ScubaLab 2013 Drysuit Review: USIA Techniflex with “Dive Armor”
USIA TECHNIFLEX WITH “DIVE ARMOR”
SPECS
• Price: $1,925
• Style: Front Entry, Diagonal-Zip
• Suited For: Heavy-duty, Technical/Scientific Diving
• Available Sizes: 17, also custom sizing
• usia.com
****FEATURES
****• The body of the suit is constructed of Techniflex stretch fabric, and all high-wear areas are covered with HybridShield “Dive Armor.”
• Available in rear entry, diagonal front entry, or wrap-around horizontal front entry designs.
• Si Tech Neck and Wrist sealing systems allow for on-the-spot replacement of either silicone or latex seals.
• An over-zipper protects the main waterproof zipper from abrasion.
• The suit offers a lifetime warranty on seams, and includes suspenders, a semi-telescoping torso with crotch strap, and a choice of soft socks or hard sole boots.
****PERFORMANCE
****When it comes to heavy-duty materials for a workhorse drysuit, you can’t get much tougher than the Techniflex. This is a suit for divers who are in the water all the time and engaged in rigorous sea-bottom activities. The suit’s Tecniflex body material is rugged in its own right, but to ratchet up the toughness even more, all high-wear areas are covered by a material called HybridShield, nicknamed “Dive Armor,” which is a nanocomposite fabric that’s reportedly 15 times stronger than steel and 40 percent stronger than aramid fibers like Kevlar and Nomex. Even so, it’s still lightweight and flexible. That’s what our test divers found out. Nine divers were able to dive our USIA test suits, with 67 percent of them reporting a “Good Fit.” They found the suit easier than most to don with its front entry design, although the Si Tech replaceable seal systems, with their wrist and neck rings, bothered some divers who were not used to squeezing their heads and hands through them. But both inner and outer zippers were easy to reach, making it a true “self-donning” suit. In the water it proved to be very comfortable. Testers enjoyed lots of range of motion and minimal hydrodrag, which was somewhat of a surprise for such a heavy-duty suit. Some divers found the low-profile inflate valve a little hard to find at first, but it didn’t take long to get used to it.
****BOTTOM LINE
****The Techniflex earned the top spot among the heavy-duty suits and tied for third place on our test divers Top 3 Favorites list. Which makes sense, many of the testers are scientific divers who spend a lot of time on specimen gathering expeditions off Oregon’s rugged coast. This suit comes in lots of sizes with a long list of choices and options so you can pretty much have it your way.
Want more? See the entire ScubaLab 2013 Drysuit Review!
ScubaLabUSIA TECHNIFLEX WITH “DIVE ARMOR”
SPECS
• Price: $1,925
• Style: Front Entry, Diagonal-Zip
• Suited For: Heavy-duty, Technical/Scientific Diving
• Available Sizes: 17, also custom sizing
• usia.com
****FEATURES
****• The body of the suit is constructed of Techniflex stretch fabric, and all high-wear areas are covered with HybridShield “Dive Armor.”
• Available in rear entry, diagonal front entry, or wrap-around horizontal front entry designs.
• Si Tech Neck and Wrist sealing systems allow for on-the-spot replacement of either silicone or latex seals.
• An over-zipper protects the main waterproof zipper from abrasion.
• The suit offers a lifetime warranty on seams, and includes suspenders, a semi-telescoping torso with crotch strap, and a choice of soft socks or hard sole boots.
****PERFORMANCE
****When it comes to heavy-duty materials for a workhorse drysuit, you can’t get much tougher than the Techniflex. This is a suit for divers who are in the water all the time and engaged in rigorous sea-bottom activities. The suit’s Tecniflex body material is rugged in its own right, but to ratchet up the toughness even more, all high-wear areas are covered by a material called HybridShield, nicknamed “Dive Armor,” which is a nanocomposite fabric that’s reportedly 15 times stronger than steel and 40 percent stronger than aramid fibers like Kevlar and Nomex. Even so, it’s still lightweight and flexible. That’s what our test divers found out. Nine divers were able to dive our USIA test suits, with 67 percent of them reporting a “Good Fit.” They found the suit easier than most to don with its front entry design, although the Si Tech replaceable seal systems, with their wrist and neck rings, bothered some divers who were not used to squeezing their heads and hands through them. But both inner and outer zippers were easy to reach, making it a true “self-donning” suit. In the water it proved to be very comfortable. Testers enjoyed lots of range of motion and minimal hydrodrag, which was somewhat of a surprise for such a heavy-duty suit. Some divers found the low-profile inflate valve a little hard to find at first, but it didn’t take long to get used to it.
****BOTTOM LINE
****The Techniflex earned the top spot among the heavy-duty suits and tied for third place on our test divers Top 3 Favorites list. Which makes sense, many of the testers are scientific divers who spend a lot of time on specimen gathering expeditions off Oregon’s rugged coast. This suit comes in lots of sizes with a long list of choices and options so you can pretty much have it your way.
Want more? See the entire ScubaLab 2013 Drysuit Review!
