|
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 |
IST Dive Team Proline First impressions A very lightweight suit made from a material similar in appearance to that of an old-fashioned police raincoat. It is cheap in appearance and manufacture. The waist is elasticated at the back. A minimum number of seams reduces the chance of a leak. Price £499 (includes hose and auto-dump and undersuit). Material and construction Poorly constructed. There was evidence of poor application of glue throughout and the taping (seams were taped both inside and out) appeared crude. Boots Although the boots are lightweight, the soles appear to be OK. Zip The diagonal front zip is taped only on the outside. The zip-guard flap, with velcro on the outside, is of fabric twice the thickness of the suit. Seals The short conical neck seal has no taping on the inside. The glue was full of air bubbles and came off easily. Heavy-duty wrist seals are taped on the outside only and although conical are short. Wrist seal contact length 30mm. Knee pads There is only a token attempt at providing knee pads. They are rubberised fabric patches with an ironed-on look. Valves There is a Dive Team inflator valve at the chest. Although there was a gasket mounted for it, no shoulder dump valve was supplied. This was a mistake on the part of the distributor, which was keen to confirm that all suits are supplied complete with both valves. Other features The braces retainers are poorly attached. The shoulders are reinforced with rubberised fabric patches as per the knee pads. Ease of dressing "I hated the velcro zip flap. It was very difficult to remove the suit after the dive." In the water Comfortable during the dive, but a little bulky in the front. "It proved that it could keep me dry, but a dump valve would have made my day!" Approximate weight of test suit 2.5kg. Made-to-measure service Stock sizes only. Tested by John Gibbons. |
|