tech low-profile dump valve with dust filter but without a ratchet on the dump-valve adjustment. Both very nicely attached with gaskets. Other features The detachable braces are secured in close pairs and crossed at the back, which means less chance of them falling off the shoulders. They are easily adjusted. Ease of dressing "It was easy to get into but I could not reach the zip to do it up when the suit was fully open. I found the front zip bulky and awkward to use." In the water "It performed well and felt comfortable. The dump valve worked well despite no 'click' to its adjustment. This made buoyancy control easy. I remained perfectly dry." Approximate weight of test suit 4kg. Made-to-measure service Yes. Tested by George Buxton. |
|